Ministers say the Navajo Nation is experiencing a move of God that is marked by dozens of salvations and healings
Some communities in the largest American Indian reservation in the U.S. are experiencing a move of God that ministry leaders claim is comparable to the miracles recorded in the book of Acts.

They say that in parts of the Navajo Nation, entire families have come to Christ, crack houses have been turned into houses of worship as drug dealers have been converted, many have been delivered from alcohol and drugs, and a well that was dry for years is now filled with water that brings healing.

“The only big name involved in this revival is God, and it is sweeping the Navajo Nation,” said Ray Saragosa, missions pastor of New Song Fellowship, a 300-member charismatic church in Denver.

Saragosa has taken ministry teams seven times to the Arizona communities that are located in the Navajo Nation, which extends through a large portion of the Grand Canyon state and into New Mexico and Utah.

The Navajo Nation is the largest of the 275 reservations and 500 federally recognized tribal governments in the U.S. Roughly the size of West Virginia, the territory covers 25,351 square miles and has a population of 180,000, according to census reports.

Since May 2003, Saragosa, 51, has taken truckloads of clothing, toys, bikes and furniture to Ganado and Whippoorwill, Ariz., located approximately two hours northeast of Flagstaff, Ariz.

He said the Navajo people live in poverty-stricken circumstances, and most of the church buildings are “very rough,” but that has not stopped them from attending revival services.

“Many of the meetings are held in tents, which are simply put up somewhere and the people flock in by the hundreds, hungry for God,” said Saragosa, who is Mexican-American.

A Navajo native who was raised on the reservation, Daniel “Larry” Furcap, senior pastor of Whippoorwill Fellowship Church, said a “full explosion of revival” is happening in Whippoorwill and Ganado, which are about an hour apart.

“It seems like the Lord started doing the outpouring beginning in December 2003,” said Furcap, 42, who is ordained in the Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.).

Furcap and Sammie Begay, senior pastor of Ganado Glory Temple, held what was supposed to be a weeklong revival.

“During the revival meeting, we preached about the grace of God,” said Furcap, who has seen the church grow from eight members to 135 since he became pastor in 2000. “Through that the people accepted that they were accepted and redeemed. That’s when they opened up and when the outpouring started taking place. The week of revival kept going on and it continued for weeks.”

Furcap said nearly 200 people have accepted Christ in Whippoorwill, Ganado and the community of Hard Rock, which have several thousand residents.

“Two couples in Whippoorwill who were the main drug dealers of the town got saved,” he said. “Their houses had bullet holes and no windows. Everything was trashed. The people from our church came out to clean their houses, remodeled and painted their houses, got their power turned back on, and gave them food. They’re now holding jobs and are part of the church.”

Shirley Baker said she and several of her siblings got saved last year after one of her brothers and a nephew, who were both Christians, died. “We went through a lot before we knew God,” said Baker, 42, who attends Whippoorwill Fellowship. “I would drink three or four nights each week, and I didn’t think about anything except to get drunk again because there was no one to turn to for love or forgiveness. But now He has set us free from sins.”

Besides deliverance and salvations, Furcap said he has seen supernatural signs and wonders. He said a well close to the Lord’s Church near Piñon, Ariz., which was dry for years, was suddenly filled with water in April 2004, attracting people from outside the reservation. “People who drank or bathed from the spring experienced healing in their body,” Furcap said.

He added that members of the Lord’s Church reported seeing an oil-like substance on the walls during services, as well as the appearance of gold-colored dust and nuggets.

“I believe God is really moving in the Navajo Nation,” he said. “The reason is that people have opened up to God and said, ‘We’re willing for You to do great and mighty things.’ They have laid down their religious things. They want Him to be in control. The Word of God says where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty.”
Eric Tiansay

Sammy Mah’s appointment is part of a corporate restructuring designed to boost the organization’s ability to respond to disaster
As part of a major reorganizing campaign aimed at positioning World Relief to be a leading advocate for the world’s poor and needy, the Christian humanitarian organization recently appointed a former General Motors executive as its president.

Sammy Mah was to be installed as head of World Relief April 18, ending a leadership search that began last year after the resignation of former president Clive Calver. Previously Calver had been general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of Great Britain, the United Kingdom’s equivalent of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).

Now senior pastor of Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, Conn., Calver is credited with having raised the visibility of World Relief and crystallizing its vision of “helping churches help churches help the poor” during his seven-year tenure.

“We all credit Clive with polishing off the vision we were founded [on],” said acting president Tim Ziemer, who was to step down April 18. “We understood that the church’s role is to reach out and do compassion ministry. When you do that compassionate work and you evangelize, you see light. One without the other doesn’t necessarily get you where you want to go. It’s not the whole gospel. Clive came to this organization and made sure we all knew that.”

Both Ziemer’s and Calver’s resignations came as part of a massive restructuring aimed at transitioning World Relief from a traditional style of ministry leadership, in which an organization is led by a visionary president and operations are carried out by an executive director, to a CEO model.

“We really believed we had some of the finest technical people in World Relief,” said board chairman Gordon MacDonald. “What we needed was leadership at the top in this new era who would bring the best out of the competence we have. … We were not looking for a leader who was going to give us a new mission or take us in new directions. We were looking for someone who would take this mission and run with it.”

MacDonald said the new structure was needed to enable World Relief to realize a series of resolutions the board adopted last year. Among them is a desire to make World Relief, which is the humanitarian-assistance arm of the NAE, a leader in addressing such issues as refugee resettlement, the AIDS epidemic, micro-enterprise and food development, and child mortality.

“We don’t have any sense of urgency to be the biggest; we would never come into World Vision’s league,” MacDonald said. “But quality-wise, we would like to be among the best.”

He added that World Relief wants to sound “a prophetic voice” to the U.S. church to remember the poor. “The average Christian in America doesn’t see his or her commitment to the issue of the poor as an evidence of conversion,” MacDonald said. “And we would like to be a leader organization in the 21st century of making sure that the Christian community gets that message. That this is not an option; it’s a given.”

Other humanitarian organizations, such as Compassion International and World Vision, which operates a budget close to $1 billion, have been using a CEO model for several years. Describing Mah as “a very godly man with very vigorous and deep faith in Jesus and a great sensitivity to God’s calling and leading,” MacDonald said the board believed Mah was “capable of running a finely tuned organization and bringing out the best in individuals.”

The son of Chinese immigrants, Mah earned an MBA from the University of Michigan and spent 27 years as an executive at General Motors. He and his wife, Lorelei, and their three children have been active in youth ministry at their church, Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brighton, Mich., and have participated in missions trips to various parts of the world.

Mah’s arrival comes as World Relief continues to recover from a challenging 2001 move to Baltimore. The relocation consolidated offices in Illinois, New York and Georgia and largely is viewed as a positive change. But it also resulted in a significant loss in domestic staff, as some key personnel chose not to transfer. The organization, which operates a $40 million budget, later cut additional staff due to a decline in giving after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

MacDonald said World Relief has braved the worst of the transition, and he is optimistic about the organization’s future. Despite the changes, Ziemer said, World Relief has been able to respond to recent natural disasters, with teams going to work in Indonesia after the tsunami, Grenada after Hurricane Jeanne and Iran after an earthquake struck in December.
Adrienne S. Gaines

Frank Meyer recently launched Evangelism for Cowards to teach Christians how to boldly share their faith
New York City minister Frank Meyer isn’t afraid to go public with his faith, and the city’s subway system is his pulpit.

Preaching and staging evangelistic skits on crowded, noisy subway trains, Meyer said he’s used to facing rejection, weird stares and insults. “The Holy Spirit gives me courage,” he said.

The 42-year-old usually opens with a song such as “Amazing Grace” or “Blessed Assurance” before jumping into a mini-sermon or leading a team in an attention-grabbing skit. “I just sing quietly and very mellow,” he said.

He earned his evangelistic spurs in 1990 serving a one-year internship at Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan while attending Dallas Theological Seminary. Searching for a strategy to share the gospel with city dwellers, he took a leap of faith into the subway. He began by singing hymns while commuters waited for trains. “I stood there and just was scared, scared, scared,” he said.

Feeling crushed from a barrage of negative jibes, he recovered his confidence when a man urged, “Don’t ever stop what you’re doing.”

Meyer became a born-again Christian through Campus Crusade for Christ at Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. After working in the industry for two years he heeded God’s call to ministry. Following seminary he worked for a homeless program in Dallas and then the Bowery Mission in Manhattan before transitioning into subway evangelism.

Every skit presentation is an adventure. “The Matrix Man” skit begins when the team casually enters a subway car. A man conspicuously bothers a woman team member who rebuffs him. Meyer, dressed in black and wearing sunglasses, stands up shouting, “Sir, would you mind leaving the woman alone!” After more banter the man pretends to start a fight with Meyer who yells, “I can whip you with my pinky.”

The man collapses on the floor when Meyer points a finger at him, then another team member challenges the crowd about death and eternity and commands the man on the floor to arise. The skit ends with a short gospel message, tract distribution and talks with willing passengers. The team then boards another train.

“Evangelizing on the subway has helped me to be more public with my faith in my neighborhood, in my apartment building and in my work,” said team member Kate Gleason, a college professor who describes herself as a quiet person.

Some passengers respond favorably and gladly accept tracts while others show hostility. “I think it’s disgusting,” a sneering woman told Charisma after refusing a tract.

New York City Transit spokesman James Anyansi said Christian groups are allowed to hand out free information to passengers as long as they don’t disrupt the flow of traffic. Unless a passenger is being harassed, he said, the transit doesn’t respond to complaints about not wanting to receive information.

Besides weekly subway runs, Meyer trains church groups in evangelism under the umbrella of Mission NYC (www.mis sionnyc.org), an evangelical ministry that sponsors short-term missions programs.

Mission NYC will train 60 to 100 teams totaling 2,000 to 3,000 people this year, reported Executive Director Rick Camacho. He endorses Meyer’s style of initiative evangelism. “There is not a single cookie-cutter approach to evangelism,” he said. “Frank offers a vehicle that is unique and breaks through the noise.”

Meyer recently launched Evangelism for Cowards, a ministry aimed at helping Christians share their faith one-on-one. He conducts seminars in churches and provides eye-catching literature. “It’s focused on helping people who never share their faith learn simple ways of getting involved,” he said.

One of his favorite ploys is asking a stranger, “Could you give me a really difficult question about God?” He claims that people respond favorably 80 percent to 90 percent of the time.

“Christians live their lives so afraid of evangelism,” he said. “Christ said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. It’s scary at first, but it’s so rewarding.”
Peter K. Johnson in New York City

Gwen Edland describes book of Acts-style miracles when recounting her ministry travels to more than 40 nations
Instead of relaxing in retirement, a 70-year-old Nebraska grandmother has become a globetrotting evangelist, willing to share the gospel even in the world’s more dangerous places.

Sometimes teaming up with the Omaha Rapid Response Team to offer food and supplies, other times going off on her own, Gwen Edland has prayed with thousands to receive Christ in more than 40 nations, including Iraq, China and Russia. A registered nurse, certified teacher and licensed pastor, Edland has given away countless copies of the Jesus video and the evangelistic Step Up to Life (SUTL) booklet, which has been translated into 28 languages.

Despite the danger she sometimes faces, Edland believes she is serving out her life’s purpose. A widowed mother of four and grandmother of 12, the Canadian native once prayed that God would send her to places where people have not heard about Jesus. It seems her request was granted, though her first missions trip wasn’t exactly to reach a remote people group deep within the 10/40 Window.

Instead, in 1991 she traveled to Sweden, where she said God miraculously taught her to speak Swedish and she preached the gospel to everyone who would listen. “All people have a right–it’s their birthright–to know their Creator,” Edland said.

A member of Trinity Interdenominational Church in Omaha, Neb., Edland accompanied a Baptist medical team to Hinche, Haiti, in 2000, 2003 and 2004. They assisted a Haitian dentist and doctor and distributed Creole Bibles, eyeglasses and medicines. She reported that 200 people made decisions for Christ each trip. Among them was a voodoo priest who accepted Christ in 2000 and subsequently brought 25 of his warlock friends to hear about Jesus. In 2003 Edland saw him again, cleaned up and studying the Bible with other former warlocks.

“[Edland] is constantly encouraging people to reach out to the poorest of the poor in the world,” said Trinity missions pastor Connie Bissen. “This woman will travel anywhere in the world in order to share the love of Jesus. What a beautiful example she has been to many in our congregation as well as our city.”

Edland accompanied a Tennessee medical team to Recife, Brazil, in 2003. The group visited men sentenced to life in prison for murder and their involvement in gang violence. That year, she said, 480 inmates came to Christ; the following year she reported 850 converts.

In Rio de Janeiro, Edland and her translator went into the darkest ghetto, where the police wouldn’t go. “You need this. Jesus loves you,” she told the drug lords as she handed out SUTL. “They started reading it on the spot,” she said.

Edland has taught English in Chinese universities nearly every summer since 1994. She said the Bible is her textbook, and she shares Jesus with everyone she meets. One year a university president affiliated with the Communist Party accepted Christ after he and Edland read SUTL together during lunch.

“Being with Gwen is like walking with a modern-day Moses because it seems like the sea just parts and we walk right through,” said Dave Collins, who heads Trinity’s pastoral care ministry and has accompanied Edland on trips to China. “It’s an astounding experience. She’s so dedicated and so focused in her devotion to the Lord and the Chinese people.”

And the testimonies keep coming. From her Omaha home, where she hosts parties and Bible studies for international students, Edland describes one adventure after another, many ending with dramatic accounts of miracles or salvation experiences.

On their first trip to Iraq, Edland said, one of the intercessors began praying intently as she handed out SUTL booklets on Iraqi streets. The police came to arrest her, but then stopped suddenly and left.

In Brazil, a missions team prayed for a deaf and mute teenager who came to their medical clinic. Edland anointed his tongue, and his ears popped and he began to speak.

When Edland accompanied an international disaster team to Iraq in 2004, thieves shot a hole in their car door as they traveled between the Jordanian airport and Baghdad. “God kept us safe,” Edland said. On their return trip she said there was a dense fog around their car until they passed through the area where the shooting occurred.

This year Edland journeyed with the Omaha Rapid Response Team to southern Asia after a tsunami devastated the region. She helped build shelters until pain in her hip sent her to the hospital. While there, she said she led the head of the orthopedic department to salvation.

“I remember Jesus said, ‘If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto Me,'” she said. “If people don’t hear about Jesus, they will go to Hell, and that is unthinkable.”

Audrey Hebbert in Omaha, Neb.

Diane Knippers Dies
Diane Knippers, president of the Institute for Religion and Democracy, a conservative think-tank in Washington, D.C., died April 18 of complications from colon cancer. She was 53. Named by Time magazine as one of the nation’s most influential evangelicals, Knippers was an outspoken critic of liberal moves within mainline Protestant churches, especially the Episcopal Church, and was an advocate of persecuted Christians around the world. She is survived by her husband, parents and brother.

Florida Pastor Clint Brown Faces Legal Battle
Dennis Leonard, pastor of Heritage Christian Center in Denver, has filed suit against Florida minister Clint Brown, saying Brown has refused to repay a $100,000 loan he sought to help buy a building for his church, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Leonard’s attorney, Howard Marks, said the pastors made a verbal agreement that FaithWorld would repay the loan. The suit claims that Leonard has not received the money and seeks compensatory damage and interest, the Sentinel said. At press time, neither attorneys for FaithWorld or Brown had commented on the suit. Brown also has been sued by a former member who claims he owes her $200,000. Brown says the money was a gift.

Gospel Artists Recognized At Dove Awards Show
A cross section of Christian music artists were recognized April 13 at the Gospel Music Association’s 36th annual awards show in Nashville, Tenn. Among the Dove Award recipients was Casting Crowns, which was honored with seven awards, including Group of the Year and song and songwriter of the year awards for lead singer Mark Hall. Switchfoot received four awards, including Artist of the Year. Jeremy Camp and Nicole C. Mullen were awarded male and female vocalist of the year awards respectively. The Crabb Family received four awards, including recorded song of the year honors in the Southern Gospel, country and traditional gospel categories. Awards show co-host Israel Houghton received Doves for best contemporary gospel song and album.

‘PREACHER BUSH’ SHARES FAITH WITH REPORTERS
President Bush talked to the seven reporters traveling with him on Air Force One about Jesus after attending the pope’s funeral in Rome April 8. For 47 minutes, Bush and the journalists had an intimate, friendly chat largely about the pope, his legacy and Bush’s own “walk with Christ,” The Washington Post reported. Bush said attending Pope John Paul II’s funeral strengthened his faith, his belief in a living God and in how religious faith is a lifelong journey. “I think a walk in faith constantly confronts doubt, as faith becomes more mature,” Bush said. “And you constantly confront, you know, questions. My faith is strong. The Bible [says] … you’ve got to constantly stay in touch with the Word of God in order to help you on the walk.” Bush told the pool of reporters who travel with the president that it is necessary to find ways to strengthen one’s faith. “It’s called a ‘walk,'” he said “It’s not called a moment or a respite. It’s a ‘walk.'”

PASTOR SPEARHEADS CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUGE GAY EVENT IN JERUSALEM

Joining forces with ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel and rabbis from the U.S., a charismatic pastor has launched an international campaign against the 10-day WorldPride Parade scheduled to take place in Jerusalem this summer. Leo Giovinetti, who leads 2,500-strong Mission Valley Christian Fellowship in San Diego, is seeking 1 million signatures for a petition (www.israelblessgod.com/protest.asp) against the mid-August gay-pride festival, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish mayor, Uri Lupolianski, opposes the event but said he is powerless to interfere because the police, not city hall, license public events. Giovinetti planned to hand-deliver the petition to each member of the Knesset. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Prayer Team (www.jerusalemprayerteam.org) has also started a petition against WorldPride.

OREGON SUPREME COURT NULLIFIES GAY MARRIAGE LICENSES
In a unanimous ruling the Oregon Supreme Court nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples by Multnomah County in Portland last year, the Associated Press (AP) reported. In its April 14 decision, the Court said a county cannot defy state matrimonial law, which bans gay marriage, and noted that voters approved a constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex unions even more explicitly. Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski said April 13 that he will push to allow same-sex couples to form civil unions, giving them many of the legal rights of marriage. The Oregon Court’s ruling came a day after Connecticut became the second state to offer civil unions to same-sex couples. Massachusetts is the only state that permits gay marriage.

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION ENDS PROCTOR & GAMBLE BOYCOTT
The American Family Association (AFA ) has suspended a four-month boycott of Proctor & Gamble (P&G) products, claiming the company has backed off efforts that were supportive of homosexual lifestyle. The AFA reported that 400,000 people signed pledges to boycott P&G after the campaign was launched in November and endorsed by Focus on the Family. “Insofar as we can tell by our monitoring, P&G has stopped their sponsorship of TV programs promoting the homosexual lifestyle, such as Will and Grace, and they have stopped their sponsorship of homosexual Internet sites,” AFA chairman Donald Wildmon said. His organization claims P&G has sponsored gay pride parades and gay workshops, and has required its employees to participate in sensitivity training that promotes acceptance of homosexuality.

Jordanian Islamic Court Grants Child Custody to Christian Widow
A court of Islamic law in Amman ruled in favor of Christian widow Siham Qandah, revoking the legal guardianship of her children’s Muslim uncle. On April 12, the court removed Abdullah al-Muhtadi from his court-designated guardianship and ordered him to repay misspent funds, Compass Direct reported. Al-Muhtadi, who had 30 days to appeal the ruling, has been fighting a seven-year legal battle to wrest custody of his niece and nephew from Qandah. Qandah and her children live in the northern city of Husn, where they attend the Husn Baptist Church. Under Jordanian law, once the children turn 18, they are allowed to choose whether their official identity will be Muslim or Christian.

Eritrean Christians Jailed For Viewing Home Video
Eritrean police arrested 16 members of the Kale Hiwot Church on March 13 after they were found watching a Christian video together in the town of Adi-Kibe, Compass Direct reported. Two older women were released the following day after paying fines, but at press time the other 14 remained jailed, though no official charges had been filed. In September, the northeast African nation was added to the U.S. State Department’s list of “countries of particular concern” for its religious freedom violations. Eritrean officials deny ever-increasing reports of a severe government crackdown under way against Protestant churches, Compass said.

Pentecostal Pastor Still Missing in Indonesia
The family of Pentecostal pastor Jokran Ratu, kidnapped Dec. 3 on the remote Indonesian island of Buru, still does not know whether he is dead or alive, Compass Direct reported. “We always ask the police whether they have made progress or found Mr. Jokran’s body,” the Rev. Henry Lolaen, a pastor from nearby Ambon island, told Compass. Meanwhile, police were preparing for the April 25 anniversary the Maluku Sovereignty Front’s failed attempt to gain independence. Last year, an illegal flag-raising ceremony led to violence between Muslim and Christian groups in Ambon, leaving at least 20 people dead and dozens of buildings destroyed, Compass said.

BOOKS

Changing the World Through Kindness
By Steve Sjogren, Regal, hardcover,
224 pages, $16.99.

With a simple but powerful message, author Steve Sjogren challenges Christians to use the oft-forgotten weapon of kindness to win unbelievers to Christ and help transform lives. In his latest book, Changing the World Through Kindness, Sjogren puts a practical handle on this spiritual principle.

Using colorful illustrations and vivid examples, Sjogren, who founded the Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, writes that kindness is every bit as important in spiritual warfare as casting out demons or praying earnestly for others. Kindness can penetrate the spiritually darkened hearts of people with God’s love.

The author leads Christians to witness to nonbelievers in unconventional ways such as cleaning toilets at bars and stores, feeding expired parking meters and washing cars. “By serving in kindness we’re building bridges to the unchurched that will transport them toward a relationship with God,” Sjogren writes.

This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever thought they “weren’t spiritual enough” to engage in spiritual warfare, or for those who are looking for ways to influence others with their faith. The author is simply challenging Christians to be available to be used by Christ in word and in deeds.
Tracee N. Mason

Launching Your Kids for Life
By Bob and Cheryl Reccord,
W Publishing Group, softcover,

240 pages, $14.99.

All good parents want their children to grow up to be happy, productive and effective adults. And for Christian parents, they add to this determination the desire to see their children bringing glory to God by fulfilling His purposes for their lives. A daunting task, but with God’s grace and wisdom–and with the insights Bob and Cheryl Reccord offer in their newest book, Launching Your Kids for Life–families can have more direction, vision and success.

The Reccords offer mental pictures, poignant parallels and practical steps to help parents create childhoods that lead to meaningful adulthoods. Consulting with NASA executives and astronauts, the authors weave an inspiring comparison between child “launching” and space-shuttle launching–both “launches” have similarities–from mission control (parents) to ground crews (grandparents, teachers, church staff and others).

The authors challenge parents to have the humility and the spiritual fortitude to “abort” a mission; in other words re-evaluate situations and begin again. For example, if extracurricular activities are distracting children from school or causing negative attitudes, parents need to stop the activities, decide what is best and then start again on a new, adjusted course.

These are tough decisions, but “it comes down to [parents] having the guts to make judgment calls, regardless of the criticism and hurt feelings that may result,” the authors write. It’s not easy to “abort” a mission. But regrouping can help parents learn what they did right, how to do better and what has to change in order to help their children become all that God created them to be!
Kristi D. Shores

MUSIC

Great River Road
By Jason Upton, Gotee Records.

Worship leader Jason Upton’s new release, Great River Road, is a collection of introspective acoustic worship tunes. Upton’s voice blends well with the low-key musical experience, which mixes elements of folk, pop and world music.

Upton fuses many flavors of international music on songs such as the orchestral “King’s Way,” “Chop Down the Tree,” which features spoken-word Scripture, and the melodic title track. “When It Thunders” speaks lovingly of a paternal relationship with God, and the romance of “Return to Me” parallels the far-reaching love of Christ. “Trust Again” is a solemn message of healing for the hurting.

Because Upton has been compared to music pioneer Keith Green, a fitting track to end on is a new pop version of the late singer’s “You Are the One.”

Great River Road is an intimate journey that will help create a unique, relaxed time of personal worship.
DeWayne Hamby

It’s My Time
By LaShun Pace, EMI Gospel.

LaShun Pace, a former member of the Anointed Pace Sisters, has provided inspiring gospel music for years. With an unbelievable vocal range and a powerful delivery, she has released a number of independent, top-five-charting albums.

She now offers her EMI Gospel debut, It’s My Time, her first project in four years. During her absence, she endured the sudden death of her daughter Xenia, a divorce and illness. Songs such as the power ballad “For My Good,” the catchy up-tempo “Hey” and the urban-touched title tune carry a special poignancy in light of her recent trials.

Other great church tracks include the traditional “Emotions” and the choir-backed “I Trust You.” She also includes a tasteful remake of the church classic “The Lord Will Make a Way.” One of gospel’s best voices is back.
René Williams

Pressing On
By various artists,
Discovery House Music.

The apostle Paul receives a musical homage with the release Pressing On: Songs Inspired By the Journey of the Apostle Paul. This album features songs rooted deeply in scriptural references and a lineup of skilled vocalists, including Larnelle Harris, Michael O’Brien (NewSong), Travis Cottrell and a reunion of the original First Call lineup: Bonnie Keen, Marty McCall and Melodie Tunney.

First Corinthians 13 gets a musical retelling courtesy of Harris, who belts out an inspiring call for brotherly love on “The Greatest of These.” The title song displays O’Brien’s vocals with a message of faithful determination. First Call fans will be thrilled to hear the trio’s return on “Living Sacrifices” and “Nothing Can Separate Us.”

Though the inclusion of musical pioneers and an “easy-listening” soundtrack make this release sound somewhat dated musically, it still proclaims timeless truths.
DeWayne Hamby

NEWS

Filming of Left Behind: World War III Wraps Up

Cloud Ten Pictures is in post-production of Left Behind: World War III. The movie, which is based on the popular Left Behind series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, is the third installment in the film series and stars Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains), Lou Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman) and Gordon Currie (Left Behind II: Tribulation Force).

Directed by Craig P. Baxley (Storm of the Century), the film is based on the last part of the book Tribulation Force. It follows the story of the U.S. President (Gossett) who works against those who oppose the self-proclaimed messiah (Currie) until a surprising discovery forces him to change sides.

“There are two reasons I came back [and one] is that the script was really good,” said Cameron, who plays the role of Buck Williams. “It got better as we began working on it together. The second reason is that I’ve gotten so much positive response from normal, everyday people on the streets who like the Left Behind movies and say [the films] really brought some of the things from their childhood faith back to life. If the third movie can plant more seeds along those lines, then I think it’s worth it to give it our best shot.”

At press time, Cloud Ten Pictures was still in discussions regarding the film’s theatrical release date. Left Behind: World War III will be distributed on DVD and video by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment this fall or next spring.
Margaret Feinberg

When worship leader Paul Wilbur travels overseas, he often brings doctors, dentists and medicine–but not because he’s a hypochondriac. Wilbur believes that ministry to the poor is an integral part of true worship, and he makes sure his outreaches include not only music but also mercy.

On recent tours to Ghana, Nigeria, Nicaragua and El Salvador, for example, Wilbur’s team examined the sick, counseled with them and prescribed medicine. At each clinic 1,200-1,500 people were treated and had an opportunity to hear the gospel.

“We work with local pastors and leaders who meet with each person individually and share a salvation message,” Wilbur explains. “As a result, there is a huge number of salvations. If we could double the number of doctors, we could double the number of salvations. … We’re believing God for an increase of $50,000 a month so we can do six outreaches this year.”

Wilbur, who is a Messianic Jew, recorded his latest CD, The Watchman (Hosanna! Music), live on Yom Kippur at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. “The timing is significant,” Wilbur says. “Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, was the one day of the year that the high priest was allowed to come into the presence of God with blood, making atonement for himself and all Israel.

“I believe this recording will carry that anointing in a very special way and will sweep many into the kingdom of God.”
Elisabeth Farrell

I fear that charismatics are fitting in more and emphasizing the Holy Spirit less.
When my son Cameron graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1998, the speaker was Atlanta pastor Creflo Dollar. His topic was unusual for a commencement address–he talked about the importance of praying in tongues and interpreting the message.

It wasn’t unusual to hear someone talk about speaking in tongues at ORU. Oral Roberts has testified that when his campus was just a pasture he prayed in tongues and God showed him how to build a great university.

In the early days of the charismatic movement it seemed that every week I heard another story about someone being baptized in the Spirit and speaking in tongues. The joke back then was that after someone was filled with the Spirit we needed to lock them up for months because they were so crazy for God!

The late Jamie Buckingham, my longtime mentor, described the first time he spoke in tongues. In his 1976 book Risky Living he wrote: “From the very depths of my inner being, I heard the Holy Spirit Himself beginning to speak. … I was speaking the language of the angels. It was an unforgettable moment. Sheer ecstasy.”

Jamie often joked that trouble was the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. That’s because entire congregations were being swept up in the charismatic renewal during the 1960s and 1970s, and many churches split over it. Today, churches that once opposed the gifts of the Spirit are open to renewal.

The charismatic experience was also a bridge builder. Christians who argued about how to take communion or perform water baptism were swept up in this renewal movement. As more and more Christians experienced the intoxicating power Jamie described, it became more difficult for us to argue about secondary doctrines.

One of the most surprising bridges between denominations was built when charismatic renewal erupted in the Roman Catholic Church. Before the 1962 Vatican II reforms, Catholics believed anyone outside their church was lost. But after Pope John XXIII called for a “new Pentecost,” they began viewing Protestants as “separated brethren.”

A few years later, in 1967, a group of Catholics at Duquesne University received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The fervor spread to Notre Dame, where my colleague Bert Ghezzi was then a graduate student. I’ve enjoyed listening to Bert’s stories of how a group of Catholic students spoke in tongues and prophesied for hours after some businessmen prayed for them in South Bend, Indiana. The renewal in the Catholic Church has now touched an estimated 60 million Catholics worldwide.

One of the first leaders of the Catholic charismatic renewal, Ralph Martin, wrote a feature in this issue on Pope John Paul II, who endorsed the renewal (see page 46). Martin and others believe the pope himself was charismatic.

Catholics, in fact, were the first to use the term “charismatic”–deriving it from the Greek word charism, or spiritual gift. The word was mentioned in a Vatican II document, which called on the church to “embrace charismatic gifts … with thanksgiving.” When we chose to name this magazine Charisma in 1975, the term had become widely used by Protestants.

The charismatic movement has evolved and changed since then. Charismatic churches are growing. The entire evangelical church seems more open to charismatic worship styles.

But at a time when the media pays more attention to evangelicals, I fear that charismatics are fitting in more and emphasizing the Holy Spirit less. Many people are still baptized in the Holy Spirit, but hardly anyone talks about it. It seems our fervor has waned.

God poured out His Spirit at Pentecost to empower the church. He did it again during the Azusa Street Revival in 1906, and again during the charismatic movement, to renew and empower us all.

I believe we need to heed the words of Pope John Paul II, who said these words in 2004, less than a year before he died: “Whenever the Spirit intervenes, He leaves people astonished. He brings about events of amazing newness; he radically changes persons and history.”

Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will again intervene in our lives, empower us afresh and astonish our generation.

When needs arise in the world, the church must help the church.
I hope you’ll read Matthew Green’s article on the response to the tsunami by the church in Sri Lanka (see page 54). I’m sure you’ll be inspired. As you know, we asked Charisma readers to respond generously to the need right after the tsunami hit–and so far, more than $239,000 has come in. We worked with the churches in the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) to provide immediate assistance to those who were left homeless and without food.

Then we sent Green, editor of Ministries Today, to Sri Lanka in February to see how the money was spent and how the church is responding. He brought back a good report. Not only was the money used wisely, but also the church, a persecuted minority, is showing the love of Jesus to those in need.

We made contact with the NCEASL through Clive Calver, former president of World Relief. He believes that when needs arise, the church must help the church. That’s what we did in the tsunami crisis.

But the needs are still great. Homes and churches must be rebuilt.

I hope many pastors will follow the lead of Bishop Keith Butler of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, Michigan. He had planned to take an offering for the tsunami victims and give it to a large secular relief organization. When he found out Charisma readers were helping the Christians in Sri Lanka through Christian Life Missions–Charisma’s nonprofit partner–and the NCEASL, he chose to send the donation to Christian Life Missions.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if thousands of churches would take offerings and channel them through the church to help meet the need?

We pledge to send 100 percent of what comes in to the church in Sri Lanka. Please mail your tax-deductible gift to Christian Life Missions, P.O. Box 952248, Lake Mary, Florida 32795-2248.

Secular Newsstand

We’ve all heard the expression about getting outside the four walls of the church. Charisma is making great strides next month in going beyond the boundaries of the Christian community to get the gospel message into the marketplace. Beginning with the June issue, as many as 50,000 copies of Charisma will be on secular newsstands in two major drugstore chains and in other places magazines are sold.

For many years it was nearly impossible for Christian publications to find a place among the many titles on magazine racks. But the leaders of Curtis Circulation Co. say they see a new interest in spirituality in the nation and think there are opportunities for Christian magazines. Along with Charisma, they are initially placing New Man and Vida Cristiana and later more of our titles as well.

Now we need your help in getting the word out. Tell your friends to look for one of our magazines on the newsstand. Or buy a copy and give it to someone to read. With hundreds of thousands of our readers each doing his part, I believe we can sell out of Charisma’s June issue.

Congratulations to Southeastern

On April 30 Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Florida, became Southeastern University, and we want to congratulate President Mark Rutland and his team for this important milestone. We told Rutland’s story–an inspiring account of how he provided vision to a small college that was dying–in the November 2004 issue. (See his article on higher education on page 65 of this issue.)

Many don’t know that I have ties to Southeastern going back to 1962. I was 11 years old when my father became a professor there. At the time, it was a small Bible college with only about 400 students. Later my mother graduated from Southeastern. And my brother-in-law James Ferrell was a professor at the college for nearly 30 years.

So I feel a personal tie to Southeastern even though I was never a student there. And I am happy to congratulate Rutland on the college’s new status as a university. I know that even as it grows academically, the school will retain its spiritual foundations, continuing to provide a quality higher education in a Pentecostal atmosphere.

Pro-life advocates redirected their efforts after the Supreme Court refused to reopen Roe v. Wade
Christian activists are refocusing their efforts to overturn abortion after the Supreme Court’s recent refusal to revisit Roe v. Wade, which legalized the practice in all 50 states.

Attorneys for Norma McCorvey, “Jane Doe” in the 1973 lawsuit, have now set their sights on reversing the case of Sandra Cano, “Mary Doe” in the companion Doe v. Bolton lawsuit. Roe is better known because it legalized abortion, though only through the second trimester. Doe extended abortion access up to birth. Lawyers expect it to take two years to get Doe before the Supreme Court.

Both pro-life advocates today, McCorvey and Cano hope the decisions in their cases will be reversed based on more than 5,300 pages of evidence citing that abortion harms women. The appeals also include sworn testimony from more than 1,000 women who say they were hurt by abortion.

“That’s the heart of it,” said Allan Parker, lead attorney on both cases and president of the Justice Foundation, a nonprofit San Antonio-based law firm. “You cannot take the life of your own child without it producing severe psychological and emotional trauma.”

The foundation filed a petition for writ of certiorari on Jan. 14, asking the Supreme Court to hear the Roe v. Wade case based on a federal rule that allows an original party to request a ruling be vacated when factual and legal changes deem the decision no longer just. The Court refused without explanation on Feb. 22. “We’re saddened greatly that they didn’t listen to the women that they purport to protect,” Parker said, “but we will not give up.”

Previous attempts to reopen both cases have been unsuccessful. However, observers say that with four of the nine Supreme Court justices believed to oppose abortion, the appointment of a pro-life justice during President Bush’s second term could tip the scales in favor of reversing the 1973 decision. “Reversing Roe v. Wade would mean that women would no longer suffer the trauma of abortion,” said McCorvey, who now regrets her role in legalizing abortion.

McCorvey was 21 years old and pregnant for the third time when she signed on for the case. After the ruling, McCorvey strongly advocated abortion even working at an abortion clinicÑuntil an unlikely friendship changed her mind, and her heart. “I came to the Lord through the wisdom of a 7-year-old child,” she said.

Through that childss persistence, a hardened McCorvey finally attended church. It was a day that changed her life forever. In 1995, McCorvey was baptized; today, she calls herself “100 percent pro-life, no exceptions.”

Before the ruling was handed down, McCorvey gave birth to a girl, who was adopted. “I never had an abortion, so I can honestly say when [Roe v. Wade] is overturned, then my job is done.”

Similarly, Cano never had an abortion and claims she never sought one. “I was nothing but a symbol in Doe v. Bolton with my experience and circumstances discounted and misrepresented,” she said in a sworn affidavit.

Cano claims she simply wanted a divorce and help regaining custody of her two children when she met the attorney working on Doe v. Bolton. Pregnant at the time with her fourth child, she said she thought she was signing divorce papers when she was actually signing a lawsuit against the state of Georgia for refusing her an abortion. “I never sought an abortion there or anywhere else,” Cano claims.

Though she gave her baby up for adoption, Cano said she knows what it’s like to feel responsible for an abortion. “I have been forced to live with the consequences of this false compassion for too long for me not to bring to the attention of the Court the fact that abortion is not in a woman’s interest, and the fact that legalization of abortion began with manipulations and misrepresentations,” she said.

“Abortion trauma and grief is real,” said Joyce Zounis, director of women’s outreach for Operation Outcry: Silent No More, a movement encouraging women to speak out about how abortion affected them. “Just like driving through McDonald’s for a hamburger, I thought this was my quick fix,” said Zounis, who had her first of seven abortions at age 15. “No one told me that there are possible physical or psychological complications.”

Arlene Campbell testified that her uterus was perforated during her only abortion, resulting in an emergency hysterectomy at the age of 22. “Having to be told that I had a complete hysterectomy caused self-hatred, shame, years of rejection. It just tore my life apart,” she said.

Today, at the age of 53, Campbell has no children, yet she wants women “to know that there is forgiveness and healing in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“If this is supposed to be protecting women, it’s not working,” said Theresa Burke, Ph.D, founder of Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries, a program whose goal is to help bring healing to post-abortive women and their families. “It forces [them] to live with the reality and the psychological impact of taking a human life.”

Burke submitted a 250-page expert witness affidavit to the court. “We should be able to find nonviolent alternatives that don’t invade a woman’s physical and psychological integrity,” she added.

For Alveda King, niece of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the battle to overturn Roe v.Wade is a personal one. She had two abortions and says today, “If there had been no Roe v. Wade, I would have never on my own had an abortion, ever.”

King said she will carry on her uncle’s legacy by speaking for all children. “How can the dream survive if we murder the children?” she asked. “None of us are winning as long as we are killing.”

Overturning either abortion decision will be a monumental challenge. A November Associated Press poll found that 61 percent of Americans say President Bush should nominate Supreme Court justices who would uphold Roe v. Wade, though 34 percent said he should nominate a justice who would overturn it. Parker said there is only one reason those figures do not intimidate. “It will be God that breaks through the stronghold of abortion,” he said.

Some of Parker’s strongest opposition comes from Christians, such as the Rev. Carlton W. Veazey, president of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, who says there is no basis for the appeal. “If they say it causes serious psychological damage, what does that mean?” Veazey asked. “We’ve learned now that having a bypass operation causes depression. But people don’t stop having bypasses because of that.”

What Veazey calls a choice, Parker calls sin. “How can the God that gives us life, who says that every child is a blessing, want to allow us to kill them? It is contrary to God’s nature,” Parker said. “I’m not a theologian, I just know God.”

Suzy Richardson