UGST Symposium

Urshan Graduate School of Theology is hosting its annual symposium next week in cooperation with the Apostolic Leadership Summit.  The theme is "Standing Together for Truth" emphasizing the strength that comes from unity .  Leaders from the largest AP organizations in the world, along with some of the greatest academic minds from these organizations, are coming together to discuss important topics related to ministry in the 21st century.  Biblical Interpretation, Counselling, Media, 21st Century Holiness and the Emergent Church are some of the presentations that will be given by the likes of David Bernard, Wayne Francis, Nathaniel Binion, Daniel Segraves, and our own illustrious leader Kent Curry.  Although academically oriented, the UGST Symposium is of great benefit to anyone seeking to effectively minister in our constantly-changing society.  Stay tuned to the mother ship next week for an exclusive sneak peek inside the action.

 

Josh R

Virtual Hell 12

It's that time of year again. Time for the Halloween alternatives. And I'm so excited that my favorite one is back after taking a year off. If you are anywhere in the Southern California region I highly recommend you check it out. It is always an incredible experience and an amazing outreach tool. Close to 2,000 people see Virtual Hell every year, most of them are not Apostolic, and there is always a mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost during the alter call following each performance. The information for this year is below.

This Year…


THRE3 People will find themselves in a place of darkness…

A place of despair… torture…

Is there a way out? A way to escape?

A mysterious Old Man has the answer…

Will they find out what it is before they have to fight the Beast?


This Halloween Season…
Experience Virtual Hell all over again in…


Hell’s Arena
“Fight for Your Soul…”


2008 Live Stage Performances:

Saturday, October 25 6:30 PM & 7:45 PM
Sunday, October 26 6:30 PM & 7:45 PM
Mon. – Thurs., Oct. 27 – 30 7:30 PM
Halloween Friday, October 31 7:30 PM & 8:45 PM
Saturday, November 1 6:30 PM & 7:45 PM



International Pentecostal Church
10248 Alondra Blvd.
Bellflower, CA 90706
Ticket Info / Reserve Seating (562) 867-7203

Ticket Price $7.00
Group Ticket Price (10+) $5.00



Join us again this year for Hell’s Arena, a highly evangelistic drama that will excite, thrill and draw young and old alike to a powerful experience with our Lord Jesus Christ. We are praying, fasting and expecting powerful altar calls and people filled with the Holy Spirit! Spread the word!

Looks Like King Obama Will Require A Tribute--A Three Trillion Dollar One

Gotta 401k? You won't have for long. The One is coming for it. All in the name of Hope and Change.

Well at least we'll get change. Even though its the kind of change more related to John Belushi than to Lazarus.

UPDATE: Apparently he doesn't need it. One can apparently commit donation violations by simultaneously engaging in credit card fraud to do it. never mind. We're safe.

America as we know it: RIP.

-R

General Conference Wrap Up

General Conference is over, and I'm wishing for more sleep and a foot massage.

The Holy Ghost Crusade last night was a great success. Still not a packed house, but there were hundreds of visitors. The worship was great, led again by Cortt Chavis. Throughout the service, people were being baptized to the left side of the platform. Bro. Doug Klinedinst preached the message, and at the conclusion of his message, hundreds of people flooded the altar to receive the Holy Ghost. When I left the coliseum, 267 had received the Holy Ghost, the altars were still full, and they were baptizing people as fast as possible. Don't know what the final count was.

Since this is my last post, I offer a few observations, thoughts and suggestions:

• There were no wild fashion statements, a pretty conservative group.
• It's rumored that 1700 ministers voted in the business sessions, which is a good number for an off year.
• The hallways were empty during church. Very little of the usual socializing during the service that I've seen in years past.
• Cortt Chavis is the new Israel Houghton of the UPCI.
• Why couldn't children's evangelists be used to conduct children's church during the evening services? Kids wouldn't be bored with church, and a great opportunity for them to receive the Holy Ghost.
• Loved the sofas, chairs, bar tables and stools placed throughout the exhibition area. Much nicer than the park benches seen in previous years.
• Kudos to PPH for a real bookstore atmosphere, complete with chairs, tables, nice smelling candles, hot coffee, and real bookshelves with books listed alphabetically. PPH created a very appealing atmosphere for browsing, reading, and hopefully - buying! By far, this was our favorite booth!
• The chocolate fountain in the Stewardship Booth was a very popular destination!
• The Evangelist Wives area seemed much smaller this year with less participants. Less hair sticks/jewelry, flowers, scarves, purses and clothes.
• The Foreign Missions booth seemed to be smaller as well. I loved the fine china, crystal and tea cups in the European booth. And a first (I think), beautiful, large area rugs from Pakistan -- the real deal! There were no prices listed -- you had to ask the missionary for a price quote. I'm afraid they were out of my price range, but it looks like they were doing a swift business.
• The Foreign Missions Division published a cookbook with recipes from missionaries around the world, FM board wives, and FMD staff. Lots of exotic recipes from Sri Lanka, South Africa, the Caribbean, Chile, Germany and other places around the world. It would be handy to have when hosting international dinners in your local church. Only $20 for a very attractive 3-ring binder with over 700 recipes. Proceeds from the sale of the cookbook go to the Retired Missionary Fund.
• Perhaps the small crowd was due to the sagging economy, small East Coast city or was it the $50/$75 registration fee per person? Maybe a reconsideration of the registration fee should be considered in order to attract more than pastors on committees and boards, and local saints.
• The Sheraton and their staff was wonderful. Except for the tiny closets. . .
• Kent and Nita, we missed you!

All told, it was a great conference, even with a small crowd. Restaurants were much more accommodating this time, staying open late and seemingly happy to do so. No highway construction late at night like we had in 1998. Maybe we'll be back here in 10 years???

See you next year in St. Louis!

General Conference 2008: Business Meetings

If you want the details on from the GC 2008 Business Meetings, take a look at Look Up Social for everything. Quite a thorough job. Kudos!

Miracle in the Foreign Missions Service

The Foreign Missions Service has always been my favorite service of the conference, and this year was no exception. Norman Paslay was the Master of Ceremonies again, but without his usual sidekick, Bro. Paul Mooney, who returned to Indiana to preach the funeral of a minister. (Bro. Bryan Abernathy and Bro. Howell assisted Bro. Paslay throughout the service in raising PIMs and an offering.)

The service was started with old fashioned Pentecostal music. With Bro. C. M. Becton on the piano, and retired FM board member, Bro. R. P. Bell, on his guitar, Sis. Vesta Mangun and Sis. Bobbie Shoemake led us in singing, "All In Him" and "Send the Light". Very fitting for the theme of the service which was A Life, A Land, A Legacy.

In their usual grand parade, missionaries, missionary kids, retired missionaries and former missionaries flooded the floor of the coliseum, carrying their country's flag and wearing brightly colored clothes from their respective nations. The audience gave them a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes as they made their way to the steps in front of the platform, where Brother Howell prayed over them.

Bro. & Sis. Carl Varnell were brought to the platform and thanked for their years of service to the Foreign Missions Divison. Scotty and Krista Slaydon, with their little daughter, Abigail, were introduced as the new Foreign Missions Secretary.

The focus of the service was on the retired missionaries, and the sacrifices they had made for the work of God. As each retired missionary was recognized, Bro. Howell prayed over them and gave them a small trophy, and they had special seating on the platform. Bro. & Sis. Sam Latta, retired missionaries to Liberia and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) were given a torch which was used to light a huge cauldron that burned the entire service. Bro. Howell then announced that the offering would be for the retired missionary account. (Missionaries who have served for a minimum of 20 years receive a monthly check from FMD after they retire, and get their insurance paid. There are 30 retired missionaries being supported by FMD.) The amount they wanted to raise was $350,000. I never heard a final number, but I believe they had raised $300,000 by the time I left the service.

Twelve missionaries were presented that each needed 30 PIMs (Partner In Missions) to get them back to the field. The appeal was made, and as enough PIMs came in to send one family, the missionary was given a torch, which he lit from the burning cauldron. As the last missionary received his torch, fireworks went off all across the platform and it was quite a celebration.

But one of the most exciting events of the night was seeing Timo Simoneaux, 13-year-old missionary kid to Malawi. During the offering appeal, Bro. Howell brought Timo and his parents, Tremayne and Vickie, to the pulpit. At the end of July, he was at death's door with a severe case of bacterial meningitis. He fell into a coma and after a couple of days was flown to South Africa for better medical treatment. God miraculously healed him, but the meningitis left him totally deaf in his left ear and some hearing loss in his right ear. Bro. Howell asked the conference to pray for him, and with much fervor and anticipation we all prayed. After maybe 10-15 minutes, I watched Timo tell his mother something. She bent over and said something in his ear, talked to him for a minute, then she lifted her hands and started jumping up and down, crying and praising God. They got Bro. Howell's attention to let him know that Timo had been healed and he could hear. The coliseum erupted in praise and a time of rejoicing. It was a sight I'll never forget!

Finally, Bro. Ron Macey, pastor from Houston, TX, was brought to the pulpit to preach. He took his text from Job 28:7-8 and preached on "A Path Called Sacrifice". He spoke of missionaries who have sacrificed everything, and their sacrifice brought about great revival in countries overseas. But in modern America, are we willing to make sacrifices? Can we give up the latest tech toy to reach a soul? He remembered William Thompson, missionary to Colombia, who was buried just a week ago. God audibly spoke to Bro. Thompson when he was a child and called him to the land of Colombia. He had never heard of Colombia and didn't know where it was, but he followed the call and was appointed to Colombia in 1947. Johnny Willhoite, missionary to Mexico and several other countries, died on the field, without any earthly possessions or money. But as Bro. Macey put it, if Bro. Willhoite could sing a song, he would plunk on his guitar and sing, "I'm a prisoner of love, a slave to the Master. . . I seek no reward in this world below, but payday will come, when the pearly gates unfold!" What made Missionary Steve Willoughby go back to the field with a wife fighting cancer? "I seek no reward in this world below. . . " What made Else Lund give her life to the work of God in Ghana? "I seek no reward in this world below. . ." He wrapped up the service by asking the retired missionaries to take seats across the steps of the platform. As he made an appeal for everyone to take the path of sacrifice, the altars were flooded with people, young and old, falling on their face at the feet of pioneers who had followed the path of sacrifice.

Hats off to the FMD team and another great service.

Friday Night

The temperature dropped about 25 degrees on Friday and it rained all day. This seemed to affect the Pentecostals, because the booths were empty Friday afternoon - not many shoppers! When the Media Missions Service started at 6:15 pm, there were maybe 300 people scattered throughout the coliseum. Don't think I ever remember such a small crowd for any service. But they rolled on as if the Coliseum were full. Media Missions did a live broadcast that aired on their "There is Hope" program on XM radio. The Heavenview Singers from Heavenview UPC, Winston-Salem sang "Hear Us From Heaven" followed by a short sermon from Bro. Danny Hood. (Kudos to Tiffany Countaway, producer of the extremely organized broadcast!)

Tupelo Children's Mansion followed with a 15 minute promotion -- a very moving video of some of the children from the Mansion. TCM interviewed two of the original children to the mansion, and you couldn't help but be moved to tears as they told how TCM gave them a chance in life and loved them when no one else would. Bro. Steve Judd and his staff run a top notch home for children, and you can't help but want to empty your pockets for them.

The Home Missions service started at 7 pm, and again, the coliseum was not full. By the time the service ended, there were still about 4 sections in the back that were not full. The theme of their service was "This is North America". They began with different people coming out on the platform and quoting Acts 2:38 in every language you could imagine. Then they played a short video clip of people from around the USA quoting Acts 2:38 - must have been at least 50 languages. Cortt Chavis, pastor's son from Spring Lake, NC, is a Native American Indian, and he led the worship service. Fantastic worship leader. A Filipino choir from California sang. Brother Carlton Coon emphasized throughout the service that This is North America now. It's no longer a English speaking only country - there are people from around the world that live in the US, and they need Jesus. He introduced a pastor from Indiana who had a burden to reach more than the white Americans in his community. He first won many Burmese people, then a large group of Hispanics, and it's expanded from there. Then he introduced Bro. Staten from DC Metro. As he came to the platform, he brought some of his saints to the platform with him. A little Hispanic man came up with them and he was jumping up and down, very loudly shouting and praising God. Bro. Staten explained that he had just received the Holy Ghost at conference on Thursday night. This man, Juan, came to his church after his sister was murdered. They prayed for him, he was delivered from drugs and then just received the Holy Ghost this week. He continued to jump and praise God throughout Bro. Staten's presentation. Bro. Staten is growing a great church with very unique outreach efforts. He's even won a member of the Black Panther gang, who told him he couldn't believe a white man could love him or even want to talk to him.

The sermon was a play written by Tom Trimble. He goes to a hotel to pick up a visiting minister to take him to lunch. He greets the girl at the front desk and fumbles her name - she let him know that he always got it wrong - for the 3 years she had worked there. They go to his favorite restaurant, get his favorite waiter, and he gets his favorite waiter's name wrong. He brags to his minister friend how Ricardo/Roberto is the best waiter, etc. While they're there, Roberto had a heart attack and died. The minister goes to the funeral home and finds that the hotel desk clerk was married to the waiter and they lived right by his church. He had never witnessed to them, never invited them to church and he saw both of them on a regular basis. There was more to the play that I won't get into, but it was very moving and the entire congregation was weeping. It was a wake up call to all of us that we see the same people every day and never even consider that they need God. Fantastic service!

I need to run. More this afternoon.

No Sarah Palin on Thursday Night

So I was late getting into the service Thursday night. Saw lots of friends on the way in, and by the time we got inside for service, Brother Haney was taking the pulpit - at 8:15 pm. Totally missed the music and preliminaries. And no, Sarah Palin did not show up. The coliseum was full, but not packed. We had no difficulty finding a seat, but it was in the back of the auditorium -- nothing available up close.

The theme of the conference is "Stormin' the Gates", so Bro. Haney preached around that theme. He started out telling about his family heritage and how they came into Pentecost. He talked about the Church and it's foundation, and then after a bit, launched into singing the old song, I'm talking about the church, in the book of Revelation, it's built on a rock, got a firm foundation. . . " He eventually preached about the gates of hell not prevailing against the Church.

It seemed like he had some difficulty getting his thoughts together in the beginning, but by the end of his sermon, he was obviously annointed and delivered the remainder of his sermon very powerfully. On a set built behind the pulpit was a pair of large gates, and as he wrapped up his message, men started busting through the gates with posters that said things like, abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage, addictions, abortion, pornography, etc. As they busted through the gates, thunder sounded, the lights flashed, and behind the platform and around the perimeter of the coliseum, flames of fire flickered, as if it were hell. It was very effective, scaring my 5 yr old son, and a Down syndrome man in front of us. Men then flooded the platform, rebuking evil, stomping the posters, and chasing the evil men away. The altar call came at about 9:25 pm.

The exhibit area is split into 2 sections, so we circled the section with the Home Divisions and Foreign Missions booths, spending most of our time looking at the gorgeous china, tea cups and crystal in Bro. & Sis. Arlie Enis' booth. We ended up at a restaurant at the Sheraton, where we stayed until almost midnight, visiting with old friends.

More later. . .

GC 08 Friday

Not a real exciting GC--not much to blog about. Scotty Slaydon was elected as FMD Secretary. As far as I know, all other secretaries retained their positions.
Attendance is really down. East coast GCs are not high attendance, but this one is really low. Seemed like a very small crowd for the Sup's message Thursday night. I hear 7000 are registered, but although I am not good at guessing crowd numbers, I'm positive 7000 were not there to hear him.
Booth business is really slow. I saw very little action on any of my shifts thus far. Even the PPH, FM, and HM areas--the high profile high sales areas--are seeing very little traffic. Maybe the weekend crowd will pick up for Saturday sales.
It rained and turned cold today--50s and women scrambling to find jackets and shawls. Thank God for mall across the parking lot and shawls in the FM booth area! :)

New FMD Secretary - General Conference 2008

I've been told that Scotty Slaydon has been elected the new Foreign Missions Secretary. More details soon.

Ministers Business Meeting

The Ministers Business Session started at 9 am this morning. They have re-elected Jerry Jones as the General Secretary, and Linda Gleason as Ladies Ministries Secretary.

Carl Varnell is retiring and has announced that he will not let his name stand for FM Secretary. They are voting on that position as we speak. It is extremely important that the right man be elected to this position, someone with great financial knowledge. The FM Secretary literally has hundreds of lives in his hands as he handles the budgets of missionaries, and is dealing with the economy of foreign countries, the devalued American dollar, Cost of Living Adjustments, extremely high overseas housing, months of deputation, and American churches suffering because of a failing economy. This position is more than just being able to preach well and get a crowd shouting.

More later. . .

PMA Songfest

Just got in from the PMA (Pentecostal Music Association) Songfest and my feet are so happy to be out of my pointy-toed shoes.

It's been a hectic day. After we got our kids off to school, my husband and I drove over to Greensboro to attend a marriage enrichment class sponsored by UGST. Fantastic session taught by Cindy Miller. At each break, we would see friends, quickly catch up on the past couple of years, then run back to our class. Lunch in a hotel restaurant was like being on the red carpet in Hollywood. A steady stream of familiar faces, hugs, a kiss in the air, looking over someone's head while talking so you didn't miss seeing who walked by, and all was good. How easily we slip back into that GC mode!

The Sheraton Hotel staff is superb. Very friendly and accommodating. I stopped to chat with a retired missionary widow and she was telling me that she had just left her purse on a shuttle van. As we talked, a staff member walked up with her purse and was so kind and gracious to her.

Several NC choirs were asked to sing in a mass choir tonight, to back up the soloists and praise singers/chorale. The band was superb, as were the praise singers. The concert started at 7 pm with a very small group of people in attendance - maybe 1000. I'm not good with numbers, but I'd say that there were maybe 5000 by the time the concert was over. Not sure why. Maybe they were watching the debate??? We started the concert with You Are Good, and then made our way through some newer songs (I Am Free/I Know Who I Am/Dancing Generation) and then circled back around and sang Nothing But the Blood, Oh the Blood, and How Great Thou Art. PMA Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Priscilla McGruder, Hal Kennedy and Carroll McGruder. Sis. McGruder was very surprised, thinking she was there to help make a presentation to someone else. She is very thin, but looked remarkably good and her voice was strong as she spoke. (Hal Kennedy is a retired pastor from Titusville, FL who used to sing with a southern gospel group called the Dixie Echoes.)

Two winners from the North American Talent Search sang -- Mark Crowder and Brittney Macey. Mark Crowder has so much energy, he makes me tired, but he is phenomenal. Bro. Sam Emory led the congregation in Bye & Bye, and Have a Little Talk with Jesus and got everyone cranked up, as only he can do. Mark Crowder wrapped it up with Freedom and we were outta there by 9:15. No long offerings, no long announcements, just great worship and awesome music.

Oh, you should see some of the hairdo's I've seen. One girl's hair looked as if she had taken a toilet paper roll, rolled her hair around it (right at the top of her forehead!) and sprayed it stiff. You could see straight through it! Another girl looked like she only needed to slide a bone through her hair and she would look like Pebbles from the Flintstones. I'll try to take pictures tomorrow!

I almost forgot. . . after the concert there were hawkers, selling tambourines that lit up and flashed on and off, like something you'd buy at the circus. Is that new this year or have I missed too many conferences?

I'm off to bed!

Maranatha

I consider myself to be blessed.  I have an apartment, a job, and enough ramen noodles to keep me from starving to death.  I have a family who loves me and a church that feeds my soul.  I enjoy my life.  But I look around and see so much pain in the world.  I see young men who feel the need to get tough with their girlfriends because their father was never present.  I see young women who think that having sex is the only way to experience the kind of love they never received as little girls.  I see children who don't get enough to eat because their parents can't get a job.  This pain in the world breaks my heart and leaves me crying out "Come quickly, Lord!"

 

Today is Blog Action Day in which various and sundry blogs are teaming up to focus attention on the issue of poverty, a subject about which the bible has a lot to say.  I find it interesting that the Bible begins in a garden where God provides humanity with food.  And it ends in Heaven at a great wedding feast.  God, from beginning to end, is concerned with something as mundane as food. 

 

Of course, after the Fall and before the Judgment, God's provision of food works a little differently.  Because of the curse it's a lot harder to get food.  So God now provides through his people.  As Christians we are called, not simply to wait for the Kingdom of Heaven, but to work to establish it now.  Will we ever be able to end poverty?  Will we ever be able to feed all the world's hungry?  No.  But one day God will fully establish his perfect Kingdom and personally wipe away every tear.  Until that day, as his church, let us work with him toward that goal.  As his hands can we not begin now wiping away the tears caused by poverty and hunger?  Can we not offer a little food, a drink of water, or warm coat?  As simple as they may be, these small steps toward the Kingdom are important to the God of the universe.

 

Even though our hearts are broken by the pain in this world, we can work to end it.  And even though we know we will never be able to fully end the pain, there is still one more thing we can do--pray.  Come quickly, Lord!

GC 08

Wow, this is a first for me--blogging! Wait till my computer guru son hears about this! :) So I guess 50+ isn't too old to learn new stuff, huh?
Okay, on to the reason for this blog--GC 08. We arrived after a long 15 hour--but beautiful--drive from St.Louis on Monday. Great weather, beautiful foliage--but messed up GPS once we got to the city. Oh well, we got here safe.
Lots of familiar faces, meetings going on, a mall right across the parking lot--woo-hoo!--elevators slowly getting slower . . . typical GC stuff. Wednesday is setup day for those of us manning booths, then the PMA service at night.
Biggest rumor is Palin's appearance for Thursday night--from all I hear, it is more than just rumor. We'll see. We've got our buttons to wear just in case!

Rumors, Restaurants & Revival

The 84th General Conference of the UPCI begins tomorrow, and the Piedmont Triad area is buzzing with Pentecostals. (For the non-Tarheel 90&9 readers, the Triad is an area that consists of three smallish cities, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point, all within 20-25 miles of each other.) Board/committee meetings started Saturday and continue through tomorrow. The shopping centers are busy and the restaurants are starting to fill. It's an exciting time if you like seeing old friends, staying up till 2 am, and walking til your feet cry out in pain.

My name is Brenda, and I'll be blogging from my home, right here in beautiful Winston-Salem. My husband and I will be making the 30 minute commute every day to Greensboro to the Koury Convention Center and the Greensboro Coliseum. For those of you who have never been to Greensboro, although it's a wonderful city, it's not the most conference friendly place for a big group of Pentecostals who like to eat and visit with friends. The "headquarters" hotel is the Sheraton Hotel at Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center. It's huge. Miles and miles of hallways. Lots of meeting rooms and ballrooms and restaurants. It's also 2 miles from the Coliseum where we'll be having church. Free shuttle service is provided to some hotels, but if you want to eat somewhere other than your hotel or at the Coliseum, you'll need a taxi or a very sweet friend to grab a ride with.

There are more restaurants this time around, than in '98 when conference was last here. Hopefully restaurants will stay open late for us and I won't end up at Jake's Diner at 2 am after driving around for an hour. Did any of you experience Jake's when you were here in '98? They've moved to a new part of town and are three times bigger. Maybe we'll try them again.

Lots of rumors already swirling about the minister's business session on Thursday. There's the rumor that an encumbant secretary may resign for personal reasons. And who will be elected to fill the editor-in-chief spot left open by the untimely death of Bro. Robert Fuller? Shouldn't it be someone who's respected as a Theologian, but has writing and editing experience? Some surprising names are being tossed around. What about the FM secretary's position?

But the biggest rumor we're hearing is that Sarah Palin may make an appearance at conference Thursday night. We heard the rumor several weeks ago, but had no confirmation. We listened to the news, checked her travel schedule, but she was not scheduled to be here. Then late last night, I heard a breaking news report that she will be speaking at Elon University Thursday afternoon, just a few miles from Greensboro. So, it would work out to swing by the Coliseum Thursday evening, wouldn't it? Apostolic Report says a NC pastor announced to his congregation that she may be here. Hmmmmm. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I have 10,000 songs to learn for the songfest tomorrow night. So many behind-the-scene details to be worked out. Mass choir practice in Raleigh. Ushers & greeters meeting on Sunday morning. Make a run to Mrs. Hanes Cookie Factory to buy Moravian cookies for a NC gift bag to some committee members. Can we get some Krispy Kreme doughnuts delivered to a meeting at the Sheraton? (After all, this is the home of the original glazed doughnut!) Ensemble practice tonight at the Pentecostals of Greensboro Church, for the Ladies Day Service. Be on the platform tomorrow night at 6:15 for the PMA Songfest. Marriage counseling class with Cindy Miller tomorrow at 9:00 am. Drama practice from 3-5 Friday for the Home Missions service. Sound check at 3 pm Friday for the Media Missions service. Okay, that's enough. Somehow it'll all come together.

I'll try to keep you posted on the conference news, latest Pentecostal fashions and hairdos, and all the services. In the meantime, pray for the conference. We're expecting a huge crowd for the Holy Ghost crusade Sunday night. There are billboards all around the Triad advertising the crusade. We've been passing out postcards, tickets and flyers around our communities, and we're expecting hundreds to receive the Holy Ghost!

Religion, Maher Style

Whether or not your watch movies. Whether or not you care about a devout liberal TV guy, you need to at least stay aware of what’s being said about believers in society today. After all, other people will be listening to him and may actually ask you some questions. From the article:

“Yawn. The atheist/agnostic/unbeliever game has such long white whiskers that it's hard to get worked up when a new player -- howsoever gifted, like Maher, in the arts of entertainment -- reports and suits up. The Catholic philosopher, Michael Novak, in a fine new book ("No One Sees God: The Dark Night of Atheists and Unbelievers") calls atheism "a leap in the dark" and urges "prolonged, intelligent and respectful conversation" among humans who differ on the eternal questions.

Not much chance of a conversation like that with Brother Bill, whose unshakeable grip on certainty protects him well enough from cavils, such as that virtually the whole world is religious in one way or another and so, in his own way is Brother Bill himself: religiously committed to the idea of religion as a nullity, a waste of everybody's valuable time.”

Going to General Conference?

We'd love to grab a contingent of eager volunteers to live-blog the UPCI's General Conference! If you're heading to Greensboro, NC on Oct. 15-20, won't you send us an email at editor@ninetyandnine.com?

We just need you to post every day you're there and include pictures if you can. Thousands will thank your efforts.

Everyone's Apostolic

So 90&9 just couldn't pass up the chance to drop anchor at Everyone's Apostolic. We've posted Forum pictures, and even dropped this week's cover in on Saturday as a surprise.

If you're a member, we want to be your friend! Send us an invite today.

Forum 2008 Link Love

So our friends at Missouri Youth gave us some promotion at their site - both with a blurb about the Forum and pictures.

It's fascinating to us how viral certain events can become. We're just thrilled others are catching the vision for this even we co-sponsor with Gateway College of Evangelism.

And here’s an unusual testimony. One attendee enrolled herself in college when she got home. Perhaps the angels don’t rejoice over this type of choice, but our Heaven Father always smiles when we’re willing to push ourselves toward greater excellence. The more tools we offer Him, the more He has to use through us.

Single in the City

Did you realize that the average American female has her first wedding at 26? (At what age do you think the average Apostolic gets married?)

Did you realize San Francisco is the "most single city in America"?

Did you realize 34% of women 25-64 are single?

It's all right here!

Forum 2008

We'll have a full report on the Forum 2008 (and some commentary that may force you into a personal reevaluation), on Monday night (October 6).

Here's a sneak peek of some pictures and participants from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.

Temper of our Times

We live in interesting times...a Presidential election...wars and rumors of war...a Wall Street bailout that resurrected the big "D" (Depression) for the first time in decades...

Then, in the arts, which often tell us more about our times (and the past) than the headlines, there is this - two movies with decidedly different agendas, playing only to their bases? It will be interesting to see how audiences and critics respond.

Web 2.0
Likewise, I found this article on Web 2.0 insightful on many fronts. Take these pull quotes:

"The point of this new media landscape is to create something and share it with the world. When we post anything to the Web, we are begging for a conversation. We want to be ridiculed, called out, accepted, talked about, linked to, and, most important, not ignored.

It's easy to criticize the rise of participatory social media as a giant waste of time. And it's true that a fair amount of what's being created is adolescent. But that criticism misses the point: This trend is setting the stage for greater long-term engagement. It's an indicator that people are working to find new ways to collaborate and to be part of something larger than they are individually. The sheer immensity of the participation is the story"

This is an indicator of how people are/will be changing their behavior and goals. To reach them with the Gospel, we must understand these changes to be effective for the kingdom.

Transparent, Totalitarian Iron-Fister Lashes Out At America For Failing To Keep Communist Ideal Afloat Through Proximity

I always love it when socialist nitwits panic every time their Great Satan actually looks like it may be teetering over Hades. Ditto for Vladimir Putin:

The Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lashed out at the United States today for what he said was its inability to deal with the financial crisis affecting the global economy.

In remarks unlikely to go down well in Washington, Mr Putin was especially critical of Congress's rejection of a $700 billion bank bailout – a rejection that hit Russian financial markets particularly hard.

“Everything that is happening in the economic and financial sphere has started in the United States. This is a real crisis that all of us are facing," the former president told a government meeting in Moscow.

Whoa, wait a second, Comrade. Listening to you, Fidel, or for that matter, that military-hating money grubbing Rep. Cynthia McKinney, it should be precisely our fall that makes everything Kumbaya, right? You know, that whole "spectre is haunting Europe" business?

Let's get the narrative straight, okay?

Spacebo.

-R