may june 2012 voice
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The Pentecostal Voice of TennesseeTRANSCRIPT
When
The Pentecostal Voice of Tennessee
voiceMay / June 2012 The Pentecostal Voice of Tennessee
voice
WhenChildrenChildrenPrayPray
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Pentecostal Voice of TennesseeTennessee District United Pentecostal Church31 Harts Bridge Road • Jackson, Tennessee
(731) 424-4937 • www.tnupc,org
EditorDoug Ellingsworth
P.O. Box 119 • Finley, TN 38030731-285-8172
SuperintendentRonald L. Brown
SecretaryJackie Wilkerson
PresbytersSection 1 - Jeremy Carver
Section 2 - William RobinsonSection 3 - Ron Phillips
Section 4 - Phillip SwinfordSection 5 - Ron BectonSection 6 - Roy Staggs
Section 7 - Marty JohnsonSection 8 - Gerald DavisSection 9 - Paul Cagle
Section 10 - Curtis HowardSection 11 - Travis Sheppard
Home MissionsScott Armstrong - DirectorClayton Neal - Secretary
Foreign MissionsGary Vick - Director
YouthJames H. Kelley, Jr. - President
Jason Pearcy - Secretary
Sunday SchoolDoug Ellingsworth - Director
Dennis Ploch - Secretary
Ladies MinistriesDellona Johnson - PresidentLynn Singleton - Secretary
Men’s MinistriesRon Becton - Director
World Network of PrayerDaniel Stirnemann - Coordinator
Media MinistriesPaul R. Cagle - Director
Camp Lake BensonTravis Grimsley - Manager
Stewardship DepartmentStephen Burns - Director
DesignerKayla Ellingsworth
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It’s the Training That Matters
Our Greatest Investment
When Children Pray
About This Issue
“Come On, Junior, Let’s Pray”
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The Voice (U.S.P.S. 427440) is published monthly for $9.00 per year for individual subscriptions or 80¢ per copy in rolls by the Tennessee District United Pentecostal Church at 31 Harts Bridge Road, Jackson, Tennessee, 38031. Periodical class postage paid at Jackson, TN. Postmaster: Send address changes to Tennessee District UPCI, P.O. Box 9237, Jackson, TN 38314-9237.
Volume 48 Number 3
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columns
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When Parents Pray
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Reverend Ron Brown is theTennessee District
Superintendent. He residesin Jackson, Tennessee.
This phrase has become the new popular saying these days. A Game Changer is exactly
what it sounds like. In the analogy of a sports event it might be a missed basket, fumble, or an exciting play that turned the game around and eventually brought victory to a certain team. People look back to a definitive play, or score, and say that the game took a different direction for the better; thus the term “game changer”.
Now this sports term has been applied to many different things in life. A game changer might be a new job, a relationship, choosing a certain option, moving to a different location, or anything that radically affects the direction and outcome for a person’s life. You can look back to an incident or person that you know that became a “game changer”. This is certainly true spiritually. We can all reflect upon certain decisions, relationships, and choices that changed the course and direction of our lives. Because of the “game change” it caused us to live with different goals, ambitions, lifestyle, habits, friends, and companions. It pivoted on the “game changer”!
As you look back on your life, and especially those who are making very important decisions in your life right now, you can point to these times that did not just affect the moment, but the trajectory and course for your future. For so many people, a trip to an altar for the first time to repent of their sins became a “game changer” that put them on a path of unbelievable change! Little did they realize that one moment, or a few minutes in intense prayer to Jesus, would impact them in such a
tremendous manner. It would change their vocabulary, lifestyle, finances, friends, marriage, and family life! Their goals and dreams had taken on new meaning. It was a new path! They would never be the same again! Often careers would be put aside, and ministries would be born. What a game changer!
I am sure that you can look back to those special times, moments, services, and associations when you had “game changer” experiences. No two life paths are the same. I cannot give you all of mine in this article, but let me briefly tell you of one such “game changer”.
As we prepare to launch into our Tennessee District children and youth camps, I am reminded about my “game changer” experience of many years ago. I was only ten years old and had the opportunity to attend my first United Pentecostal Church camp. It was at Camp Galilee near St. Paul, Minnesota, in the North Central District. The camp was so impacting that it left an indelible imprint on my life that is still with me today. I came from a relatively small church (under 100 in attendance) with very few churches in the area. There was little fellowship. At that camp I met many other people who had a dynamic walk with God. The services seemed like heaven on earth. The singing and worship were powerful. The preaching still stays with me to-day! I was baptized at that camp.
When I came home from the camp it was as if I was having withdrawal pains. I wanted to go back to that camp and the Holy Spirit that I felt there, more than anything that I could do. I loved that place. I loved the God that we served there. I loved the people that
loved that Jesus that was lifted up by everyone - from the cooks and camp mates all the way to the preachers and evangelist! I had found it! This became my “game changer” from that day to this! I was never the same! I had found my people, and more importantly, my God!
I am excited about our upcoming camps. Thank you for sending your children and youth! I believe that we can experience and see some “game changers” for many young people this summer! Camp Lake Benson will become more than just a fun place of recreation and fellowship for some young people, but it can become a “game changer”! Thank you pastors, for sending your precious youth. Thank you saints for volunteering for counselor and kitchen help, and thank you all for praying for these camps. For many it will be a “game changer” as they continue their journey to heaven.
THE GAME CHANGER
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The other day, a young father was telling me what happened during his family’s Spring vacation. They
were visiting friends in a strange city and decided to attend a large church on Sunday morning. The auditorium was pretty full when they arrived so a couple of ushers helped them find a seat. The ushers told them that their children should go to the nursery. Being in a strange church in a strange town, the children were a little uneasy so the parents decided they would all stay together. “But if they disturb anyone, you will have to leave,” the ushers told them.
Well, it didn’t take long. One of the little ones fussed a bit- then quieted down. The second episode, however, was the breaking point. Two ushers marched to where they sat and told them in unmistakable terms that the children would have to leave the service. Immediately. They were a distraction, the usher explained once they reached the foyer, to all the adults around them.
As a pastor, I understand the importance of providing a distraction-free worship environment. Our church has a staffed nursery and on several occasions, while delivering one of my masterpieces, I’ve been tempted to stop and give some clueless parent directions on how to find it.
The Purpose Driven church model has given church leaders permission to ignore the groups of people who don’t fit in the demographic that they are trying to reach. Like the big church my friends visited on vacation. They are focused on young professionals who want their weekly hour of worship to be cry-and-diaper free. I understand that. And that church
probably has a world-class nursery. I’m not knocking them.
But when the usher said that the children were a distraction, that hit a nerve. How many children are told every day that they are a distraction? That they are the reason momma’s boyfriend left? That if they weren’t around, daddy wouldn’t have to spend all his money on them and he might be able to enjoy life once in a while?
A school teacher showed me a picture the other day of a young boy that has captured her heart. He wants nothing more than to succeed in school, but to his parents he is only a distraction. “They tell me his older brothers were like that, too,” she said. “But in middle school they gave up and accepted that they would never be able to catch up.”
I know that you wouldn’t treat your child like that, but we can’t cripple the spiritual development of our children. Nurseries are wonderful and Kids Church is great, but we’ve got to train our children to find and fill their role in the Kingdom of God.
Our classes and pulpits must teach the principles of God’s word, but our parents and teachers must show their students how those principles are put into practice in every-day-life.
We lose our children in that no-man’s-land between teaching and training. Our children hear the world’s greatest preachers deliver anointed sermons every week. But verbal inspiration is not enough. We must train them to live it and do it. We’ve got to show them by boldly living it ourselves so that they see it in us.
Being able to comprehend the scientific principles that make it possible
for a human to float and travel through water does not mean you can swim. Demonstrating arm and leg movements and even watching others swim in person or on video may bring understanding and increase desire, but it will never produce ability. At some point, a swimmer has got to get into the water with the beginner and patiently help him or her put the theory they have seen and heard into action. It will be clumsy and a little scary at first, but if neither the teacher nor the learner gives up, one more person will eventually become comfortable navigating through an environment that once was foreign and scary.
Nothing could be more frustrating than having a head full of knowledge, but not the first clue as to how to apply it. Parents, don’t just tell your children. Show them! It is the training that makes all the difference.
This issue of the VOICE shares stories and testimonies that will encourage and guide you as you minister to children. Let us serve our generation by training them to walk with God.
About This Issueby Doug Ellingsworth, Editor
Doug Ellingsworth is the Editor of the VOICE. He pastors the Finley United Pentecostal Church and resides in Dyersburg.
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Frank was not a preacher. He was just one of those hard-working dads that you could count on. Frank
didn’t just talk about God and church: he lived it out in real life.
The doctor told Frank and his wife, Joyce, that their little boy had serious problems with his heart that could only be fixed through surgery. He recommended a surgeon and they set the date for the procedure to be performed.
One Sunday, a few days before the surgery scheduled, Frank was worshipping in church just as he did every Sunday. While the congregation was singing, Frank felt the Lord impress him to take his son to the front and ask the pastor to pray for him. So Frank took his son by the hand and led him to the front of the church. When his pastor came to him, Frank explained. The pastor got his anointing oil, laid his hand upon the little fellow’s head and began to pray. A moment or two later, standing near the altar beside his father, five-year-old Glenn began speaking in tongues as the Lord filled him with the Holy Ghost!
Frank died while still a young man, leaving behind his wife and Glenn and his youngest son, David. Although Glenn was only twenty-one and David was still in his teens when their daddy died, the faith that their parents put in them carried them through. Both boys, men now, are training their children to live for God just like their dad trained them.
Glenn has three sons. For the past several months his family has been washing cars, selling things they can do without, earning and saving money wherever they
can because Glenn feels like God wants him to take his sons to Africa this summer. Not to experience a safari or visit some famous savannah, but to go to a poor country most folks have never heard about to help improve their lives and share the gospel. So he is taking his vacation days and spending a ridiculous amount of money that they don’t have to follow the voice of the Lord.
Some folks think he is crazy and a few
have expressed that. But what do you expect from a boy whose life was transformed when his daddy obeyed the voice of God? He is just doing what he was trained to do.
Frank heard God say take your son to the altar. He obeyed and Glenn was filled with the Holy Ghost.
Glenn heard God say take your sons to Africa. This month he will. I wander what spiritual experiences are waiting them there?
And I wander what God is planning to say to Glenn’s boys as they become men?
Thirty-six years ago, Frank probably thought it was only about healing for Glenn. But it was more than that. It was about showing a young boy how Bible-based faith is mixed with the spontaneous voice of God to produce results beyond all expectations. It was about a father passing his own living faith to his son. And it was about preaching
the Gospel in Africa.
Training. Don’t neglect it. More is at
stake than what you see. There is no telling the plans God has for the children you are training right now. Help them succeed by showing them how faith and obedience are lived-out in real life.
Training matters!
It’s The Training That Mattersby Doug Ellingsworth, Editor
Glenn, Amy, Collin, Blake, and Luke Streeter
Frank Streeter
East TN Prison Ministry Conference
August 3rdFriday night rally:7:00 p.m.
First UPC of Cookeville, TN875 South Walnut Ave.Host Pastor: Ron Phillips
August 4thSaturday workshops: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
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When Children Pray by Jerry Barlar
My wife and I have been involved with the primary class at First Church in Nashville
for several years. In the summer of 2010, the Lord impressed me to start a prayer cloth ministry with our Sunday School class. I've learned that when the Lord leads you to do something, and especially when he places a sense of urgency upon it, you should do it right away and so I did not hesitate. On my way to church one Sunday, I stopped by the store and bought a few packs of handkerchiefs. I took them to the auditorium and anointed them with oil. During my class, I explained to the students and shared scriptures with them about what we were going to do. I had the children lay hands on the cloths and pray over them. They likewise did not hesitate.
Our first prayer cloth was given to a lady at church. She had been unable to attend church because of severe pain. The following Sunday she was in our Sunday School Class testifying about how she had been pain free since she received the prayer cloth. We saw four answered prayers and miracles the first week and for the next several weeks to follow. I began to write down each one
on our board as the testimonies came in, not knowing just how much God would do . In my human nature, I thought this would only last for a few weeks or a few months and then possibly fade away. It still continues today almost two years later.
At a prison service one Saturday night, I was able to testify to the men about what God was doing in our class. We had already witnessed around 20 miracles, healings, and answered prayers. After the service, an inmate came up and asked if we'd pray for his brother. He told me his brother had throat cancer and was on dialysis and the doctors weren't sure if he would make it. I told him our class would pray the next morning, and we did. Two weeks later the inmate approached me again at service and said his brother was off the dialysis and the doctors could find no signs of throat cancer.
Trooper Hagan shared with the class what had happened at school that week. He said that one of his friends had such a headache he could not raise his head in class. He came to him, laid his hand on him, and prayed. A few minutes
later the boy was up helping the class. One of the men at church asked for
a prayer cloth for his sister. She had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Ever since she received that prayer cloth, she has had no more symptoms of the disease.
We have seen financial situations turn around. People that were jobless have received jobs all because of faith and prayer. God is doing only what God can do. We have seen many tumors either disappear or found out they were benign and in need of no treatment. We've seen backaches healed, allergies go away, and people still alive more than a year later after the doctors sent them home with stage 4 cancer, no hope, and only a little while to live. The students always pray and believe that God will work a miracle.
We as teachers and preachers don't hesitate to preach Acts 2:38 but there is power that comes with the Holy Ghost and I believe we need to start preaching and teaching that power too. Amber Palmore asked for a prayer cloth for her sister. The doctors had informed the family that she would never walk without the aid of a walker or braces. I had
watched this little girl come to
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church with braces on her legs but shortly after receiving the prayer cloth, she was running through the church without the aid of any device.
We now have saints coming to our classroom asking for the students to lay hands on them and pray for them. One was diagnosed with dementia and was healed after prayer. God wants to have a mighty move and He is looking for anyone willing to believe and reach out and say,"I do believe."
Shortly after we started the prayer cloth ministry my son, who was 9 at the time, told me he had a dream that we would not have enough prayer cloths for everyone. This is just the beginning.
When my students heard the story was going to be in the Voice, Matthew Starkey said he wished we could put a prayer cloth in each one so everyone could have one. The students are looking for ways to reach out and witness to others and I believe this
is just another avenue God is going to use. So you will find attached to this article
a prayer cloth that more than twenty 8 and 9-year-old boys and girls have prayed
over. God can and will supply your needs. Mark 10:13-14 says, “And they brought young children to him that he should touch them and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
We never hear any more about those children but I can only imagine what their lives were like after the touch of the Master's hand. God not only wants to touch our children, but He also wants to use them. Let's bring our children to Him so He can touch them and use them. Let's not be the ones who hold them back.
We ask that you pray for our class and that God continues to use these children and this ministry. And we would ask that WHEN God gives you what you need, after receiving this prayer cloth, please share your testimony with us for God's glory.
Jerry Barlar teaches Sunday School at First United Pentecostal Church in Nashville
pastored by Reverend Ron Becton.
“As a pastor, it is thrilling to see Apostolic truth not only taught, but experienced in Sunday School. Seeing the students in this class take the teaching of divine healing to their families, schools, and neighbors through anointed prayer cloths has been exciting. We are thankful for the burden Brother Jerry Barlar has and the incredible response to this powerful truth of God's Word in his Sunday School class.”
Pastor Ron BectonFirst Church, Nashville
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Young prayer warriors are being raised up. Children will learn to pray in a most powerful
manner if given instruction and encouragement. The incredible thing about children is their faith. We need to tap into this source that is available through the powerful prayers of the children.
God’s Word clearly proclaims the importance of children’s involvement in the Kingdom of God. By empowering the children in our congregations, we could double our prayer force in a very short time.
Luke 18:17 says that whoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein. Matthew 21:16 says that praise is perfected out of the mouth of babes and sucklings.
The Lord constantly commanded Israel to pass along to each generation all the mighty acts of God. “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Do our children see us and hear us pray? Is it an integral part of their life? Can we really say that we are teaching our children the Word of God and how and what to pray? If not, are we robbing generations of their spiritual heritage by failing to transfer this knowledge to them.
“For I know him (Abraham), that
he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him” (Genesis 18:19). Concerning the things of God, would Abraham be a model for us to follow today in raising our children? Children are more apt to learn by example.
Joshua’s proclamation would serve us well today. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
Can we identify with Abraham and Joshua? Are we nurturing our children in His Word and instructing them how to pray to the same degree we allow them to learn in their digital world. Are they more fascinated with video games, the internet, Ipods, and other toys than they are with the things of God? It is up to us to order their steps in the Lord.
Notice what these passages say about children and prayer.
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15).
“O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared
thy wondrous works” (Psalms 71:17).“Train up a child in the way he
should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
“But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod”(1Samuel 2:18).
Are we expecting too little from our children in the spiritual realm? How can our children hear the voice of God over the noise of our digital world if we have not conditioned them to do so? They have a vibrant faith that needs activation at a young age. Are we making sure that our children’s treasure is in spiritual things rather than the secular world that is so full of addictive devices?
Educating this army of prayer warriors takes effort. What better exercise can we engage in than endowing them with the treasurers of the Kingdom? For they are our greatest investment.
Our Greatest Investmentby Reverend Daniel Stirneman
Brother Daniel Stirneman pastors The Sanctuary in Lebanon, Tennessee. He is the WNOP
coordinator for the Tennessee District.
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As a Sunday School teacher and children’s evangelist, praying with children is something I have
enjoyed for many years. There is nothing like the innocence of a child truly talking to God and learning to communicate through prayer. I’ve attended seminars that teach how to pray with children at the altar, and I’ve also taught a class or two myself. Many times we stress the importance of the Holy Ghost, etiquette on praying with children, and similar things. However, while the Holy Ghost is essential, it is only the start of the race we run here on earth. A continual prayer life is important as well, so the bigger question is how do we get our children to start praying?
While we must avoid praying loudly to attract attention like the Pharisees did, there is a time to allow others, especially children, to hear you pray. This gives them a chance to not only agree with you but also to learn how to pray themselves.
As a father of a one year old boy, I have started to teach my son to pray with mommy and daddy before bed, at meals, and to worship at church. Although it seems ineffective right now, it will pay off down the road if we stay committed to showing him how to pray.
Whether you are a parent or a teacher, the best way to teach a child to pray is by example. Let them hear you praying. I remember leading my students in Sunday School in a prayer. Some had never prayed before and didn’t understand the concept. That was okay. They had to start somewhere. So I started taking time to go around in a circle with the ten or so kids that I had and asking them to pray out loud. Some had nothing to pray so I had them repeat after me. Is this effective? If you
can set up an atmosphere where they aren’t afraid to pray, this is the first step to getting them to receive the Holy Ghost and lead an overcoming life.
One of the memories I have of my childhood is hearing my mother and father pray. While my father was seldom in the spotlight at church, I knew I could trust his prayers to bring results. His prayer showed me the example of faith in the greatest way. I will never forget my father coming to the side of my bed one evening when I was very sick and praying very simply but passionately. After his prayer he said, “Okay, now get up and go play. You are better now.”
Growing up, over and over my dad told me, “Son, if you’re going to ask God for a car, you might as well ask Him for a Cadillac.” This was his way of saying - don’t limit God to something small with your prayers. God can and will do anything you ask. So ask for the best. He was never one for long prayers. He would simply pray and believe it would happen. He always told me that there was no point in wasting God’s time. God heard me the first time.
My mother also led by example. There were many times she would pray with me at night before bedtime, in the morning before we got dressed for the day, in the vehicle on our way to school, and any other time there was a need. My mother prayed for people right away when they expressed a need and that is something that has impacted my life. I have had people come to me and ask me to pray for them and I remember my example, and I say, “Okay,” and we pray right there. Many times, as a child, even when I didn’t feel like it, my mom would encourage me. “Come on, Junior, let’s pray.” And we did.
I believe it is because of my parents’ prayers that I have been used in ministry and have seen God do great things. My high school graduation speech was centered around Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” It remains my favorite verse. This verse has taught me over the years that no matter what I go through, if I go to God in prayer, He will help me through it.
From my parents, I learned to expect things to happen when I pray and to pray constantly. I plan to teach my son the same principles of prayer that my parents taught me.
What do your prayers teach the children around you? If this makes you nervous as a teacher, or if you are a parent and aren’t sure how to start, ask God for wisdom, take your child by the hand and say, “Come on, let’s pray!”
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
“Come on, Junior, Let’s Pray” by Wil Rowland Jr.
Wil and Sara Rowland minister to children of all ages across the United States. Follow Rowland Creative Ministries on Facebook
to find similar articles and more information about their ministry.
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Every birth is a beautiful miracle. On December 28, 1967, Wayne and Phyllis Odum were blessed
with two miracles as twin girls were added to their already large and growing family. We are affectionately numbered in our family, so Mary (that would be me) was number nine and Martha was number ten, of what would become a home of twelve children.
Soon after my birth, the doctors had devastating news for my parents: I had Cerebral Palsy. Mom and Dad were told that I would never walk. There was a slight possibility with the help of braces that I might, but they were given very little hope.
At fourteen months old, my twin, Martha, was already walking and progressing as any normal child would. For me, repeated trips to the hospital were the norm, seizures would run unmercifully through my body, my breathing would stop and my body would turn purple. Many times my mother would pray me through these episodes while we rushed to the hospital.
On one visit to the doctor, I was fitted for braces in the hope that they would help strengthen and straighten my legs enough so I might have a chance to walk. My parents were told not to get their hopes up; it was unlikely that this would happen.
Reverend Morris Wolfe was holding an old-fashioned revival at the church our family attended in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pastored by Brother Barnaby. Believing strongly in the power of prayer and divine healing, my mom and dad had me prayed for. My mom likes to tell it like this: “We arrived that night with hope in our hearts and fervent faith. We felt strongly that as we walked through the prayer line little Mary would be healed.” As my mom held me and walked through the prayer line, Evangelist Wolfe laid hands on me. My parents received confirmation from several in the audience that I was healed and to confidently believe that.
My mom, with a spirit-filled smile of
certainty and love, likes to emphasize my miracle like this: “It was less than two weeks and you didn’t just start walking - you took off running!”
Through the years my miracle was shared often from the pulpit as my dad would be preaching out or speaking at various events in our district. He would have me walk up and down the aisle in the middle of his sermons, often embarrassing me.
I had often wondered about the man who prayed for me the night I was healed. Knowing of course God deserves and get’s all the glory for it, this thought still often came to mind and intrigued me.
In 1986, I made a quick decision to attend Christian Life College in Stockton, California, shortly after my father passed away. When I arrived at the college, I was introduced to a man on the support staff. He told me his name was Morris Wolfe and that he was the evangelist who had prayed for me the night I had been healed.
The confirmation that day and the joy that went through me is unlike any feeling I had experienced in my life, outside of the incredible experience of receiving the Holy Ghost at the age of six. Tears of joy fell for a long time. Many were rejoicing with me that afternoon.
The past 44 years of my life has been filled with miracle after miracle as God’s hand of mercy and grace has remained upon my life. Every time I have the chance to run, walk, or participate in any kind of outdoor activity, my thoughts reflect continually on my miracle.
The greatest news of all is that God NEVER changes, He is still in the miracle working business. Ironic as it may seem, I have a niece, Sarah Odum, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy a year after she was born. To this day, at the age of 14, she is confined to a wheel chair unable to walk. I believe every day that God can heal her. She serves as a constant reminder
of my divine miracle. Do I often ask why me and not her? Yes, I do, but my faith is strong, for I know personally God can.
The faith of my parents and God’s divine miraculous mercy, is the greatest gift I have ever been given. It gave me the chance to live a normal healthy life and I am eternally grateful.
I've been blessed to be married to Jon Hudson for twenty years this September. We have two beautiful children, Gentry (15), and Charisa (13). We served, worked, and taught at Indiana Bible College for thirteen years. Eight years ago, God spoke to Jon about starting a church in Fishers, Indiana. We started it from our home in 2004, just having bible study on Wednesday evenings. Soon after the start, we began to have services on Saturday evenings in a child care facility that God provided. And then a new door opened that allowed us to begin services at an elementary school. We set up and tore down chairs and equipment for five years at this facility and then another miracle happened. We were given property to build a church. We've been in our new building for three years. God has blessed beyond measure, and we are honored to serve a beautiful congregation of over 200 that call Life Connections home. And so our miracle continues...we serve an awesome God!
When Parents Pray by Mary Hudson
Editor’s note: some of our senior saints may recall Mary’s father when he was a young man. He had family in Kennett, Missouri, and would often take
the ferry across the Mississippi River to preach in West Tennessee.
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