Local Influence | Feed the Sheep | One Man's Hope | Faith On Your ...

Local Influence | Feed the Sheep | One Man’s Hope | Faith On Your Sleeve | Katrina Chaos | SCU
FEBRUARY 2007

Check out faithcafe.com!
Now we’re better than ever, with features such as:
· Video facilitator helps for Faith Café curriculum users
· Behind-the-scenes look at the Faith Café TV show
· FC Community page, where you can meet others in the Faith Café community
· Clips from this season’s Faith Café TV shows
· A place to join the FC Community and complete a personal profile
· Our forum section, which allows you to comment on topics that matter to you
· A place to find out the latest news from across our coffeehouse nation
F A I T H C A F é
1 - 8 0 0 - 5 4 1 - 1 3 7 6 • w w w . f a i t h c a f e . c o m

5
6
9
IPHC Experience
February 2007 • Vol. 4, No. 2
EDITOR IN CHIEF
James D. Leggett
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Shirley G. Spencer
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Melody Barnard
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Kimberly Wilkerson (Women’s Ministries)
Joyce Ayers (Men’s Ministries)
Thelma McDowell (Evangelism USA)
Marsha Plumbtree (Stewardship)
Paula Ward (World Missions Ministries)
Shandra Youell (Church Education Ministries)
Terry Fowler (World Intercession Network/Ministerial Care)
PUBLISHER
LifeSprings Resources
Gregory K. Hearn, Chief Executive Officer
Issue
In This
4 Expressions From Bishop James D. Leggett
The Influence of the Local Church
5 “Granny, He’s Got Me!”
6 A Vision Fulfilled
8 Meet the Missionaries: Bob & Carol Cave
9 Assignment: Feed the Sheep
10 One Man’s Hope for the Unreached
12 Wearing Your Faith on Your Sleeve
14 The Art of Blacksmithing
15 Reviews
16 Experiences Here and There...
19 SCU & River of Life Church Sharing a Rich History
20 Escaping the Chaos of Katrina
Cover Notes
Background Photo © iStockphoto.com/Peter Downing
ART DIRECTOR & DESIGNER
Timothy W. Beasley
GENERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD
INTERNATIONAL PENTECOSTAL
HOLINESS CHURCH
General Superintendent
James D. Leggett
Executive Directors
Evangelism USA:
Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr., Vice Chairman
World Missions Ministries:
A. D. Beacham, Jr.
Church Education Ministries:
Talmadge Gardner
Stewardship Ministries:
Edward W. Wood
Women’s Ministries:
Jewelle Stewart
Men’s Ministries:
Bill Terry
Member: International Pentecostal Press Association • Evangelical Press Association
12
14
20
Representatives on the GEB
David Stephens, Southeast Zone
Chris Thompson, Northeast Zone
Randell Drake, Central Zone
Curtis Belcher, Western Zone
Freyman Valdez, Hispanic
Derrick Gardner, Pastoral
Ronnie Saldaña, Pastoral
Trish Weedn, Lay
IPHC Experience (ISSN 1547-4984) Vol. 4,
No. 2, is published monthly except in July and
December by LifeSprings Resources of the
International Pentecostal Holiness Church,
2425 West Main St., Franklin Springs, GA
30639. Printed in the USA. MMVII. Address
editorial comments to IPHC Experience,
P.O. Box 12609, Oklahoma City, OK
73157-2609, sspencer@iphc.org.
LSR 260616
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 3

James D. Leggett
General Superintendent
My wife, Faye, and I spent
a long weekend in Chile
recently with Pastor
Eduardo Duran and the people of the
Evangelical Cathedral (Jotabeche
Church) in Santiago. I have been to
Chile often for the annual conferences,
but this week was different. We spent
time with the local church and the
leaders of its satellite congregations.
Pastor Duran, who attended
Holmes College of the Bible and
Emmanuel College, had asked me
to serve as a member of the Board
of Directors for the new Evangelical
Development Corporation. The
church created the corporation
to consolidate all its benevolent
ministries in the city of Santiago.
The corporation’s inauguration
took place downtown, with both
national and city leaders present.
It was an impressive ceremony.
At the reception, the
president of Chile’s Stock
Exchange made a point to tell
me the wonderful impact the
Jotabeche Church has had on
the city. He was exuberant
4 IPHC Experience | February 2007
Expressions
From
Bishop James D. Leggett
Influence
The
about the changes the church’s
ministries were making in people’s
lives. A video for national and civic
leaders outlined the congregation’s
numerous compassionate ministries.
The next day Pastor Duran and
I met with the president of Chile’s
House of Representatives in his office.
Mr. Leal spoke of Pastor Duran’s
leadership and the positive impact the
church has had on the city.
In the evening, Faye and I
attended a special service at the Valley
Del Sur Church, where my interpreter,
Manuel Perez, is the preacher. This
Bishop Leggett (center) with Mr. Leal (L), president of Chile’s
House of Representatives, and Eduardo Duran (R), pastor of
Evangelical Cathedral in Santiago.
of the
Local Church
E VA N G E L I C A L C AT H E D R A L , S A N T I A G O , C H I L E
is one of the churches in the network
of the Jotachebe Church. Nearly
3,000 people were present for that
service. This church is allowed to
attend the mother church only once
a month. It was a joy to minister to
this congregation. I had attended
Valley Del Sur once before with Bishop
Underwood. On the night we left, the
church’s choir met us at the airport
and sang beautiful Spanish music.
What a special treat!
Saturday was filled with activities.
We met at a farm the church has
purchased as a retreat. I was
privileged to help lay the first
stone in what will be a beautiful
campus for the congregation’s
many activities. After the
ceremonies, we enjoyed lunch
at a remodeled ranch house on
the property.
On Saturday afternoon I
ministered at a special youth
service in the church. Over
5,000 young people gathered
to worship and praise the
Lord (and that on a Saturday
afternoon).

Following the youth service, I
met with the pastor and the deacon
board for their weekly tea. Each
board member is a preacher at one
of the congregations in the network
of the Evangelical Cathedral
Church. It was a joy to spend time
with these leaders.
We met in the sanctuary with
the Sunday school teachers after
the tea. More than 2,000 instructors
gathered to hear Pastor Duran
teach the Sunday school lesson.
The teachers would then repeat
that lesson on Sunday morning
in the various churches. Can you
believe more than 2,000 would
assemble on Saturday night to
prepare for Sunday morning’s
teaching?
Sunday morning is training
time. (The preaching service is
on Sunday night.) As one of the
pastors taught the lesson, Pastor
Duran and his leaders escorted
Faye and me through the various
ministries of their Christian
Education Department.
On Sunday evening the
Cathedral was filled to capacity.
Fifteen thousand people are
present each Sunday evening, I am
told, and it is an impressive sight.
Two choirs ministered. The one on
my right, with over 1,000 voices,
was the largest choir I have ever
seen. And how they did sing and
worship! On the other side was a
more formal choir, the Telephonic,
dressed in robes. They sang “The
Hallelujah Chorus” like no one I
have ever heard.
It is always a joy to minister
in the evening service at the
Evangelical Cathedral. There is
no experience quite like it. The
wonderful music, worship, shouts
of “Gloria a Dios, Gloria a Dios,
Gloria a Dios,” and the warm
fellowship of the people made it an
occasion to remember.
“Granny,
He’s Got Me!”
by Mike McKenzie
A
life of rebellion and crime
began early for me. When
my parents divorced, I began
to associate with a rough crowd and
started drinking at the age of 15. Soon,
I was also involved with marijuana.
In my senior year, I dropped out
of high school and took a job driving a
truck long-distance. Eventually I began
selling marijuana, and my life spiraled
out of control. Through a connection
with some people in Florida, I began
arranging places for drug runners to
land airplanes loaded with marijuana.
After several years of this activity,
a pilot taped conversations related to
smuggling a planeload of marijuana.
The authorities issued a warrant
for my arrest, and an indictment
was handed down on charges of
conspiracy to smuggle drugs. When
I learned about the charges, I ran.
For nearly a year, I moved from
one motel room to another, most of
which contained a Gideon Bible that I
quickly shoved out of sight.
One morning, I decided enough is
enough. Tired of running, I returned
to South Carolina and hired a lawyer,
who arranged for my surrender. I was
locked in the Richland County Jail
in Columbia, where I spent 20 days
withdrawing from my addiction.
For the first day or two, I lay on
my cot reflecting and feeling good
that I was finally doing the right thing.
Under the edge of the cot lay some old
magazines. When I reached down to
examine one, my eyes fell on a familiar
sight. There it was again, a Gideon
Bible staring me in the face.
Photo © iStockphoto.com/Sebastien Bergeron
This time, I didn’t hide the book
away. I picked it up and began to
read Matthew. Then I read Mark. As
I continued in Luke, these words
arrested me: “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he has anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor; he
has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty those who are oppressed”
(Luke 4:18).
I wasn’t sure God existed, and I
didn’t know how to pray. But in my
own way, I cried out to Him: “If You
exist, if this Book is true, if You really
sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for
me, I need to know.”
That night, May 8, 1986, God
entered that prison cell and changed
me forever. The old Mike McKenzie
died, and a new person was born.
I will never be able to praise Him
enough for saving my soul and
turning my life around.
I also thank God for loving
grandparents. Even when I was
unlovable, Granny loved me
unconditionally. She would say, “Mike,
if you go to hell, it will be over a
mountain of prayer.”
So, naturally, the first thing I did
was call Granny and tell her what God
had done for me. With tears flowing, all
I could say was, “Granny, He’s got me.”
She dropped the phone and made a
lap or two around the living room.
I thank God for His matchless,
infinite love and grace that reached me
over 20 years ago. And, yes, He’s still
got me!
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 5

M U LT I P LY !
PLANTING CHURCHES
3
4
1
1. In the closing session, Bishop James
Leggett ordains ministers.
2. Hobert and Marguerite Howard celebrate
55 years of work in India.
3, 4. Indian pastors welcome guests with
cultural songs and dances.
the very name brings mental pictures of the beautiful, white marble Taj
Mahal, the Ganges River, revered by the Hindus, snake charmers, the everlasting
“India:
snows of the Himalayas, and holy men. India is these and much, much more.
In her lofty mountains, dusty, hot
plains, fertile valleys, hot and difficult
deserts, and beautiful palms and rice
fields of the South live more than one
billion precious people.” 1
This is how Marguerite Howard
once described the land of her birth
and the place to which she and her
husband, Hobert, have dedicated 55
years of their lives together as IPHC
missionaries. What Marguerite’s
parents, Marvin and Alma Parrish,
and numerous other early pioneers
visualized for India has become a
reality. The church there is vibrant
6 IPHC Experience | February 2007
2
A Vision Fulfilled
and growing as national leaders take
the reins and move their people
toward their destiny.
November 7-10, 2006, nearly 350
people converged on the Holiday Inn
in Agra to commemorate a collection
of ministry milestones. The festivities
highlighted the 85th anniversary of
the International Pentecostal Holiness
Church in India, the Golden Jubilee
(50 years) of ministry in South India,
25 years of outreach in East India,
25 years in Central India, and the
Hobert Howards’ 55 years of faithful
missionary service.
by Shirley Spencer
Participants included most
of the Indian pastors, along with
representatives from Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal.
At least 30 denominational leaders,
pastors, and friends from America
attended the event.
The word nations surfaced
as an underlying theme during the
celebration. Each of the speakers
zeroed in on the Lord’s command to
take the message to the ends of the
earth, to every nation and language.
Appearing to flow out of that
unstated theme, national pastors and
Background Photo © iStockphoto.com/Peter Downing

their wives welcomed foreign visitors
on the second day of the celebration
with a cultural parade. Dressed
in traditional costumes, nearly 20
different groups performed songs,
chants, and dances honoring the
foreign guests and praising God for His
faithfulness.
With the same enthusiasm, the
pastors responded to messages by
General church leaders. In the opening
session, Dr. Doug Beacham, executive
director of World Missions Ministries,
commended the Indian leaders for
their many accomplishments for Jesus
Christ. He also reminded them of the
great opportunity that lies before
them. “There are more Indians under
age 15 than the entire population of
the United States,” he said, “And the
message of one man, Jesus Christ,
remains the message for the one
billion citizens of this land.” India’s
population is triple that of the United
States, with about one third of the
land area.
Bishop James Leggett encouraged
the pastors to anticipate the future God
has for India as they celebrate the past.
“The beginning of the IPHC in India
may have seemed insignificant 85 years
ago,” he said, “but it was the beginning
of a mighty move of God in this nation.
Though it was a small beginning, it
brought us to where we are today with
hundreds of churches and pastors
in four conferences. God has a great
destiny for India. I don’t know what it
is, but I know this: the God who began
the good work will finish it.”
8
6
5. Conferees worship fervently.
6. Dr. A. D. Beacham, Jr., greets national leaders and guests.
7. Bishop Leggett encourages national pastors to anticipate
a great harvest of souls.
8. Dr. B.S. Moses Kumar translates the Bishop’s message into
the Hindi language.
9. Indian leaders honor the Howards for 55 years of faithful
service.
Other presenters included
Dr. Frank Tunstall, superintendent
of the Heartland Conference
and author of the book The
Simultaneous Principle; Dr. Harold
Dalton, assistant director of World
Missions Ministries; Russell Board,
overseas ministries coordinator for
Asia; and Randell Drake, superintendent
of the New Horizons Ministries
Conference.
Jewelle Stewart, executive director
of Women’s Ministries, brought greetings
on behalf of women around the world.
Matt Bennett, director of People to
People Ministries, represented the
hundreds of children being fed and
schooled in India and other countries
through the sponsorship program.
continued on page 8
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 7
9
5
7

A Vision Fulfilled,
continued from page 7
All of the sessions were translated
into Hindi and Telugu, the two primary
languages spoken in India among our
churches.
The significant contributions made
by Hobert and Marguerite Howard
took center stage in an emotional
ceremony in which Indian conference
leaders felicitated their beloved
“auntie” and “uncle.” Each conference
superintendent and his wife presented
this dedicated couple with accolades
and gifts. In an earlier session, Russell
Board had challenged the pastors to
follow the example set by the Howards
and other heroes of the faith God has
raised up in their midst.
As an affirmation of the conference
theme, “Onward to Our Destiny,”
delegates adopted an official statement
known as the Agra Proclamation. This
document articulated the church’s
national vision and challenge for
ministers and members of the IPHC in
India.It outlined the church’s Mission
2020 evangelism goals with a threefold
mandate: God is calling us to be
(1) a unique evangelizing instrument
in our mother country, (2) a learning
community of believers, and (3) wise
stewards of His every blessing to us as
a church. The paper concluded with
Meet the
Missionaries
8 IPHC Experience | February 2007
the following motivational statement:
“Response to this threefold call will
assure the fulfillment of our vision,
guaranteeing the seizing of our moment
and our destiny.”
The conferences reported that
churches have been planted now in 16 of
the major metropolitan areas (population
of over one million) of India.
The program concluded appropriately
with a licensing and ordination
service officiated by Presiding Bishop
James D. Leggett. “This is an answer
to the prayer Jesus told us to pray,”
Leggett told the 39 candidates for ministerial
license and the 34 preachers
awaiting ordination. “Jesus urged us to
pray for God to thrust forth laborers
into His harvest.” Then the Bishop laid
his hands on each candidate for ordination
and charged him or her to preach
the Word of God faithfully with power
and clarity.
“This is a significant occasion for
the church in India,” said Leggett. “You
will look back to this day as a defining
moment in your ministry as well as for
the church in India.”
Three women were among the
candidates for ministerial license.
In addition to these, two females
were ordained. These were the first
women to receive ordination in the
IPHC in India.
Bob & Carol Cave
Bob and Carol Cave have been part of the International Pentecostal Holiness
Church most of their lives. After attending Southwestern College in Oklahoma
City, they began a business in their home city of Vancouver, Canada. In 1986,
they made themselves available for full-time mission service. The International
Pentecostal Holiness Church assigned them to Haiti, where God seasoned and
challenged them to trust Him for the next nine years. During that time, over 40
churches were pioneered in Haiti, and a Christian school program was established
in 24 churches.
In August 2001, World Missions Ministries appointed Bob as overseas ministry
coordinator for Europe and the Middle East. “Carol and I are honored to serve
in our newest mission field. We are excited to facilitate taking the gospel to the
Middle East and back to Europe, a continent that has slipped far from God,” says
Bob. Training nationals and partnering with these leaders has become a highlight
for them.
The week’s activities also included
a tour of the magnificent Taj Mahal,
located in Agra. Most of the Indian
pastors had never had the privilege of
visiting this world-renowned landmark.
Speakers referred often throughout
the week to the solid foundation laid
in India by pioneer missionaries such
as John and Olivia Turner, Thomas
and Leila Robertson, Marvin and Alma
Parrish, Kenneth and Joan Donald, and
others. Moses Kumar, superintendent
of the South India Conference,
described the hardships and successes
of these visionaries in his book, Setting
Stones: An Interpretive History of the
International Pentecostal Holiness
Church in India. 2 Kumar completed
the volume in time for distribution at
the 85th Anniversary Celebration in
Agra and as a tribute to the many men
and women who sacrificed to launch
the church in India. What they saw only
in vision we are seeing fulfilled today.
ENDNOTES
1. Marguerite Howard, “India,” unpublished
Research aiding Centennial Publication of IPHC
World Missions Ministries, 2005, p. 1, quoted in
Setting Stones, by B. S. Moses Kumar (LifeSprings
Resources, 2006), pp. 11, 12.
2. You may order a copy of the book, Setting Stones:
An Interpretive History of the International Pentecostal
Holiness Church in India, by B. S. Moses Kumar,
from LifeSprings Resources, P.O. Box 9, Franklin
Springs, Georgia, 30639-0009, 1-800-541-1376.
Bob and Carol Cave

H
a v e you ever been
hungry? I’m not
talking about a “Big
Mac attack.” I mean really, really
hungry.
If you’re like me, you probably
haven’t had a day when you went more
than four hours without some kind
of nourishment. It’s hard to imagine
people who are hungry and poor in
America when we seem to be a nation
of prosperity and affluence.
Studies have shown that most
Americans think they don’t need to
do anything to help the poor because
the government will take care of their
needs. The Bible says something
entirely different on the subject.
We sometimes miss helping
someone because we fail to see
his true needs. But Jesus saw the
importance of making sure the people
around Him were fed.
One day, when Jesus had been
preaching to a multitude (Matthew
14:13-21), His disciples wanted to
send the people home when they grew
hungry. Jesus had other plans. “They do
not need to go away,” He told the Twelve.
“You give them something to eat.”
The disciples countered His
instructions with their own analysis of
the situation: “We have only five loaves
and two fishes.”
“Bring all you have to Me,” Jesus
replied. Then He blessed, broke, and
multiplied the limited provisions to do
more than meet the enormous need.
“So they all ate and were filled, and
they took up twelve baskets full of the
fragments that remained” (v. 20).
Here’s the principle: When we give
what we have to God, He takes it and
multiplies it to get the job done.
Most of us have wondered at times
if we have anything of worth to offer
God, anything significant He might
use in the Kingdom. Some people
are afraid to get involved because
they think a more qualified person
will get the job done, someone with
Photo © iStockphoto.com/Dragan Trifunovic
ASSIGNMENT:
Feed the Sheep
more influence, talents, or abilities.
God gave each one of us talents
and abilities to reach people in our
community. We just have to be willing
to give.
You don’t have to be wealthy to
help someone in need; you just have to
be willing to surrender what you have.
Jesus is the multiplier of your gifts. He
said to Peter, “If you love Me, feed My
sheep.” We must be ready to minister
to hurts, encourage the discouraged,
pray for the sick, help the needy, and
reach out to and restore those who are
drifting away. We should never neglect
the job the Good Shepherd has given
us to tend His sheep. We must not only
by Marsha Plumbtree
care about them; we must also take
care of them.
When you volunteer your time
and give what you can in service to
God, He will bless what you do, and
His people will be fed, both physically
and spiritually. As we learn to follow
Him, we will be able to complete
the assignment He has given us. His
grace will enable us to minister to
others. As we follow Christ with these
stewardship principles, we will be
equipped to provide for the lambs and
feed His sheep.
Marsha Plumbtree is administrative
assistant to Edward Wood, executive director
of Stewardship Ministries.
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 9

M U LT I P LY !
PRAY FOR THE HARVEST
One Man’s Hope
for the Unreached
Bishop Joseph Hillary
King served as General
Superintendent of the
International Pentecostal Holiness
Church from 1917 until 1946,
longer than any other person in
the movement’s 108-year history.
Throughout his ministry, King was
firmly convinced about the supreme
importance of world evangelism. In
fact, before he became executive
head, he oversaw the foreign missions
work of the young denomination
(1911-1913). He always viewed the
Great Commission mandate to “make
disciples of all nations” as the church’s
number-one ministry priority.
10 IPHC Experience | February 2007
Dr. Tony G. Moon
But Bishop King realized that
people die every day in this world
without being humanly exposed to
the New Testament gospel. This
fact grieved his heart. As a deep
thinker and serious Bible student, he
sometimes reflected on the afterlife
destiny of those who “have never
heard.” His musings on this subject
are among the most interesting and
moving in his writings.
In late 1913, Bishop King wrote
his most substantial theological
work, From Passover to Pentecost.
In the book he expressed the hope
that “heathen” lost in the “mist” of
superstition and non-Christian religion
would, through a sincere and earnest
pursuit of the true God, find salvation
in the Lord Jesus. He hoped that even
though they had never heard the
gospel message about the “historic
Christ,” God somehow would get
through to them in this life:
Millions know nothing of
[the atonement]…. There
may be those who have the
essential Christ that know
nothing of the historic Christ.
They may have pressed, in
heart, up through the mist
of heathenism, and prayed
to … God…, and in this way
touched the Christ and found
Illustration © iStockphoto.com/Nicholas Monu

peace. We do not know this to
be true, but we infer the same
from … the Word. 1
King was not dogmatic about this
consideration. He based this hope on
implications he drew from specific
passages of Scripture (John 1:9;
Romans 1:20; 2:14, 15). My impression
is that he was not just hopeful, but
even prayerful, about it.
In a 1936 Pentecostal Holiness
Advocate editorial, Bishop King
again seems to have been grasping
for hope for the unevangelized. He
wrote that the Ninevites were spared
God’s judgment, not because they
participated in the Jewish sacrificial
system (which, of course, they did
not), but because they sincerely
prayed and repented in response to
Jonah’s preaching. “…God can save
people today in a manner contrary to
the way we prescribe or point out.”
This was an instance, King wrote, of
“God’s departure from His own way
of accepting souls…. The Lord …
taught Jonah a lesson to enlarge his
view of His mercy….” 2 Although not
dealing directly with the problem of
the unevangelized, King put it this way
in 1916 and 1932: “Prayer forged in
the furnace of suffering, forced from
a heart of agony, and bursting from a
soul pressed with unutterable pain, is
sure to find the ear of God.” 3
Undoubtedly, one way Bishop
King believed God’s Spirit sometimes
breaks through to the unevangelized
is through visions and dreams. In his
autobiography, he relates a story about
the grandfather of “the modern apostle
of Ceylon” who was converted when
angels appeared and preached the
gospel to him in a vision. He had never
seen or heard a Christian missionary
in his life. 4 The history of Christian
missions is filled with accounts of
people being saved without the human
agency of evangelists or missionaries.
What about those who have
never heard the gospel? Our Lord’s
command to evangelize the nations
has not been revoked. It should still
be the church’s number-one global
ministry priority. Currently, there are
some 6,573 unreached people groups
in the world, comprising some 2.61
billion persons, most of whom are in
the 10/40 Window. 5 We must continue
to invest maximum finances and
human resources in the all-important
cause of winning the lost worldwide,
and we must continue to pray
passionately for the success of that
endeavor.
What about those who will never
humanly hear the gospel? Nearly 58
million people die each year globally, 6
multitudes of whom have never
heard the name of Jesus from human
lips. Perhaps Bishop King’s hopeful
reflections should inspire us to pray
more about world evangelization
from another perspective. Maybe our
intercession should focus as well on
imploring God’s Spirit to work in the
lives of the unevangelized in such a
way that they will pursue the living
God, pray, repent, and “touch Christ,”
even without the agency of human
witnesses.
This article is based partially on an
academic paper Dr. Tony Moon is scheduled
to read at the 2007 Society for Pentecostal
Studies conference. Dr. Moon is professor of
Christian Ministries at Emmanuel College.
He has also served as a pastor, Georgia
Conference CEM director, and church
planter.
ENDNOTES
1. Rev. J. H. King, From Passover to Pentecost
(Senath, Mo., F. E. Short, 1914), p. 78.
2. J. H. K., “Jonah’s Gourd, No. 2,” Pentecostal
Holiness Advocate 20 (November 19, 1936),
pp. 1, 2.
3. Rev. Joseph H. King, Select Sermons
(Falcon, NC: The Falcon Publishing Co.,
1916), p. 32; J. H. King, “Jabez and His
Prayer,” Pentecostal Holiness Advocate 16
(August 25, 1932), p. 4.
4. Bishop Joseph H. King and Mrs. Blanche L.
King, Yet Speaketh: Memoirs of the Late Bishop
Joseph H. King (Franklin Springs, GA: The
Publishing House of the Pentecostal Holiness
Church, 1949), p. 223.
5. http://www.joshuaproject.net/
globalstatistics.php.
6. http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/
greatc.html.
Bishop King
On an around-the-world trip, Bishop King
meets with Pastor Barrett (R) of Norway and
his assistant (L).
Bishop King as a young man.
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 11

M U LT I P LY !
DISCIPLING BELIEVERS
Wearing
Your Faith
on Your
Sleeve
by Wesley Samuel
Salvation • Sanctification • Baptism of the Holy Spirit • Divine Healing • Second Coming of Jesus Christ
What do these words mean to you? Our
understanding of these subjects forms the very
core of who we are as a movement; however,
many of our youth are unfamiliar with the terms. That is
why Steve Ely, director of Youth Ministries, developed the
concept of the Silicone Sermons.
“I have come to the conclusion that most of our youth
really don’t have a grasp of what we believe as Pentecostal
Holiness people,” says Ely. “This conviction led me to
consider a method that would allow youth workers to
discuss our doctrinal distinctives in a creative and relevant
manner. The silicone bracelets were an obvious choice
because of their popularity, visibility, and ability to be a daily
reminder of our beliefs. They provide youth workers a visual
aid in teaching, while providing the young person great
conversation starters for witnessing.”
Three leaders who have used Silicone Sermons shared
how they used the bracelets with their groups:
decided that I wanted our kids to know what we believe and why we believe it. I called the five-week series “Why I
I Believe What I Believe.” I used the Silicone Sermon bracelets on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights to teach our
elementary children what we believe. They helped our kids remember what we had talked about the week before.
We have a mannequin in our Youth/Kids room named Manny, whom we decided to get Saved, Sanctified, Spirit-
Filled, Divinely Healed, and Ready for Christ’s Return. Each week we gave Manny a different bracelet as we talked about
that week’s topic. At the end of the five-week series, I gave each person a set of Silicone Sermons to wear. We now have
somewhere between 50 and 60 kids who can quote the five articles of faith.
–Hansen Steck, Director
Children’s and Outreach Ministries
Stanley PH Church
started using the Silicone Sermons during my Wednesday night services, with the intention of covering the baptism in
I the Holy Spirit for two weeks. We prayed for those students who wanted to receive the baptism, and seven were filled.
Some of our youth grew up in the church, but quite a few come only to our youth service, so I am using this method
to teach them what we believe. As I go to the schools, I see a lot of the students wearing their bracelets. They can only
get a bracelet if they were in service to hear the message on that topic. So it is challenging them not to miss services
because they don’t want to miss a bracelet.
The Silicone Sermons have also sparked conversations at school with other students. This series has helped us to see
our students grow in their faith.
12 IPHC Experience | February 2007
ILLUSTRATION by Timothy W. Beasley

A lot of kids at school ask what the bracelets mean, and I tell them that
they mean that God should come first in everyone’s life.
–Griffin, 5th grade
The most important one to me is, “Live Filled.” It tells me to stay in God’s
presence and to build my relationship on Him and never weaken.
–Lauren, 7th grade
No one really comments on them, but I will continue to wear them. They
have impacted my life and made me more careful about the things I say and
do that don’t reflect a Christian attitude. A reminder really.
–Kendall, 7th grade
–Josh Brown, Youth Pastor
Taylor Memorial PH Church
The Silicone Sermons are going great. We recently spent two weeks on
salvation, and the teens are really responding and engaging in dialogue
as never before. We are now going to slow down and spend four weeks on
sanctification to investigate lifestyle and life choices. The IPHC home page
(www.iphc.org – Our Beliefs) has been really helpful with the studies.
–Gray Williams, Youth Pastor
Whitnel PH Church
It is said that in about four years, the Millennial Generation will outnumber
Baby Boomers and Generation X. Market researchers state, “Every time you turn
around, there’s something new on the horizon. And this group, as we’ve noticed,
is kind of the arbiter, quickly determining whether things are hot or not.”
Millennials have been well cared for, have values, are educated, have high
expectations, and are confident they’ll achieve their expectations. According to
the Harris Poll of the class of 2001, 88 percent have established specific goals for
themselves for the next five years and virtually all (98 percent) are sure they’ll
get where they want in life someday.
Marketers say that Millenials are ferociously brand conscious. They are also
interested in faith if the “hows” and “whys” can be explained to them. So we
have the potential to impact hundreds, if not thousands, of our young people
with something as simple as bracelets. If these young people are concerned
about faith, and they are willing to wear what they believe, why not give them an
opportunity to “wear their faith on their sleeve”?
Wesley Samuel serves as administrative assistant to Elaine Wood, director of Children’s
Ministries for the International Pentecostal Holiness Church.
Wear your faith on your sleeve.
Available from Youth Quest at 866.263.1623.
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 13

M U LT I P LY !
DISCIPLING BELIEVERS
BLACKSMITHING
PRINCIPLE
MODERN PRACTICE,
THE
ART OF ANCIENT
by John Chasteen
14 IPHC Experience | February 2007
Photo © iStockphoto.com/Renee Lee
The book of Samuel unveils great
truths about both the purposes
of God and the plots of Lucifer.
We find this to be true in the story
disclosed in 1 Samuel 13:16-23. The
Philistines finally had conquered the
Israelites, and in order to keep them
under their rule, they removed the
blacksmiths from the land.
How clever!
Think about it. Israel was an
agricultural society; plows, hoes, picks,
and axes were absolutely essential
for their survival. Concerning their
weapons, the enemy didn’t eliminate
them; they merely removed their
ability to create new ones and maintain
the old ones. No new weapons—
dysfunctional old ones.
Our job in the church today is
much like the role of the blacksmith:
taking raw material and making
something useful out of it. In Israel’s
case, remove the blacksmith; paralyze
the nation. In the church, remove the
teaching/discipleship ministry; paralyze
the church.
CONSIDER THE
FOLLOWING FOUR
PRINCIPLES RELATED
TO BLACKSMITHING:
1. Blacksmithing requires
constant work with raw
material.
In this case, the raw material
represents unrefined, imperfect
people. Most of the Bible’s greatest
heroes emerged from raw material.
It’s a strange phenomenon
that most of us prefer the “finished
product” to the raw material, but
we should never refuse to work with
raw material. I believe the greatest
sculptures are yet to be chiseled.
Have we forgotten that we were all
raw material at one time?
2. Blacksmithing requires
participating in the
smelting process.
Most raw material must be melted
down before it can be shaped into
something useful. The reason: it’s
impure in its natural state.
We don’t like this part of the
process, but it is necessary. Raw
materials rarely resemble the finished
products.
3. Blacksmithing requires
pouring and shaping
raw material into a new
form.
All raw materials have to take on
another form and shape. This speaks
of following God’s plan, fitting into His
mold. We begin to take on another
shape when we conform to God’s
design and destiny for our lives.
4. Blacksmithing requires
sharpening and honing
new tools and weapons.
Often, new weapons and tools
have rough edges. They need honing,
tempering, and sharpening.
Likewise, people with transformed
lives still need some buffing. Two
things knock off our rough edges:
anointed teaching and rough spots
on life’s journey. If we don’t learn
from mentors, coaches, and anointed
teachers, we usually have to learn life
lessons the hard way.
Conclusion
The church is all about
blacksmithing. Its task is to take
raw material and shape it into a
finished product. Are you skilled at
blacksmithing? Are you about shaping
people?
John Chasteen is assistant dean of the
Southwestern Christian University Graduate
School. He and his wife, Becky, live in
Oklahoma City.

Book Review
Finding Your
Greater Yes!
by Dan Erickson
Thomas Nelson, 2006
Dan Erickson defines the “greater
yes” as “God’s plan plus your
potential.”
This book is about becoming
everything God has created you to
be. In other words, many people are
doing good things but have settled
Movie Review
One Night With the King
Gener8Xion Entertainment
This film is a mesmerizing biblical tale that features an
all-star cast including Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, and
John Rhys-Davies. It includes vibrant cinematography,
a captivating score, and a narrative as timeless as it is
intimate.
One Night With the King (rated PG)
tells the story of young Hadassah, an
ordinary Jewish girl destined to become
Esther, Queen of Persia. The movie debuts
on DVD January 23 from FOX FAITH, a new
branded distribution label from Fox Home
Entertainment featuring morally driven,
family-friendly programming.
The film features rich performances
by some of Hollywood’s most vaunted
and venerable talents, including seventime
Oscar nominee Peter O’Toole,
Oscar nominee Omar Sharif, and John
Rhys-Davies. One Night With The King
grossed $10 million during its limited
theatrical release.
Reviews
for a level that is below God’s best
for their lives. It has been observed
that “good is the enemy of the best.”
However, God created each individual
to be a masterpiece. “For we are
God’s masterpiece, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do”
(Ephesians 2:10).
The major sections of the book
focus on Defining, Discovering,
Developing, and Deploying your
Greater Yes. The volume is made up
of 31 chapters. Each one is short (6-8
pages) and ends with questions for
PHOTO © Gener8Xion Entertainment
reflection and a prayer of commitment.
The book will be most effective when
used in a men’s small group setting;
however, the lessons apply to women
as well.
Erickson is a pastor at Lee’s
Summit Community Church (in the
Kansas City area) and director of
People Matter Ministries. His ministry
for many years has focused on
developing godly men.
– Dr. Harold Dalton
Order these books from LifeSprings
Resources, 1-800-541-1376, or online at
www.lifesprings.net.
The story follows the biblical account of a beautiful
young Jewish girl born into poverty and orphaned. She rises
above her humble beginnings to catch the eye of powerful
King Xerxes (Luke Goss), ultimately transcending her roots
to rule beside him. Despite her good fortune, however, her
life remains in danger, as she cannot hide
from her own Jewish heritage. Even her
position cannot protect her from a cruel
state law decreeing that all Jews be put to
death.
Hadassah’s story is as relevant and
moving today as when it was first told. One
Night With the King will be available for the
suggested retail price of $29.98 U.S.
The movie is produced by Gener8Xion
Entertainment, Inc., an integrated media
company engaged in various operating
activities, including film and television
production and distribution, sales, and
rental of film and video equipment, systems
integration, and studio facility management.
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 15

Experiences
Here & There...
Consultant Commends
Church for Its Character
he strength of the International
“TPentecostal Holiness Church
is its character,” Dr. Conrad Lowe told
the General Board of Administration
(GBA) at its 2006 meeting in late
October. “It’s in your name, ‘Holiness,’
a trait that begins in the heart and
works out in how one lives.”
Lowe,
who has
been a senior
pastor, an
author, and
an associate
with John
Maxwell’s
Injoy Group,
has served
as a church
Dr. Conrad Lowe
growth
consultant for the IPHC since 2002.
He has worked with leaders in several
conferences to help establish and train
coaches and form mentoring networks.
The GBA agenda included a
full day of training with Lowe on
October 24. He not only commended
the church for its character; he also
congratulated it for placing its “best
and brightest” in leadership at the
conference and general levels. He
cautioned the leaders to seize the
opportunities that lie before them.
“You are at a ‘Moses’ moment,” he
said. “Are you going to take another
lap around the wilderness, or are you
going to take the Promised Land?” He
explained the Promised Land as the
final quest before Jesus returns.
To meet that task head on, Lowe
16 IPHC Experience | February 2007
urged church leaders to improve on
some weaknesses he has observed
in the IPHC. Among those was the
church’s rural mind-set. “You excel
in small towns and rural areas. That
must change,” he said. “You must
plant churches strategically in urban
areas.” He went on to point out that
many of our new church plants are
personality-centered. “Instead, plant
mission-driven churches,” he said.
Finally, he said he had
observed that many PH leaders
are not necessarily bringing their
congregations along with the changes
being implemented at the conference
and denominational levels.
“If you are to maintain the
strength of your character,” said Lowe,
“your churches must be based on
behavior and not on personality. You
must pass the baton of character to
the next generation.”
Church Education
Ministries Institutes
New Awards of Excellence
According to Director Talmadge
Gardner, Church Education
Ministries has instituted three new
annual awards for excellence in
ministry. “In addition to the Karl W.
Bunkley Teacher of the Year Award,
we will now be recognizing the
Youth Pastor of the Year, Children’s
Pastor of the Year, and Royal Rangers
Commander of the Year,” he says.
The CEM National Awards
of Excellence are presented to
honor teachers, youth pastors,
children’s pastors, and Royal Rangers
commanders who model excellence
in their particular areas of ministry
as well as in their personal lives.
Any person who is involved in the
instructional ministry at the local
level in a church, affiliate, or churchtype
mission of the International
Pentecostal Holiness Church is eligible
for nomination.
“Anyone who deems his children’s
pastor, youth pastor, or Royal Rangers
commander worthy of special honor
can nominate him,” says Gardner.
Recognition of the national winners
will be announced at the Fine Arts
Festival in July.
The award for each of the three
new categories is $1,000. The gifts
for the children’s and youth pastors
of the year will be sponsored by
Advantage College, Emmanuel
College, and Southwestern Christian
University. The award for the Royal
Rangers commander of the year will
be sponsored by Men’s Ministries and
Royal Rangers.
For more details and entry
deadlines, go to the CEM website
(http://cem.iphc.org) or check with
your conference CEM director.
New Book
Chronicles SCU’s History
Coinciding with the
60th anniversary of
Southwestern Christian
University (see page
19) was the unveiling
of a history book with
an unusual title: One Night Club and
a Mule Barn (Tate Publishing Co.).
The book, introduced at the school’s

anniversary celebration and available
at numerous locations in December,
tells the story of Southwestern’s
humble beginnings in 1946 under the
leadership of Dr. R. O. Corvin.
Marilyn A. Hudson, director of
Library Services for SCU, served as
coordinator of the history committee
that completed the project. Besides
Hudson, committee members included
Mark Arthur, Gary Burchette,
John R. Chasteen, Julie Ely,
Megan Miles, Terry Tramel, Patty
Woodring, and M. W. Murr.
According to One Night Club
and a Mule Barn, the launching of
Southwestern Bible College began on a
mild summer day in 1946 on what was
then the outskirts of Oklahoma City.
“A small group of people, including
C. H. Williams, R. O. Corvin, and
Oral Roberts, eyed some property
for sale. The men were searching for
a possible site for a new Bible school
for the Pentecostal Holiness Church.
The Abe Hale Nightclub, an old barn,
and a few other buildings sitting on
seven acres might have seemed like an
unlikely choice, but men with vision
saw it had possibilities.”
For the first time, the story of the
school’s pre-statehood roots, its 1946
birth, and subsequent development,
challenges, and rebirth is chronicled.
SCU was Oklahoma’s first Pentecostal
junior college and was one of the
state’s largest at one time. The history
of the school, known over the years
as Southwestern Bible College,
Oklahoma City Southwestern College,
Southwestern College of Christian
Ministries, and now Southwestern
Christian University, is intermingled
with state history.
Pentecostalism in Oklahoma is
virtually unexplored territory among
historians. One Nightclub and a Mule
Barn provides a fascinating glimpse
into the nature and character of a
large segment of Oklahomans sharing
ties to the Holiness-Pentecostal
tradition. This book not only
introduces the school; it also explores
a somewhat overlooked yet rich aspect
of Oklahoma history.
Copies of the book are available
from Southwestern Christian
University ($11.99), P.O. Box 340,
Bethany, Oklahoma 73008, or Tate
Publishing Co. (tatepublishing.com).
All royalties from the sales are
earmarked for SCU development.
An audio version of the book is in
production. Also available from
the school is an entertaining and
informative DVD of Southwestern
Christian University – 1946-2006.
LifeSprings Resources
Welcomes Jittery Joe’s
LifeSprings Resources announced
the opening of LifeSprings
Café in November. The café, which
features Jittery Joe’s Coffee, is quickly
becoming a place for Emmanuel
College students and members of
the Franklin Springs and Royston,
Georgia, community to gather for
coffee and food.
“We have looked forward
to providing a place where the
community
could not only
get a great
cup of coffee
but also meet
with friends,
relax, and
have a good
time,” says
Greg Hearn,
L-R: Tim Vickery, Wanda CEO of
Phillips, Greg Hearn, and
Bobby Brooks
LifeSprings
Resources.
A grand opening event took place
on November 10. It included a ribboncutting
ceremony by the Franklin
County Chamber of Commerce.
“Coffeehouses have always been
community gathering places,” says
Charles Powell, marketing director
for Lifesprings Resources. “Now
people from all across our area will
have a place they can call their own:
LifeSprings Café.”
The café is located in the
LifeSprings Bookstore and is open six
days a week from early morning until
around midnight. It is equipped with
both flat-screen TVs and wired and
wireless Internet access. Patrons have
their choice of sitting at quaint tables
and chairs or in a soft-seating area
featuring leather sofas and slate side
tables.
Michelle Drake
Named Teacher of the Year
Michelle
Drake
was chosen
as the 2006-
07 Teacher
of the Year at
Spring Creek
Elementary
School in
near Tulsa,
Oklahoma.
Michelle Drake
She will now
move to the next level of competition
for the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma,
Teacher of the Year. She is a first grade
teacher with 12 years of educational
experience teaching in Oklahoma and
Texas.
Three times Michelle has been
named in Who’s Who Among
America’s Teachers, an honor
awarded to educators nominated
by former students listed in Who’s
Who Among American High
School Students. She graduated
from Southeastern Oklahoma State
University with a bachelor’s degree in
elementary education and a master’s
degree in education administration.
Michelle is handbell choir director
at Tulsa’s Evangelistic Temple (PH)
and has directed three winning junior
continued on page 18
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 17

Here and There
continued from page 17
talent bell entries. She serves as agelevel
editor of Pre-K & K Sunday
school curriculum for One Accord
Resources, on the IPHC General
Ministers’ Wives Fellowship Board, and
as MWF director in the New Horizons
Ministries Conference.
Michelle has been married for
24 years to Bishop Randell O. Drake,
superintendent of New Horizons
Ministries. Bishop Drake serves as
central zone representative on the
General Executive Board and as a
member of the Southwestern Christian
University Board of Regents.
The Drakes have two sons, Taylor
(16) and Evan (14).
in the United States last year, the
government reported on November 17.
The largest increase in the
number of out-of-wedlock births was
among those age 25 to 29. The number
of births to unmarried teens dropped
and accounted for just 24 percent of
unwed births, down from 50 percent
in 1970.
Many of the women in the 25-29
age group are living with partners.
Contraceptive use among that age
group has fallen, indicating that many
of the pregnancies might have been
intentional.
There were 1,470,152 babies
born to single women in 2004, 35.7
percent of all births in the country, the
National Center for Heath Statistics
FUTURE EXPERIENCES
MARCH 2007
• 2 – First Friday Fast, a day of Fasting
and Prayer for the Nation and the IPHC
• 2-3 – CEM Day of Training at the North
Carolina Conference RDC
• 4 – World Missions Ministries’ FAITH
COMMITMENT SUNDAY
• 5-11 – Women’s Ministries Week
• 8-10 – EVUSA will host an Antioch
Encounter in Atlanta, GA.
• 6 – Women’s Ministries Day of Prayer
• 11 – WOMEN’S MINISTRIES DAY and
Offering
• 18 – HONOR RETIRED MINISTERS
DAY
• 26-30 – National Church Planter’s
School, Atlanta, GA
• 31 – Men’s Ministries Resurrection
Breakfast
APRIL 2007
Americans United Reports
Churches for “Violations”
(NCHS) said. That was up from
1,415,995 a year earlier.
Births to older women continued
•
•
1 – Palm Sunday and CEM National
Youth and Children’s Workers
Appreciation Day
6 – First Friday Fast, a day of Fasting
to increase, Brady Hamilton of NCHS
pointed out, reflecting choices these
women are making in terms of careers
•
and Prayer for the Nation and the IPHC
8 – EASTER and CHURCH
EDUCATION MINISTRIES GENERAL
OFFERING
and having families. The birth rate
• 12-14 – National Coalition of Men’s
of women age 35 to 39 increased 4
percent from 2003 to 2004. It was up 3
Ministries Spring Conference, Liberty,
MO, and EVUSA Antioch Encounter,
Cincinnati, OH
percent for women age 40 to 44, and 9 • 15-20 – INE Leadership Institute,
percent for women 45 to 49 years old.
There was a total of 4,115,590 births in
•
Oklahoma City, OK
27-28 – CEM Day of Training in the
Pacific Western Conference
the country in 2004, up from 4,089,950 For more information on any of these events/
in 2003. —EPA, 11/23/06
opportunities, go to www.iphc.org online.
Americans United for Separation
of Church and State (AU)
has turned in four churches to the
Internal Revenue Service for what it
calls “electioneering violations.” Rob
Boston, spokesman for AU, said the
message to pastors wanting to address
issues during election season is: “Be
extremely cautious.”
The IRS has not indicated whether
it will investigate churches. AU is
asking the IRS to investigate churches
in Maryland, Iowa, and Arkansas.
How is it getting the information?
“The case in Arkansas came to our
attention from residents in the area
who sent the material to us,” Boston
said. “When we get those, we simply
put the material together, make the
best case we can to the IRS, send
it off, and say, ‘This may be worth
looking into.’”
-- Evangelical Press Association, 11/16/06
Births to Unwed
Mothers Reach Record High
Nearly 1.5 million babies, a record,
were born to unmarried women
18 IPHC Experience | February 2007
• … there is but one living and eternal God, of
unlimited power, wisdom, and goodness.
• … that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of
the Father, took the nature of mankind in
the womb of the virgin Mary.
• … that Christ arose from the dead and
ascended into heaven, where He remains
until the time He will return to judge all
people.
• … the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father
and the Son and is of one substance with
them in majesty and glory.
• … the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of
God.
• … eternal life with God in heaven is the reward
of the righteous, and eternal banishment
from the presence of the Lord and
unending torture in hell are the wages of
those who reject Him.
• … Jesus Christ shed His blood for the
cancellation of our past sins, the restoration
We Believe
of all sinners who repent, and salvation
from sin and sinning.
• … justification before God is by faith alone.
• … Jesus Christ shed His blood for the
cleansing of the believer from all sin and its
pollution.
• … sanctification by faith in Christ is an instant
work of grace followed by a lifelong process
of spiritual growth after conversion.
• … the Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Ghost
is available through faith with the initial
evidence of speaking with other tongues as
the Spirit speaks through us.
• … divine healing was made available through
Christ’s death on the Cross.
• … in the imminent second coming of Jesus
Christ.
• … it is the responsibility of every believer
to obey Christ’s command to spread His
message of love and deliverance to every
nation.
An unabridged version of the IPHC Articles of Faith is available at www.iphc.org.

On October 27-28, 2006,
Southwestern Christian
University and River of Life
Church in Oklahoma City celebrated
60 years of equipping world changers
for the harvest. SCU alumni from all
over the nation returned for a time of
reunion, remembrance, and celebration.
President Bob Ely and the SCU
Anniversary Planning Committee
hosted a variety of events, making it
a hallmark occasion in the school’s
60-year history. Southwestern Bible
College opened in 1946 on seven
acres, located on N.W. 10th Street
in Oklahoma City. The property,
consisting of a building that had
served as a nightclub, an old barn,
and a few other small structures, was
developed into a facility that served
the school until it was relocated to its
present campus in Bethany, Oklahoma,
in 1981.
Headlining the weekend’s
festivities was an alumni banquet
that featured the introduction of the
new SCU Athletic Hall of Fame. Four
inductees, Arlon Beadles, Jerry Boone,
Otis Garrison, and M. W. Murr, were
the first persons named as recipients
of this honor.
Several former presidents of the
institution and their spouses were
present for the celebration. These
included Dr. and Mrs. W. R. Corvin,
Dr. and Mrs. Hugh H. Morgan, Dr. and
Mrs. E. Leroy Baker, and Dr. and Mrs.
Frank Tunstall.
A popular attraction on the
agenda was a “Singing Reunion” that
included scores of present and former
students and faculty members. The
program featured an alumni choir
under the direction of former faculty
member Lonnie Rex. A DVD of the
event is available for a donation to the
SCU music department. (Contact Julie
Ely at julie.ely@swcu.edu for more
information.)
On Saturday night, the school
hosted the 2006 SCU Feast of
60
by Shirley G. Spencer
Ingathering (FOI), featuring a concert the construction of an entry sign for
by Kirk Sullivan. Sullivan, an SCU the campus. “The new sign will help
alumnus, is a former member of the increase name awareness for the
vocal groups Truth and 4Him. This university in the metro area,” he says.
year’s FOI Offering topped $70,000,
Dovetailing with the SCU
setting a record as the largest ever weekend, River of Life Church
received by the college. According to (formerly Southwestern Pentecostal
President Ely, the funds will go toward Holiness Church, then Muse Memorial)
also celebrated its 60th anniversary.
The church originated across the
street from the old Southwestern
campus in 1946.
Pastors Richard and Linda Goad
and the River of Life congregation
welcomed over 400 guests from coast
to coast in a special reception and
service on Sunday morning, October
29. Guests of honor included former
pastors W. R. and Nina Corvin, Bill and
Bette Anderson, James and Thelma
McDowell, and Rick and Beverly Haug,
as well as interim pastors Randell and
SCU President Bob Ely
Michelle Drake. Maxine Smith Hickok,
a charter member of the church, was
also spotlighted at the event.
Through the use of film clips,
music, drama, hospitality, and service,
the program felicitated those who
served the church in the past while
looking forward to a promising future
and destiny.
Their campuses are no longer
adjacent to each other, yet SCU
and River of Life are forever linked
historically. They also share similar
visions—equipping and releasing
Kirk Sullivan
laborers into the harvest.
SCU and River of Life Church
Sharing a
Rich History
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 19

Escaping the
CHAOS OF KATRINA
by Joshua Atwell
It was a seemingly typical Sunday
in the rural community of Live
Oak, Louisiana. Residents took
little notice of television and radio
reports of an approaching hurricane;
consequently, little preparation was
made. For most people in the region,
hurricane season meant a few extra
bottles of water and some flashlight
batteries. Only a handful of residents
had seen a hurricane do major damage
in the state. None was prepared for
what lay ahead.
In New Orleans, the attitude
varied only slightly. People were
being evacuated, and, as usual, the
evacuation routes were basically
parking lots populated mostly by
middle-class people who expected to
return to their homes within a day or
two after yet another hurricane scare.
New Orleans’ “lower class,” however,
wasn’t leaving. They had nowhere to
go and no way to get there. Families
went to sleep in their homes and
apartments and awoke to utter chaos.
20 IPHC Experience | February 2007
The hurricane hit in the early
morning hours, unleashing a wall of
wind and driving rain that splintered
houses and peeled roofs off metal
buildings. When the levees were
breached, water rushed into the city,
which was like a bowl, and it was
filling fast. Residents of one apartment
complex fled to upstairs units and
then to rooftops, desperately hoping
the water wouldn’t reach them there.
They waited three days for the water
to recede or for someone to rescue
them. When they realized no one was
coming to help them, they had to help
themselves.
Several people found boats
and began their own private rescue
operations, pulling their friends and
families off rooftops and bringing them
to places where the water was shallow
enough to walk to safety. The police
tried to confiscate their boats, so
they were forced to make a nine-mile
detour to get their families around
the police lines. They waded through
the water, surrounded by the stench
and decay of debris and dead bodies.
Finally, they found a shelter where
they boarded a bus and came to Faith
Family Church in Live Oak, Louisiana.
Though no one had made any
prior plans with regard to providing
sanctuary, the church opened its
doors as a shelter on Tuesday,
August 30. Pastor Gordon Atwell
and his family left their home to
check on the church. As they walked
into the building, they discovered
that power had been restored.
Since the majority of the parish was
without power, and the temperature
was in excess of 90 degrees, Pastor
Gordon decided to open the church
as a shelter for locals.
A few families and church
members responded, as well as most
of the church youth group. The
first three days were enjoyable, not
unlike a giant church lock-in. But as
news of the disaster poured in from
all over the state, the church felt it
Photo © iStockphoto.com/Pattie Steib

needed to do more. Pastor Gordon
was invited to an organizational
meeting held downtown, and it was
there that a network for offering
assistance was born. Three hundred
pastors pooled resources that day
and began working together to get
the state back on its feet. Pastor
Gordon had just finished filling out
paperwork pledging the church as a
shelter when he received the news
that a busload of refugees had just
arrived from New Orleans. Almost
immediately, officials from the Red
Cross and parish government arrived
to shut down the shelter.
Pastor Gordon arrived back at
the church in time to see the officials
confronting his administrator. He was
informed that because the church had
no shelter permit, they needed to shut
the operation down.
“We’re a church,” responded
Pastor Gordon. “We don’t need a
permit to help people. We’ve been
doing it for years.” He was then told
the facility could remain open, but
it would not receive government
assistance. Pastor Gordon looked
the official in the eyes and said, “I’m
networked with the International
Pentecostal Holiness Disaster Relief
organization and 300 other pastors
in the area. I’m not depending on
the government to assist me with
anything.” At that point, the officials
left and never returned.
Over the next two months,
the church fed and clothed over
1,500 people and housed over 500.
During this time, at least 25 people
experienced salvation and the pastor
performed two weddings.
Evacuees slept on air mattresses
in the sanctuary. When it was time
for the services, the mattresses were
shoved against the wall, and church
went on as usual.
For many people, the road out of
the chaos left by Katrina has been long
and tiring, but those whose path led
them to Faith Family Church found an
open door. None of the 1,500 people
left the church without temporary
housing of some kind.
The shelter closed when the
Faith Family staff found an apartment
for the last displaced family. Yet the
church’s commitment to the survivors
of Katrina continues as they provide
clothing and food and pray with them
for their needs to be met. Many of
those affected by the storm still call
Pastor Gordon Atwell for spiritual
guidance, even though they live in
New Orleans.
The church also continues to
cooperate with the Pastors’ Resource
Council, which is helping rebuild
churches and homes. An outreach
team is still assisting with medical
needs.
Helping people pick up the
pieces after a disaster like Hurricane
Katrina requires more than shortterm
assistance. Faith Family is one
congregation that is there for the
“long haul.”
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 21

2007
Women’s Ministries
Day
22 IPHC Experience | February 2007
Strategically Organized and Released
March 11, 2007
For more info. visit www.women.iphc.org

July 18-22
Greensboro, NC
"The
Greatest
Show On
Earth"
FCF
Spiritual
Paintball
Swimming
Rope Course
Archery
Rappelling
Praise Band
Canoeing
Water Park
Camping
Wall Climbing
Arcade
Movies
Black Powder
Pageantry
Songs
Skits
Hiking
Food
Fun & Fellowship
Rifle Range
Archery
Paintball
Rope Course
Zip Line
Devotions
Special Speakers
Swimming
...much more
your official Royal Rangers outfitter!
1-800-541-1376 • www.lifespringsresources.com
February 2007 | www.iphcExperience.com 23

Now, more than ever, be sure that you’re shaping
children’s hearts with the Gospel.
Heartshaper by One Accord
Curriculum
LifeSprings Resources
2425 West Main Street
P.O. Box 9
Franklin Springs, Georgia 30639
1-800-541-1376
www.lifespringsresources.com
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Franklin Springs, GA
PERMIT NO. 1