Vacationing with the church in Louisiana

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Greetings all:

As some of you know, we spent several days of vacation with the Pentecostals
of Alexandria, Louisiana this past weekend.  We made the 1,025 mile trip in
one day, and had a day to get situated there in Alexandria before it was
time for the church meetings on Sunday….what better thing to do on vacation?
:)

Sunday morning found me on a “walk” in the 7am hour.  Some call it  “prayer
walking”.  And in the proper context, can be quite powerful!  This
particular walk seemed to be focused on “Lord, what are you saying here?”,
and a general opening to the work of the Holy Ghost.

Upon entering the church’s building, we met an usher and his wife.   For
those of you out there who have greeters at your church meetings, it’s such
an incredibly important thing for first time visitors.   Quite simply, find
the people among you with the gift of hospitality and put them to work
welcoming people to your church family.   “Hospitality” is not one of of the
charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit specified by name, but there are people
the Lord seems to have “made to order” for this kind of work….Buddy and Gale
were such people gifted for that work last week.

The Sunday morning and evening meetings (aka services) went well.   We
managed to arrive early Sunday evening, and I took our 4 year old into the
prayer room.  Glory!  There must have been over 70 men in there with Anthony
Mangun, all revved up to about 110mph, and ready to hit the meeting running.
They spilled out into the meeting at 6pm on fire and ready to worship!  I
knew several of the charismatic praise and worship songs used in the
meeting.  (As the Deer, et. al.)  Anthony preached a holiness sermon so
hard, that his eyeballs nearly popped out!  I went forward during the
ministry time at the conclusion of the meeting,  and found the praying “in
concert” (everyone praying simultaneously,  out loud, as in a choir) to be
wonderful.  We are practicing that in our Saturday morning prayer meeting
here in Ohio now.

While I stood near the front during ministry time, I noted the water
baptisms taking place up front and center.  I asked our greeter, Buddy,  if
I could get my 4 year old up close to see the water baptisms taking place;
we ended up backstage, up close and personal to witness several water
baptisms in the name of the Lord.   It was the first time our 4 year old had
seen such a thing;  he told us upon leaving the building that night that he
wanted to be baptized too!

Earlier that day I met a black guy in Ryans Steak House in Alexandria.
According to the newspaper headlines and Anthony Mangun’s comments last
Sunday, the City of Alexandria is currently beset with racial tensions.
This of course, was part of the topic of our conversation, until it turned
to praise and worship and the Pentecostal’s there in Alexandria.  The guy we
met at Ryans does praise and worship at a nearby Baptist (????) church and
he agreed to meet us with the Pentecostals there in Alexandria;  we never
did see him that evening,  but who knows what the rest of the story on that
contact is…

We were back among the church here in Ohio this morning, pounding away at a
song they have done in Alexandria :  “The name of the Lord is, a strong
tower…..Jesus is the Name of the Lord…”    And I was asked this morning if I
brought anything back with me;  yes indeed, much indeed.   We value the Name
of the Lord Jesus;  we were reminded of the centrality of His Name and
Person;  we were reminded of the value of real Bible holiness/repentance;
we were reminded of the value of flow in our praise and worship;  we were
reminded of how important it is to press into the Lord when gathering
together;  and we were reminded of the Lord’s housecleaning / renewal
operations in the church at Van Wert and our part in that too.    Glory to
His Name!  Where to next, Lord?

Still Praising Him!
Glenn Turner
Ohio