Salvation Statistics -Reply

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> Youre right on this one, but door knocking does bring them in slowly
> but surely.

Our phenomenal growth at Apostolic Life is a result of some cold-calling
and plenty of good old fashioned PRAYER.

-- Fall 1994: 3 year old Jenna Brown cries because there's only 3
children in our little home missions church Sunday school.  We pray
together for the Lord to help us gather in the harvest.

-- July 4 1995: my wife Sara and I are in Urbana on Lincoln Avenue,
watching the Independence Day parade.  Some real brats are making real
nuisances of themselves shooting at all the parade participants with
their super soakers.  Police talk to the kids several times.  Their mom
is nearby and very intoxicated.  Sara prays that the Lord will touch
these "brats" and their families.

One of the sisters in our church (some of you know her: Sis Pam Taylor)
canvassed the McKinley Trailer Park near her home.  Bridgette, her sister
Lindsay, and their brother Aaron starting coming to church as a result.

Bridgette invited her friend Karen.  Since we were picking Bridgette
and family up, Elisha from the trailer park started coming too.  One of
Bridgette's cousins starting coming also.

After Karen started coming, her brothers Josh, Jeff and Kris start
coming.  Guess what?  Josh and Kris are the "brats" Sara prayed for six
months before!  We distinctly remember their faces and their mom's
face.  We asked to confirm and they said "Yeah, that was us!!"

Karen's neighbor Brandi starts coming also.  Brandi's sisters Jean and
Mariah also start coming to church.  Other neighbors start hopping on
the van: Andre, Antonio, Adam, Joseph.  Karen brings her cousin Dana.
Other neighbors start coming: Nesha, Brian, Shekina, Contessa, Amanda,
Ronnie, Camario, etc etc etc.  I've lost track of lot of the younger
kids names.  Kids we've never seen will actually come running up to
the van and ask to come to church.  It's incredible.

Ernie and Melinda, with their children Shawn and Corey, visit the special
"Acts Alive" meeting we hold every spring.  Ernie and Melinda are touched,
start coming to church.  Turns out Shawn is a cousin of Brandi.  Ernie and
Melinda are eventually baptized -- they received the Holy Ghost the other
week.  Shortly after Shawn was baptized, he starts inviting all of *his*
friends: Jonathan, Tiffany, Michelle, Jessica, etc etc.

Melinda brings her best friend Shelley to church.  Shelley was baptized
just a couple of weeks ago.  I haven't heard if she's gotten the Holy
Ghost yet.  Oh yeah, a lot of these children and teens I named above have
been baptized and have received the Holy Ghost.  They are endeavoring to
live holy lives in spite of parental opposition.

We attempt to visit every one of the families of these children *every*
weekend.  Usually it's a quick stopover to say "Hi," sometimes we'll
stay a little longer to chat and minister.   The new converts outnumber
the "old-timers" by a long shot, and the number of visitors (adult and
minor) we have each week just keeps growing and growing.  We now run
four van routes -- two in Champaign, two in Urbana -- on Sunday
mornings, and gasoline and other vehicle expenses is now our top budget
item after the building fund.  Well worth the money IMO.

Richard "I drive the blue van route" Masoner