DAWN Fridayfax 1999 #28

Mexico

Catholic priest plants independent church with 10,000 members

"Aurelio Gomez used to be a Roman Catholic priest with his own parish. Today, he preaches in revival services attended by up to 25,000 people," reports Canadian evangelist Wesley Campbell. "In the revival services, which have been going on for 50 days, at least 10,000 mainly nominal Christians have decided to follow Jesus," according to one report. Many of the services' attendees have brought weapons, drugs, pornographic material and Satanic books to be disposed of. One man confessed to robbing people in buses as he handed over 4 knives and a gun. A 15-year-old heroin addict testified that he was now free from drugs and wanted to preach the gospel. 73-year-old Gomez experienced God during prayer after a charismatic Catholic told that God loved him. He started praying for the sick; hundreds of people came to the church, and Gomez was forced to leave his parish following protests from the area's residents that too many people were sleeping rough in the area while seeking help. He found a new home in Monte Maria Atizapan Zaragoza on the outskirts of Mexico City, where up to 25,000 people can attend the services. The church became Mexico's largest Catholic church, with 3,000 associated prayer groups throughout the country. The Catholic bishops could not control the phenomenon, so decided to excommunicate Gomez, thus making the church Mexico's largest evangelical fellowship, currently with 10,000 members.
Source: Wesley Campbell, Religion Today.

Canada

12-year-old girl no longer deaf

"A 12-year-old girl asked Nigerian preacher Charles Ndifon to pray for her during his revival services in Edmonton, Canada, in early June 1999," reports Katherine Waldon, who also attended the services. The girl suffered from many illnesses, and was deaf. Following prayer, she was able to hear, but was not able to understand the unaccustomed sounds - at first, she had to continue using sign language. She had been brought to the service by a woman who had only decided to follow Jesus the previous day.
Source: New Wine

USA

Young boy healed of a head wound

Muslim decides to follow Jesus

Eric and Debra Bradshaw from Winston Salem, North Carolina, were ecstatic about the healing of their young son. Eric, pastor of Winston's Vintage Bible Chapel, could only think of Jesus as he picked his blood-covered son up from their steep driveway. Chandler, his son, had mounted his bike without a helmet, and ran into a stone, falling face down on the drive. The blood pulsed out of his face so strongly that it sprayed onto the nearby house wall. Eric saw a hole in his son's forehead, punched by a stone on which he had fallen. Eric placed his hand on his son, and shouted "Jesus!" with all his courage, commanding the bleeding to stop and the wound to close. The bystanders were more than a little surprised when Eric removed his hand from Chandler's head: not only had the bleeding stopped, but the wound had also disappeared except for a red mark on his forehead. Chandler almost immediately calmed down, and everyone realised that they had just witnessed a miracle. Eric later reported that he had spoken about Christianity with a Muslim woman not long before, but that she had remained completely indifferent. When he told her what happened to Chandler, she decided to follow Jesus.
Source: New Vine; Eric Bradshaw, Winston

USA

Post-modern church - from 12 to 600 in a year

In only one year, the Mars Hill Fellowship in Seattle grew from a Bible study group of 12 to a church with an attendance of up to 600. "Most of the congregation are new Christians in their 20s, musicians, writers and doctorate students who would hardly have put a foot in a traditional church," says 27-year-old pastor Mark Driscoll, who has neither attended a Bible school nor been ordained. The church aims particularly to reach pluralistic-thinking people who believe in moral relativism and heathen spirituality with the gospel. "The services are honest, unpolished and down-to-earth. Driscoll tends to tell stories instead of preaching in traditional style, because he believes that that style of communication helps his generation understand God's word and better apply it to their lives," says one report about the church. "The auditorium is darkened, with some candles lit. Driscoll speaks for about an hour, with the listeners keenly taking notes." "People are not less intelligent than previously, nor do they have a shorter attention span," says Driscoll. "The church members share houses and eat together, and serve each other with their spiritual gifts. Evangelisation takes place where Christians build good relationships with non-Christians and listen to them. There's no other agenda than to listen to them and love them," he says. Driscoll describes his church as post-modern and no longer traditional. "Post-modern churches often start with new, uncomfortable ideas. I know of some 1,500 other pastors who think the same way," says Driscoll, who anticipates a second Reformation. Mars Hill Fellowship's services take place every Sunday at 5pm in the F. Presbyterian Church, 1013 Eight Ave., Seattle.
Source: Mars Hill Fellowship, tel. (+1)-206-522-0285

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