Wisconsin District neWsMay/June 2011

“...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering

gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance...”Galatians 5:22-23

2 May/June 2011

FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE

The basic and fundamental doctrine of this organization shall be the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit until we all come into the unity of the faith, at the same time admonish-ing all brethren that they shall not contend for their different views to the disunity of the body.

FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE

The basic and fundamental doctrine of this organization shall be the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit until we all come into the unity of the faith, at the same time admonish-ing all brethren that they shall not contend for their different views to the disunity of the body.

WDN EDITORCraig LundtPO Box 688

Beloit, WI 53512editor@wisconsindistrictnews.org

WDN SECTIONAL REPSSection 1: Loretta LundtSection 2: Carole Keller

Section 3: - Open -Section 4: Frank Ritchie

Section 5: Kathy Fry

WDN Proofreader: Dede Sharp

DISTRICT OFFICERSSuperintendent:

Rev. J.E. PutnamSecretary-Treasurer: Rev. E.A. Kaske

Honorary Board Member: Rev. J. Grant

PRESBYTERSSection 1: Rev. C. WelchSection 2: Rev. A. Tamel

Section 3: Rev. E. HermanSection 4: Rev. J. SindlerSection 5: Rev. P. Bennett

DEPARTMENTSForeign Missions: Rev. M.W. Rogers

Home Missions: Rev. R. KeilleyMedia Missions: Rev. S. Jacobs

Ladies Ministries: Sis. J. SchumacherYouth Ministries: Rev. Tim Vik

Revival Commission: Rev. M. HookSunday School: Rev. W. RehbeinPrayer Force: Rev. Don RogersMen’s Ministry: Rev. S. Rogers

Music Ministry: Sis. Darlene BoytePurpose Institute: Rev. J.D. Putnam

Deaf Ministry: Renee Thomas

Wisconsin District neWs

Excitement is in the air, and also in the hearts and minds of the people throughout the state of Wisconsin. It is exciting to see new events and ministries reaching out to different groups of people in different ways… new methods, but the same mes-sage through events such as the Fearless Conference, Rock the District, Hyphen and Unity Services, which are being held in several counties throughout the district.

My personal passion, as editor, is ‘promoting the positive’… Do you have a unique ministry? Want to share your passion? Please send us your story, name, contact info, photos (if appli-cable) and tell us what church you attend. This can be sent to: editor@wisconsindistrictnews.org

Thank You and God Bless,Craig Lundt

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Philippians 4:8-9

May/June 2011 3

BY JOhN E. PUTNAMDistrict Superintendent

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I

stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

It was 6:00 AM on Saturday morn-ing when the knock at our front door occurred. The knock was heavy, and quickly turned into a pounding as I scrambled out of bed, grabbed some jeans to put on, and ran to the door.

By the time I reached the door, the man was yelling, “Your car is on fire!”

Immediately, I looked out the front window, and sure enough, flames were jutting through the windshield and up into the tree that was hanging above and over our car. Our family had just suffered a personal attack by someone destroying our automobile. The point I want to make though, is that there was an individual that cared enough to “knock” persistently to arrest our atten-tion to open the door, accept his help, and to thank him for his effort in put-ting out the fire.

I know that we all have heard and have told the proverbial “knock, knock” stories.

We snicker and perhaps laugh a little at the humor involved in these jokes; however, the “knock, knock” that is happening in our world right now...is NO JOKE!

In listening to the reports from

“KNOCK, KNOCK - WHO’S THERE?”around the world, of nuclear meltdown in Japan, the entire Middle East in an uproar, and the world’s economy on the brink of collapse, coupled with our own political strife and economic woes, it would appear, at least to my compre-hension, that there is an urgent “knock” taking place! The moral downfall of Western Society, the acceptance and encouragement of the reenactment of Sodom and Gomorrah, coupled with the weird weather patterns, and wars and rumors of the same, prompts me to believe our Lord and Savior is “knock-ing” loudly to gain our spiritual atten-tion.

Jesus said... Luke 21: 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (KJV)

Just like the man trying to get our attention that early Saturday morning, so is the Lord Jesus trying to get our at-tention. It is He that is standing at the door of our individual hearts, knocking, and knocking... trying to get us to rec-ognize who it is that is at the door! He is the answer to our soul’s needs! He is our peace, joy, and the love of our life! He is our provider and keeper! He is our ever present help in the time of need! And the way things seem to be going around the world, we all need Him NOW!

His promise to each of us, if we will but open our heart’s door to Him, is that He will come in and He will “sup”

or feast with us, and we with Him. Don’t be fooled, my friend, to think that by self effort and living according to “me, myself, and I” that that will be sufficient. Jesus said without Him we can do nothing! ( John 15:5)

He wants to help us; He wants to save us! We just need to recognize who it is that is beckoning at our heart’s door, trying to get us to open up our eyes, and to be about His business.

Wisconsin, it is high time that we awaken out of sleep, and realize that the coming of the Lord is at hand! We need to be His arms, legs, and His voice in knocking on the doors of oth-ers, who seemingly do not know the truth. They may see you and I standing there knocking, but in reality it is Jesus Christ that is really trying to help them and their families.

As the last verse of Revelation chapter 3 states: 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

KnocK! KnocK!

blood, but against princi-palities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked-ness in high places.” It’s in the Book, folks! The devil desires to control our music and our cul-ture. One of Satan’s big-gest tools, which he has used from day one in the garden of Eden, is decep-tion. “He’ll lose his pow-er to deceive once we expose who he is…” proclaimed Pastor Endris. This was the main goal of the conference. We NEED to be careful what we allow our children and ourselves to hear (and, for that matter,

watch). This is not just a suggestion! There are spirits attached, and they rob our children of their purity.

Singers like Kanye West and Jay-Z believe they are controlled by the power of the devil. Oth-ers claim a dual personality like Beyonce with her stage presence, Sasha Fierce.

Eminem also alludes to this duality as he chants during his concert that he is now “Reign Man.” Rihanna depicts a pos-session of the devil in one of her videos and Eminem’s song “My Darling” talks of Satan’s possession.

Though the singer of the music you listen to might not claim to have “sold his soul to

the devil” or be demon possessed, he/she is most likely influenced by these forces. The devil attempts to get his music into ALL genres. Many artists use the symbols of the church of Satan in their concerts and in the clothes they wear. Many times the color black is worn as a sign to block out God’s light.

Many symbols come from or relate to the Egyptian trinity: Isis, Osiris, and Horus. Some symbols to beware of are the triangle symbol with the first fingers and thumbs put together. This is seen of-ten and there are concerts where most of the audience is also making this sign. It is a satanic hand sign for control. Also, watch out for the A-Okay sign over one eye or doubled over both eyes; the face of Alistair Crowley, once dubbed “the wick-edest man in the world;” the hexagram; and the skull with horns (the face of Ba-phomet), which is the seal of the church of

4 May/June 2011

BY LoreTTa LunDT

“Oh! Be careful little ears what you hear…” In a sense, this was the underly-ing message of the Fearless Conference. This two-night conference was hosted by Meadowbrook Church of Green Bay and was held at West High School on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12. Over 600 people came to learn more about the agenda of the music industry each night. Pastor Phil Endris of Gary, IN told of the dangers in secular music and showed video after video to prove that the danger is real!

It is not a secret that music has power. Some have even killed or “committed sui-cide to the grip of music.” Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and

May/June 2011 5

Satan. These are “symbols that conjure up demonic spirits” and are used by Freema-sons and other secret orders. These groups are “true occult heritage” where “followers of the occult will not even know they are being initiated!”

The VMA awards in 2009 are an ex-treme example of the evil being portrayed by MTV and the singers and videos they show. The award night opened with a bla-tant prayer to Satan. Later in the show Lady Gaga performed a mock blood sacrifice and Pink acted out an initiation similar to the one you might go through to become a Freemason. The MTV studio is even located in a Masonic Temple.

Don’t be lulled to sleep by the me-lodic beat, but open your eyes and wake up to the fact that singers like Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, and others in the secular music industry are promoting hid-den agendas through their songs. The de-

ception doesn’t end with music. Oprah even says how she empties herself and al-lows the spirits she “knows” to enter into her. Even an episode of Hannah Montana reeks of satanic undertones when she has an idol named ‘Isis’ and ends up in a place called ‘Crowley’ Corners.

So how do you know? When music comes into the home, look at the lyrics. If they don’t glorify God, then it is NOT Christian music! Look at the clothes that the artist wears or the symbols they make with their hands. We have a depressed, oppressed society that is being influenced by those who have “sold their souls to the devil.” What can you do? “Get rid of all the stuff that hinders you from drawing closer to God,” instead SING UNTO THE LORD! “…for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little

ears what you hear!”Each evening ended with the won-

derful move of the Holy Ghost as youth committed their lives to Jesus and deter-mined to get rid of music that does not exalt Him. Mario Mouser along with the Meadowbrook praise singers and other

Continued on page 18

BY Tim BeimaL

Dale Cook has a story to tell - a story of sorrow and setbacks overshadowed by miracle power and divine purpose. A childhood characterized by tragedy has given way to a life of triumph and trust in God.

“As children, we all need immunization shots to start school. I went in and got my shots, and soon after I began fall-ing and stumbling quite a bit,” Cook recalls. “I was about five years old at the time, and it was decided that I should have an X-ray. After see-ing the results, doctors declared I had a brain tumor and I was given just a few weeks to live. The doctors offered to admit me and try to extend my life, but after a couple weeks, nothing had changed.”

“At this point, my dad decided he didn’t want a crippled kid, so he left. My mother was left to raise three kids on her own - and taking care of me was like double-duty. It was a very difficult time,” said Cook.

“The doctors couldn’t do anything for me, so my mother made a choice that changed my life, my family’s life, and every life I have encountered since. We went to see the Master Physician, God Almighty. Pastor McClain and the church at Pasa-dena Apostolic Temple laid hands on me and prayed for healing,” continued Cook. “We went back to the hospital. I had an-other X-ray. The same doctor came back and said he could not find any sign of a brain tumor. Now, some people say it’s

not a healing because I still had trouble walking - but I was alive!”

Doctors eventually made a diagno-sis of Cerebellum Ataxia, but later found that this was not exactly correct. Cook explains that what had affected him was a virtually untraceable disorder that was

caused by an allergic re-action to the immuniza-tion shots he received as a child.

“The vaccinations caused these issues - ap-parently I was allergic to some of the medications they gave me as a child. It was an honest mis-take,” he said.

Throughout his childhood, Cook expe-

rienced setbacks that put him in wheel-chairs, forcing him to re-learn how to walk on two different occasions. He also battled fevers and walking pneumonia as a child, and also had to overcome lead poisoning.

As his life progressed, Cook knew he had experienced a miracle, but hadn’t yet come to know the Miracle Giver.

“I was living in Wisconsin until about age 35, and life was just so hum-drum. I knew I had to do something, find some-thing that enthused me,” Cook stated. “I started looking for jobs. I went down south to work for a while, and then headed west to the Grand Canyon. I don’t know why, I just felt I needed to go there.”

“Then one night, while reading my Bible, everything just hit me. I received the Holy Ghost, and from that time, I knew I had a mission to complete. God told me I was to share my testimony - that was my new beginning. I didn’t know where

it would lead, but I got to witness to so many people-drunks, devil worshippers, people of all walks of life,” states Cook. “Eventually, I went to Texas for some time, and then back to the Grand Can-yon. I returned to Wisconsin in 2008.”

“I just want to get the message out there,” Cook says. “Many people think the biggest issue is ‘Do you know God?’ But to me, it’s ‘Does God know you?’ We have to know for ourselves that He knows us. You’ve got to know Him and be known of Him.”

“There were countless times that I wondered if there was a purpose for all of the struggles,” Cook said. “I always wondered, ‘Why me?’ I didn’t figure it out until I started reading the Bible. One day, I started reading John chapter 9, about the blind man, the Rabbi and the disci-ple. ‘And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.’ That was the most pro-found statement I have ever read.”

Cook, a member of Calvary Apostol-ic Church in Clintonville, currently holds an Associate’s Degree in Biblical Studies and is pursuing a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree. In the meantime, he reaches out to people through speaking, preaching, sharing his testimony, and helping raise money for the Tour de Cure, an effort organized by the American Diabetes As-sociation.

Cook, who enjoys riding his bike, finds the Tour de Cure to be a great op-portunity to share his testimony, raise money for diabetes research, and enjoy

6 May/June 2011

JOuRNEy from TORmENT to TRiumpH

one of his favorite recreational activities. “The way I see it, God gave me not

only a testimony, but also the gift of my legs. I thought I had lost the use of my legs a couple times, but God gave the ability back to me, so I want to give my legs and that ability back to God.”

“I also see a great need for missions work here in America,” he states. “There is so much we can do here in order to get God’s word out there to a hungry world. I’ve come to the realization of all the blessings I have in my life. I want to help people understand all the blessings Christ can show them as well. People can see His gifts in my life very easily, and I’m just proof that even if you’re in a troubled situation, God can still reach you.”

Originally published February 2011 in the County Post East. Used with permission.

May/June 2011 7

Honoring In the fall of 1995, Pastor and Sister

LeRoy Bell accepted the call of the Lord, which had been spoken to them through His word, to return to the land of their fathers. From October 1995 to May of 1996, the Bells traveled to La Crosse from Cedar Falls, Iowa each weekend and began holding services in the com-munity room at Valley View Mall. In July of 1997, the Lord opened the way for Calvary Apostolic Church to pur-chase and take possession of the current church building, where they have wor-shipped for the last 14 years.

The congregation honored Pastor &

Sister LeRoy Bell for their many years of service. An open house reception was held on Saturday, March 19. There was a special worship service on the following day, Sunday, March 20.

Thank you, Pastor and Sister Bell, for being obedient to the call of the Lord, allowing you both to affect count-less lives.

the BellsJOuRNEy from TORmENT to TRiumpH

8 May/June 2011

The rock the District event was held Friday, march 25th at The Pen-tecostals of the Fox Cities in me-nasha. it was organized by their new music director, mario mouser. There were about 275 people in at-tendance that night.

There was quite a variety of songs, styles, and music through-out the night. many of the artists sang songs they had written them-selves. The Wisconsin District is blessed with tremendous talent! a lot of time and effort was spent preparing for rock the District, and the reward was seen in the worship of young people giving their all to the Lord.

The night started with a concert feel and transitioned into a time of praise and worship. Then Tim Vik (Wisconsin Youth President) shared a thought, “Get the Frogs out of Your Life.”

Pharaoh says get rid of the frogs ‘tomorrow.’ are you fostering ‘frogs’ – holding on to sins? God can take care of it today! replace them (frogs) with joy and pure things.

The Pool of Bethesda was a place where God performed some great miracles, but they couldn’t hesitate to respond! We are on the threshold of a miracle! in acts, they were in the upper room… and SuDDenLY! if you are waiting for a miracle, you don’t need to wait un-til tomorrow. The Bible says to be

“born of water and Spirit.” Don’t wait another day.

The night ended with an altar call of healing, deliverance, and salvation with six receiving the Holy Ghost! What a great night of rTD!

FEATURED ARTISTS:

• eLYSHa narLoCk (Clintonville)• Maggie Mattheson (milwaukee)• andy Vik (milwaukee)• seth Boyte (oshkosh)• Mario Mouser (menasha)• andy Ferguson (Gate City, WV)• ryan Johns (atlanta, Ga)• Johnathan dean (alexandria, La)

May/June 2011 9

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by: C

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10 May/June 2011

BY meLiSSa DeLuC

I’m a 23 year-old Apostolic female. I just finished my bachelor’s degree. I’m no longer a youth that gets excited for se-nior camp, but I don’t yet feel like an adult who can fit in at Ladies’ Retreat. I had a general plan for my life, but I’m not sure that it is God’s plan for my life. I have vague direction and an even more vague future.

What do I do now? Do I get mar-ried? Do I pursue a career? Do I focus on my ministry? Who is the right person for me to marry? How do I balance a career and a ministry? How do I best use my skills and experience – job or ministry or both? Overall, what is next? And, am I the only one who feels like this?

The 20-somethings age is a transi-tional period. Young adults are starting or finishing post-secondary education. Young adults are getting married or hav-ing children. For the first time, young adults are stepping into the uncertainty of

the job market and now experiencing an increased income. Overwhelmed by the many changes and opportunities avail-able to them, young adults need guidance about how to make their lives fit the plan that God has for them.

The solution? Hyphen. Hyphen is a UPCI young adult movement that “con-nects young adults to service, with pur-pose, through resources for a mission.” In

other words, it is advice, encouragement and the word of God that is relevant and hand-crafted for the 20-somethings age. The Wisconsin District introduced the first Hyphen Conference on March 11-12, 2011 at Calvary Gospel Church in Madison.

Hyphen District Coordinator Tim Peters said, “There was/is a need for a state-wide Hyphen ministry in Wiscon-

May/June 2011 11

sin. The need stemmed from the current cul-ture that Apos-tolic young adults live in. Kids no longer leave Sunday School, get married, and stay in the same church for the rest of their lives. Young adults to-day live in an ev-er-growing peri-od. God gives us all a dream, and I hope this Hy-phen conference has been an epic landmark in the lives of Wisconsin Apostolic young adults.”

The Hyphen conference launched with an introductory message from Rev. Tim Peters, Hyphen Coordinator. Bro. Peters spoke about the young man, Jo-seph, and the dreams that God gave him while living in his father’s house. Reach-ing the dream was not an easy process for Joseph, but Joseph could never become Pharaoh’s second in command without going through the events that led up to the achievement of the dream. Bro. Peters encouraged young adults that God has a way of setting us up for the dream, and that sometimes our problems are really stepping-stones to the dream. “Some-times we must go through God’s given nightmare to get to God’s given dream. Stay ready for when the dream comes.”

The next session was a message by Rev. Rick Bailey about building a strong foundation in a young adult life by return-

ing to the basics: prayer, fasting, and Bible reading. Bro. Bailey stated that dreams take off when our foundation is strong. To wrap up the evening, Rev. Avery Ritchie spoke about being vulnerable. Although it is unnatural and uncomfortable, young adults need to be vulnerable to their God and His plans for their lives.

The next morning, District Youth President Tim Vik opened with a session about morals and money, explaining that young adults cannot change a culture that they have succumbed to. Just following, the youth committee formed a Q&A panel and answered a variety of questions about fornication, modesty, media, and living for God without encouragement or consent from family.

Concluding the entire event, Dis-trict Superintendent John E. Putnam preached a message entitled, “Don’t Slay the Dreamer.” He warned young adults that their God-given dreams could be

killed by themselves. He explained that young adults give up on their dreams of ministry and kingdom work because life is too hard or things don’t go as planned or because they lack direction. Echoing Bro. Tim Peters’ opening message about Joseph, Bro. Putnam said that the adver-sity Joseph faced was all part of achieving Joseph’s dreams.

Overall, the Hyphen conference was a refreshing and encouraging time for young adults to realize that they are not alone in their questions of “What is next?” Young adults left the conference with the direc-tion of staying grounded in praying, fasting and Bible reading and knowing that their problems are really stepping-stones to the fulfillment of their God-given dreams.

District Youth President Tim Vik said, “I look forward to, in a few years, looking back at this weekend and seeing a turn-ing point for this generation of Wisconsin young adults.”

12 May/June 2011

A soul-winning training seminar was held Wednesday, April 6th and Thursday, April 7th at Christian Life Center in Neenah. The speaker, Rev. Tim Downs, is an international evangelist, author, and pastor of Atlanta Hope Center.

The attendees took Bro. Downs seriously concerning soul-winning. They hit the streets, and in less than forty minutes, had three bap-tized. Later that evening, two more were baptized.

• Equipping Churches to Reach the Lost

• Personal Evangelism Training• Powerful Crusade Services• Effective Outreach Missions• Proven Tools for Successful Evangelism

BY Tim DoWnS

Romans 13:11And that, knowing the time, that

now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Proverbs 10:5He that gathereth in summer is a

wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

A SOul-WiNNER’S JOb DESCRipTiON

i. pRAyER• Every soul-winner and saint needs

to learn the value and importance of per-sonal, fervent prayer. This is not an op-tion; you will need to learn to pray. Prayer guides can help you learn. The Apostles asked of Jesus, “Teach us to pray!”

• Luke 11:1And it came to pass, that, as he was

praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

• James 5:16Confess your faults one to another,

and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

ii. pASSiON• Passion for the lost is not a special

gift. Every person who receives the Holy Ghost receives the power to witness. Most people have allowed this power to become non-effective in their walk with God. We need to go before God each and every day and seek with all of our heart a fresh passion for souls! Some people

WAKE up… iT’S TimE TO GO TO WORK

www.GowinSoulS.com

The seminar was followed by a revival with Rev. Morton Bustard (Renowned International Evangelist from Alexandria, LA) on Saturday, April 9th and Sunday, April 10th.

“If you’re not fishing for men, who are you following?”

– Evangelist Tim Downs

May/June 2011 13

Soul-winninG SerieS

may relate to this form of passion. While I was seeking the Holy Ghost, I can re-member nothing else mattered in this world; I had to have the Holy Ghost! We need to seek for passion for lost souls with this same fervency and fire!

• Acts 1:8But ye shall receive power, after that

the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusa-lem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

• Matthew 22:36-40• Master, which is the great com-

mandment in the law? • Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love

the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

• This is the first and great command-ment.

• And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

• On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Who is A Neighbor?

When Jesus was asked by someone who his neighbor was (Luke 10:29), Jesus responded by telling the story of the Good Samaritan -- who helped a stranger in need by the roadside. Then, in verse 37, Jesus told the man to go and do like the Good Samaritan.

• A neighbor is someone who is nearby wherever you are.

• How can we pass by people every day, knowing they are going to hell and not love them enough to try and reach them?

• We must get a passion for the lost! The scripture gives us a plain answer on what will happen if we fail to reach the

lost!

• Ezekiel 3:18When I say unto the wicked, Thou

shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniq-uity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

• We must put aside all else and reach the lost souls of this world! The time is short, the trumpet shall soon sound, we will stand before our God in judgment, and I pray He will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!”

iii. GiviNG

• This one is so important! Have you ever heard the message of prosper-ity? There are so many TV preachers claiming God wants you to drive a Rolls Royce! Let me help you with this. The Bible says, “GIVE and it shall be GIV-EN.” To understand this, God gives to those that will return and give to others! He is not trying to help us lay up trea-sures! The Bible also says, “He that gives to the poor shall not lack!” We need to get a spirit of giving in these last days!

• We must look at our life and see what we have laid up! What could you sell and follow Him? The revival we are looking for will cost us plenty. We must forget about the cares of life as they are and humble ourselves to a place of giv-ing!

• There is not one soul to my knowl-edge that I have been able to reach and see them become born again, that didn’t cost me something! We are given bless-ings to bless others! If we can learn the

cause of blessings, God will continue to supply every need!

iv. pRESENTATiON• This one is just as important as the

rest. We must learn to present ourselves and the Gospel in a way that people want what we have. It is very important to learn how to SMILE! Why would someone want to have what you have if you don’t look like you want it?!

• Take care of yourself! Make sure when you leave your home, you look nice! Fix your hair, brush your teeth, wear nice clothing; look like a Christian! This is a mistake of so many Apostolics. People dress like they are going to the farm! Come on folks, let’s look like we are blessed enough by the God we serve to look nice! This is the job of a soul-winner; we need to work as unto the Lord!

• When you present the Gospel, do not argue; do not be rude or self-righ-teous! We are blessed to have this truth; we are not given this to be better than others, but to help others! Never use the sword to kill!

iv. bEiNG pREpARED• Everywhere you go you need to

have some type of information about your church! It’s important to have a card, flyer, Bible study, or something that tells about your church and where it’s lo-cated!

• When you become a soul-winner, you have to be prepared! Everywhere you go you will want to meet people, or at least hand them something about your

WAKE up… iT’S TimE TO GO TO WORK

Continued on page 15

14 May/June 2011

WI District Ministers ConferenceThe WI District Ministers’ Confer-

ence took place Tuesday through Thurs-day, March 29-31, 2011 at the Osthoff Resort & Conference Center in Elkhart Lake.

This year’s conference was again a great success and was a wonderful time of refreshing and anointing of the Spirit. We had 63 Wisconsin pastors and 85 minis-ters and their families, along with many out of state guests and missionaries.

Bro. T. F. Tenney was our guest speaker for the conference. He challenged those in attendance to go beyond the re-quired and reach deeper in every aspect of their ministry. Each message he preached

applied directly to the growth and to where Wisconsin is at as a district. Sis. Tenney ministered to the ladies during the Wednesday morning Ministers’ Wives session.

Thursday evening was a wonderful time of giving, as $26,650 was raised for Bro. Lenny and Sis. Kathy Smith, who pastor Praise Tabernacle in Antigua, and $15,400 was raised for Bro. and Sis. Denny, missionaries to the Philippines. What a privilege it is to be able to give to these wonderful people who sacrifice their lives, away from family and comforts of home, to spread the gospel in other parts of the world! If you made a pledge to support either of these fine couples, please send it to the WI District office and clearly mark which missionary it is for.

A big “thank you” to Bro. Andy and Sis. Andrea Soto, who not only provided the sound system for District Conference, but continued to minister to the youth by providing after-ser-

Bro. T.F. TenneY SiS. THeTuS TenneY

Bro. LennY anD SiS. kaTHY SmiTH

May/June 2011 15

The results of the elections that took place during the conference are as follows:

WI District SecretaryRev. E. A. Kaske

Home Missions DirectorRev. Rick Kielley

Sunday School DirectorRev. Ward Rehbein

Ladies’ Ministries Secretary Sis. Aloma Turner

Youth Ministries Secretary Rev. Phil Demos

The following appointments were made:

Prayer Coordinator Rev. Don Rogers

WI District Appeals Council Rev. Jim Schumacher

Purpose Institute DirectorRev. John D. Putnam

church! Listen, this works! The more people that you reach, the more will come to your church! People are not going to just start lining up out-side our churches! We must go and COMPEL them to come in!

• 2 Corinthians 9:6• But this I say, He which soweth

sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

• Be prepared spiritually (prayer/fasting), mentally (have a good at-titude)…this is very important; you will see the need for this as you grow in soul-winning!

• Be prepared for the harvest of souls! In many cases, we have all prayed for revival, we have begged God to send it; however, when it comes, we find that we were not prepared for it!

Ask yourself these questions!

• Are you prepared for 50 new kids in your Sunday school class?

• Are you prepared to baptize someone at any given time? (in the middle of the night)

• Do you have a new convert plan of action?

• Do you know that as new peo-ple come in, we have to be respon-sible to love them and make them feel they are a part of us?

• Are you ready to serve in any way possible to reach the lost?

• Are you prepared to give up your comfortable seat for a sinner?

You will find that the job of re-taining new converts is as important as reaching them!

We must be stewards of what God has given us!

Soul Winning SeminarContinued from page 13

www.GowinSoulS.com

vice activities for them. We thank them for their burden to keep our youth posi-tively engaged at these events.

Bro. Larry and Sis. Diana Livengood, of Apostolic Faith Church in Racine, once again provided a great Children’s Church service for children ages 6-12 during the evening conference services. The Liven-goods do a great job and had more than

70 children to minister to this year. They were so packed in that we moved Chil-dren’s Church to a larger room! Bro. and Sis. Livengood are wonderful children’s ministers with a deep burden to see ALL children saved! They can be contacted through Pastor James Schumacher in Ra-cine, if you are interested in having them minister at your church.

Bro. riCHarD DennY

16 May/June 2011

By JeFF Contreras

The Men’s Ministry Department, led by Bro. Steve Rogers, held their 2nd Annual “Men’s Ministry Madness” bas-ketball tournament on April 16th, 2011. The 5-on-5 tourney was held in Green-field, WI at the local high school. Bro. Jeff Contreras, Section 3 Men’s Rep, orga-nized and ran the tournament.

Once again, there were four teams present at this year’s tournament. Three of those teams were representing Section 3, giving them the clear edge to once again take home the District Trophy. Calvary Gospel Church of Madison brought two teams and The Rock of Jesus Church of Elkhorn/Delavan brought a team, all rep-resenting Section 3. Elim Tabernacle was the sole team present for Section 2.

Calvary’s Blue Team, the defending champs, came out hot. They won their first game against Elim to advance to the semi-final, where they would face The Rock, who had beaten Calvary’s Green Team to advance. The semi-final would be a rematch of last year’s Champion-

ship, where Calvary came back from the loser’s bracket to defeat The Rock with relative ease. This year’s first rematch, however, would not be so easy. The teams went back and forth, both fighting for a guaranteed spot in the Championship. The Blue Team would come out on top though, securing the win by two points in the final moments of the game.

The Rock bounced back by beating the Green Team yet again in the loser’s bracket, to advance to the Championship Game for one last chance to finally beat the Blue Team. In a complete role reversal from last year, The Rock finally defeated the Blue Team in the Championship Game. The Rock came out on fire and never let up, making multiple three-point baskets, and ultimately winning by more than ten points.

The tournament ended with the much hyped Toilet Bowl, a game between the last place teams, to give at least one of those teams the honor of saying “at least we’re not last.” Displaying true grit and determination to never give up, the Green Team faced off with Elim in an epic battle.

The game was close, but the Green Team came out on top, securing 3rd place in the tournament’s final standings.

So to no one’s surprise, Section 3 de-fended their title and is still the District Champ. It’s hard to lose when you rep-resent 75% of the teams, a clear strategy that Calvary and The Rock use in a com-bined effort to ensure that Section 3 is always on top! Any challengers? Section 1, 2, 4, or 5???

Beyond the competition, there was great fellowship amongst the men, the true motivation behind Men’s Ministry Madness. Some new friends were made, old friends visited, and there were a hand-ful of lost men present that were effec-tively ministered to by some of the great men within our District. It truly was a Spirit-led event, and everyone involved was blessed.

If you or somebody you know would be interested in participating in the next Men’s Ministry Madness tournament, start planning now! The next tournament is already scheduled for August 27th, and it will be held at the Greenfield High

May/June 2011 17

School again. Feel free to contact Rev. Jeff Contreras with any questions at (262)745-3986.

As always, all glory be to God! And remember, strong men lead to strong families, strong families lead to strong churches, and strong church-es can reach a lost world!

In Jesus Name,The WI District Men’s Ministry

Team

18 May/June 2011

musicians led everyone in powerful worship. “Our God IS greater!”

For the churches out there, this is a great way to get the name of your church out into your community. The conference was at a neutral location and sponsored by many area businesses. Out-side the auditorium were sponsors and church ministry booths. Some booths spotlighted different ministries such as children’s church, Bible studies, youth and single ministries, and buttons were passed out with the dates of the Vaca-tion Bible School. There was a ‘Kid’s Church’ provided for children under the age of 12 with songs and a puppet show. Five children were filled with the Holy Ghost for the first time. There was also a prize giveaway on Saturday that included gift certificates, CD’s, movies, bikes, and a GPS. A big thank you to Meadowbrook mem-bers for all of their hard work and area sponsors like WPFF, Q90… All of this could not have been possible without your help! (Pastor Phil Endris also did an interview on 90.1 FM in Green Bay, WI called “Has Music Gotten Dark-er?”)

A member of Meadowbrook Church

reported about what transpired from the Fearless Conference. There were around

650 people at the Fear-less Conference on Fri-day night! There were Apostolics, Baptists, Lutherans, and even a witch (who, by the way, wants to change). We had an awesome move of GOD! The truth set many people free! We had approximately 600 to 650 on Saturday night as well and five children received the

baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Thirty people signed up for Home Bible Studies. Out of the 30 Bible Studies, 10 of them were from our UPC churches and, praise God, 20 of them were non-UPC people. When we contacted them via phone, a couple of them asked if they could bring others to sit in on the Bible Study. To God be the glory! We also had a gentleman that was at the Fearless Conference that came out to visit the church on Sunday morning, and was touched by the Lord. We have now set up a Bible Study with him as well.

Fearless Conference DVD sets can be ordered at http://therockchurch.tv/webstore

Fearless ConferenceContinued from page 5

Photos by: Craig Lundt and Angela Schlough

May/June 2011 19

20 May/June 2011

Morning Bible TeacherRev. David Bernard,

UPCI GeneralSuperintendent

Evening EvangelistRev. Bill Davis

Atlanta,Georgia

Morning Power Hour

Bro. Larry & Sis. Diana Livengood

Evening Evangelist

Bro. Mike & Sis. Vickie Oliver

Wisconsin District Campgrounds

Shawano, WI

Children’s Events...

Choir & MusicMinistry Director

Sis. Darlene Boytewith the WI District

Praise Team

WI DistrictUPCI

PurposeInstitute

GraduationCeremony

Sunday,July 3 at 7 p.m.

Forms available from your church office or at www.wiupci.orgWI District Campgrounds—W7895 St. John’s Church Rd.—Shawano, WI 54166

May/June 2011 21

Junior Camp 2011:

Camper fee: $125

Registration: 1300 hours, Monday, 18 July

Pickup: 1400 hours, Friday, 22 July

18-22 July ages 9-12

For Camper info: gobernie05@hotmail.com or 715-735-6378

For Staff info: kbcministries@juno.com or 262-679-8875

Closed Campus **No weapons or

dog tags permitted**

CORINTHIANS NO. 2 5:18

22 May/June 2011