“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). This was the theme of the Hempstead Apostolic Faith Church's spring revival which began on Thursday, March 20. Enthusiastic ministers and workers, including the guest minister Peter McPhun from Washington, DC, gathered in the prayer room to seek the face of God and ask that His Spirit would lead in the service. The service began with an instrumental duet, and then a choir rendition of “Salvation Has Been Brought Down.” The choir's song was followed by a congregational song service, and the worshipers sang wonderfully for the showers of blessings to descend from Above.

The guest minister gave a striking and timely message entitled, “We Need God,” with the text taken from Matthew 17:14-21. He brought home the message by using Maslow's hierarchy of needs, saying that Maslow, like many who are unsaved, neglected the most important need of man: God. The minister took some time to talk of the calamities that are happening in the world today because of man's negligence of this essential need. He ended with a call to all those who have not known God to come and meet Him at the altar. Many heeded the call and came before the Lord to pray and seek His face.

On Friday evening, there was a great turnout. The word of exhortation was on “Forgiveness,” with the text taken from Matthew 6:13-15. The emphasis was on the fact that if people want to be successful Christians, they need to forgive others. The example was given of Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery. Despite all he went through, he still forgave them. Matthew 18:21-35 was also used concerning how many times people are to forgive. The message was for all—both saved and unsaved. Everyone went to their knees and cried out to God.

The services were interspersed with encouraging testimonies of the power of God to save, sanctify, baptize, and heal. It was wonderful and thrilling to see the Hempstead pastor, Reverend Emmanuel Coker, who had been sick for several weeks, stand and testify to the intervening power of God to heal all manner of illness. This was a manifestation of the effectual prayers of the righteous, as people from near and far had been praying for his healing. The doctors also attested to God's divine intervention on his behalf.

On Easter Sunday, the last day of the revival, the sanctuary was full, as the group from Boston, Massachusetts, was in attendance to join in worship. Everyone enjoyed hearing their beautiful music. The morning message focused on the value people place on Christ and His resurrection during times of despondency. The minister alluded to the fact that after John was apprehended and locked up in jail for a while, he was no longer sure about the deity of Christ and His mission. Evidence of this was seen when John sent some of his loyal disciples to ask Jesus once again, “ Art thou he that should come or look we for another?” (Luke 7:20). The minister warned to be cautious of moments like this when nothing seems to be going the right way. Christians should not be despondent, but rather trust in the Lord. The minister encouraged the congregation to hold on to God in faith because He will eventually work things out. Again there was a sweet altar call following the morning service.

Sunday evening was a long-awaited moment for the Primary and Youth Departments to present the Easter Program through song, Bible recitations, and a skit. They had practiced for weeks for this occasion. The culmination of their presentation was a rendition of the famous “Hallelujah Chorus” by Handel. It really felt like Heaven on earth as the Spirit of the Lord filled the house of worship.