September 26-28, 2008

by Jill Baros

The theme for the special meetings at the Apostolic Faith Church in Sacramento, California, was “Watch and Wait 2008,” and the congregation certainly waited with enthusiasm for this special weekend to begin. Reverend Darrel Lee, the Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith work, and his wife, Debbie, attended the special meetings, and Reverend Lee was the guest speaker. The weekend started on Friday evening with a packed house—the sanctuary, overflow room, and even the narthex were filled with people from Portland, Woodlake, Los Angeles, Richmond, Medford, Roseburg, Eureka, Dallas, and Sacramento, just to name a few of the cities represented. The evangelistic service began with Gordon Olson, from Richmond, California, playing a beautiful trumpet solo, “If My People Will Humble Themselves and Pray,” followed by the young people’s choir singing “Awesome God.” The congregational singing and victorious testimonies reflected the anticipation of those in attendance. Reverend Lee used the theme verse for his text, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). His encouragement to the congregation was that God still answers prayer.  Many responded to the altar call, and the Lord definitely met with hungry hearts.

After the service, everyone congregated in the activity room, where a delicious spread of food was provided. Along with the good food, all had a wonderful time of fellowship, catching up with those they had not seen for awhile, and just enjoying spending time with the family of God. Time raced by, and it was well after 11:00 p.m. before most departed to their various places of lodging for the night.

Saturday morning started at 10:30 with congregational singing, after which the children were ushered to the church lawn, where a bounce house had been set up for their enjoyment. Those who remained were inspired with a teaching by Michelle Hancock, from Eureka, California. She opened with her story of how she received her current job, explaining how she had to wait on God as He opened doors, instead of trying to push doors open on her own. Various Scriptures were read, and several rousing examples were given of people in the Bible who waited on God. As the examples were shared, such as Esther, Job, Noah, etc., the audience was encouraged to shout “Oh yeah!” when they recognized right away how that Biblical character had waited on God. An important point that Michelle brought out was that waiting on God does not mean one just sits back and does nothing, but that individual needs to continue in God’s work as he or she waits for an answer from God. The example was used of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. While the Children of Israel marched around Jericho, they were actively doing God’s will as they waited for the Lord to deliver Jericho into their hands. The audience felt challenged by Michelle’s message to have faith, pray, and actively wait on the Lord!

After the morning activities, lunch was provided at the church before many headed to a nearby park to play volleyball and enjoy more fellowship. It was a hot day, but there was a nicebreeze and plenty of shade. With a water fight thrown in, a great time was enjoyed by all. Around 5 p.m., people started trickling back to the church where they partook of another great meal. After dinner, everyone gathered in the church sanctuary for a singspiration. Many from the branch churches performed various numbers for the audience’s enjoyment and the glory of God.

Sunday, another beautiful sunny day, started with Sunday school. The adult and young adult classes were blessed to have guest teachers—Reverend Larry Montgomery, from Roseburg, Oregon, taught the adult class, and Reverend Pierre Hancock, from Eureka, California, taught the young adult class. The day continued with the morning worship service, in which more beautiful music was enjoyed. Reverend Lee used 1 Timothy 6:6-8 for his text, and he reminded the congregation that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” He pointed out that as Christians “watch and wait” for the Lord’s return, they want to do so with contented spirits.

The Sunday evening service began early (5 p.m.) to accommodate those who needed to travel home after the service. The weekend of special meetings was wrapped up by another great service with enthusiastic music, testimonies, and a message by Reverend Lee to watch and be ready for Jesus’ return, using Luke 12:40 as his text. All too soon, the sun slipped away in the sky, and Sacramento Special Meetings 2008 drew to a close. Those who attended were thankful for a marvelous weekend, where they were able to draw away from the world for a little while, and enjoy the benefits of being part of the wonderful family of God.