Woodlake Special Meetings

A time of spiritual refreshment awaited those attending the Woodlake Special Meetings from May 18-20. Isaiah 44:3 was the source for this year's theme: “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.” The guest speaker, Reverend Nolan Roby from Medford, Oregon, reiterated this theme throughout the weekend.

The Friday evening prelude began with the orchestra performing “Revive Us Again” and “What a Mighty God We Serve.” Due to the size of the orchestra, the ministers' chairs were rearranged and the keyboard was placed near the altar area. The choir ended the prelude by singing an exuberant song about the Lord's coming, entitled, “Look Up High.” After participating in the prelude, Reverend Wayne Butler, the pastor in Woodlake, made his way to the platform to welcome a capacity crowd to special meetings. The service continued with James Spakousky, from Richmond, California, leading the worship service, followed by prayer, victorious testimonies, and musical selections from Richmond, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.

Reverend Roby used Revelation 22:17 as the text of his sermon. He mentioned knowing that the meetings were going to be good when he and his wife, Joan, stopped for breakfast on their way to Woodlake. Inside the restaurant they read a banner containing the words to the song, “He Touched Me,” which seemed to underscore the theme of the meetings. After the service, many were touched as they sought for the Living Waters freely.

On Saturday morning, many met at the church for a devotional led by Reverend Byron Parker , the pastor in Los Angeles. He spoke on the importance of glorifying God in our testimonies. Reverend Parker chose several people to demonstrate testimonies that weren't so glorifying: the “preachimony,” the “bragimony,” and other “monies.” He then asked the congregation to observe a moment of silence and mentioned the importance of “filling in the gap” during the testimony service. After a time of prayer, people went to Woodlake Park for food and fellowship. However, a much-anticipated event was only a few hours away.

At 4:00 p.m., the Los Angeles, Richmond, Sacramento, and Woodlake young people met in the church activity room for the annual Bible Bowl, a competition focusing this year on the Book of Mark. Once the rules were reviewed, the teams participated in many rounds filled with a variety of questions created by Reverend Mark Staller, the pastor of the Tehachapi church. The moderator was supported throughout the evening by a panel of four judges, one from each of the four branch churches represented in the Bible Bowl. It was truly enjoyable to watch the young people expound on the Book of Mark, match wits, and recall such phrases as “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” After a heightened atmosphere of determination, Richmond narrowly edged out Sacramento, winning the competition by one point! The Richmond young people received the official Bible Bowl Trophy, as well as a medallion for each of its participants. No matter the outcome, all the teams were spiritually successful!

The sense of anticipation from Saturday evening carried over to Sunday school as those present sang enthusiastically and later learned more from the Bible. The orchestra opened the morning service with “Lamb of Glory” and “Praise to the Lord the Almighty,” followed by the choir singing “I Love the Lord.” The spirit of praise from the worship service continued after prayer as Diane James of Los Angeles played a worship medley on the flute, and a ladies' quartet and solo by Florin Baros, from Sacramento, provided more music prior to the sermon. For his text, Reverend Roby used John 6:35-37, stressing the importance of the Living Waters. A wonderful season of prayer followed as many sought a deeper experience with God.

Although most of the visitors needed to leave before the evening service, those who remained had a “good time in the Lord.” A clarinet ensemble played a toe-tapping version of “He Set Me Free,” and the choir ended the prelude with “It's a Grand and Glorious Feeling.” After a time of worship led from the piano, the meeting continued with Spirit-filled testimonies and more music. Reverend Roby read Psalm 107:23-30 to emphasize the greatness of grace as a river. When the meetings concluded, it was evident that God's grace is flowing today, as He is still pouring “floods upon the dry ground.”