Upper Midwest Special Meetings were held October 17-19 in Madison, Wisconsin. The theme was “The Day of Preparation” and the guest speaker, James Timbilla, along with his wife, Christy, came from Wharton, New Jersey. Between 120-150 were in attendance throughout the weekend, with the greatest attendance on Sunday morning.

For months, the Madison congregation planned and labored in preparation for the special weekend. Two of the college students went through the church building making a list of repairs and things to clean up, and over the next few months all of these were taken care of. Jimmy Waddell came from St. Louis, Missouri, to build a new A/V booth. Antonia Schleicher from Madison, and Tolu Balogun from Worth, Illinois, organized the music for the weekend. Janet Omitoyin from Minneapolis, Minnesota, assisted with other tasks that needed to be done. There were additional prayer meetings as the congregation asked God to visit during the upcoming services. The church members were also encouraged to spend one hour each day in prayer during the week of special meetings. 

A few days before the services began, the weather forecast gave a 77% chance of rain all day on Saturday, when people were scheduled to eat lunch outside. The Madison pastor, Charles Schleicher, prayed earnestly for God to change the weather. The next day, the chance of rain on Saturday had changed from 77% to 6%. The rest of the church heard about this and joined in praying, not satisfied with the 6%. The forecast changed to 1% chance of rain! Furthermore, the high temperature that day, instead of the 57 degrees that was the original forecast, was 72 degrees. In short, the weather was perfect, not only for that afternoon, but throughout the weekend. It rained each night, but during the day, the weather was sunny and mild.

On Friday evening of the special services, Brother James noted in his sermon the parallel between the Jewish "day of preparation" for a Sabbath—especially the one on which Jesus died—and the time that the world finds itself in today. These days are "days of preparation" when all must make sure that they are ready for the coming of Christ. This means being saved and living with victory over sin. Brother James also emphasized the importance of sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He exhorted the congregation to be watchful and spiritually alert, and to remember the great price that Christ paid to make everyone ready for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Saturday morning was a Bible teaching on "Walking in the Truth." It was brought out that the truth does not stop being true just because someone does not want it to be true. Likewise, things that are false do not become true just because someone wants them to be true. The truth is independent of man's desires, and Jesus Christ, who is the Truth, will judge people based on the truth, not based on what a person wishes or hopes is true.

The second message was about being successful members of the Church Militant. The minister explained that this is achieved through diligence and effectiveness in prayer, unity in faith and love, and standing fast in the faith.

For the third and final message on Sunday morning, Brother James exhorted the congregation to learn from the examples of each of the seven churches addressed in Revelation, expounding on each one. He said that people need to be sure they are qualified for Heaven—their records must be 100% clean.

Throughout the sermons, a repeated theme was that when a soul is saved, that soul is transformed to be able to fit in the environment of Heaven. The testimonies were powerful and anointed in each service, and the prayer meetings were intense and victorious as well. One sister shared this about her experience: “The first young sister that I prayed with at the altar was praying and weeping so hard, and I thought she was seeking for her sanctification or the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But after the prayer service, she told me that God was pointing out to her during the service that she was letting the love of God slip from her heart because of all the distractions in her life—limited time for God and His Word. She said she was praying for God to take first place in her life. She said she really felt the Spirit of God tugging at her heart and she wanted to continue drawing closer to God. Many testified to how God was speaking to them through the songs, the testimonies, the sermons, the teachings, and Sunday school. A time of revival was prayed for and God truly revived everyone who sought Him for that purpose. It was like a mini camp meeting, and we give God all the glory!”

Many were blessed by the special weekend, and the effects will no doubt continue to ripple outward, preparing each one to see King Jesus face to face. May we join in praying that He will complete the work He has for everyone to do between now and then.