For more information, please contact Heartland Christian Center, or Team Leaders Ken or Sandy Ressler at
Kenressler@yahoo.com
resslersandy@yahoo.com
www.hccwooster.org
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Exciting Updates! (March 26, 2011)
Hello!
There have been many exciting things taking place here, and we have fallen a little behind in updating everyone. SO sorry about that! Here come a few new and exciting updates of what God has been doing through us the past few weeks!
Saturday, about 3 weeks ago, we went to the Family Life Center and held the weekly children's ministry program. Since we have some young men, ages 11-14, coming and they are a little overwhelming for the young ones to be in the same group, I (Al) have decided to take the older boys upstairs or outside for a separate ministry time. I have a time of sharing my faith and testimony then we play ping pong or something else. This week I went outside and set up the Ladder Ball game I had made. Soon we had several observers and so I set up the Corn hole boards. We ended up with 15-16 young men from the immediate neighborhood playing and visiting. It was a great time of introducing ourselves and just showing our light to these guys.
After the regular weekly program, Kathi, Danielle and I spent the day with Arton and Didarje and their boys. We had a good time playing Corn hole and made hotdogs and baked beans for lunch.
At 6:00 p.m. we had our first weekly worship meeting at the second location. We had 6 of the regulars from that area and two young men who visited. Praise God, Holy Spirit showed up. I was able to share with the folks about the need to be filled with Holy Spirit daily and we had a good time. We prayed for people after the service and again Holy Spirit healed one man who had been having chronic neck pain. When Arton came up for prayer I asked what he wanted from Jesus. He replied MORE OF JESUS. We were prompted by Holy Spirit to have him raise his hands and ask audibly for more and we prayed with him. Soon he was on the floor in the presence of God. His brothers’ 17 year old son was one of the visitors and came next for prayer. He looked very depressed and we asked him what he wanted Jesus to do. He said "I want my life to be different"! Apparently he has seen the change in Arton and Berati and wanted some for himself. We started to pray for a touch from Holy Spirit and felt like this guy needed more. I explained the four spiritual laws, Al's abbreviated version, taking him from creation to Jesus’ resurrection and asked if he wanted to receive Jesus and His sacrifice as payment for his sins. I asked if he wanted Jesus to be his Lord and Savior and take control of his life to which he said YES! Astrit led him in a short prayer of salvation and then we prayed for Jesus to touch him. Soon this young man was lying on the floor, not ever having seen or experienced this kind of thing before! Arton and this young man, Edmir got up from the floor with a great sense of peace and joy in their hearts. They both felt the presence of God in an indescribable way. Didarja was next. She had been having great anxiety over some recent decisions and poor choices. Kathi had ministered to her earlier in the areas of repentance and forgiveness. She said after prayer she felt all the stress go from her and she was smiling like she used to when she first came to Jesus. One of the 13 year old boys who has come to the children's ministry but doesn't like the fact that we "talk about God all the time" came into the meeting late. He was very confused and concerned about what was going on with these people "falling down like they were dead". He left before I could talk with him but I will make sure Arton takes the time to explain that they had been touched by the living God and the peace that came along with that. Can hardly wait to see what God will do with that one!
All in all we were very pleased with our first weekly meeting in that neighborhood. Holy Spirit was evident to all who were there and lives were touched and changed. Salvation, healing, and restoration!!!! Does it get any better??? Praise God!
Sunday morning was interesting as many of the folks forgot to change their clocks. Even those who came late were blessed. Holy Spirit healed Faton of some pain in his stomach area as we prayed and laid hands on him. We had borrowed/ paid an interpreter from another church and as we prayed for people he said was feeling Holy Spirit very strongly. Good weekend!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Holiday Happenings!
There were some exciting events that took place over the holidays, and we would like to share them now!
Christmas eve some of the local pastors got together for a celebration. I was invited, and the church, to join. Initially the plan was to have a catered meal to which I felt a check in my spirit.I felt the cost would limit who could be invited and shared this feeling with the organizing pastor. As I talked with Kathi about this we felt a prompting of the Lord to go a different direction. Our first worship service in the new Family Life Center location witnessed to both our spirits. We had been doing some ministry to that area from this location such as; children's ministry, averaging 40 children on Saturday mornings, Women's holiday social and even had the opportunity to feed several flood victim families a hot meal, two days in a row, a few weeks back.
I knew God was prompting me to pray for the sick that night and worship but other than that I had no clue what He was about to do.
We invited a few visitors who accepted the invitation without a lot of enthusiasm. In my great faith I set up about 12 chairs and a bench that would hold another 6 people just in case. I had to bring the chairs from the other church location. As I was setting up for worship on the computer the guests started arriving. VISITORS Yay! I went to the other room while some folks greeted the visitors and was busy about setting up for snacks after the service. I came back into the "Great room" ,as we are calling the area we use for ministry, and there were about 40 people!!!!!!! I asked a lady from the church to please do a head count as I wanted to make sure God received His glory. We welcomed everyone and began to worship God. They all joined in, only a few Christians mind you, and sang the songs the best they could clapping and singing out of time, It was beautiful. I could barely hold back the tears as I worshiped and thought about how great God is and how nothing else but seeing people who don't yet know Him come together and sing worship to Him and here His Word would make up for not being with my wife for Christmas for the first time in 31 years. I know He is faithful and will minister to the hearts of all who attended. I shared a short message covering the four spiritual laws and how Jesus was the gift we celebrate and called for those who had pain in their bodies. One lady had been vomitting every time she ate, we prayed and she felt relief in her stomach, another lady came with severe headache and intestinal problems and Jesus healed her headache and took away the abdominal pain. Another lady had severe neck and back pain, she said she couldn't walk 2 meters without pain and if she looked down she got so dizzy she would get sick or pass out. God healed her and she gave testimony, in front of the rest, and was walking tall and moving her head in every direction after prayer. One man got healing in his kidneys and another lady who had high blood pressure felt the peace of Jesus in her chest after we prayed. The landlord, who was also a visitor, is blind. We prayed for his eyes and although he could not see he said he "felt the peace of the spirit of God". We are continuing to pray for him.
PRAISE GOD!
After it was all over and only the a few of us were left the people who were taking count came to me and said, when we started worship there were 46 people by the end there were 70 only 6 of which had ever been to church before. Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!
I know it's not about the numbers, but it is about souls. I know God reached down from heaven and touched some peoples lives last night and used me in the process. Praise God! Thank you Papa!
Christmas eve some of the local pastors got together for a celebration. I was invited, and the church, to join. Initially the plan was to have a catered meal to which I felt a check in my spirit.I felt the cost would limit who could be invited and shared this feeling with the organizing pastor. As I talked with Kathi about this we felt a prompting of the Lord to go a different direction. Our first worship service in the new Family Life Center location witnessed to both our spirits. We had been doing some ministry to that area from this location such as; children's ministry, averaging 40 children on Saturday mornings, Women's holiday social and even had the opportunity to feed several flood victim families a hot meal, two days in a row, a few weeks back.
I knew God was prompting me to pray for the sick that night and worship but other than that I had no clue what He was about to do.
We invited a few visitors who accepted the invitation without a lot of enthusiasm. In my great faith I set up about 12 chairs and a bench that would hold another 6 people just in case. I had to bring the chairs from the other church location. As I was setting up for worship on the computer the guests started arriving. VISITORS Yay! I went to the other room while some folks greeted the visitors and was busy about setting up for snacks after the service. I came back into the "Great room" ,as we are calling the area we use for ministry, and there were about 40 people!!!!!!! I asked a lady from the church to please do a head count as I wanted to make sure God received His glory. We welcomed everyone and began to worship God. They all joined in, only a few Christians mind you, and sang the songs the best they could clapping and singing out of time, It was beautiful. I could barely hold back the tears as I worshiped and thought about how great God is and how nothing else but seeing people who don't yet know Him come together and sing worship to Him and here His Word would make up for not being with my wife for Christmas for the first time in 31 years. I know He is faithful and will minister to the hearts of all who attended. I shared a short message covering the four spiritual laws and how Jesus was the gift we celebrate and called for those who had pain in their bodies. One lady had been vomitting every time she ate, we prayed and she felt relief in her stomach, another lady came with severe headache and intestinal problems and Jesus healed her headache and took away the abdominal pain. Another lady had severe neck and back pain, she said she couldn't walk 2 meters without pain and if she looked down she got so dizzy she would get sick or pass out. God healed her and she gave testimony, in front of the rest, and was walking tall and moving her head in every direction after prayer. One man got healing in his kidneys and another lady who had high blood pressure felt the peace of Jesus in her chest after we prayed. The landlord, who was also a visitor, is blind. We prayed for his eyes and although he could not see he said he "felt the peace of the spirit of God". We are continuing to pray for him.
PRAISE GOD!
After it was all over and only the a few of us were left the people who were taking count came to me and said, when we started worship there were 46 people by the end there were 70 only 6 of which had ever been to church before. Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!
I know it's not about the numbers, but it is about souls. I know God reached down from heaven and touched some peoples lives last night and used me in the process. Praise God! Thank you Papa!
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