Over 800 Gather for Pentecostal Preachers Week

By Pauline J. Chang

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Some 800 pastors, evangelists and students gathered in Springfield, Missouri, for the 2003 Pentecostal Preachers Week conference, March 8-10. The conference centered around six plenary services, a round table discussion on the Pentecostal Doctrine and Practice in a Post-Modern World and nine break out sessions in which several renown Pentecostal leaders delivered key speeches.

According to the Assemblies of God newsroom, the “week was marked by dynamic preaching and insightful breakout sessions that left attendees feeling deeply refreshed, spiritually enriched and challenged to see the works of the Holy Spirit come alive in their congregations.”

"Prioritize your calendar for next year," said Keith Stagge, pastor of River of Praise Assembly of God in Centerville, Ohio. "You need to be here, it's not an option -- it's a necessity!"

"It's also an opportunity to see the genuine motivation of the executive officers as they led in some of the sessions -- to see what their heart really was," Stagge added. "And their heart really was with Pentecostal preachers."

Another pastor, Michael Ping of the First Assembly of God, said, "It would have been easier for me to stay home, but I came, and as I result, really enjoyed it . . . I recommend every Pentecostal pastor come!"

"I was thoroughly impressed with pastors wanting to seek more of the Holy Spirit and their humility in seeking the Holy Spirit for themselves and their churches," said Bryan Parker, a senior at the Central Bible College. "I would extremely recommend students as well as anyone interested at all [to attend], because it allows you build on a foundation of so many ministers . . . the future generations of churches."

"It's a blessing to enjoy the Lord's presence and listen to the Word," said Sujo John of Wyckoff, New Jersey. John escaped from the 81st floor of the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. "Almost everyone here [in attendance] speaks from the pulpit, and to hear speaker after speaker saying the same things that God has been speaking to me about has been encouraging."

"I attended Danny DuVall's session on the Holy Spirit's Gifts," said. "He really challenged me. I'm going to be back again next year. It's important for people to come together to hear God's voice and seek His direction for their lives."

"The comments I'm hearing from pastors and ministers is that God has orchestrated this entire event," says Harold Sallee, administrative assistant to the general superintendent. "Every message, while separate, has been intertwined by the Holy Spirit and has impacted their ministry. I've been told by leadership that this has been one of the most phenomenal moves of God since the inception of PPW."

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