What an incredible time we have had with this great group of believers! Pastored by Scott Lewis, the Pentecostals of West Houston is a church that's on the move!  Brother and Sister Lewis are two of the kindest people we have ever met. 

Pastor Lewis recently broke his leg while playing baseball. He lined one off the wall in deep center, and was expecting the ball to go over the fence.  As he was rounding first base, he tripped over the first baseman, and broke his leg.  While I am sure that the true story is somewhat more balanced than the version I just relayed, the fact remains that his leg is still broken…. and it hurts!

We have grown to love and admire this pastor and his family in a short period of time.  His leadership is remarkable, and he places a great deal of trust and support into the leaders of this local assembly.  He is a people builder, as well as a fantastic prince of a man.

I was 15 minutes late for the first night's seminar on altar ministry.  I took a wrong turn or two, and then misplaced the keys to the toy hauler.  Fortunately, Bro. Oyer, the assistant pastor, held down the fort!

Our first revival service was Tuesday evening, and it was power packed.  Large crowds showed up throughout the week, as we saw at least 15 people receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and 11 baptized in the name of Jesus Christ!

The church has been so kind to Julie and me.  They have accepted us, and allowed us to feel as if we are part-of-the-team.

The outreach and personalization has been successful at every level.  The youth have caught the concepts, and they have performed at unprecedented levels.  They are unified in spirit and direction. 

Each day, they have joined us for several hours for outreach into their community, and they have done so with an enthusiastic attitude.  The atmosphere is electric, and filled with faith!  They are expecting God to add to the youth group, as never before!  Please click here for some great shots of these young folks, "Taking it to the streets!"

This past Sunday morning, we had 64 first time guests.  Due to an incredible job at personalizing each guest, the many of them returned for service that night!  Several Bible studies are on-going, and many are scheduled for the near future.

This is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse churches we have had the privilege of visiting!  What a tremendous environment!  What a tremendous vision! This is truly an environment that any culture, race, or ethnicity can come and feel "at home."

It's been wonderful being around my dear friend, Shon Husband.  He is doing an excellent job working in several strategic areas of this church.  He has developed into a tremendous tool in the kingdom of God, and his future is full of promise.

Georgette, his wife, gave birth to a beautiful 6 lbs. 4 oz. boy, Kelyn Kenneth Husband, on Wednesday. Congratulations to this family on their new arrival!

Although we were scheduled to be in Dallas this week, we have elected to remain an additional week with the POWH. Please keep this church in prayer during this special week.

On July 4th, The Pentecostals of Fort Worth enjoyed a day of fun and relaxation at Trinity Park. Thousands of people made their way downtown to celebrate the holiday. This turned out to be a very productive day for outreach and personalization.

We passed out hundreds of bottles of water, along with church information. We are excited about the positive contacts that were made throughout the day. Several families indicated that they were looking for a home church, and would be interested in visiting The Pentecostals of Fort Worth. 

On Sunday, we had two incredible services! We were blessed to see several more baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and many receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. What an exciting time! We are certainly going to miss these wonderful people.

There are some churches that just know how to get it done…The Pentecostals of Fort Worth is that kind of church! Under the very capable leadership of Mike and Gwen Watts, this church is no stranger to reaching out to others.  We have connected with many of the members, and have grown to love and appreciate them in such a short time. 

We arrived on Tuesday, just in time for their monthly leadership meeting.  Have you ever been to one-of-those meetings that seemed like they were more less than a waste of time?  This wasn't one of those!!!  This was a well planned, well organized, and well facilitated meeting!  (In fact, if you are looking for someone to organize your next meeting…. take notes from Sis. Watts).   

On Wednesday night, the presence of God was felt in such a tangible manner.  What a time of encouragement!  

The following two days were spent in the community "personalizing."  Several church members took off work to be a part of reaching their city.  We were so thankful and so refreshed to be around people that care about people.

On Friday night, we taught on Lifestyle Evangelism and Personalization Techniques and Principles.  

Saturday morning, the church showed up in mass and divided into seven teams to cover different areas. Again, we are so impressed with the organization and the passion of this church. Many returned to the church that afternoon excited about the people they met while knocking doors in this community.

Sunday, God honored the concerted effort with 69 first-time guests. These were people that had been personalized, and had become names and not numbers.  The Pentecostals of Fort Worth honored each guest with a warm welcome, and made them feel "at home."  

During the altar service, 13 people were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and several received the baptism of the Holy Ghost! To God be the glory!!!

Sunday night, following the service, the youth group went back to the streets to met with some of those who had been baptized that morning and celebrate with them. They presented Johnny (first time guest) with a new Bible and they also prayed with Sabrina in the middle of the motel parking lot!  This encounter was directed by the Lord, and I want to commend the youth group for being sensitive to the leadership of the Lord!

Monday night, Bro. and Sis. Northcutt began a Bible Study with some of the first time guests.  They met under a gazebo and shared with them from the Word of God. Sabrina, one of the students, wanted to take the workbook with her. Pastor and the outreach team saw her Monday and she had completed three lessons. She asked Pastor Watts to grade her work and she got every questions right!!  I think this speaks highly of the teachers.

Monday and Tuesday, we have hit the ground running with follow-up visits, letters and phone calls. Many guests have been surprised and thrilled that the church would revisit so soon.  There has been little resistance from the guests, and everyone has said that they are looking forward to returning on the following Sunday.  Furthermore, the phone ministry team has been a vital asset in this process, and to add to the personalization, Pastor and Sis. Watts are visiting our first-time guests this weekend with homemade cookies!

Bro. & Sis. Watts are doing a tremendous job in leading this church body into a collision course with revival!  They have blessed us with many good meals, and great fellowship.  We are so impressed with the incredible work that God is using them to build in this city!  They are top notch people, with a passion for souls, and a love for their city!  We love them, already.  

According to the database… we were able to personalize over 200 people in the past 4 days!  This means that we have legitimate names, addresses, phone numbers, and other personal information.  In the days ahead, this church will continue to follow-up with each person. I believe that this church will double in a short period of time! It couldn't happen to a better church body and a better pastoral team!