Wisconsin District neWs January/February 2014
Wisconsin District News WDN EDITOR Craig Lundt PO Box 688 Beloit, WI 53512 wdn@wisconsinupci.org WDN SECTIONAL REPS Section 1: Loretta Lundt Section 2: Carole Keller Section 3: Simon Chappell Section 4: April Peckham Section 5: Kathy Fry WDN Proofreader: Dede Sharp DISTRICT OFFICERS Superintendent: Rev. John E. Putnam Secretary-Treasurer: Rev. E.A. Kaske Honorary Board Member: Rev. John Grant PRESBYTERS Section 1: Rev. Charles Welch Section 2: Rev. James Booker Section 3: Rev. Ed Herman Section 4: Rev. Rufus Parker Section 5: Rev. Paul Bennett DEPARTMENTS Foreign Missions: Rev. M.W. Rogers Home Missions: Rev. Rick Keilley Deaf Ministry: Renee Strand Ladies Ministries: Sis. Barb Hilderbrand Sunday School: Rev. Dale Pace Youth Ministries: Rev. Tim Vik Revival Commission: Rev. Michael Hook Multimedia Ministry: Rev. Scott Jacobs Men’s Ministry: Rev. Steve Rogers Music Ministry: Sis. Darlene Boyte Purpose Institute: Rev. J.D. Putnam Prayer Force: Rev. Don Rogers FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE The basic and fundamental doctrine of this organization shall be the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit until we all come into the unity of the faith, at the same time admonishing all brethren that they shall not contend for their different views to the disunity of the body.
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BRO. J. E. PUTNAM
WI District Superintendent
PSALM 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. M AT T H EW 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We have just experienced and enjoyed another Christmas season with all the wonderment of fellowship, good food, and focus on what Christmas is all about…JESUS CHRIST! One of the highlights of the Christmas season is the traditional carols that are sung and played in at least one service during the season. One of my favorites is “SILENT NIGHT.” The history behind the carol dates back to 1818 in Austria, where a simple alpine village had a broken organ in the church. The assistant priest had written a poem and sent it to a man by the name of Franz Gruber, who put music to the lyrics. The carol was first sung on December 24th of that year, accompanied by a guitar. The assistant priest, Joseph Mohr, said that his inspired poem came as he sat upon a hill overlooking the village one evening. While he sat above the hustle and bustle of the town, the village appeared so bright and yet so quiet. Thus, “Silent Night” became the title of
the poem and, ultimately, the carol. I began thinking about the whole idea of a “silent night” and suddenly, I realized that for us that are in the church of JESUS CHRIST, that is the last thing we need! Spiritually speaking, I believe all of us realize that we are living in a very “dark” hour, whereby the winds of darkness are blowing ever so boldly. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. In God’s sight, there is no difference between physical light and dark, but the realization that the need to spread the Gospel is imperative at all times. Spiritually speaking, when we see spiritual darkness lurking like a roaring lion seeking whom it may devour, how can we, the body of JESUS CHRIST, not speak out in an even greater fashion than we ever have? Matthew describes this scene in his gospel…. Matthew 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up…17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we cannot afford to remain silent in this era of encroaching “darkness.” We must not have any “silent nights,” but we must have “amplified nights,” whereby the sound of hope, faith, and love is heard loud and clear for all that are sitting in this prevailing darkness. People need to hear and witness the hope that the message of salvation brings to individual lives and families. Souls need to see “THE LIGHT” that is sprung up in their midst, as the WORD of God is taught in their home, witnessed on the job, and exampled in
their neighborhoods. Jesus Himself gave the parable about His return and the spiritual condition that He would find as the “cry” went out about His coming Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom... 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish... 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them… 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps…5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept... 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. That same “cry” needs to be made in every locality here in Wisconsin! There needs to be a witness in every county, and in every neighborhood. The sound of a desperate cry needs to be heard. A call for readiness for the soon coming of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST! A U.S. President many years ago made statements about “the silent majority” here in America but, brothers and sisters, we cannot afford to remain silent. Let us all take heed to our responsibility as we start this new year of 2014. Let us not be satisfied with silence during the “night,” but let us rise as a mighty force in living and voicing the shout of THE MESSAGE that all mankind needs to be “born again”! “Silent Night” is a wonderful Christmas carol, but we cannot afford in the purpose and cause of the CHURCH, for this spiritual “night” to be “silent.” Let’s make 2014 the year whereby we are bold in outreach, wise in conversation, and loud in making the joyful sound of His Truth. The Church cannot afford another “Silent Night”!
Bro. Michael Hook, Revival Commission Winter Camps bring to our pastors, ministers, and saints across our district, and seeing God perform His supernatural work in promoting church growth, unity, and revival throughout Wisconsin. WDN: What does the Wisconsin Revival Commission offer the Wisconsin District? BRO. HOOK: The Revival Commission responsibilities are the 3 MidWinter Camps, Prayer Coordination throughout our district, and promoting revival at Family Camp. WDN: Tell us about yourself and your family. BRO. HOOK: I was born in western Kentucky. My father was an anointed man of God who pastored in Kentucky and Mississippi. I had the privilege to be raised by godly Apostolic parents. They were full of faith and prayer. I have been privileged to be married to my wife, Rose, for almost 42 years. I have 2 daughters, Michaela & Ashley, and have 3 grandchildren. I came to Wisconsin 25 years ago to pastor True Life Church in Waukesha. I pastored previously in Harrisburg, Illinois, for 12 years. Sis. Hook and I evangelized for 4 years previous to that. WDN: How long have you been director of Wisconsin District Revival Commission? BRO. HOOK: I have been a part of the Revival Commission from its inception and have been director for the past 7 years. WDN: What do you like most about being director? BRO. HOOK: The blessing that Mid-
WDN: Who are the sectional representatives and what is their role in the department? BRO. HOOK: Lee Endris - Section 1; Rob Jadrnicek - Section 2, Chris Schmidt - Section 3; Paul Plowman Section 4; Todd Trapani - Section 5. The Revival Commission works as an arm of the Wisconsin District Board. We work with every department to encourage pastors, churches, and saints to work together for the cause of spreading the gospel throughout Wisconsin. Our sectional representatives work within each section to help promote S.O.A.R. events sponsored by each section. WDN: What is your vision for the Wisconsin Revival Commission and how can the local church help facilitate this vision? BRO. HOOK: Our goal is to take the district vision and get it to the grass root level of our local assemblies. For example, our 2014 vision is, “Embracing the Vision.” This goal is to have a preaching point/daughter work/ satellite church in every county in Wisconsin by the end of Continued on page 8
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WINTER YOU CONVENTIO BY SIMON CHAPPELL Being an old dude, I did not attend the entirety of the recent Winter Youth Convention, but our family did visit for the Friday evening service. It was cold and crispy that day, with even lower temperatures promised for the evening. We looked at the weather forecast and said, “Let’s go anyway, it’ll be good and warm once we get there.” The Winter Youth Convention is held by the Youth Department of the Wisconsin District of the United Pentecostal Church International. That’s a long and winding way of saying the place was full of hundreds of
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Apostolic Pentecostal young people all excited to be living for God, and eager for the worship and preaching to come. You could just about smell the hairspray as you walked into the lobby of the hotel in downtown Appleton. I can’t speak to the entire convention, but from reading the twitter stream of those who were there, it sounds like everyone had lots of fun and far too little sleep. (#WYC13 for those who understand such things.) The main speaker for the conference was Josh Carson, a youth pastor from Ohio. Brother Carson preached a dynamic and powerful message titled
“David’s Blood Stained Sandals” out of 2 Samuel 6:11-17. Of the many excellent points and illustrations that he made, my favorite was, “We want an old-fashioned move of God, but are only willing to give a new kind of commitment!” How true! If the preaching wasn’t powerful enough for you, there was a great move of the Spirit at the altar call. Then more worship broke out and the musicians ministered with a joyful and triumphant selection of worship songs. I have no idea when everything wound down, because they were still going strong when I left an hour after the preaching had finished.
UTH ON
district Calendar of Events January 16 & 17– Mid Winter Camp Fox Valley, Pathways Church, Appleton 17 & 18– Purpose Institute Madison 18—Sec 4 Conf, 10 a.m. Tomah 24 & 25– Purpose Institute, Oak Creek 25– Senior Bible Quiz—Appleton 29– Music Practice MWC North, Pentecostal Assembly, Eau Claire 30 & 31– Mid Winter Camp North, Pentecostal Assembly, Eau Claire February 1– Sec 5 Conf—9:30 am, PA, Eau Claire 4 – Music Practice MWC South, Parkway, 7 pm 6 & 7 – Mid Winter Camp South, Parkway Apostolic Church, Oak Creek 14 & 15 – Purpose Institute, Eau Claire 15 – Junior Bible Quiz—CGC, Madison 21 & 22 – PI—Appleton, Madison, Oak Creek March 1 – North Amer. Missions Seminar, New Berlin 1 – Senior Bible Quiz—Madison 1 – Mother’s Memorial Fund Drive Beings 6 & 7– Chaplain Training Class 1, Sheboygan Falls, POSC (Sponsored by PI) 7 & 8 – Chaplain Training Class 2, Sheboygan Falls, POSC 7 & 8 – Hyphen Conference, Madison 14 & 15 – PI—Eau Claire 15 – Junior Bible Quiz—Fond du Lac
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2:3 January/February 2014
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BY RUFUS PARKER “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” (Psalms 91:11). When Satan quoted this passage of scripture to Jesus in the wilderness, I don’t know if he knew what a profound statement he was making. As a son of God, I’ve recently had this promise fulfilled in my life. On December 10, 2013, I was on my way home from a routine appointment at the Veteran Hospital in Tomah. It snowed the night before and some of the roads were pretty slippery. After I left the hospital, I stopped at one of the local Kwik Trip stores to get a cup of coffee in my Starbucks cup (given to me by my dear friends Tom and Sandy Bracken, Missionaries to Taiwan). After getting my coffee, I proceeded to the interstate to head home. Once I entered Interstate 90 heading to La Crosse (about 45 miles from Tomah), the roads began to look clear, so I increased my speed to some-
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where between 55 and 60 miles per hour. About five miles down the road, I noticed a semi-truck had gone off into the median. I began to pray that the driver was alright, as I noticed that the police were already there with him. I continued about another five miles when, all of a sudden, my 2008 Dodge Dakota 4X4 pickup truck went into a major spin and seemed as if it was floating in the air. It began to spin around and around… The only thing I could do was to call out the name of Jesus! I could feel that the truck was getting ready to flip, so I shut my eyes and held tight to the steering wheel. I could feel it beginning to flip; the truck flipped over and over (it felt about three times), then came to a sudden halt as easily as if something had laid it down. Once I knew it stopped, I immediately opened my eyes; I had complete mental awareness and knew where I was. My military training immediately kicked in. I knew I had three-quarters of a tank of gas in the vehicle, so I knew I needed to get out as quickly as possible. I unhooked my seatbelt and pulled myself up. I noticed the back glass was broken out and felt I could exit that way, but the bars were still intact. Something spoke to me to look up; when I did, I noticed the passenger door was above my head and I reached for
the latch to open it. It opened smoothly and two men were already there asking if I was alright. I told them yes and they held the door for me as I crawled out and jumped to the ground (the truck was still on its side). By this time, a female state trooper was there and asked if I was alright. I told her that I only had a little soreness across the back of my shoulders. She took me to her police car and asked me to remain there while she went to take pictures of the accident. She had already called for an ambulance and a tow truck. While sitting in the police car, I called my insurance company to report the accident. (I had already called my wife.) When the insurance adjuster asked me what the status of
my vehicle was, the policewoman shouted, “Totaled! It will never drive again.” The ambulance arrived and took me to the hospital where the doctor examined me. He immediately ordered x-rays of my body which showed there were no broken bones, nor was my spine out of place! I had only a small cut on the top of my head, a scratch on my right ring finger, and a small cut on the right corner of my lower lip. They could find no other injuries! After my wife arrived at the hospital to take me home, we went by the tow company to get my personal items from the truck. My wife asked a worker if he was the one that came to tow the vehicle. He told her no, “I stopped doing
Joshua Johnston is a young man that attends Riverside Apostolic UPCI in Marshfield. As an iron-worker, he travelled out of state with his company. In December, his company had a job in Richlands, North Carolina. One afternoon, on their way to work, there was a tragic accident. Thankfully, God had His hand on Josh…this is his testimony: On December 4th, we woke up at 5 a.m. to go to work, but were rained out until 2 p.m. As we headed to work, a GMC pickup truck headed in the opposite direction from us swerved to miss a car and lost control. He came across three lanes and hit our truck head-on, pushing us across our lane and into a cotton field. When I was conscious, I asked what happened, and my coworker explained to me that we were in an accident and that the EMS was there. Not long after, the fire department came to cut us out of the truck. The next thing I remember was waking up at the hospital in radiology, trying to make sense of what happened. I again couldn’t recall anything, so the nurse explained to me that I had been in an accident and need-
ed to have the cut on my head stitched and a few tests done. I was released the same night, but was not able to go back to work for six days (I had neck/back injuries and cuts on my body). The others in our truck had minor injuries; one had a broken rib, one had a cut on his stomach, the driver had a gash on his elbow, and the other passenger wasn’t hurt...by the grace of God we all lived! The driver of the truck that hit us was ejected from his vehicle on impact, and was airlifted to the hospital where he later died from his injuries. After we were released, I asked my coworkers if they believe in God now (as I have been witnessing to them, since we started working together). Only one of them said yes. As for me, coming back home from this near miss, I decided no amount of money is worth risking my walk with God or my life for…I got a job in town now where I will be able to go to all our church services again and be close to my church family! I thank God every day for saving our lives in that accident!
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Getting Acquainted Continued from page 3
2020. Also, where there is one church in a county, we would have 2 churches in that county by 2020. And where there is more than one church in a county, those churches would come together and double the number of churches in their county. Our prayer is that each local church will buy into the vision of having 200 works by the end of 2020, while maintaining great unity and harmony among the pastors, ministers, and churches. We would also like to encourage prayer teams to go into unchurched counties and pray over these unchurched areas all across our district. WDN: Everyone has at least one “goto” verse to encourage them. What is your “go-to” verse? BRO. HOOK: Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Interview conducted by April Peckham, WDN Representative Section 4
“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8
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BY SIMON CHAPPELL I love celebrating Christmas. When I was younger, like many of us, I loved receiving gifts. As I grew, I started to enjoy giving gifts more than receiving them. When I came into the church, I started to celebrate Christmas as the time when we celebrate the birth of the Lord. It’s this celebration of the coming of the Lord that I most enjoy about Christmas today. As I write, on what we English call Boxing Day, I am enjoying a cup of tea and a warm feeling of happiness that has nothing to do with being in an easy chair under a warm blanket. This happiness comes from knowing that the Lord loved us so much, He miraculously poured Himself into a body and allowed Himself to be born under humble circumstances that are hard to fully comprehend. Approximately two thousand years ago, the Lord deemed that the time was right for the next phase of His plan to restore fellowship between Himself and us. It was time for our Redeemer and our Savior to come to this earth and bring hope and peace and love to a sin ravaged world. The arrival of the King of kings in this world was worthy of celebration. A host of angels went forth and proclaimed the birth of Jesus to shepherds. This was a big deal in the eyes of the Lord. If it was worthy of a host of angels back then, it should be worthy of our time and attention now. A couple of years ago, Christmas fell on a Sunday and we held a simple service that day to celebrate. The service felt wonderful and it was well received by the congregation members who were there. This year Christmas was on a Wednesday, so we held service again (in the
morning instead of the evening) and there was a wonderful presence of the Spirit of God. My wife informs me that Christmas Day services are unusual in our organization. While this seems to be true, I am now fully convinced that they are important and it is my intention to be hosting one from now on, for as long as I continue to pastor. The world, when it isn’t attacking the spiritual side of Christmas, is keen to make money from the gift-giving traditions that come with Christmas. This has caused the lead-up to Christmas to become a mad rush of preparing and spending, to the extent that most people are just tired of the whole thing by the time Christmas Day actually arrives. A few years ago, I found myself feeling “Christmas’d out” by December 25th and decided to do something about it. I refuse to think about Christmas before December, except for picking the church Christmas event dates. I insist that the church events are closer to Christmas, whereas we had been having them earlier in December to avoid conflicting with people’s other events. I no longer feel guilty if the church events are close to Christmas, because Christmas is a church Holy Day. Without the birth of Christ and the decision of the church to celebrate it on the 25th of December, there would be no festivities for people to attend. I am pleased to report that this plan seems to be working. I arrived at Christmas Day looking forward to the morning service. I enjoyed the service and am still basking in the glow of the wonderful presence of the Lord that we were blessed with.
Parker Testimony Continued from page 7
that right after high school because every time I went to get a vehicle in this condition, the person was not coming to get any personal items out of his vehicle. They were either dead or still in the hospital.” He went on to say, “This man is a miracle.” As I was retrieving my items, I noticed that all my items were still in the vehicle: both mine and my wife’s sunglasses were still in the side doors where we kept them. I kept spare change in the vehicle, and even though some of it had flowed into the front seat and floorboard, it too was still in the vehicle. My blanket, given to me by my sister-in-law and her husband for deputation travel (which says “REV” on it) was still in the back seat, neatly folded in its place. My snow shovel was still in the back end, even though my Truxedo cover had been ripped to pieces. My cross bar, used for keeping things from sliding in
the backend, was still in its place. My cell phone was still with me, it was not thrown from the vehicle. My glasses never left my face (other than when I removed them at the hospital so they could take the x-rays). My Starbucks coffee cup was still in the cup holder, three-quarters full; it never came open nor was it thrown from the vehicle. As I walked into the house with it, I told my wife, “Well, I guess my coffee is too cold to drink now!” and poured it out. It was then that I realized that none of my items were lost in the accident and I rejoiced, realizing that, “He will give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.” Words can never give Jesus, my Lord and Savior, enough praise and thanksgiving for what He did that day. I know He protects me every day, but on December 10, 2013, He gave His angels charge over me and showed Himself mighty to so many on my behalf. When people ask me how I feel,
I simply say, “I am blessed and highly favored of the Lord.” Let me say thanks to everyone who prays for us on a regular basis. Your prayer covering is much appreciated.
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2014 WISCONSIN MID-WINTER CAMPS
EMBRACING THE VISION SENDING WORKERS INTO UNHARVESTED FIELDS
JANUARY 16-17 APPLETON / PATHWAYS CHURCH REV TIM ZUNIGA & REV RAYMOND WOODWARD
JANUARY 30-31 EAU CLAIRE / PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLY REV TIM ZUNIGA & REV MIKE MITCHELL
FEBRUARY 6-7 OAK CREEK / PARKWAY APOSTOLIC CHURCH REV TIM ZUNIGA & REV STAN GLEASON