World Renewal International

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Great Commission Concerts.

I can honestly say that I cannot remember having more fun in ministry than I had this last weekend with our band [seen above] Renewal in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio. We did a Saturday night concert and Sunday morning at the Mt. Pleasant Friends Church.

I am calling our services "Great Commission Concerts." It is really a different approach as we can honestly label the morning or evening as a concert, but I still get my preaching in. We actually build the music around my sermons. My sermons are preached in blocks here and there with Renewal's music scattered between the preaching blocks.

Why would we do this? We want to win people to Christ. It seems that folks do not put up their spiritual barriers because it is really more concert oriented. They seemed to get more involved with the music. We have an unusually good tool in Renewal. Most of us feel we have never been with a band this good. So, why not use it! Satuday night was a call for renewal among believers which encouraging believers to be "fully devoted followers of Christ is not only part of the Jesus' Great Commission but World Renewal's mission statement.

The response for the prayer of repentence on Sunday morning was overwhelming! Dan Downer is our graphics tech. After the Sunday morning service, he was in the restroom and two old men came in and didn't know he was in the same room with them. One said to the other, "That's the most fun I have ever had in church!" Me too, brother.

Thanks for stopping by.
:: posted by Gary Wright, 1:01 PM | link | 1 comments |

Friday, April 4, 2008

The Miracle Changed Life of Wayne Phelps




Wayne says that when he awakened in the hospital and they let him go home, he assumed he had not killed anyone. He was bruised and sore and knew he had made a horrible mistake. “Most of my life was spent following the ways of the world. I was aware that others were involved in some form of worship but I myself never saw the need or had the desire to get involved in anything like that. Besides, I considered anyone who needed God to be weak and that was all right for them but not for me. After all if I was wrong, I never did anything that was that bad, so if this forgiving God existed I was good enough anyway. Thinking this way led me down a path of destruction that only affected me but also caused pain to others. I was always able to justify and rationalize my behavior, at least to myself. Today, I know I was in a state of denial.”



“At the age if 49 I was on the verge of my third divorce, I was drinking heavily, something which had started at the age of 13.” After an afternoon of drinking Wayne had a serious car accident. He hit a jogger. He said, “Not being in control of my faculties I did not know if I had injured or killed someone.” The truth was he had severely injured the female jogger who he would latter face in court.



Mr. Phelps states, “Reflecting on my past I began to realize there was something wrong with the way I conducted my life. A few days after the accident I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. The next morning my wife, Roberta, announced that she was going to church. I asked her if she minded if I would join her.” Roberta called several churches that Sunday morning trying to find out the time of services. One church answered the phone, Willoughby Hills Friends Church just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. He read in the bulletin about a marriage rebuilding class. They attended and their lives began to change.
Three weeks later, Renewal and I were scheduled at the church Wayne and Roberta were attending. I remember Wayne walking down in front of the church in that 8:15 service and saying, “That man in your story, Jerry, that’s me, that’s my story.” “It was then I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, September 22, 2002.”
The next day he walked into Pastor Adrian Halverstadt's office and told him he had made a commitment to Christ the day before. He confessed, however, that he did not know what that really meant or how to pray. Pastor Adrian, a long time friend of this ministry, knew how to pray and knew how to encourage Wayne. He became a wonderful mentor to Wayne.
Since that day Wayne has been on a quest to learn as much as possible and to share what he has learned. He has had a wonderful ministry in recovery groups like AA and other ministries. I often ask Wayne to join me in preaching events to share his testimony of God’s grace and forgiveness and healing. He says, “I share my story with others and witness whenever an opportunity arises. Currently, my mission is in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and I am able to share my higher power, Jesus, openly and honestly on a level that others in the rooms can understand.”
After the accident, Wayne lost his license to drive. Roberta or someone had to take him everywhere. Wayne had built a successful business with his father in the west Cleveland area. Wayne’s lifestyle of drinking had put that business in jeopardy of failure.
When the time came for his sentencing, he faced the woman in court he had severely injured in the accident. Wayne turned and face her and apologized taking complete responsibility for the accident. Surprisingly, at least to Wayne, she forgave him. Then she turned to the judge and asked for leniency in sentencing stating that she knew Mr. Phelps was changing his life and she did not want severe punishment. The judge listened to her.
I have witnessed Wayne’s changed life. I have talked to his friends, family and employees. One of the most notable changes is in the way he conducts his business with his sister. Their company tithes, has profit sharing with employees and has several opportunities for the employees to get encouragement in living as well as business related concerns. The business is doing well and Wayne is in the process of turning that business over to his children and looking forward to more time devoted to recovery ministries.
Wayne concludes, “Most of all, I now have a relationship with the Lord. He sees me through the good and bad times. He never gives me more than I can handle. He walks with me and talks with me. His light shines upon me. His love pours over me. He purifies my heart and provides the tools to fight the evil one and He sanctifies.” [Below Wayne Phelps with Gary and Pastor John Rysers at Damascus Friends church last December after Wayne gave his testimony during Gary's sermon. Gary's sermon was the same one that Wayne heard the morning he accepted Christ only now he is part of the stories told.] Wayne will be with Gary and Renewal this weekend in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio and give his testimony in the Sunday morning service.]
:: posted by Gary Wright, 12:40 PM | link | 1 comments |

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Eyes On El Salvador


Wes Davis who is our Director of Education Development is getting ready to do ministry in El Salvador and asked us to pray for him. He says, "I leave on Saturday for El Salvador and would appreciate prayers for that. We are taking 14 people for an eye care team. " Last year Wes took a similar team to Liberia, Africa. Wes is also the Sr. Pastor of Riverton Friends Church in south eastern Kansas. He has several eye doctors in his church and in that area who join him on these medical missions. Pictured is Wes ministering at our Women's Leadership Conference in Haiti this past year with Pastor Luc.
Thanks for stopping by.
:: posted by Gary Wright, 10:35 AM | link | 1 comments |

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Renewal In Ohio


Renewal and I will be at Mt. Pleasant Friends Church, Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, April 5-6 for two evangelistic outreaches. Renewal was started in 1990 by Doug Newnum and myself. Steve Lindley joined the group as its tenor in 1995, Gary Jones about the same time. Dan Downer has served as the Graphics Tech on and off for several years. The newer additions of Mike and Steve Cruse have made the group an answer for prayer as Doug and Steve had prayed and longed for the famous Cruse Brothers band to commit their lives to Christ and join them in ministry. It was this past summer that Steve Cruse joined his brother and the other Renewal team in ministry. It is a great story that has been posted here. It was our Christmas post [12/04/07] if you want to read it. [Picture- Mike Cruse, Steve Cruse, Doug Newnum, Dan Downer, Gary Jones, Steve Lindley and Gary Wright]


Sunday morning at Mt. Pleasant is a two hour concert. PTL

Thanks for stopping by.
:: posted by Gary Wright, 10:41 AM | link | 0 comments |