Colorado District - National News from 2010

National News from 2010

Murrell L Ewing Promoted -- December 31, 2010

The well-beloved preacher, pastor, singer, Murrell Ewing passed on from this life to the greater one this last day of the year 2010. I imagine that heard in the heavenlies were the words, "Murrell Ewing, you're walkin's 'bout over, your ride's on the way." He was the pastor of Eastwood Pentecostal Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Pastor Ewing accomplished much for the kingdom of God and was a wonderful asset to the United Pentecostal Church, and he will be truly missed (for now). Perhaps he is now singing, "Everybody is happy over here!!"

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent - January 13, 2011

I hope that you and your church have conducted, or will conduct, a special time of prayer and fasting for revival in 2011. I would like to mention some helpful tools and to update you on developments.

World Network of Prayer

Prayer resources are available from the World Network of Prayer at www.wnop.org. You can also contribute to this worthy ministry online. Thomas Suey has resigned as coordinator of WNOP due to pressing church and personal responsibilities. We appreciate his two years of dedicated, sacrificial service for the cause of prayer, as well as his assistance during the time of transition. Flo Shaw has been appointed as the new international coordinator of WNOP. Originally from Louisiana, she was mentored by T. W. Barnes and James Kilgore. She is a licensed minister of the United Pentecostal Church International and serves alongside her husband, Dwayne Shaw, who is pastor of New Life Temple in Austin, Texas. Sister Shaw is currently the WNOP coordinator for the South Texas District and has done an outstanding job in that capacity, most recently in organizing the prayer for the General Conference in Houston. We welcome her to the team!

UPCI Ministers Website

Our new ministers website has been functioning since General Conference. For information and resources, go to www.upciministers.com. For example, you can download the following:

Ministers Assessment Process (church growth tool)
Directory (will be updated every 6 months)
Manual (English and Spanish)
Ministerial Reading Requirements (local, general, ordained)
Annual Financial Report
IRS tax-exemption letter for UPCI and its member churches

The website serves many other needs as well. For example, you can do the following:

Update your contact information and directory listing.
Pay ministerial dues.
Sign the biennial affirmation statement.
View the calendar of events.
View the general superintendent's itinerary.
Read and sign up for the general superintendent's news bulletin.
Order mailing lists for special events.
Purchase hard copies of the Manual and Directory.

The website has additional resources for district officials and for missionaries.

Points of Refuge

Points of Refuge provides confidential, spiritual counseling by trained UPCI care givers for United Pentecostal ministers and their families. Pastor Ron Libby of Gaithersburg, MD, is the committee chair. For more information and resources, go to www.pointsofrefuge.org. For direct assistance, call 888-707-6820 (English) or 888-492-7564 (Spanish).

Sincerely in Christ,
David K. Bernard

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent - December 21, 2010

12/21/2010

"Let's Have Church": General Conference 2011
General Conference has been moved up one day. It will convene on October 11-15, 2011, in Louisville, Kentucky. A special committee has been working on plans, which will be finalized at the General Board meeting in March, but please make note of several important changes:

The conference will begin with a message from the general superintendent on Tuesday night and will end with a Holy Ghost rally on Saturday night. The business session is scheduled for Wednesday.
The theme of "Let's Have Church" was chosen to reflect an emphasis on worship, preaching, and prayer in the evening services.
There will be an expanded schedule of seminars on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning for ministers and lay leaders, so please make plans to attend and to bring a staff member with you.

The General Conference website, http://www.upcigc.com,
will be active by January 3, 2011, for registration and hotel reservations.

From 2010 to 2011
God has blessed the United Pentecostal Church International this year. There has been a continuing and increasing emphasis on revival and growth. More ministers are becoming connected and involved, including young ministers. We have made significant progress in finances and management. Much work lies ahead, but the future is bright. In January, I will communicate further about accomplishments in 2010 and new plans for 2011. In the meantime, my wife and I wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sincerely in Christ,
David K. Bernard

Passing of Royce Elms and Lawrence King

Royce Elms, Pastor of Jubilee Apostolic Church of Amarillo Texas and Lawrence King retired Pastor of First United Pentecostal Church of San Antonio Texas have gone on to be in the presence of the Lord. Let's pray for their churches and families as they mourn and yet rejoice.

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent - December 1, 2010

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent - December 1, 2010

Today, December 02, 2010, 6 hours ago Go to full article

12/1/2010
News Bulletin from the General Superintendent - December 1, 2010
The Global Council
The Global Council of the United Pentecostal Church International convened in Panama City, Panama, on November 10-12, 2010. At this meeting, held once every five years, representatives from countries around the world meet together to strengthen our unity through closer fellowship worldwide, to uphold the International Articles of Faithand standards of righteousness, to unite our missionary endeavor worldwide, to develop plans for worldwide evangelism, and to promote the World Network of Prayer. The general superintendent of the UPCI is the chairman of the Global Council. A total of 119 delegates from 133 nations, representing 195 language groups, attended the meeting in Panama City, in addition to guests and spouses.
As an organization, the UPCI officially consists of the mother church in the United States and Canada, including its missionaries under appointment worldwide. The churches established by the UPCI in other countries are distinct legal entities recognized by their own national governments. As long as these churches need guidance and financial support, they remain under the oversight of the UPCI, but as they develop into maturity they remain connected by voluntary fellowship rather than legal structure. Over the years, many national churches have become self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating, and some have become missionary-sending churches. Consequently, we are becoming a union of national churches held together by our International Articles of Faith and our bonds of fellowship. Ultimately, the Global Council will be the primary means of maintaining this worldwide fellowship. Thus, it needs to develop progressively as a truly international body. At this meeting, the Global Council took some significant steps toward this goal, as follows:

Updated the International Articles of Faith to incorporate the amendments that were made to the UPCI Articles of Faith in 1995.
Created the office of secretary for the Global Council with responsibility to oversee the minutes and other documents and to assist the chairman as needed. This is an elected position that will rotate among the seven regions of the world including North America.
Developed a plan for international transfer of ministerial license as a recommendation for each national church to implement.
Elected delegates for the next Executive Global Council meeting, a smaller meeting held between meetings of the Global Council. These delegates selected Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as the first choice of venue for the meeting in March 2013, with St. Louis, U.S.A., and Sydney, Australia, as the second and third choices.

The Council opened with a keynote address from the chairman. In addition to conducting business, the Council received reports from ministry leaders regarding the World Network of Prayer, Global Campus Ministries, Compassion Services International, Leadership Development International, Global Training Institute, Global Association of Theological Studies, and Children's Ministries. The Global Commission for Missions reported great progress. At its founding in 1945 the UPCI had 40 missionaries in 9 countries with 240 churches outside the U.S. and Canada. Today, the combined North American and regional missionary programs operate in 190 nations with more than 30,000 churches outside the U.S. and Canada. There are 41 regional missionaries appointed from outside North America, and since its inception over $500,000 has been given to this program from outside North America. This means that the regional missionary program administered by the Global Council now sponsors more missionaries than the entire UPCI had originally.
Delegates from various parts of the world made presentations regarding Media, Evangelism, Literature, and Training. Leaders from Mexico and the Philippines gave anointed devotions. One of the delegates, J. Ral Buai, superintendent of the UPC of Myanmar, announced the first publication of the Bible into his native language of Zyphe as a project of Wycliffe Bible Translators. He was the primary architect of the written alphabet and the primary translator. The Council closed with a soul-stirring message from the general director of Foreign Missions, followed by prayer, communion, footwashing, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The consensus of the delegates was that this meeting was the most productive to date and a great step forward in promoting apostolic identity, unity, revival, and growth worldwide.

The Apostolic Fellowship Summit
On October 21-22, 2010, leaders of six of the seven largest Oneness Pentecostal organizations in the U.S. met at Urshan Graduate School of Theology in conjunction with the school's annual symposium. This annual meeting, known as the Apostolic Fellowship Summit, began in 2006 at the invitation of UGST. The participating organizations are:

Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus
Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ
Bible Way Church of Jesus Christ International
Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith
Pentecostal Assemblies of the World
Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Faith
United Pentecostal Church International

The purpose of the Apostolic Fellowship is "to strengthen interaction and cooperation among Oneness Pentecostals; to facilitate the sharing of resources; to promote study, research, and teaching of the Apostolic message; to work together for common goals; to proclaim the Apostolic faith throughout the world." A website, http://www.apostolicfellowshipsummit.net, has been created and is in development.
This year, the summit included presentations and discussions on cross-cultural evangelism, inner city evangelism, humanitarian outreach, stewardship, ladies ministries (resources for teaching holiness of dress), and Pentecostal Publishing House. The delegates also participated in a panel discussion in the symposium.
The leaders decided to start an annual academic online journal in order to present the Apostolic identity from a scholarly perspective. They also agreed on plans to coordinate foreign and home missions efforts, including communication among missions leaders and cooperation in humanitarian work. At the summit the Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus and Urshan Graduate School of Theology signed an agreement whereby UGST will provide professors to teach Apostolic theology in the master's level ministerial training program conducted by the Apostolic Assemblies.

More Testimonies from General Conference
From Pastor Darren Shelton, Alvin, TX: As previously reported, at General Conference in Houston Pastor Shelton's daughter was healed of deafness in one ear caused by a lack of the bones required for hearing. He reports: "We took my daughter to the doctor and confirmed the miracle. In short, the doctor said, 'I have no medical or scientific explanation for why she is hearing so well!' The doctor was both intrigued and amazed at the clear difference in her condition. While we're not encouraging exploratory surgery to see what God did, the audiology tests all evidence His healing power! We give God all the praise!"
From Pastor Steven Beardsley, Newark, DE: On the recommendation of a cousin in Puerto Rico, Rebeca Alvarado watched the Spanish feed of the Holy Ghost rally at the General Conference in Houston. She liked what she experienced, so she found a church in her area using the locator on the UCPI website. Rebeca, her teenage son Ismael, and her Spanish-speaking mother attended Sunday morning worship at Newark UPC on October 24. On this first visit Ismael was baptized in the name of Jesus and, while still in the water, received the gift of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

30 Days of Prayer
From World Network of Prayer, Lisa Marshall, strategic prayer coordinator:
As Apostolics we are firmly rooted in the Book of Acts, where in every chapter prayer is either mentioned or alluded to. For Apostolics there is no priority preceding prayer.
The annual 30 Days of Prayer will take place January 1-30, 2011. Saturday, January 1, is Pastor-to-Pastor Prayer Day. We are asking for all pastors to pray for their neighboring pastors and send them a card of encouragement. Beginning January 2, every church in the UPCI is encouraged to pray together in this effort and share with the congregation the focus of one-accord prayer for that week. This can be done by displaying it during service or by distributing copies of the prayer guides to the congregation. Both the prayer guide and PowerPoint slides are available to download for free on the World Network of Prayer's website, http://www.wnop.org. Thank you for participating in this endeavor to unify our churches in prayer. I believe that the end result will be an earth-shaking revival and a great ingathering of souls for the kingdom of God.

Urgent Prayer Request for Persecuted Pastor
Through multicultural ministries in North America, God has given us an open door in a totalitarian country where we did not have an Apostolic contact. There is great revival in the country and among emigrants from the country, with hundreds baptized in Jesus' name. Several leaders have been imprisoned and even sentenced to death. A number of individuals and churches have petitioned for their release through the government's embassies in the U.S. and Canada, but we have not directly involved the UPCI name because of concern about harming other evangelistic efforts in the region. A U.S. government body that monitors religious freedom around the world is also pressing for their release.
The imprisoned leader of this group has been scheduled for hanging in a few days. On the day that the execution letter arrived, more people were baptized in Jesus' name. Let us pray for God's intervention so that this leader's life will be spared and he will be released. Let us also pray for continued revival in this country and among this ethnic group.

Sincerely in Christ,
David K. Bernard

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent - November 17, 2010

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent

Reverend Cleveland M. Becton passed away at approximately 10:45 p.m. yesterday surrounded by his family.

Brother Becton served as the General Secretary/Treasurer of the United Pentecostal Church International for twenty-five years and as the Assistant General Superintendent of the Eastern Zone for four years. He was a current honorary member of the General Board.

The family will receive friends:
Friday, November 19, 2010
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Emmanuel Pentecostal Church
1200 Poplar Drive, Mesquite, Texas 75149

Funeral Service:
Saturday, November 20, 2010
10:00 a.m.
Emmanuel Pentecostal Church

Interment will follow:
New Hope Memorial Gardens
500 East Highway 80
Sunnyvale, Texas 75182

Please remember the Becton family in your prayers.
Sincerely in Christ,
David K. Bernard

Cleveland M. Becton BIO

Taken from the bio on http://www.apostolicarchives.com/whoswho_B.html

Cleveland M. Becton
United Pentecostal Church International
1928 ~ 2010

Cleveland M. Becton was born September 21, 1928, in Jackson, Tennessee, the second son of parents, James M. and Christine M. Becton. At the age of two the Cleveland's family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where his uncle, Rev. G.H. Brown pastored a Pentecostal Church. They did not immediately attend the church that he pastored, however, after attending the First Baptist church for a short period of time; his parents felt that they should make a change. This was the beginning of their experience of Pentecost, both parents receiving the Pentecostal experience.

It was in the summer of 1940 in a revival meeting with brother Odell Cagle that Cleveland received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and was baptized in the name of Jesus. From that time on he remained in the church.

Cleveland was always interested in learning to play the piano, and when he was ten, he began to take piano lessons, and a year or so later he began lessons on the accordian. He immediately began to play both instruments in church services. At the age of 15, he left home with his parents consent and properly chaperoned and played for the Stamps Quartette. At the age of 16 he was teaching piano and accordian in the Stamps School of Music in Dallas, Texas. This was the Summer of 1945 and he had strong feeling that this was not the life for him.

Pentecostal bible Institute was opening for their first year in Tupelo, Mississippi. It was the fall of 1945, and Cleveland became a pioneer student with about 28 others for the very first term. It was in the second semester of that year while in a weekend service in Iuka, Mississippi, that he felt the call into the ministry. He was 17 years of age and started in the evangelistic work when that term ended. His first revival experience was in Nashville, Tennessee. His evangelistic days continued until the fall of 1950 when he took his first church to pastor and that was in Bay City, Texas.

While growing up in the church in Little Rock, Arkansas, a family named Dyson was also members of that church. They had several children and one of them; a daughter was about the same age as Cleveland was. Her name was Margie. They started out at very young ages liking each other. This continued through the years and they were married in 1947. Margie became right away an evangelist's wife and three years later a pastor's wife. The Becton's had three wonderful children. Rudy, Ronald, and Renee. This made for a complete family.

In 1957, the Becton's became the first pastor of a small group of people in North Little Rock, Arkansas. They moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1960 to become the pastor of the West Nashville Pentecostal Church, later the name was changed to the First United Pentecostal Church.

The following positions were held by Bro. Becton in the UPCI:

1952-1957 Youth Secretary of the Texas District
1958-1960 Home Missions Director
1961-1967 Secretary of the International Youth Division
1968-1976 General Secretary of the United Pentecostal Church International
1978-1981 Assistant General Superintendent of the UPCI
1982-1998 General Secretary of the UPCI
1982- Present One of two speakers on Harvestime
1999- Present Honorary member of the General Board of the UPCI

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent - October 15, 2010

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent
General Conference Report Part 2

More Testimonies
As reported several days ago, the General Conference in Houston was a great success. We are still getting wonderful reports and testimonies. We now have documented that the Conference was viewed on the Internet via 23,000 IP addresses, which includes individuals, families, and entire churches. This means that at least 40,000 people either attended or viewed the Conference. The actual number could easily be two or three times higher. The Conference has generated positive momentum that is propelling us into greater revival and growth. Let me share three testimonies:

Thomas Suey, director of the World Network of Prayer, invited a hotel bellman from Bolivia to attend the Sunday night service. That night Brother Suey decided to move from his seat near the stage to the upper level of the auditorium and "coincidentally" sat near the bellman. During the prayer, the bellman received the Holy Ghost. His wife, who is from Brazil and speaks only Portuguese, also attended and was able to understand the ministry in Spanish. They have now been connected to a UPC church in Houston.
Ken Gurley, superintendent of the South Texas District, reports: "I cannot tell you what General Conference in our district has done. The benefits are many. In our recent board meeting and planning session, one story after another was told about what God has done. It has fired up our leaders and ministers to push forward in revival. We identified fifty cities where we want to start works as soon as possible-two of these were taken in the board meeting. I suspect that as we move through our regional revival conferences and our district conference/ministers retreat we will see most of these applications come in. This has been an amazing time for our district."

• On Sunday night, there was a prophetic utterance that God has given us a spiritual breakthrough to overcome doubt and see mighty outpourings of the Holy Ghost in North America.

Elections
A great spirit of unity prevailed throughout the board meetings and business session. We used electronic voting for the first time, which eliminated a day of business. Most current office holders were returned to office with the most significant changes noted below. Other elections and appointments will be reported in the Forward.

Stan Gleason was elected to a one-year unexpired term as assistant superintendent of the Western Zone, after Randy Keyes resigned. We thank Brother Keyes for his nine years of service. Brother Gleason is superintendent of the Missouri District and executive presbyter for the Western Zone.
Michael Ensey, director of promotion for the General Youth Division, was elected as youth secretary. The current secretary, Daryle Williams, was no longer eligible due to age. We thank Brother Williams for his three years of service. A successor to Brother Ensey will be appointed by the General Board.
Robin Johnston was ratified as editor in chief to fill the vacancy caused by the passing of Robert Fuller. Brother Johnston previously served as associate editor, and he recently earned his Ph.D. from Regent University.
Ronnie Mullings, superintendent of the Western District,was appointed by the General Board to fill the unexpired term of executive presbyter for the Western Zone.
Raymond Woodward, pastor in Fredericton, New Brunswick, was elected as regional executive presbyter for Canada, replacing Granville McKenzie, who asked that his name not be considered. We thank Brother McKenzie for his four years of service.

Resolutions
The Conference took the following actions. The full text of the resolutions will be printed in the Forward.

Officially ended the Media Missions Division. (My Hope Radio continues to operate on the Internet under the oversight of Church Administration, the Center for the Study of Oneness Pentecostalism continues to produce CDs and DVDs of conferences, media departments continue to operate in many districts, and an application is in process for the endorsement of a radio ministry project led by speaker Dannie Hood.)
Placed Word Aflame Publications, the department that produces Sunday School literature, under the Sunday School Division.
Approved for "teachers" and "assistants to the pastor" to be added to the list of ministerial offices that qualify someone to upgrade from local to general license.

Reports and Statistics

In the U.S. and Canada, we reported 4,243 churches and daughter works and 9,163 ministers.
In the rest of the world, we reported 30,307 churches and preaching points and 17,879 national ministers in 192 nations, with 104,906 baptized and 104, 344 receiving the Holy Ghost during the year.
The complete financial book will be posted on the new website for UPCI ministers. There will be separate links for the reports of the general superintendent and general secretary. A summary of the financial report will be published in the Pentecostal Herald. Total revenues for the fiscal year were $46,347,613 and total expenses were $45,663,156 for an increase in net assets of $684,457. We have worked hard to reduce overhead and expenses. Consequently our financial situation has improved significantly, with an increase in net earnings of over two million dollars from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2010, but much work lies ahead.

General Board Highlights
The General Board approved several initiatives. Ministers will receive more information about them in the coming months.

Approved the digital distribution of the UPCI Directory and Manual.
Approved a policy for Preaching Points, which provides a threefold path for church planting: preaching points, daughter works, home missions works.
Approved the establishing of a UPCI-owned insurance agency to secure our organization's life, health, and property insurance policies at lower cost and to prepare for future opportunities.
Approved the establishing of a church loan fund under the United Pentecostal Foundation. The foundation can invest in loan certificates. In turn the loan fund can participate in loans to UPCI churches made and serviced by our lending partner, America's Christian Credit Union.
Instructed the Creative Planning Committee to study the possibility of redrawing regional boundaries in light of our growth.
Referred the twelve recommendations of the Restructuring Committee to the general superintendent and the Creative Planning Committee for study and action. Proposals include ministerial training, an advisory council of young ministers, organizational restructuring, revision of the Manual, a new nomination procedure possibly using electronic means, revising term limits at both the district and general levels, making some executive positions part time, more effective presentation of ministries and services, alternate funding for headquarters overhead, and two initiatives referred to special committees as noted below. No decision has been made on any of these proposals, and it will not be possible to consider all of them immediately, but the work has begun. The Creative Planning Committee will communicate with our ministers about ways to provide input.
Instructed the general superintendent to appoint a committee to study our responses to new technology to ensure that we explain and apply in consistent fashion our historic teachings on holiness in light of innovations. The committee will work on our written explanations, possibly producing a position paper, and is projected to issue a report in 2012.
Instructed the general superintendent to appoint a committee to study proposals for restructuring General Conference. There is a consensus that we need to emphasize preaching, streamline the services, expand the seminars, and continue the Holy Ghost rally.

Seminars and Ministers Session
The new seminars were a great success, with 900 to 1,000 in attendance. The best attended sessions were those for young ministers (190) and women in ministry (170). The ministers session after the business meeting featured a presentation on apostolic identity, unity, and revival. I spoke briefly about our Articles of Faith. The featured speakers and topics were:

Brent Coltharp, district superintendent and pastor in Illinois, "Why I Participate in the UPCI"
Alonzo Terry, pastor in Atlanta and director of Black Evangelism, "Planning for Diversity"
Phil DePriest, pastor and church planter in Tennessee, "How to Start a Daughter Work"

CDs, DVDs, and Books
CDs and DVDs of General Conference services, including the seminars and the ministers session, are available at http://www.upcimedia.com. New Apostolic books and Apostolic books converted to various electronic formats are available at http://www.pentecostalpublishing.com.

New Ministers Website
We have established a new website for UPCI ministers, http://www.upciministers.com, that offers pertinent news, information, and resources. Ministers can use it to pay their budget fee and to sign the biennial affirmation statement. The site also provides resources for district officials and missionaries.

Special Thanks
Many people worked hard to make the General Conference a great success. I would like to thank:

The South Texas District and District Superintendent Ken Gurley for outstanding hospitality and local support. They raised funds and mobilized 2,700 volunteers including the drama team, musicians, choirs, hosts and hostesses, ushers, prayer warriors, altar workers, and children's workers. Mundo Pentecostal of Pasadena, Texas (Pastor Jorge Mendizabal) provided the webcasting in Spanish.
The Global Impact Team and Director Jack Cunningham for the street service and the powerful Sunday night service.
The World Evangelism Center executives and staff for planning and executing all aspects of the conference.
Tom and Sue Jackson, who are retiring after 35 years of service at World Evangelism Center, including General Conference coordination beginning in 1995, and to David Jackson for assisting this year and assuming responsibilities for next year.

General Conference 2011
The next General Conference will be held October 12-16, 2011, in Louisville, Kentucky. To build on the success of the 2010 Conference, the Global Impact team has already begun planning the Holy Ghost rally and will emphasize the simultaneous worldwide viewing of the rally over the Internet. The goal is to sign up 1,000 churches to view the service.

Sincerely in Christ,
David K. Bernard

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent - October 11, 2010

News Bulletin from the General Superintendent
General Conference Report 2010 Part I

I would like to give you a preliminary report on General Conference. In a later e-mail I will report on the business of the conference. To order CDs and DVDs of the conference go to http://www.upcimedia.com/.

Highlights (estimated or round numbers)

Total attendance: 17,500
Peak attendance (Sunday night): 13,000
Total baptized with the Holy Ghost: 3,600
Total views on Internet (English, Spanish, deaf): 86,000
Total countries with viewers: 111 (English), 28 (Spanish)

Other Information

Registrations: 11,361 (excludes children and complimentary passes for some volunteers)
Volunteers: 2,700
Baptized in water onsite: 135
Baptized with Holy Ghost in children's service: 94
Baptized with Holy Ghost on the street: 107
Baptized with Holy Ghost via Internet in English (reported by text): 356
Baptized with Holy Ghost via internet in Spanish (reported by e-mail): 30, in 11 countries
Refilled with Holy Ghost: 1,000
People receiving the Holy Ghost included an Ethiopian van driver for our street workers, a Honduran worker in the ladies meeting, and a security guard Sunday night (also baptized).
Many healings. The daughter of a pastor in South Texas received healing of complete deafness in one ear caused by a lack of internal bones. She now uses that ear to listen to her cell phone.

Estimates
The attendance estimates were based on registrations, volunteer passes, and reports from building security and district leadership. Because of stringent control by building security, we were not able to conduct a full altar call at the front, so we turned the entire arena into an altar. When we asked for a show of hands of how many spoke in tongues for the first time, the crusade team on the platform estimated that 1,500 hands were raised on each side for a total of 3,000. When we asked how many were either filled or refilled after not speaking in tongues for a long time, there were an estimated 4,000 to 5,000. We had 600 trained altar workers stationed throughout the audience and approximately 1,000 ministers. In interviews, individual workers reported praying with 2-10 people who received the Holy Ghost and said many were filled instantaneously and simultaneously. The estimate of 3,000 filled is easily substantiated by 600 workers praying with 5 people each, not counting others filled.

Summary
Truly we experienced a reenactment of the Day of Pentecost, when "suddenly" the Holy Spirit fell on "about 120," and then a short time later "about 3,000" from many nations were added to that number. This conference was one of our greatest ever, and it is unprecedented in several ways:

The greatest outpouring of the Holy Ghost at one place and one time in the U.S.
The greatest number of attendees and viewers for a UPCI conference
The most countries reached by a UPCI conference

To all this we can say, "Praise the Lord" and "To God be the glory!"
Sincerely in Christ,
David K. Bernard

Alaska UPCI Church is Targeted by Pro-Abortionists

Article Pic BETHEL, AK - August 26, 2010. Dr. Loren Bradbury, pastor of the United Pentecostal Church in Bethel, Alaska is promoting Measure 2 on the Alaska ballot. Measure 2 requires doctors (under penalty of a felony) to go through a process of attempts to notify parents of any girl 17 years old or younger seeking an abortion. While some feel that this is a problem with the so-called "Separation of Church and State," others feel it is irresponsible to overlook such as important matter that is literally life-threatening. The website, Mudflats.net, wrote an article attacking the position that Dr. Bradbury is taking and question the tax-exempt status of his church. God bless Dr. Bradbury for his courage to speak the truth!

Copied from ApostolicNews.org
Posted by Paul Baumeister

Bishop J. T. and Sister Pugh Gone to Glory!

We wish to announce the passing of J. T. and Bessie Pugh from this mortal life to a greater one.

Visitation for J.T. and Bessie Pugh was on Thursday, March 25, 2010 from 6-9PM at First United Pentecostal Church, Odessa, TX. The Funeral Service was also at First United Pentecostal Church, Odessa, TX, 1700 N Texas Ave Odessa, TX 79761 http://www.firstupc.com on Friday, March, 26, 2010 under the direction of Hubbard Kelly Funeral Home. Our District Superintendent and Secretary were able to travel to and attend the funeral.

Last year at District Campmeeting, we were blessed by the unique ministry of this great man of God.

Sister Nona Freeman Promoted to Glory!!

Article Pic Promotion to Glory -- Sis. Nona B. Freeman (1916-2009)

On Saturday evening, December 26th at 10:45 PM, a treasure was called home. Sis. Nona Freeman, veteran missionary to Africa and one of the best-loved writers in Pentecost, at the age of 93, passed from this life peacefully at home with her family around her.

Sister Freeman and her husband, Rev, E. L. (Bug) Freeman, began their life in missions work in 1948 in South Africa. They left the United States with their five children ranging in ages from nine years to six months, and spent the next forty-one years in Africa.

Even after Brother Freeman's death in 1999, Sister Freeman continued to travel, preach and speak. She served the Lord in ministry for seventy years and has touched thousands of lives. Only eternity will truly know the far-reaching impact this great lady had.

Please be in prayer for the Freeman family during this difficult time.

We will all miss this great warrior for Truth, Faith, and the Moving of the Spirit of God (Stay in the Flow), Sister Nona Freeman, now promoted to "Glory!" And now Heaven is all the sweeter!!

New General Superintendent Elected

Press Release: St Louis - October 5, 2009.

Article Pic The United Pentecostal Church International announces the election of the Reverend Doctor David K. Bernard as General Superintendent of the 3-million-member church. The ministers of the organization selected Reverend Bernard at their 85^th annual General Conference held in St Louis last week.

David K. Bernard is the founder and senior pastor of New Life Church in Austin, Texas. He is also District Superintendent of the South Texas District of the United Pentecostal Church International and president of Urshan Graduate School of Theology, located in St Louis. He has earned a doctor of jurisprudence with honors from the University of Texas, a master of theology from the University of South Africa, and a bachelor of arts in mathematical sciences and managerial studies with high honors from Rice University. He is currently a doctor of theology candidate in New Testament at the University of South Africa.

In addition to his ministry in Austin and throughout the United States, he has ministered in forty-five countries on six continents. Bernard is also a prolific writer who has written extensively on the Bible, theology, the history of doctrine, and Christian living. To date, he has written thirty books, with a circulation of about 750,000. He has been published in thirty-six languages. In addition to his books, he has produced debates and teaching series on CD and DVD and other preaching and teaching helps on CD-ROM.

David Bernard and his wife, Connie, have three children, Jonathan (married to Sara), Daniel, and Lindsey, and one grandchild, Elijah.

The United Pentecostal Church International, headquartered in St Louis, has 30,000 churches in 192 nations around the world and a ministerial membership of 27,000. It was formed in 1945 from the merger of two previously established organizations. The UPCI emerged out of the Pentecostal movement that began in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901. It traces its organizational roots to October 1916, when a large group of ministers withdrew from the Assemblies of God over the doctrinal issues of the oneness of God and water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.

For the past eight years, Reverend Kenneth F. Haney has served as the General Superintendent of the church. Reverend Bernard is the 7^th General Superintendent in the church's history.