April ACLC Prayer breakfast report

Burgi Hutcherson
April 16, 2009

Rev. Fermin Bocanegra, Sakiko Tanaka, Rev. Jennifer Green, Rev. Burgi Hutcherson, Sun Niles, Rev. Marquita Friende, Minister Willie Muhammad, Bishop Willie Davis (missing in the picture: Rev. Calvin Oglesby and Erica)

On Thursday, April 16th, 2009 a dedicated group of 10 pastors and leaders gathered at the Triad Family Church in Kernersville, NC for our monthly ACLC Prayer breakfast. The group consisted of some first time comers and some old timers.

We shared a delicious bountiful breakfast together which was prepared by our dedicated sister Sakiko Tanaka. While we were eating more people joined.

Rev. Fermin Bocanegra guided us through the Statement of Purpose of ACLC and step by step elaborated about the vision of ACLC and our responsibility. It was inspiring to remind us the deep meaning and value of the ACLC mission. We learned from the inspirations and thoughts.

Then each person shared their personal inspirations for coming to this meeting. We could understand and feel the Spirit of the Lord in the life of the pastors. It was His doing to bring us together. The sharing around the table built up the atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to work deeply and God manifested himself in the message given by Bishop Willie Davis, Jr. All the pastors waited with expectancy to receive his message. He is a much respected leader in the community and has impacted the lives of many people. His ministry has expanded into the community in a powerful way.

Bishop spoke with authority and heart. He shared how Jesus educated the people patiently, how Jesus guided the people to the Father and helped them see the Father. His life was a testimony. Nowadays there are good people in the world but they are confused. We should focus on God -- not the economy. They should live with faith. We should not get upset about CNN. And if people don’t believe us we don’t need to argue with them. We need to remain in peace. We need to trust in God, and then all the things will be fine. Then Bishop compared the life of Joseph in Egypt. He took care of people in slavery. We need to focus on Jesus Christ and God. God will supply all our needs. We have personal desires, but we are doing God’s business and therefore we need to live for the sake of others. That is God’s way. We need to forget the “I” and give him a helping hand. You need to be a champion of God and God’s champion are not giving up. Someday the trumpet will sound. Don’t let people put you down and don’t let difficulties deter you. Don’t get angry. Christians should love one another.

All the pastors appreciated the words of inspiration and encouragement from the Bishop. They felt spiritually fed and grateful. The Holy Spirit had touched the people.

Then Rev. Fermin Bocanegra made closing announcements and sowed the seeds for a revival. Several churches expressed interest to participate. We are also preparing for an Interfaith Family Forum held by Dr. Dietrich Seidel from UTS the next weekend. This is a wonderful opportunity for couples to grow in their marriage relationship, create a marriage vision and learn good communication skills for their marriage partner. We also announced the 2nd Peace Cup Festival in July. That is a wonderful opportunity for groups of different churches and religions to come together to compete for the Peace Cup by playing soccer and basketball. Then Pastor Fermin concluded with a prayer hand in hand.