WASHINGTON DC PRAYER TRIP
August 29-September 1, 2007

Fifteen members of the Spirit Life Church prayer team called Special Forces had the privilege of going to our nation’s Capitol in Washington DC to pray recently. The team has made a trip to DC four years in a row and with each year, we gain knowledge about our government and the richness our nation’s history.

“It’s important,” said Pastor Gail, “to count it not only an honor and a privilege to pray for our nation, but also a responsibility.” She went on to say how valuable it’s been for the prayer team to experience first hand what the Word of God says about praying for those in authority, something she calls praying “on site with insight.”

This year, we started with an educational bus tour of Washington DC at night seeing such sights as the Jefferson Memorial, The White House, Iwo Jima monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. The next day, we received an informative guided tour of the Capitol by House of Representatives Cliff Stearns staff assistant, giving us an even greater appreciation of the inner workings of our legislative branch of government.

Throughout the trip we were able to pray in strategic places in DC. One place in particular was Sherman Park just a block from the White House where targeted prayer was made for our President. Another strategic prayer location this year was the Supreme Court Building.

This was the first time the prayer team visited the Supreme Court and actually sat in the chambers where cases are heard and decisions made that shape our everyday lives. It was evident that we were in a commanding place, the highest court in the land, where every moment is filled with responsibility and consequence. Later, as we stood outside under the massive marble columns, we gathered in prayer for our Justices asking for the wisdom of God to prevail over every decision. It was one of our most noteworthy moments.

When asked what effect the team’s prayers were having over the years, Pastor Gail recalled a previous trip when she felt an unction to pray at the White House for the President and in particular for Vice President Dick Cheney, that God would protect them both. That same day it was reported that the Vice President was in a near mid air collision and his plane had to perform evasive maneuvering to avoid a fatal crash.

Focused targeted prayer makes all the difference Pastor Gail said. It’s history in the making and we as a prayer team believe that we hold the faith to make a difference, as history is still being written.

Written by Spirit Life Ocala member, Kim King

Reaching Others

 At Spirit Life, outreach is a major focus – reaching the nations and touching our community in creative and tangible ways.

 A great tool for “reaching others” is Spirit Life’s ministry to inmates at the Marion County Jail.  Over the past three years, this team of nine men has personally touched over 1000 inmates and their families – people of all races, ages, and cultural backgrounds. 

But this is not your typical church outreach.  With a group discussion format, relationships are built and men are encouraged to be open and real.   “We’re unique,” says team member Hiram Vargas, “because we’re not just another church group coming in to do another meeting.”  Team members take time to get into the lives of each inmate, even making contact with their wives and children when appropriate, meaning the whole family is experiencing restoration.

Dealing with topics such as character and identity, the team has often found themselves helping the men with deep rooted issues such as forgiveness, self perception, and emotional healing - things that led to wrong choices and lifestyles. 

Offering hope is what motivates team leader Dwight McDonald.  “We want to let these men know that no matter what their situation is, it’s not the end,” he says. “Our God can heal, restore and renew any circumstance.”  The many letters and expressions of thanks received from inmates and their families testify to the team’s impact.

 "I get so excited,” says Hiram Vargas, “when a former inmate comes up to me in the community and lets me know his life is on track, his family is attending church and he is going forward with his life.  Changed lives - that’s the greatest reward.”

From October 25-30, 2007, Dr. Richard and two Spirit Life members, James Gilliam and Corey Zimmerman,  traveled to Iceland for special meetings at Krossinn Church in Reykjavik.  Since 1991, Dr. Richard and Spirit Life Church have had a voice in the nation of Iceland.  It is the birthing place of Spirit Life’s public school ministry, Strength of the Young.  Dr. Richard himself has traveled to Iceland over 30 times.

 “My heart for the young people of Iceland hasn’t changed,” says Dr. Richard.  “I was encouraged to see church leaders there are hearing the same Word we are – that it’s time to modernize the church to reach the young people of the nation.”

One man the team met during this trip is having an especially big impact on the young people there.  Recently released from prison, this man is now living radically for God.   He purchased a three story building, formerly a brothel, in downtown Reykjavik and converted it into a half way house and coffee shop.  Over 100 former drug addicts and alcoholics have given their lives to God and the ministry has moved into the public schools of Iceland where an average of 7-10 young people are getting saved each day.

Over the years, the churches of Iceland have faced many challenges from scandal and compromised ethics to a culture steeped in religious tradition.  Yet, in the midst of these difficulties, many life filled churches are thriving.

One such church is Krossinn, led by Pastor Gunnar Thorsteinsson.  For many years, Pastor Gunnar has been a testimony of consistent and uncompromising leadership for the nation.  Dr. Richard has been a part of the “Drafting” Conference at Krossinn for the past four years, an event focused on “recruiting” people into the army of God.

This year’s conference included a special bonus for Dr. Richard as he shared the platform with our good friend, Thora Gisladottir.

Thora graduated from our Bible School (Impact Bible College) in 1996 and was an integral part of our praise and worship team for several years.  She has now become a national celebrity in Iceland, known for her music and songwriting.  In fact, she participated in Iceland’s nation wide song contest recently where she received second place!  Congratulations Thora!

Dr. Richard was able to spend time with many friends of Spirit Life, several of them young people who graduated from our Bible College and now have families of their own.  Our love for Iceland and its people continues to grow – it is an incredible nation with a significant role to play in building God’s Kingdom.

Africa Report

This month Spirit Life Church had the privilege of hosting Pastor Olam Mustapha who was visiting our nation all the way from Arusha, Tanzania. We asked Pastor Olam to share some insights about his nation, the move of God and the challenges he faces on a daily basis. 

 What’s happening in your country concerning the move of God?

In the country I feel God is working things out by Himself. We have a good government.  The city I’m in, Arusha, we are having revival in there.  Arusha is a special city because it’s the only place in Tanzania where you can have everybody from every tribe and every nation.  We call Arusha the ‘Geneva’ of Africa, it’s the center for United Nations, and people come from different places to our country.  Also, we are preaching to thousands of people with a daily radio program – radio is an important tool in Africa.

 What are some of the most challenging things you are facing right now?

We know that God is a provider but we are limited sometimes with funds.  Let me give you an example.  Three years ago I was preaching in Kenya and the Holy Spirit spoke to me that it was time to get results in Arusha.  He told me to start a “Camp Meeting” and to talk about it on the radio, paper, do everything you can do and get the pastors from different places and refresh them. So we did it and the first year we expected to see 100 pastors come plus the people and we had 250 pastors come plus 800 people.  This year it was bigger - so big that we were entering into some debt and I said Lord I don’t want this problem to continue.  But God worked a miracle. When Dr Richard came, he brought $3,000.00 and I said, Oh Lord, thank You!

 Are there other challenges you are facing?

There’s a lot of spiritual challenge because of the territorial spirit.  That place is highly demonized and we know that we are going to break it.  Also, we want to teach the people to go into business, to do things for themselves.  The local people believe that you look for someone to help you.  Some of the pastors believe someone should send you money.  They don’t believe in sowing seed.  When someone comes from America, England or Australia to preach they want them to sponsor the program, to feed them.  Now that is not God.

 What is your objective in visiting the United States and especially Spirit Life Church?

I’m learning about the things going on here.  I was in the Children’s church to learn, I know that children are the future of the church.  Also to make friends here, divine connections.  And to teach the Word while I’m here.

 After almost two weeks in America, Pastor Olam returned to Tanzania.  Please keep him and his wife, Florence, in your prayers as they continue to build the Kingdom of God in Africa.

When visiting the nation of Iceland almost 15 years ago, Dr. Richard and Pastor Gail felt compelled to do something for that nation’s young people, many of whom were committing suicide at an alarming rate. Believing God had a purpose for these young people, the Perinchief’s launched “Strength of the Young” as an outreach to the nation of Iceland.

Later, Strength of the Young became the youth ministry at Spirit Life and grew to become a powerful tool for reaching the young generation of our community.

Speaking to one our county’s middle school principals in 1997, then Youth Pastor Sergio Limon saw a need for a mentoring program that targeted “at risk” youth. Pastor Sergio asked for the opportunity to work with twenty of the toughest male students, and the principal agreed.

The program was such a success that Pastor Sergio began receiving requests from other principals for help at their schools. Ten years later, Strength of the Young is now headed up by Youth Pastor Tristan Kennedy and has reached every public middle school in Marion County.

With three branches – the mentoring program, Summer Basketball League, and outreach program – Strength of the Young is flooding our community with a message of destiny and purpose for our young people.

The mentoring program is unique in that teams of volunteers conduct weekly classes in public schools around the county for the entire school year. The curriculum covers topics such as peer pressure, self esteem, attitude and identity. The results have been phenomenal, with statistics that show an 80% improvement in grades and discipline issues among participants.

From May through August each year, Strength of the Young’s Summer Basketball League gathers teens and community volunteers for weekly games, played on the Spirit Life courts. Last year’s league attracted 80 participants, ages 12-18, along with over 30 volunteers. Friends and family get involved cheering on the players, proving that the League is a great tool for connecting families with each other and with the church.

The third branch of Strength of the Young is the Outreach Program, which hosts rallies at various venues and covers topics like abstinence, violence, and racial issues. The high energy presentations include skits, music, games and often feature “BLAST”, a percussion performance group made up of 15 young people.

Strength of the Young recently received a $1000 grant from Ordway Insurance Agencies with AllState. Thank you, Ordway Agencies for supporting the youth of our community!

The sanctuary at the Ocala location has recently received an “extreme makeover” – new platform, a fog machine, smart lights and still more to come. Don’t be fooled into thinking this change is purely external – the real transformation began several months ago.

Spirit Life has undertaken what Dr. Richard refers to as a “paradigm shift.” Never ones to do church as usual, our reputation for provoking the status quo is something we’ve enjoyed for the past seventeen years.

Yet, at the beginning of 2007, our leaders could sense something missing. We were passionate about God and building His Kingdom, but in many ways we were simply going through the motions – something we determined to NEVER do!

Thankfully, God began to lead our pastors on a journey, providing intervention through relationships, tools and resources. As the year progressed, God’s heartbeat became more clear. Reach this generation! Empower young people! Be innovative, creative and mindful of “others”!

One of our anthems became “Moving Forward” and a key Scripture was Joshua 3 :4, “You have not crossed this way before.” Other tools and resources such as Paul Scanlon’s book, “Crossing Over”, provided confirmation that we were headed in the right direction.

We’re still transitioning but the Spirit Life of 2008 is definitely transformed. Today you will find leaders who are excited about the future and enthusiastic people who are motivated to reach others and worship God passionately. We are relevant, real and relatable to the new people headed our way.

So come enjoy the new sights and sounds at Spirit Life – it’s an exciting atmosphere filled with life. But more importantly, embrace the change for yourself and let’s go forward together!

On January 18th and 19th, Spirit Life Church Ocala hosted Generation Encounter, “The Future is Ours!” The event was attended by 150 young people from around the state of Florida, and kicked off Friday evening with an electric praise and worship led by Pastor Lindsey and the Spirit Life Band. “I love how the youth came together to set the atmosphere,” says Hannah Pye, “Praise and worship was my favorite.”

The evening continued with a message from guest speaker Pastor John Morgan about freedom from past hurts and an altar call in which many young people came forward to receive healing and deliverance. A two hour arcade wrapped up the night, featuring popular games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

Saturday, the event continued with messages from Pastor Morgan and workshops for guys and girls in the afternoon, with teachings on developing leadership skills, time management, and living life to the fullest. Generation Encounter went out with a bang Saturday night as the youth came together once more, fired up for praise and worship and encouraged about their future by one last message from the guest speaker. “I’m ready now for the year ahead,” says Molly Wagner, “The future is mine!”

Gainesville Update

As we approach the date of Pastor Sergio & Tina Limon’s departure to California, people are asking – what’s happening in Gainesville?

Having recently attended a service at our Gainesville location, I can tell you that Gainesville is going strong! We have great people there – committed and dedicated believers who love God and are excited to be part of something new.

Of course the city of Gainesville is filled with young college students who are looking for something non-traditional and culturally relevant. What a great opportunity for Spirit Life to bring the message of “others” and demonstrate our heart to reach the current generation.

Upcoming plans for the Gainesville location will do just that by using up-to-date strategies including stage renovation, interactive multimedia, and T1 technology.

Our T1 line will enable us to broadcast the Ocala services live in Gainesville, meaning Spirit Lifers in both locations will simultaneously experience a powerful praise and worship atmosphere, Dr. Richard’s message and other features of the day.

Two Sundays per month, Pastor Chris Hays will travel to Gainesville to minister, meet with people, and help the church go to the next level in all its activities. Dr. Richard, Pastor Gail and Pastor Lindsey will also be a regular part of Sunday services and special meetings in Gainesville.

Yes, we are doing something new – but if you’ve been at Spirit Life for any length of time, that should not surprise you! We are known for being pioneers, and we love living life on the edge! It’s our privilege to challenge religious barriers and break through walls of limitation. Let’s join together even stronger now and I know we will see amazing things happen in the days ahead!

written by Pastor Bonnie Hays