What happened at the ARC Southwest Gathering on July 13th-15th? Well, not much, except…Five people received Christ as Savior and Lord; many received a filling of the Holy Spirit; others stood to pray for healing and one man had his knee healed just while we were worshipping together; spot on prophetic ministry that encouraged and set people free; receiving of prayer language and singing in the spirit over others by some; encouragement and ministry to the host (Penasquitos Lutheran) staff and congregation; current relationships renewed and strengthened, new relationships birthed; over 90 teens and young adults gathering together to worship the Lord; a baptism in the ocean of a Midwest teen (yeah, Alex Franta!); challenging and empowering messages from keynote speakers Kristi Graner, Pete Greig, and Mike Bradley; workshops that cast vision and further equipped people for ministry; and more.



All in all we spent 2 ½ days in an atmosphere beneficial for kingdom transformation, relationships, and mission. Listen to the testimonies of some who attended:

• “The 2011 annual Southwest Gathering of the ARC in San Diego was a breath of fresh air for me and the leaders from my church who attended. It was so encouraging to remember that we are part of a spiritual family that is bigger than our own congregation, yet connected by common values, vision, and a genuine concern for one another.”
• “The ARC Gathering (Southwest) was an anointed time in Southern California. The spiritual deposit left at the host congregation (PLC, San Diego) along with the many other leaders and pastors from congregations around the country will, no doubt, fundamentally change ministry for years to come.”
• "What happened here this week was utterly amazing and cannot be put into words; it is something that we've caught and will now need to take away and infect others."
• “Pete Greig's message of getting real with prayer, taking off the masks, and crying out to God was exactly the word I personally needed to hear. The personal ministry I received from not only my colleagues and friends, has renewed and refreshed my spirit.”
• “My husband and I were so encouraged to not give up with our unanswered prayers; encouraged to keep pressing.”
• “I liked how our keynote speaker Friday evening shared then ministered; shared some more ministered again. I was on the edge of my seat, fully engaged because I knew God was in control of the evening.”
• “Pete Grieg was outstanding. I was again very impressed with his humility and transparency.”
• “The opportunity to fellowship with new found friends was paramount.”
• “The speakers were inspiring, the worship was powerful, and the workshops were stimulating.”
• “As a pastor it was so encouraging to have a group of our folks from our congregation at the conference to enjoy the Lord's presence together. I fully expect that we will enter a new season now as the Lord creates us to be a community of prayer.”
• “Highlights for me: Pete Greig's honesty about wrestling with unanswered prayer, remaining in a place of grace and faith even when the Lord seems to be silent. Prophetic words spoken over some of the people who are nearest and dearest to my heart and to see how encouraged they were that God is indeed at work in their lives and has a future and a hope for them. Great conference let's do it again sometime!!”
• “This is the most authentic multigenerational and relational group I have connected with in my 33 years of pastoral life.”

We are very grateful to the staff and congregation of Penasquitos Lutheran Church in San Diego who did such an outstanding job of hosting us!

Join us for The Midwest Gathering on October 26-28 at North Heights Church-Arden Hills in St. Paul, MN. You can register for the gathering and get hotel information by going to our website at: arcusa.org.

See you there!

I attended the ARC Southwest Gathering in San Diego this year. It was my first time at an ARC gathering and although there was a huge problem with this one I can’t wait for next year’s gathering.

Having never been at an ARC Gathering I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but since God, with his penchant for the unexpected and counterintuitive, has decided I should be an intercessor and since prayer was the focus of the Gathering, I thought I had better go. The session topics looked pretty good and I might learn something practical.

Holy Spirit had a different idea.

Almost immediately during the Wednesday evening worship God started bringing to light and dealing with some things that were hindering my spiritual maturation. After the worship, Pete Grieg gave a powerful message focusing on moving from prayer as a guilt-inducing “should” to an invitation to be in the presence of God. That served as a personal keynote for the rest of the week.

Thursday morning kicked off with a chapel service where Holy Spirit was leading me through some necessary stuff. It was a profound and liberating time. Seemingly off-hand remarks from speakers would set off new waves of Holy Spirit’s work in me. I had more honest, BS-free conversation with God than I suspected was possible.

With each new speaker and each new topic Holy Spirit was at work dealing with me where I needed it most. It was sometimes uncomfortable and sometimes euphoric but it was always truly awesome. People I did not know prayed for and with me. One had a vision that confirmed to me and reinforced what Holy Spirit had been telling me.

With each new lesson, both from the speakers and from Holy Spirit, my prayer time became more genuine, less pro forma, and more vital and intimate.

Friday dawned with new revelation for someone else that I was able to share and then take to the Lord in a very powerful prayer time. This was amplified by someone ministering to me in prayer while I was praying over the revelation for someone else.

Friday evening the Gathering concluded with an incredibly powerful, Spirit-filled evening of personal testimony, revelation, worship, and the saving and renewing action of the Spirit. I was disappointed to have it end after only three hours.

I went expecting a couple of days of informative teaching. As is often the case with God, when we go seeking, he way over-delivers. I got a two-and-a-half day spiritual retreat and boot camp that changed my relationship with the Father in ways I would not have dared to go after.
If you’ve read this far and if you noticed the title you are probably wondering, “So what was wrong with it?” Here’s what: there were not nearly enough of my brothers and sisters from Wonderful Mercy there to share in the spiritual bounty!

I can’t wait for the chance to go next year. If you don’t go you will surely miss out on something sweet the Father has for you.

Please make your plans now to attend the 2012 Southwest Gathering in Huntington Beach in July. There will special sessions for children, youth, and adults. It promises to be an amazing experience!


Note: David Hammerslag is a member of Wonderful Mercy Church in Gilbert (Phoenix), Arizona.

From Mike Bradley, ARC Director:
ARC Pastor-Author, Dave Householder, has published a new novel entitled, The Blackberry Bush. I recently read Dave’s new book and really enjoyed the read. In The Blackberry Bush, Dave does a nice job of weaving different periods of history in and out of a story that keeps you engaged and presents characters you’re interested in. The two main characters, Kati and Josh seem destined to cross paths eventually and throughout the novel you follow their search for freedom. The novel is filled with “chance” encounters which don’t seem to be “chance” at all and that’s one of the powerful and relevant messages Dave confronts us with in his book: it’s often the “chance” encounters transform our lives.

As I was reading The Blackberry Bush I “happened” to take it with me when I got my hair cut one day. The young gal who cuts my hair asked me what I was reading and as I shared with her I could see she was interested. After cutting my hair I gave her the book as a gift and I’m looking forward to my next hair cut (I don’t get that many!) to see if she has begun to read it yet and if so, how she’s enjoying it. I’ve now given away over a dozen copies to various people. I encourage you to go on Amazon.com and buy your own copy (in paper or on your kindle). You’ll enjoy the read and just may be encouraged to be more alert than ever to the “chance” encounters God has given you in life, and be on the lookout for the ones He still has coming your way.

Thanks, Dave, for this creative gift you’ve graced us with!

We are excited to announce that Hosanna Church in Lakeville, MN has joined the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC). Led by pastors Bill Bohline (pictured), Ryan Alexander Mike Swecker, Tim Hatt, and Patricia Moe, Hosanna’s mission is to advance God’s Kingdom everywhere, one person at a time. Hosanna values include intimacy with God, loving relationships, generosity, serving and evangelism.

I (Mike Bradley, ARC Director) recently had lunch with Bill Bohline, Ryan Alexander and Mike Swecker. As we ate together, Bill told me that Hosanna joined the ARC because of so many shared values between Hosanna and the ARC, particularly the non-negotiable value of embracing the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

We are looking forward to discovering how God would have the ARC serve and support Hosanna, and how He gives them revelation regarding their participation in the ARC. Hosanna is one of the latest of a number of churches who have been in process of joining and partnering with the leaders and congregations of the ARC. We look forward to announcing other churches and leaders who have joined the ARC in the coming months as they complete their application processes.

Please be praying for Hosanna and her leaders. Welcome, Hosanna, to the Alliance of Renewal Churches.