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!