God effecting a shift in the atmosphere for good; people receiving a gift of repentance from the Lord toward one another and a desire to be set free from sin; numerous prayers for the baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit; prophetic words of encouragement; relationships being reconciled; equipping in moving in the gift of prophecy in a responsible manner and training in praying for others for the baptism of the Holy Spirit; and prayers for a wide variety of needs in their lives or in the lives of people they know and love. All this and more marked the Spiritual Renewal Weekend at Celebration Lutheran Church in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The ARC sent a team comprised of Fred Thoni and Mike Bradley to be with and serve the leaders and people of Celebration on October 3rd through 5th. Members of the congregation and visitors from the community attended the renewal weekend, which was comprised of keynote sessions and workshops, personal prayer appointments with church staff members, worship, personal prayer and prophetic ministry following the keynotes sessions, and divine appointments over coffee, tea, or meals shared together.

A gifted young adult worship team led by Nick Kelm filled the atmosphere with harp and bowl worship. On Saturday morning, Fred taught two workshops, one on “A Responsible Use Of the Gift of Prophecy,” and the second on, “Praying for Being Baptized in the Spirit.” Mike shared keynote sessions on “Don’t Settle For Less,” “Everyday Encounters,” and “What’s In The Air Makes A Difference” during the weekend.

When asked his thoughts on the weekend, lead pastor Cory Illingworth said: “After having Mike and Fred here I have had a smile on my face that just hasn’t been there for a while. These two faithful servants of the Lord were such a rich blessing to our staff, our congregation, and me. Mike spoke three times while he was with us and all three times the laughter and joy in our sanctuary was refreshing. He spoke with honesty and sincerity, and shared biblical truth. Fred did two teaching sessions with us on Saturday morning. He was so filled with the Holy Spirit’s presence. If you are looking for an incredible resource to facilitate a renewal weekend at your church, then you need look no further then Mike Bradley as a main speaker and Fred Thoni as a great resource in teaching on the Holy Spirit. They were a gift to a weary shepherd who needed a fresh wind at the right time.”

Looking back on the weekend Fred said: “God’s message of his Scandalous Love of God, the topic for the weekend at Celebration seemed truly relevant and extremely timely for Celebration. It was so touching to see how the Father poured out his love and grace on the staff members. The anointing of the Holy Spirit was powerfully tangible during the ministry times each evening and Sunday morning. It was obvious that God was moving as so many times tears were flowing down the faces of these precious brothers’ and sisters’ faces.”

It was a great time with a wonderful group of God’s people. We are very thankful to have a congregation such as Celebration a part of the ARC network. If you would like an ARC Ministry Team to come to your church, contact ARC Director Mike Bradley at: safeplacemb@gmail.com.