We are excited to announce that Pete Greig will be one of the keynote speakers at our ARC 2011 Southwest Gathering: Prayer-Ushering in a Kingdom Uprising. Pete Greig is one of the founding champions of the 24-7 Prayer and Missions movement which has spread into more than half the nations on earth. He teaches at St Paul’s Theological College in London and serves as Director of Prayer for Alpha International, a course which has introduced fifteen million people to the gospel.

Pete and his wife Sammy are currently planting their third church, this one in Guildford near London where they live with their two sons and Noodle the Labradoodle. Pete’s books include Red Moon Rising, The Vision and God On Mute – Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer. He aspires to sail and despairs regularly over the woes of Portsmouth Football Club.

The gathering will be held in San Diego, CA on July 13-15, 2011 at Penasquitos Lutheran Church (PLC). Worship leaders will include Vineyard worship leader/pastor and ARC member, Danny Mullins; and the Young Adult worship band from PLC who rocked the house at last year's gathering.

We'll be sending you more details on a regular basis in the months to come, but for now,put the gathering on your calendar now and be sure to add some extra days to enjoy the beauty that is San Diego.

ARC member, Per Nilsen, has been installed as the new senior pastor for North Heights Lutheran Church in St. Paul, MN. Per (pictured along with North Heights pastor and ARC National Leadership Team member, Eric Bluhm, left; and ARC Director, Mike Bradley, right) served as lead pastor for Community of Hope Lutheran Church in Rosemount, MN, and as a member of the Board of Directors for The Master’s Institute (MI) Seminary prior to accepting this call to North Heights. He and his wife, Mary, have two sons.

Per shares: “The vision the Lord has placed on my heart is a vision for the Church that the ARC has been working toward since its inception; congregations integrated through vision and values, united in carrying out the work of Jesus Christ. I’m excited about the expanded role that North Heights can bring to the growth and development of the ARC. ”

Please keep Per in prayer for revelation and wisdom, and for the entire staff of North Heights, as they launch into this next season of ministry and adventure with the Lord.

Multiple God encounters were experienced at this year’s ARC Southwest Gathering, “The Empowering Presence,” held in late June at Robinwood Church in Huntington Beach, CA. The theme was designed to help us continue sowing an ARC core value in our lives - a radical dependence upon the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit - to the point it is a part of our spiritual DNA and something we live incarnationally, not merely acknowledge theologically.

Leading up to the gathering we were praying for God encounters and that is what we got. Testimonies of God encounters included people who prayed for an assurance of salvation, baptism in the Holy Spirit, fresh fillings of the Holy Spirit, and inner and physical healing. Others have shared how God met them in the midst of personal challenges in life, speaking prophetic words and words of knowledge to them. ARC Pastor Dave Drum shared that he was blessed with a God encounter before we even officially started the gathering. He writes:

“I came to the ARC very much in need of His empowering presence on a personal level. Before the conference even started, I was invited into a prayer group for the evening's leaders. Truthfully, I didn't feel like I had a whole lot to offer, but I went, and much to my surprise, God had something for me in that time. Within seconds after praying a prayer for myself, I heard someone else with a word of knowledge, praying for and prophesying over me the exact prayers I'd just prayed for myself. That ended up being the theme of the whole conference, songs sung just for me, prophetic words given just for me. I feel bad for everyone else, but sure am grateful for the ways God chose to bless and refresh me!”



The gathering featured wonderful times of worship together. Worship leaders Bob Mabry and Chris Hankins led two of the worship teams and we were blessed again this year to have the young adult worship team from Penasquitos Lutheran Church lead us. There were many wonderful workshops and an early morning chapel time led by Pastor Nathan Hoff that was a highlight for many who attended.

Pastor Brendon Fairley and other youth leaders planned and led a youth track for the gathering, with the teens joining young and older adults for many of the main sessions. Many teens were also subject of God encounters, some giving testimony to being baptized in the Spirit, filled afresh with the Spirit, and experiencing God’s healing touch emotionally and relationally. One testimony of what God was doing in and amongst the teens who joined us comes from Tyler Clark, a member of the Wonderful Mercy (Gilbert, AZ) youth group. Tyler writes:

"I know God was at The ARC Gathering in Southern California this June, but I had a hard time feeling His presence. I know that “where two or more are gathered He is there,” but it felt as if He was a million miles away, like a far-off stranger that no matter how fast I ran towards I couldn’t close the gap between us. In the end, though, He did show up because He is good and faithful. My encounter with God came during the Friday night session. I’ll describe it for you in present tense so you can get a feel for the moment.

I am standing, trying to make it through worship like I had the rest of the week. Then, unexpectedly, I feel an overwhelming pressure on my knee (which I had so badly injured it required surgery a few weeks earlier). I sit down, grit my teeth, and try to bear it, but it’s getting more and more intense. Almost as if someone or something is squeezing it.

Seeing I am in agony, Dirk (WMC youth pastor, Dirk Duhlstine) has Charlie Hayes get me a painkiller while I hobble the kitchen for some cold water. Thinking I’m going to be okay I return back to my seat, but I immediately break out into a sweat and start having a hard time breathing. Finally, Dirk tells me to go upstairs and I take off quicker than I’ve moved since my surgery. He even has to tell me to slow down!

Well, I’m almost in tears by the time I make it to my bed. I lie down, Dirk gets me ice and pillows, and then he leaves. I manage to keep my composure until I hear the door shut at the bottom of the stairs. Then I just let it all out: I cry and scream in pain. I clear my head enough to start praying. But then I just go numb. Fire engulfs me but it doesn’t hurt me, and I can hear other things crying out, being consumed by the fire. This fire is freeing, energizing, and even empowering.

After all this takes place I lie on my bed and all these happy thoughts and memories start going through my head. One sticks out like in bold letters in my head: baptism by fire! After that I could not be the same; I had God with me and I knew it now. I’d have to say this encounter was the most significant appearance He’s ever made to me.

Now, God is too good to let it stop there. Friday and Saturday mornings they had special youth sessions, and it wasn’t the teaching that touched me but what took place at the end. Brendon, the Youth Pastor of the other group that was there, encouraged us to be vulnerable with the people in your group. Of course, God just had to take me out of my comfort zone; He told me to go with people I had never met.

I managed to be obedient for once and went to a group with two guys and three girls: Lindsay, Morgan, McKenzie, Mike, Jonny, and me. Turns out Jonny and I were the only ones who felt safe enough to share deeply the first morning. My heart sensed safety among fellow believers my own age and I told them things I couldn’t even tell my mom. In turn that gave a sense of freedom to the others to share the next day. It gave me this joy that, well, blew my mind in these circumstances!

God is awesome. He knew exactly what I needed and at exactly the right time gave it to me. As I take time to look back on it, I see that God did some amazing things for me. I’m keeping in contact with the people that were in my group because we all have one thing in common: we love God and felt safe enough to share intimate things with one another and not be afraid of being judged.

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!"

Keynote speakers Lee Grady and Dave Householder blessed us, and the times of just hanging out and enjoying our relationships with one another was again a highlight for many in attendance. Not only was the time built in for those relationships a highlight but the tenor of the relationships had an impact on many. One person who attended wrote:

The most striking feature of the conference was the humility of all the leadership including Grady. I have been to a zillion conferences and while there is great teaching, you feel that the leadership/speakers are unapproachable. In the case of the ARC conference it was just the opposite. While the teaching was fine, what really blessed me was the people. I felt we were all in something together. It didn't matter that you were a pastor or lay person; it felt like we were all one. This makes the ARC special. This is something I hope and pray we never lose. I believe the ARC is a movement that God has raised up to show true humility and passion for kingdom things while being very relational.

Thanks again to Robinwood Church for doing such a wonderful job of hosting the gathering; particular thanks to Chris Hankins and Julie Ramsey who not only gave leadership to so many of the administrative details in putting this gathering together, but who truly modeled the life and attitude of Jesus for us while doing it.

Be watching your emails and the ARC website for an announcement on next year’s Southwest ARC Gathering to be held on June 22-24: Prayer – Ushering in a Kingdom Uprising.

ARC Leaders: Bring your spouse, congregational leaders and members, along with Friends of the ARC, to join in the fun and fellowship at:

THE EMPOWERING PRESENCE!
The 2010 Midwest ARC Gatherings

A gathering for all congregational members, leaders and pastors of ARC congregations and for all Friends of the ARC


Purposes:

• To provide a place where ARC members and Friends of the ARC can gather for
restoration and refreshing
• To proclaim and to minister one of the non-negotiables of the ARC: The
Empowering Presence of the Holy Spirit.
• To be encouraged, empowered, healed, and set free by encounters with the Holy
Spirit.
• To continue nurturing relationships between ARC members in a climate that is
free to foster authentic relationships.
• To worship the Lord and to bless Him as we gather together - teens, young
adults, and older adults - in the same room at the same time with the same Holy
Spirit.

Dates: Midwest Gathering: October 21-23, 2010

Location: North Heights Lutheran Church – Roseville, MN

Cost: $65 for adults; $40 for teenagers and young adults (under 30 years of
age)

It is for: Pastors, congregational leaders and all members of ARC churches and for
Friends of the ARC

What will those who gather experience?

• Experiential encounters with the Holy Spirit
• Inspiring, intimate and passionate worship
• Personal Prayer Ministry and Soaking Prayer Appointments
• Youth, young adults and older adults participating together
• Relationship building and nurturing between members and Friends of the ARC
• Vision Casting main sessions that impart hope and inspiration for ministry with
the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit
• Hands on experience in ministry with the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit
• Workshops that equip us to minister the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit
to others



Who will help lead and speak at this gathering?

• J. Lee Grady, Editor and Author, Charisma Magazine
• Robert Walter, ARC Pastor and Teacher; LeaderSource Ministries
• Mike Bradley, ARC Director and President, The Masters Institute Seminary
• Eric Bluhm, ARC Pastor North Heights Lutheran Church, Arden Hills, MN and
National Leadership Team Member
• Fred Thoni, ARC Pastor , Elmwood E. Free, and National Leadership Team member,
• Nathan Hoff, Pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church, San Pedro, CA
• Midge Wietzma, ARC Pastor, Wonderful Mercy Church, Gilbert, AZ
• Joseph Johnson, ARC Pastor, Grace Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach, CA
• Bob Mabry, ARC Pastor, Hope Community Lutheran Church, Long Beach, CA
• Peter Churness, ARC Pastor and Director, Lutheran Evangelistic Movement
• Joel and Marissa Bidderman, ARC Member, missionary to Apache Youth, and gifted
worship leaders
• More speakers and workshops to be announced soon

Sunday, June 13th was the day of my installation as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Powell, WY. In one sense, it was the culmination of a journey Mary and I started five years ago when we felt that God was calling me to attend The Master’s Institute Seminary. In another sense, it was just the beginning of a new journey. It was great to have Rev. Michael Bradley and Pastor Kevin and Laura McClure here to do the installation. Kevin and Laura have been a huge blessing to Mary and me over the years and Mike has become a good friend. This journey is helping us to learn that God’s timing is perfect.

I thought that once I graduated God would immediately call us into fulltime ministry. But He knew that I still needed to grow and receive more healing before I was ready.

We started conversations with Faith in the summer of 2008 and made plans to fly out to visit the congregation. When Pastor McClure and I returned from Chicago where we welcomed a church into the ARC, Mary said that she was having problems seeing out of her left eye. An appointment with her ophthalmologist revealed that she had a partially detached retina which required surgery later that day. Part of the surgery included injecting a gas bubble which helped hold the retina in place. This bubble aided the healing, but it also precluded any travel that involved a change in elevation. When Satan was trying to convince Mary that this had thwarted God’s plans, I felt that God was reassuring us saying, “My timing is perfect.” The problem is that even when we hear God speak we don’t take His words to heart.

When you are waiting for God’s perfect timing, you may become resentful that He isn’t moving as fast as you want Him to. I sure did. I started to resent The Master’s Institute for not getting me placed and wanted nothing to do with it. Can you imagine God wanting to inflict that kind of pastor on a congregation? Last summer, Mary wanted to go to the ARC Gathering in Huntington Beach and I reluctantly went with her. That gathering was pivotal in my receiving healing. I felt forgotten. The theme of the gathering was, Not Forgotten. The first day, Robert Walter came over to speak to me. That simple act began a release of feelings that lead to repentance and healing.

Once we accepted the call to Faith, we saw many instances of God’s perfect timing. Our house sold in six weeks. We found a house here in one day. Both the closings and the move went incredibly smooth.

We are starting to see how God has used this time in ways we never expected. Mary will be able to use her Elijah House Prayer Ministry training not only to help individuals but also to assist a member of our congregation in bringing Elijah House training to this area.

Before we arrived, the members of the congregation had to assume many of the duties that are usually reserved for the pastor. My continual goal is to empower them to keep doing many of these things so that we truly are the priesthood of all believers.

Saying that God’s timing is perfect is easy. Living it out is more difficult. We will keep seeking the will of God through the person of the Holy Spirit so that we are in step with God’s perfect timing. If you are waiting for your next kingdom assignment, you can be assured that--God’s timing is perfect.

An ARC ministry team traveled to the Nashville, TN area to be with ARC Pastor Tom Hilpert and New Joy Fellowship on April 22-24. ARC Leadership Team member, Bob Mabry (Hope Community, Long Beach), and ARC Director, Mike Bradley, spent the weekend with Tom and his family, and the New Joy congregation. Bob, a gifted worship leader as well as pastor, spent time with the New Joy Fellowship worship team, sharing a teaching on leading worship; and then with the team led worship on Sunday morning. Bob and Mike met with leaders for New Joy on Saturday, and then Mike shared a message on Sunday morning entitled, “Don’t Abandon Your Obedience.” Bob and Mike were available for prayer ministry and visiting following the service. The purpose of visits such as this is to encourage and strengthen ARC leaders and their congregations.

Of this visit Pastor Tom Hilpert writes, “We are a small congregation, and we are also a congregation that is geographically isolated from most of the rest of the ARC. There are times we ourselves have felt like ‘forgotten ones.’ Having Mike Bradley and Bob Mabry take time to visit us -- as insignificant in numbers and location as we are -- provided a tremendous infusion of grace for our church. Mike is a ‘connector’ and that is precisely what our congregation was needing at this point in time - a sense of connection to other churches and leaders who share our values and our mission. Bob is an encourager, and that powerful gift was also very valuable to us, not to mention his tremendous gift of leading us in worship. They showed us that the ARC is serious about being a relational network. I anticipate that the blessings from this past weekend will continue for some time afterward.”

If you’d like an ARC ministry team to visit your church, please contact Mike Bradley at: safeplacemb@gmail.com. Pictured in the photo are Pastor Tom Hilpert (left) and Bob Mabry (right). This picture was taken on a hillside behind the 10-acre family farm Tom and Kari own. By the way, Tom and Kari are both some of the gifted, creative artists God is gracing the ARC with. Tom is the author of a novel – the murder-mystery, “Superior Justice.” I read it recently and highly recommend it for those of you who enjoy that genre. Kari is a singer-songwriter. If you would like to order her cd, you can go to her website at: www.karihilpert.com.

Pastor Steve Mohr was installed as the new senior pastor for Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, a member congregation of the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC), on January 24th. ARC Director, Mike Bradley, National Leadership Team member, Eric Bluhm, and ARC Pastor, Kevin McClure, were present to officiate the installation and share in the joy for Steve and the congregation.

Steve writes, “I believe the day was special for a number of reasons. One, I was surrounded by special people; family, ARC leaders, and God's flock here at OSLC. Also I felt we were celebrating the birth of a new season for the church. While I don't know exactly how it is all going to look, my spirit tells me that as I wait upon the Lord, that He is going to do something special through this congregation that will be a blessing to many in our area and abroad. It is my prayer and hope that the kingdom of God will manifest itself in such a way that people will be attracted to the presence and power of God in this place. I pray that the ministry here will be a ministry of transformation, where lives are truly changed, and disciples are born because they have had an encounter with the living God.”

Congratulations to Steve and his wife, Linda; and to Our Savior’s. May God guide, provide, and empower you to not settle for less than all God has for you.