🎉 FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY 🎉
🎉🙌🏻 WHAT AN INCREDIBLE NIGHT!! 🙌🏻🎉 We are so very thankful for the privilege to have celebrated the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of “Redeeming Hope” with Ripley Baptist Temple. This church holds a special place in our hearts ❤️, and it was humbling to see them rally together and work so hard to host this special event! 🙏🏻 (Thank you, Pastor Rick Perrine, for believing in this film and allowing the Lord to use your church!)
Above all, I was ‼️ SHOCKED ‼️ to see our dear friend and fellow-laborer, Pastor Stacey Shiflett (who plays the lead role of the film), walk through the doors. (WHAT??? 😭 Yes! I was blown away.) Yesterday morning he decided to jump in his truck and drive all the way from Baltimore (6 hours one way) to be with us!! “Redeeming Hope” would have not been possible without his personal commitment to this project and without his church’s sacrificial involvement on so many levels (sets, props, actors, extras, giving, etc). I thank God for his deep friendship and kindred spirit!!
The Lord blessed us with a wonderful crowd last night. At least a couple hundred people showed up to watch the film with MANY guests and visitors! One family that came saw the billboard advertisement, peaking their curiosity. Right after, they found an invitation card sitting on a shelf in Walmart, which they eagerly took so they could be here last night!
There were FOUR precious souls that I know of who trusted Christ as their Personal Saviour! 🙏🏻🙌🏻 According to testimonies, God used the film in a mighty way to stir the hearts of a vast majority there to commit themselves to personal soulwinning and fervent intercession for the lost. Many came to the altar during the invitation to seal those decisions.
For the event, we designed a special “Comment Card”. The ushers distributed these (along with a pen) to everyone in their seats after the invitation and after we honored any law enforcement, veterans, active military, and full-time ministry workers in attendance with a special “Redeeming Hope” Challenge Coin. While Katie and I sang 🎶 “To Rescue a Sinner Like Me”, the audience had an opportunity to fill them out and share how God spoke to their hearts.
✅ One child wrote — “The movie helped me to pray for sinners!”
✅ Another said — “This film was an eye opener to be a more intense Soulwinner for Christ!”
✅ “God spoke to me to be a better Soulwinner.”
✅ “I do not share the Gospel enough.”
✅ “I’ve been far from God for a while, and this film made me realize that God is never too far…”
✅ “Burdened my heart for the lost, especially family members. Made me realize I need to pray more.”
✅ “This film was so real. It brought tears to my eyes.”
✅ “Burdened my heart for lost souls. So many hurting, so many needing the Lord. Gave me an urgency…”
✅ “It brought to light how I need to work on my personal soulwinning.”
These testimonies are just but a few…. Several wrote how their hearts were flooded afresh with thankfulness for the grace of God and renewed in the joy of salvation. Several also used words like: “Touching” 🔥 “Very Emotional” 🔥 “Convicting” 🔥 “Heart-warming” 🔥 and “Inspiring.” 🔥 TO GOD BE THE GLORY!! 🙌🏻
One friend on Facebook kindly wrote: “One of the other things that made this movie a standout was that it had absolutely none of the cheesiness or cringe moments that I’ve seen so many other faith based movies have. It was much more real and gritty. Certain scenes in particular hit home for me due to losses I’ve experienced in my family. But in the end, we were reminded of the unrelenting love and forgiveness that God’s grace brings — even through the lives of those on the receiving end of the hurt. I strongly recommend this movie and sharing this experience with so many others tonight was a blessing! ‘Redeeming Hope Crusades’ is going to impact many more lives for eternity!”
This is certainly our fervent prayer. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 We claim Psalm 118:23, “This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” I believe that eternity will reveal the far-reaching impact of what God did last night in a special way. Souls will be saved! Prayers will be answered! A continued state of revival will be experienced!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, “Redeeming Hope”. Over the past 365 days, 14,000+ souls have come the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost through this tool of the Gospel. 😭🙌🏻😭 Please join with us in praying for God to continue to pour out His blessing and Spirit upon this evangelistic undertaking!!
Psalm 2:8 — “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”
#IntercedeForTheOutpouring
#DarknessToLight
#RendtheHeavens
#RedeemingHopeCrusades
