Pentecost in Korea
The story of General William Booth of the Salvation Army, who after rereading the Acts of the Apostles cried out from the depths of his soul, "Do it again, dear Lord! Do it again!" applies to our workers here in Korea. Realizing that Pentecost came after ten days of earnest prayer and fifty days of preparation, we have felt moved to plan for the holding of ministerial retreats for about three days before our evangelistic campaigns begin. And the Lord has surely blessed His people.
It was inspiring to see thousands of our faithful members entering into the spirit of the campaign here in Seoul. Hundreds came to our all-night prayer seasons, and hundreds of others went out into the streets speaking to the people and extending an invitation to the meetings. The results are
Large Evangelistic Campaign Led by Church Pastor
Between hurricanes, riots, and financial drives, W. J. Cleveland, pastor of the New Orleans church of 800 members, conducted an eight-week evangelistic campaign which resulted in 119 baptisms. This was the most fruitful public effort run by a pastor in the North American Division in 1964. The whole Cleveland family as well as the church became an evangelistic team.
It appeared at first that the request for a permit to hold such a meeting would be denied because this is a strong Catholic territory. But the church members were led into a special season of prayer. This opened closed doors. The audiences were large from the beginning. The visiting list quickly exceeded five hundred.
Three large families joined as a group, thus swelling the harvest. Five baptisms were conducted. The first netted seventy-three souls. Despite racial disturbances in the area of the meetings and torrential rains and a hurricane, interest remained strong and the Lord prevailed.
In addition to this, time was found to organize a church; to make a concrete walk around the church building; to renovate the church; to raise an $8,000 Ingathering goal, bury the dead, and encourage the living.
From this pastor-evangelist's experience this past summer he is convinced that if a shepherd has time for anything, it is winning souls!
