Tuesday
Dave led worship. At the altar service an older lady
had a vision, she saw angels touching the 
heads of many of the
children and they turned purple. Dave said there are
children in hell today because they never accepted
Christ. He then turned and lead an entire group
gathered on the side of the altar in the sinner's
prayer.
By
David Sorrell - Remnant Childrens Editor
In July 1999 we experienced one of
the most powerful ministries we have had here at
Berlin Christian Fellowship. As I was praying and
planning for our Vacation Bible School, the Lord told
me to ask Dave Sorrell to come and minister.
When Dave arrived on the first day
he was all smiles, hugs, and encouraging words.
The evening was moving along
without a hitch. Our live band ready, we soon began
what turned out to be the start of a wonderful night
and week. The worship was wonderful -- you could see
the genuine response and expressions of the kids in
worship to the Lord. We weren't entertaining the
kids, they were occupied with the presence of the
Lord. The music was the vehicle in which the kids
expressed their love to the Lord. There was a very
real and undeniable presence of the Lord. I then
asked "what are you doing now, Lord?" I
then turned the service over to Pastor Dave. It was
what he did next that impressed me-even to this day.
He didn't do anything! That's
right, he didn't start with an object lesson to woo
the crowd or do something to get their attention. He
invited the Lord to come and have His way, Dave spoke
a few words of encouragement to various children, and
remained in that presence for most of the teaching
time. He then extended his hands out and over each
section and said, here it comes - a wave of God's
glory. Some of the children fell out in the spirit as
they were just sitting there. At the end of the
service the children poured to the altar for
ministry-so much we could hardly handle. The kids
stayed for more than just a quick prayer, they wanted
to linger in God's presence. The children just stayed
past the time we had scheduled to dismiss. This is
what I've prayed for for many years. Times of
saturation in the Lord. It's the kind of experience
that makes you want to come back for more-- like, for
the rest of your life.
In the end, the fruit has been
lives changed for many of the kids. Many have
continued in their passionate pursuit of the Lord. I
am very thankful for Dave and the way he handled that
first night, because it set a precedent. It told us
all that the most important thing to do is seek the
Lord and stay in step with him. Tuesday Dave led
worship. At the altar service an older lady had a
vision, she saw angels touching the heads of many of
the children and they turned purple. Dave said there
are children in hell today because they never
accepted Christ. He then turned and led an entire
group gathered on the side of the altar in the
sinner's prayer.
Needless to say, the rest of the
week went very well, but it seemed the best was yet
to come. Our Senior Pastor, Tim Troyer, had asked
Dave to stay for the Sunday morning service and
preach to the adults. Pastor Dave was a little
reluctant as he unashamedly said that children is
where ministry is really happening. But Pastor Tim
asked him to share his heart on what he is seeing
happen and how God sees destiny children.
What an honor it was to listen to
Pastor Dave as he laid out a very convincing and
convicting message "Children of Destiny."
Although the message was enlightening as Dave used
humor to drive hone a strong message, it was the way
he closed the service that still brings comments
especially from fathers. We had the children stay in
the service. Pastor Dave called the fathers and their
children to the altar. Many came and filled the front
arm-in-arm, hand-in-hand. Dave spoke about the
importance of the father's blessing and the power of
forgiveness of wrongs committed by the fathers and by
their children. He led the fathers in a prayer of
forgiveness and did the same with the children. One
touching picture was a father with his arms wrapped
around his 12 year old son. They were both crying.
This truly was a divine moment that is only a part of
the first fruits that will be reaped in this area. It
reminded me of Luke 1:17 ..hearts of the fathers will
be turned to the children...Oh what a tender moment
of honesty, forgiveness, repentance, and tears can do
for the freedom and healing of many hearts. This was
most certainly a time of ministry that will have
lasting effects for those directly involved at the
altar and many who watched, bondages were broken and
hurts healed.
I pray you have been encouraged by
these experiences, and I long to see the fulfillment
of all God has for ministry to and through children.
Berlin is located in the north east
part of Ohio in Holmes County. This is a beautiful
area, which has the largest population of Amish in
the World!
As I walked into Berlin Christian
Fellowship I sensed a spirit of excellent. There in
the gym was a complete Veggie town. All the buildings
were made of real wood, not cardboard. You could see
where local businesses had donated items for the
town. There was even a real car for the car
dealership.
I soon met the Children's Pastor,
James Yoder. He's a humble man, behind his smile is
an outstanding children's minister. James is a
graduate of Elim Bible Institute and has been the
children's pastor at BCF for over 9 years. He directs
an awesome ministry to children with one part-time
staff, Susie Hershberger, four directors and over 60
volunteers.
I had dinner with James and his
wife Carol -- she helps lead worship and their two
wonderful boys, Andrew (6) and Cameron (4). Their
home radiates with love and the boys showed me all
their Veggie Tales collections.
On Monday night the praise was
awesome so I asked the keyboard player, Kevin Peck,
to stay and just play. I sensed the River of God
flowing. I didn't share most of what I had planned,
as God's power and glory took over!
The next morning as I was reading
my Bible I read Psalms 63:2 "I have seen you in
the santctuary and beheld your glory."
I met with Senior Pastor, Tim
Troyer, he shared a vision he had with me. He saw a
man who had a successful ministry, but the angels in
heaven didn't take much notice of him. Then an
ordinary man began to pray, then all the angels took
notice and were very attentive to his every word.
Pastor Tim and I then were talking
about the Sunday service. He told me that he would be
out of town Sunday as he was performing a wedding in
Loveland, Colorado. I was then stunned, because I had
just returned from a children's consulting meeting at
Group Publishing located in Loveland, Colorado! We
then knew God's destiny was on this week.
Pastor James is a frequent kids's
camp speaker. He preached both Wednesday and Thursday
under a powerful anointing. You can easily sense his
passion for kids and his love for the Lord. He has
directed his ministry team to write their own
two-year curriculum for children age 2 to 12 years
old.
Sunday as I passed an Amish family
in their buggy my eyes filled with tears as I
wondered as they were heading to their Sunday meeting
if they knew the Lord. I was thankful to minister in
a church that's not held captive by religion, but is
seeking to know God in his Glory.
James Yoder is the Children's
Pastor at Berlin Christian Fellowship 1-330-893-3115
