Report of the 19th Pentecostal World Conference
19th Pentecostal World Conference: Los Angeles, CA., May 29-31, 2001.
I went to my first Pentecostal World Conference in 1967. It was held in Rio de Janeiro, and the local churches in Brazil put a great deal of work into making that conference an occasion to long remember. I continued to attend PWC’s after that, and I traveled 2500 miles to Los Angeles at the end of May to take part in this year’s conference. The conferences are held every three years. Thousands of men and women God has raised up in the Pentecostal movement come together to celebrate what God has done, and to plan how to better bring the gospel in the power of the Spirit to the world.
The central point that God brought to me over and over during this year’s conference was that the Pentecostal church is a multicultural worldwide move of God. This movement is not focused on North America or the West, however that portion—my portion—of the world shares in the blessing that God has brought and is yet bringing. God is saving thousands of people every day in parts of the world that are often classified as “third world” countries. Pray for a similar Pentecostal outpouring in our land. I have seen what is happening below the equator, and we need that touch here where we live. I have watched people race to get to the altar first so that they could receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and not have to wait in a long line to receive this marvelous gift.
The conference combined workshops and plenary sessions, far too many to attend all that appealed to each of us that were there. These workshops were taught by leading men and women from all kinds of Pentecostal and charismatic backgrounds from many different cultures and nations. David Yonggi Cho was a presenter at two workshops. Other familiar presenters included Grant McClung, Wayne Cordeiro, David Petts, Adam Villarreal, Tommy Walker, Dick Eastman, Ed Silvoso, Vinson Synan, John Williams, Che Ahn, Jack Hayford, Roger Stronstad, Keith Phillips and more. I left with my bag filled with tapes from the conference that currently make my daily early morning walk something to anticipate.
I was fascinated by the teaching of Doug Oss who has built a vibrant Pentecostal congregation of 300 within eyeshot of the Mormon Temple in downtown Salt Lake City. His is a brilliant mind versed in the reality of the invisible. Suzette Hattingh, an associate evangelist with Reinhold Bonnke, spoke at a morning plenary session. I remember she digressed at one point in her talk and mentioned to the audience that Mr. and Mrs. Bonnke were the Godliest people she had ever known. Wow! Those words caught me. Do people who know you well, who work with you and for you, say this about you and your spouse? Think on that.
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