By Carol Bolden
Like the American Revolution, the Revelation Speaks Peace (RSP) seminar, held at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House during the month of January in downtown Denver, is history. There’s no more preparation, no more organization. The long months of groundwork and execution are past, yet there is still work to do.
According to Eric Nelson, RMC vice president for administration, each Denver-metro church has as many as 600 interests to disciple which involves continued Bible studies, building friendships, invitations to church and other events; in other words, continued evangelism. The 200 requests for baptism made during the series are expected to rise as more are mentored.
Looking back at 2017, we see Denver-metro churches reaching out to community members by dozens of church members sharing Bible truths, fanning out across the Denver-metro area making contact, making friends, studying and praying with the hundreds who responded to the Voice of Prophecy mailings offering Bible studies. Lives were changed and baptisms took place even before the seminar began.
The harvest continued during the event and, by its end, it was evident the series would persist in impacting lives as members maintain Bible studies and connect with RSP visitors.
Numerous guests came to the Revelation Speaks Peace meetings for varied reasons and needs. One found an RSP handbill in a trashcan. Another came after being released from prison. Some were battling disease, gang involvement, alcohol, drug use, and homelessness. Many were searching for a deeper understanding of Scripture. Not every story is known, but the cross-section of those who shared their stories point to a populace hungry for meaning.
The first night of the month-long meetings, January 5, saw 1,340 attendees which swelled to 1,672 one Sabbath later in the month. Some weeknights saw as few as 500, yet week- ends always brought the crowds again. As the seminar continued through the month of January, the numbers shifted from a majority of guests to a majority of church members.
Although some young people attended, it became obvious that the timing of the event was not convenient for the younger crowd who face nightly homework. The offering of music at the event would not necessarily appeal to today’s young crowd. “I thought the music fit very well into the opera setting,” commented Vivien Vasquez, a volunteer greeter at the meetings. But, while the music may have been somewhat old-fashioned, there were many who appreciated the music style and the message expressed in its lyrics.
Denver-metro pastors from 30 churches, involved from the beginning, continued throughout the meetings connecting Bible study interests with Bible study teachers, meeting with VOP leaders for planning sessions, opening the meetings with and making themselves available for prayer, and filling volunteer positions as greeters, Discover Bible Study Guide coordinators, ushers, and prayer warriors. During their final wrap-up meeting following the series, pastors expressed a desire to continue evangelism as a team each year, or at least every other year.
Many members, and even pastors, who no longer believe in the efficacy of public evangelism were moved by the response they saw to messages given from the platform during Revelation Speaks Peace.
Ushers who work for the Ellie Caulkins Opera House facility were frequently seen inside the auditorium listening to the messages, some even requesting prayer from pastors. These ushers expressed their appreciation for the meetings and wanted them to be a yearly event, one even saying, “I’m going to cry when you leave.”
The Newday Parker church plant in downtown Denver, which opened just before RSP began, had hoped to attract people from the meetings and give them a place to worship. They were disappointed that this hope did not prove true. Even so, they are involved in numerous outreach ventures aimed at blessing marginalized people in their area.
Myriad stories could be told of those in attendance. Christian Martin, pastor of Denver South Church, shared the story of Angel who is in his early 20s and paralyzed from the waist down. It was while Angel was hospitalized and waiting for an ultrasound that he prayed asking God why this had happened to him. In the middle of the prayer, Denver South Church member and ultrasound technician, Kevin, entered. There followed a spiritual conversation, which ended with prayer and a promise to stay in touch. The following week when the Discover Bible School initiative was launched, Kevin offered to study with Angel who was definitely interested, as were his mother, his brother, and his brother’s girlfriend. When the Revelation Speaks Peace seminar neared, Angel asked Kevin to take him to the meetings. This is just one story among many that could be shared.
“Some of the stories developing moved me deeply,” said RSP speaker Shawn Boonstra. “Based on past experience, I expect we may see as many as two or three hundred decisions when the dust settles.”
–Carol Bolden provides editorial support for the RMC communication department. Email her at: [email protected]