Wisconsin District News

A message from Alabama District Supt. J. Stanley Davidson

Friends,

It is still impossible to tell how hard Alabama has been hit with tornadoes and storms. We know the massive storm that plowed through Tuscaloosa and Northern Birmingham was devastating, but other areas of the state have been hit hard also. Cullman is once again reeling from natural disaster. These are not the only places. In fact, they are so numerous that we cannot mention them all here.

Reports from our pastors in these hard hit areas are not good. There is still much death and devastation being found, and there are still many people missing in these areas. Two deaths and several injuries were sustained by United Pentecostal people across the state. At this point, it appears that there is no significant damage to our church buildings, but several of our members have lost homes. The tornado that hit near Redeemed Apostolic (Pastor Matt Edmonson) in Tuscaloosa skipped over the building and there appears to be no significant damage. Of course, there is still much to be discovered. Please keep praying for our people and for the people in Alabama in general.

Rev. David Hall had surgery last evening to fuse some broken vertebra in his back. He lost his wife in the storm, which, to quote one of our area pastors, was not survivable. I have seen pictures of his home and it is indeed a miracle that anyone could survive. We really need to keep praying for him and the family in Moulton who lost their 12 year old daughter. We also have some people hospitalized from injuries.

Relief efforts are under way. Two relief groups from out of state that are either UPCI or connected with us are bringing truck loads of supplies into the state. Our Disaster Relief Coordinator is Rev. Michael Markham. Office Max has agreed to work in conjunction with us and will be supplying some relief for the area. We are hoping to reach into Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Cullman with these goods. We will need some manpower to help in distribution. You can reach Bro. Markham at (205) 938-0182. He is working diligently to arrange delivery of these goods at this time. A special thanks to Reach Out America from Dallas, TX, a UPCI based Relief Organization, for a quick response. We will give credit to the other sources as the information comes in.

Meanwhile, if you are aware of any area disaster that may have missed our notice, please let me know. The high volume of calls may require a return call from me, but I want to be aware of any way that we can help our brothers and sisters in time of need. There are severe power outages from Birmingham north and shortages of gasoline in some areas. These power outages are expected to last from 7 to 10 days in most areas. Please let us know if we can help in any way.

The Work Week for the Campgrounds scheduled for next week is still planned. We can use as many workers as possible, but we make the disaster relief a priority. We will take care of all essential maintenance issues and tackle the other issues based on available manpower.

Thank you for your continued prayer and support. Our Disaster Relief Fund in the District is available to help purchase items needed if necessary. Keep praying and supporting, and God will bring blessing out of the rubble of ruins.

J. Stanley Davidson

The North Central Junior Extravaganza was held April 24/25 in Moline, IL. Teams from Calvary Gospel Church (Madison), Parkway Apostolic Church (Oak Creek), Apostolic Faith Church (Racine), and First Pentecostal Church (Sheboygan Falls) represented the Wisconsin District at the tournament.

In the Beginner Division of the North Central Extravaganza the team from Apostolic Faith Church took first place.

In the regular Junior Division, Calvary Gospel Church took third place and the teams from First Pentecostal Church and Apostolic Faith Church tied for fifth place.

On the individual side, Elijah Thompkins (Racine) and Collin Czerniakowski (Madison) made the Junior All Tournament Team. In the Beginner Division, Riley Doerflinger (Racine) made the All Tournament Team.

By winning first place in the Beginner Divsion, Racine automatically qualifies for the National Junior Bible Quiz Tournament in Branson, MO in July.

Bro Henry R. Budzinski
WI District Junior Quiz Master

An historic event occurred on March 28 & 29, 2008. The Spirit of the Lord poured out in a mighty way in the North Central Regional Spanish Conference held at Parkway Apostolic Church in Oak Creek, WI.

A total of 65 souls received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and 11 were baptized in water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Spanish-speaking saints from several surrounding states attended the conference. There was an approximate attendance of 1200 people.

The success of the conference was under the direction of Brother Guerrero the Regional Spanish Coordinator from Detroit Michigan and the Wisconsin Spanish Ministries. Brother Hopkins, Regional director of Mexico and the Caribbean, preached both Friday night and Saturday evening services, and Sister Hopkins ministered to the Ladies in the Saturday sessions. Brother Vitanza held a special session with the ministers, in which there were some Trinitarian Pentecostals who were also tremendously blessed. Our youth were blessed under the anointing of Brother Morales from Indiana, and Calvary Gospel Church’s Kidz Rageous team ministered to over 200 children in the kids’ church.

The conference was blessed by the musical talents of the Parkway Spanish Ministries music team, Green Bay UPC’s music team, A.L.M.A.S Milwaukee, Sister Jennifer Choconta of A.L.M.A.S., and specials sung by the singing group Maranatha. As always, the Spanish-speaking music and worship are power-packed!

The whole experience of the Regional Conference was tremendous. There was a Holy anointing over all the services and classes, and many saints rejoiced in the Word and fellowship. What a blessing and honor for the Spanish-speaking saints of the Wisconsin District!

Report and pictures submitted by Pastor Raul Aguire, Madison