I just had the joy of preaching at Central United Methodist Church in Fayeteville, Arkansas. Fayeteville is the home of the Hogs, an Arkansas college football team. This church is the home of great men and women of God, people who want to see the kingdom of God prosper in this nation. It is perhaps the largest United Methodist church in Arkansas. In all my years as a traveling evangelist, I have never seen a more humble, hungry and determined group of United Methodists.

This church worships in all services, and they have five services every Sunday! The young, the old, the intellectual, the poor, the rich, the student and the blue collar worker sing together with unity and enthusiasm. In all of my years, I don’t believe I have ever seen United Methodists who love each other so much.

I met people who look at the cross with pride. When the invitation to come to the altar for prayer was presented to them, they came with faith in their faces. The altar was filled at every service with most of them praying as if it was the last time they would ever pray. Hearts were burning with the love of God. Children were praying for their parents, and couples were kneeling together embracing at the foot of the cross.

It seems a though I have been in heaven for five days and now it is difficult to return to earth. People like Toni, Kenneth, Julie, Brian, Steven, Bill, Sue, Jennifer, Sarah, Beth, Harriet, Brown, Dirk, David, Les and Sue, Pam and many others will remain in my memory forever.

“Give them something to eat,” Jesus said to his disciples (Luke 9:13). The opportunity to feed over 5000 people with only two loaves and five fish was meant to arouse the faith of the disciples. The exercise was to create something out of nothing. God does wonderful things out of nothing. You might say that faith is to believe in nothing in order to create something. The multiplication of bread and fish was a sign of the type of faith which would bring forth the kingdom.

You want this faith. It is at times, seemingly completely out of reach, but a glimpse of it and you will never be the same. No wonder the Apostle Paul speaks of the righteous living by faith.

This weekend God descended into Fayeteville, Arkansas and He met people with this type of faith. The church, the city and the state will never be the same. Halleluia to the Lamb of God!

Rick Bonfim

Edited by Betty McKinney