You Won't Believe What Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church Is Doing Now - CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON CHARISMA NEWS

Joel Osteen speaks with refugees at Lakewood Church. (Joel Osteen Ministries/Facebook)

You Won't Believe What Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church Is Doing Now

  9/18/2017 CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON  CHARISMA NEWS

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Houston's massive Lakewood Church will host a significant portion of the Jewish community for their High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Joel Osteen and his church, which meets in the former Compaq Center, volunteered to host the Congregation Beth Yeshurun after its Meyerland, Texas, facility sustained water damage from Hurricane Harvey.

Lakewood learned of the need when U.S. Rep. John Culberson asked the church to consider providing space for Beth Yeshurun during this important season.

"My immediate response was, 'Of course,'" says Jackelyn Viera Iloff, senior advisor at Lakewood Church/Joel Osteen Ministries. "It was a wonderful opportunity for us to do something for Beth Yeshurun. We have always been close friends with the Jewish community, and we have a wonderful relationship with Denis Braham [senior advisory board member of Beth Yeshurun]. We are honored they would consider us to replace their facilities for the special holiday coming up."

Lakewood is also making church volunteers available for the High Holy Days gatherings.

"Joel and Victoria want to ensure that our sanctuary is as comfortable and familiar as possible for the Beth Yeshurun congregation," Iloff says. "The Lakewood family—staff and volunteers alike—are very excited about this and are looking forward to the High Holy services. Everyone wants to help and be a part of it."

Iloff says Lakewood believes bringing another congregation onto its campus is "doable."

"Details were relatively easy to iron out because we have a team in place," she says.

After Hurricane Harvey passed through the area in late August, Lakewood "sheltered about 450 Houstonians at one time," Iloff says. "Now all of our shelter guests have moved on to other accommodations. As our guests transitioned, we worked with the city and county to help those needing long-term shelter and housing assistance."

Iloff expects future opportunities to open up for the church to interact with the Jewish community as a result of assisting Congregation Beth Yeshurun, led by Rabbi David Rosen.

"I cannot thank Joel Osteen enough for his sensitivity and his encouragement," said Rosen in a KHOU report. "It's a reaffirmation of the beautiful spirit of collegiality and interfaith conversation we have here in Houston."

Iloff noted that the Osteen family has "a great love for Israel and a heart for the Jewish people."

"We interact quite a bit with members of the Jewish community already," she says. "In fact, we are glad that they felt comfortable enough to approach us in the first place. They know that our hearts and our arms are always open to our Jewish brothers and sisters."

Congregation Beth Yeshurun practices Conservative Judaism and serves more than 2,000 families in the Houston area.

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Charlottesville Riots Reveal Need for 'Sweeping Revival and Spiritual Awakening' - CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON CHARISMA NEWS

A protester holds a sign reading "Racism is not Patriotism" at a march against white nationalism in New York City the day after the attack on counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Reuters/Joe Penney)

Charlottesville Riots Reveal Need for 'Sweeping Revival and Spiritual Awakening'

 8/13/2017 CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON  CHARISMA NEWS

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The Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA) is praying for peace and healing after Saturday's attack in Charlottesville, Virginia. The group, which represents thousands of churches, is calling upon the church to build bridges in light of the racial division in the U.S.

Several members, including Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, have also issued statements.

"When hell exhales, the outcome is hatred. Both unacceptable and diabolical, racism must be confronted by God fearing people," Rev. Rodriguez said.

Church of God in Christ (COGIC) President and Presiding Prelate Bishop Charles Blake, Church of God General Overseer Tim Hill and International Pentecostal Holiness Church Bishop Doug Beacham also spoke on the matter.

"The violence, hatred and white supremacy on display in Charlottesville, Virginia, must be condemned by all people of faith and goodwill," said Bishop Blake, representing the largest African-American Pentecostal Charismatic denomination in the U.S. "The injuries and death suffered by those supporting an end to the commemoration of the Confederacy are deeply saddening. We also regret any harm to their opponents. Our hearts go out to all who were hurt, and we call for an end to the violence."

Dr. Hill called for prayer in his statement.

"First, the prayers of the Church of God around the world go out to those that were injured and lost their lives today in the senseless act of hatred and violence in Charlottesville. While as a nation we support the right of freedom of speech and the right to freely assemble, racial hatred and bigotry should never be tolerated in any form. God created us all in His image and we are His children. Racial supremacy is not ordained by God and should never be condoned by the church or our society."

Church of God of Prophecy General Overseer Bishop Sam N. Clements also spoke out strongly on the violence in Charlottesville.

"The Church of God of Prophecy condemns racially motivated acts of violence in the strongest terms possible," Bishop Clements said. "These ungodly acts and racism itself are antithetical to the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, who called us to extend love to our neighbors and even to those we perceive to be our enemies. He was born into a violent, divided, hopeless society and offered the only viable solution, love that overcomes every cultural barrier. We mourn with the families of the victims of violence and pray for peace and love to overcome hate, prejudice and violence."

Pastor Aaron Campbell, president of the PCCNA Memphis Chapter, said: "I will be calling on the entire Memphis Chapter of the PCCNA churches and organizations in prayer to unite us as one to fight against racism and injustice. As Pastor Samuel stated, we are fighting against diabolical forces that can only be contained by spiritual means."

Bishop Doug Beacham of the International Pentecostal Holiness Churches commented on the divisions in the nation.

"As this Sunday morning dawns across the United States, let us remember that racial hatred and superiority are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ," said Bishop Beacham. "As we pray for our nation, let the body of Christ stand for righteousness, rejecting the hatred and nihilism characteristic of the division and polarization seeking to destroy us. As members of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, let us remember that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some of our earliest founders sought to express gospel unity with other races, despite strong cultural and legal barriers."

PCCNA President Jeff Farmer encouraged members to pray: "Father, lay the axe to the root of racism, prejudice and injustice in our cities and nations. Bring down arrogance, pride and hatred, and replace them with humility, love and righteousness. Heal the soul of our nation from the divisions that infect us. Show us how to demonstrate unity ... and live and walk united ... in the power of the Spirit. We are desperate for you to visit us again with a sweeping revival and spiritual awakening. Come, Lord Jesus, come!  And precious Holy Spirit, please bring peace and comfort to Charlottesville and all who were touched by this tragedy. What the devil intended for harm and mayhem, turn into healing and hope. You stand in faith that you will 'turn our mourning into dancing.'" 

To see comments from other Christian leaders on Charlottesville, click here for Charisma News' earlier story.

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Catholics Mark 50 Years of Holy Spirit Renewal With Golden Jubilee - CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON CHARISMA NEWS

Catholics Mark 50 Years of Holy Spirit Renewal With Golden Jubilee

 6/5/2017 CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON  CHARISMA NEWS

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Catholics, Pentecostals and evangelicals gathered May 31 - June 4 in Rome to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the move of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic church in 1967. Visitors from 130 nations were expected to attend as were 30,000 people from Italy.

"As every work of the Spirit leads to unity in diversity, the Holy Spirit wanted it to be ecumenical," Pope Francis declared in the Pentecostal vigil on Saturday, June 3, at the famed Circus Maximus.

The pope invited those involved in the renewal to remain faithful to the words of Christ in John 17, saying, "It is Jesus Himself who prays the Father for our unity, so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

Pastor Glenn Burris, president of The Foursquare Church, was invited to participate in the celebration of the renewal that happened when the Holy Spirit visited the Catholic community at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

"It didn't seem as much a celebration of what happened 50 years as maybe a call for a fresh Pentecost," Burris told Charisma News in a phone call from Rome.

"I heard unity. I heard gifts of the Spirit. I heard contending for new tongues. I heard contending for evangelism and the harvest," Burris added. "And while it may not have been said this distinctly, I think tying Pentecost to the fact that God sent the Holy Spirit during the Feast of the Pentecost, which is also referred to the Feast of the Harvest, somehow God has always linked Pentecost to harvest, so since it was Pentecost Sunday, or that was the next day, I think that's why the event was scheduled around that particular time, I think there was an intentional link to a coming of Pentecost but also a pursuit of harvest in these last days."

Pastor Burris also enjoyed the worship at the Golden Jubilee.

"What was really pretty unique and just kind of fun was to hear a lot of songs that we sing in either Pentecost or evangelical circles like 'Shout to the Lord,'" he said. "And they sang 'Majesty,' which I think was a powerful time, and then 'Holy Spirit, Come' and just a number of songs that I thought were powerful."

Burris noted how historic the event was, taking place in the crossroads of nations in Rome.

"God flipped this city and nation upside down with the gospel," he said. "Here we are sitting in the very area where Christians were martyred. Now in the same dirt we are lifting our hands and worshipping the Lord, so centuries ago, God just flipped the script and brought Christianity."

Gary Wiggins, pastor of Evangel Temple Assembly of God in Jacksonville, Florida, was also present for the Golden Jubilee.

"We worshipped with the pope two hours," Wiggins told Charisma Media founder and CEO Steve Strang. "[We] prayed in tongues, sang and prophesied. Truly the Holy Spirit is moving." 

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National Heal America Campaign Promotes Racial Harmony This Memorial Day - CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON CHARISMA NEWS

(Nicholas McComber/Getty Images)

National Heal America Campaign Promotes Racial Harmony This Memorial Day

May 26, 2017 CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON  CHARISMA NEWS

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Community activists who are part of the National Heal America Campaign Collaborative are marking Memorial Day as a second "A Time of Love and Reconciliation" opportunity. As part of a yearlong campaign, the collaborative is spreading the word about a 2008 congressional apology for slavery and Jim Crow policies and calling on African-Americans to practice forgiveness and reconciliation.

"Memorial Day began as a way to respect soldiers who fought and died for the Union and an end to chattel slavery during the Civil War," says Ted Hayes, a community activist and homeless advocate in Los Angeles. "I can think of no better time to also remember that our nation as a whole has come so far from the days of chattel slavery and Jim Crowism. Too many people don't realize the progress America has made toward racial reconciliation, and these days of healing are meant to enlighten them so that we can move on, and our society can achieve even greater things."

Organizers of National Heal America include Hayes; the Rev. C.L. Bryant, a minister, talk radio host and producer of the Runaway Slave documentary; Mike Siegel, an author, lecturer, attorney and talk radio host, and other civil rights activists.

The original "A Time of Love and Reconciliation," held April 3, 2017, featured talk show hosts across the nation reading and discussing House Resolution 194–a congressional apology for chattel slavery and Jim Crow policies approved by Congress on July 29, 2008.

This time, organizers are asking radio and television hosts to use the passage of this resolution–and a similar one passed by the Senate–as a tool to discuss how the government and the nation are seeking to atone for and move past the racial sins of previous generations and allow old wounds to heal.

The next observance will be June 19, known as Juneteenth, the anniversary of the date when slaves in Texas finally learned of the end of the Civil War and their emancipation. The yearlong campaign culminates April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of the death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Hayes emphasizes that the campaign is not about continuing white guilt.

"The congressional apology and our calling attention to it now is not meant to further castigate guilt upon white citizens," he adds. "Instead, it is a wonderful opportunity for blacks to practice the first principles of Judaic-Christian salvation by forgiving those asking for and seeking reconciliation. Since this offer of reconciliation from the federal government has gone largely unnoticed, black citizens were divested of the chance to practice the saving grace Jesus Christ preached. Our campaign is making up for this lost opportunity." 

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Together 2016 Draws Thousands to National Mall; Heat Ends Event Early - CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON CHARISMA NEWS

Thousands of young people join in unity on National Mall in Washington, D.C., Saturday for Together 2016. (Facebook)

Together 2016 Draws Thousands to National Mall; Heat Ends Event Early

7/16/2016 CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON  CHARISMA NEWS

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Thousands came to Together 2016 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Saturday to celebrate that "Jesus changes everything." Emergency Services shut down the event early, however, after medical personnel became overwhelmed with the number of people--more than 400--who were overcome by extreme heat.

Nick Hall of PULSE, which planned the event, tweeted: "This event has never been about coming to the Mall. It's about sending a generation out from the mall to share Jesus."

Hall shared a video on Facebook saying that they were "completely exhausted" but "excited at all that God did."

As for shutting down early, he said they wanted to continue but "just felt like the right thing to do was to show respect and try to listen." He also pointed out that it wasn't a coincidence that the event ended early, encouraging attendees to be witnesses for Christ.

"There might be somebody that needs Jesus that you're supposed to go talk to. ...  God is the one that leaves the 99 to go after the one," he said.

The event targeted millennials and drew many well-known speakers, from Pope Francis who appeared via video to apologist Ravi Zacharias to singer Michael W. Smith.

"I see people as far as my eye can see," hip-hop artist Lecrae tweeted. "I see people who should be referred to as brothers and sisters...Let's not be a religious community that walks by people who are struggling and hurting. If we're not a healing salve, we contribute to the pain."

Hall is already looking to the future.

"People are asking for Together events across the country and around the world," he said.

Rather than look at Together 2016 as a single-day event, Hall encouraged people to get the Together app, download the "7 Days With Jesus" reading plan and start prayer groups as they reset their lives with Jesus.

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Indian 'John the Baptist': God's Purposes Will be Fulfilled in America - CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON CHARISMA NEWS

Indian 'John the Baptist': God's Purposes Will be Fulfilled in America

7/6/2016 CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON  charisma news

"We have a great move of God that's birthing in India," Kumar said. "We sense an unusual unity with the churches and the pastors. Our leaders are coming together to pray for revival, and we are praying for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in India." (Nick Kenrick/Flickr/Creative Commons)

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During Sam Kumar's childhood in India, his faith-filled father dedicated him and his four brothers to five continents. Later in life, Kumar's father told him that his continent was Africa, but Kumar has been preparing the way for revival all over the world like a "John the Baptist."

Kumar, who later helped to establish relationships for the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in India, leads India Center for Revival in South India. With two master's degrees from Regent University, he is well-prepared to serve the body of Christ in the 55 countries to which he has traveled to study revival.

Persecution has increased in his home country, church buildings are being burnt, and pastors and believers are being attacked. But God is moving among His people in that great land.

"We have a great move of God that's birthing in India," Kumar said. "We sense an unusual unity with the churches and the pastors. Our leaders are coming together to pray for revival, and we are praying for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in India."

As a child, he didn't understand everything that was happening in his home—his brother once appeared to be dead when the angels took him to heaven for four hours—but the Holy Spirit was clearly at work.

"God placed the burden for the world in our hearts," he said. "When we were kids, we didn't know all this. All we knew was we were dedicated to the continents and to the nations."

After attending Bible college in India, he came to America in 1991 to study at Elim Bible Institute in New York with just $20 in his pocket. Along the way, God taught Kumar that he has many people to pray and provide for him, and in large part because of that provision, he has been able to travel the globe.

Kumar says God is setting up "revival hubs" all around the world. The Lord has led him to do "Spirit-led research" on revival and says, "He wants us to pray so that we are prepared."

He observes that there have been revivals in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Chile, Korea and India, among other places where God is moving, and he expects to see more.

Although Kumar has observed changes in America, he affirms the fact that this country was dedicated to God at Cape Henry, Virginia, on April 29, 1607. God led Kumar to Cape Henry when CBN celebrated the 400th anniversary of that dedication in 2007.

"God was reminding me that this was a nation that was dedicated to God," Kumar says, adding, "God's purposes will be fulfilled. When you give it to God, it's in His hands."

Revival is ever on Kumar's heart and mind, and it was the day he visited Cape Henry too.

"One of the things God spoke to us is that there would be flames of revival in the last days," he said.

Kumar is among those praying that God will again visit the United States.

"God's hand will be on this country and heal this land," he says.

Kumar also believes when God uses you, you become "a nobody," and that God is working in all denominations.

"I met with the Catholics in Rome. God opened doors to share in the Moravian Church." He has seen revival among Methodists and Presbyterians and says, "There is no way there's going to be revival without Catholics."

Although Kumar is "more from the Pentecostal line," he didn't really care for the word "Pentecostal" until he realized more fully what it meant and how it related to revival.

"I think God is bringing all the Christians together (in) unity," he says. "Revival is global. Revival is, 'I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh' (Acts 2:17)."

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Gunman Plotted to Kill Christian Singer Christina Grimmie - CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON CHARISMA NEWS

Gunman Plotted to Kill Christian Singer Christina Grimmie

 6/11/2016 CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON  charisma news

Christian singer Christina Grimmie's life ended in tragedy at an Orlando, Florida, concert venue.

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The gunman who shot Christian singer Christina Grimmie Friday night traveled to Orlando, Florida, specifically to kill the contestant from NBC's 'The Voice,' according toUSA Today. Grimmie reportedly did not know the assailant.

The singer, 22, died Saturday at an Orlando hospital after the gunman shot her at the Plaza Live Theater while she was signing autographs for her fans. She was the opening act for the band Before You Exit.

Orlando police say a 27-year-old white male came to the concert venue from another Florida city and was armed with two handguns and a hunting knife. Her brother tackled the gunman, who then proceeded to shoot and kill himself.

"@TheRealGrimmie died from those gunshot wounds," tweeted Orlando police. "Her brother is a hero and possibly saved countless other lives. He is not injured."

"We believe he came here to commit this crime," Orlando Police Chief John Mina said.

Police have not yet disclosed the name of the gunman.

Fans shared their love for the singer on Twitter with the hashtag #prayforchristina. 

"People are seriously so crazy, gone too soon," singer Selena Gomez tweeted.

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