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The crowd was huge for 212˚ as over 500 middle and high school students filled the floor of Victory’s main sanctuary. The band started to play, and the electrifying worship, that has become so characteristic to 212˚, began. Students rushed to the front with the sort of passion that it seems only young people can bring to their pursuit of God.

The word was clear, blunt and sobering as Donny Pauling, a.k.a., Donovan Phillips, ex-porn producer, revealed the cold, harsh realities of an industry and lifestyle bound in sexual perversion. His in-your-face tone and matter-of-fact way of saying things brought an emotion that is seldom felt in a crowd full of teenagers…gravity.

His raw presentation of not only the facts, but his own brokenness, earned their respect. His transparency was admired by all as he spoke to a generation who esteem honesty as, perhaps, their greatest virtue.

As I looked across the crowd, I saw young men who I’ve walked with over the years in their struggle with pornography. Even as I think of their battle now, my heart breaks for them. After the service was over, I saw one of these young men…and in his eyes, I saw a light…I sensed in him the freedom of a man who has just heard the truth. (See John 8.32) It was the look of a man (and I think it was this way for many) who still had a disease, but had just found the cure.

I think that Porn and Pizza was the beginning of a conversation wherein many will “confess their sins that they may be healed.” It was the beginning of a journey for those whose pursuit of God will not be impeded by the “besetting sins” of this world. May they run and not grow weary; may they walk and not faint! ~ Levi C.

A few weeks ago, families at Victory World Church gathered in our V3 building for an evening of family fun, praise and worship called Elevate. During normal services here at Victory, children are in the various classes provided by the Children’s Ministry while their parents attend service. Elevate, hosted by Pastor Randal McNeill, Family Ministries and VicKids Children’s Ministry, provided an opportunity for families to worship together for the first time this year.

The evening started with games for the families to play. First, the moms were put to test by participating in a hula-hoop competition. Two more rounds of hula-hoop competition involving children and a dad followed it. Next was a real treat with the dads squaring off in a dance competition. One of the dads did a ground crawl and brought back some moves from back in the day. The third game was Are You Smarter than a VicKid?, in which parents took turns answering questions that varied from 1st to 5th grade topics. After the games, the Victory Vida Band led praise and worship, keeping everyone on their feet as the little ones danced around in bare feet or bounced to the beat of the music while sitting on their fathers’ shoulders.

Thereafter, Flatman & Bobbin entertained the whole family with a pre-recorded skit, in which they illustrated the tremendously positive ripple effects of encouragement on those around us. According to one of the characters, parents who were encouraged as children will also encourage their children, and this cycle of encouragement continues. While it was certainly entertaining, the message of the skit was powerful and set the tone for Pastor Randall’s message to the parents.

Click graphic to play video.
(No graphic? You may need to download the Quicktime player.)

After the Flatman and Bobbin video, the children were taken to their classes for age-relevant lessons while Pastor Randal delivered a thought-provoking message entitled, “Priming the Pump,” to the adults. (Click here to download a PDF of the notes.) Pastor Randal emphasized the importance of parents creating an atmosphere of encouragement and showing respect for their children. He also talked about speaking life into our children and the importance of children honoring their parents. Punctuating the message with humorous personal anecdotes, he also used a water hose and bucket to fully illustrate his point that as we fill, the flow continues to come forward.

At the close of his message, parents were given paper raindrops and asked to write something special about their children on them. The highlight of the evening came when the beaming children, carrying small silver buckets, filed back into the room met by standing and cheering parents who placed the raindrops into each child’s bucket. To seal the blessings that were presented to the children, each family was asked to gather in small groups for the parents to pray over their children, and the children to pray over their parents. That night, the children of Victory World Church were given a gift that is sure to continue to flow.

The evening was capped off with Pastor Randal bringing his family, including his parents who were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, up on the stage. He then demonstrated the meaning of his message as each member of the family took turns blessing, encouraging and speaking words of love to one another. After Pastor Randall prayed over all the families represented, everyone was invited to celebrate with the McNeal’s by partaking in their anniversary cake.

In case you haven’t heard, throughout the summer, Fusion, our 20-somethings ministry has left the building and is taking it to the streets, engaging the community as Jesus would! Just because they aren’t having formal services doesn’t mean they’re just kicking back for the summer. No, through Fusion small groups and social justice projects they’re sharing Jesus with our community in real and practical ways, reaching out to neighbors, helping people in need and shining the light of God’s love into dark places. Check out these video blog posts highlighting some of what God’s already been doing in and through them:

And that’s not all! Check out the Fusion Blog to see what else is has been going on.

Plus, the summer’s only half over! There’s a lot more to come!

Day 1

Victory has a full house many times a year, but never quite so electric as when over 1,400 teens pressed into God’s presence through worship at Jesus Culture. The room shook with the sounds of passionate worship as teens ready for worship cried out for His heart and His presence.

On the first night of Jesus Culture, Benny Perez brought the message. His first words to the group were, “God said, I’m going to begin to pour things in – My Spirit, in unusual ways – and pour things out – things you’ve been carrying. God is doing a work in not just this generation, but in anyone who wants Him.” He admonished the teens that God has an appointed time and an anointing that we don’t expect. He is always looking for a young person upon whom to release an anointing. The Lord wants that young person to rise to become more powerful – rise in purity, rise up to become a revivalist. He reminded us that the anointing in our lives rises as we give it away.

This generation has been through more brokenness and pain than any generation, but God is saying, “Rise up!” God wants to lift us up by His grace and by His anointing. If we think we can do it, then it would be all about us. But when we know we can’t do what is before us, then it’s all about Him.

Day 2

Cries of “Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” reverberated across the sanctuary on Thursday night as over 1,500 teens gathered on the second night of Jesus Culture. The room shook with the release of hunger for God’s glory. Nothing quite compares to seeing a sea of young people crying out to God with all their hearts – on their feet and on their faces, hands raised towards the heavens. Every seat in the house was full – as were the aisles and the floor – and all ready to meet God in worship.

As the evening went on, teens testified of healings from scoliosis, asthma, paralysis and other conditions. Story after story was told, igniting faith for healing in the room. Speaker Scott Thompson shared the testimony of his life. The he shared that God has called us to break chains off a generation, and He wants to use us to do it.

Thompson also said that in the natural, we might all know someone, or even be someone, who people would think could never get saved. But Scott’s challenge for us was to never give up on the people in our lives. Our prayers are powerful and change lives. Our presence changes the lives around us. nd God’s love never gives up.

Day 3

On the final night of Jesus Culture, the place was primed for the miraculous. About 800 teens had spread across Atlanta that afternoon to pray for people out in the community, expecting God to meet them at their point of need. And meet them, He did! After another powerful time of worship, many shared testimonies of healing and God-encounters. These young people found out through experience that as they listened for His voice and obeyed, He would come and validate His Word in their lives through miracles. Banning Liebscher, the Director of Jesus Culture and the evening’s featured speaker, began by sharing three Scriptures: Jn. 6:1-13, I Tim. 2:3 and Psalm 2:8; and then continued with a little history about the Mount Hermon conference, which began in 1886 with D.L. Moody and others to raise up volunteers for missions. Beginning with just 100 students, that conference saw over 20,000 missionaries sent onto the field by 1945.

Then, Liebscher related a word from Cindy Jacobs about God releasing a new student volunteer movement. In this day and hour, God is again stirring up an increase in young people who will give their lives for revival. Those who are a part of this volunteer movement must:

1. Connect with the heart of God – I Tim. 2:4. This movement is motivated by and connected to taking care of God’s heart – He has desires, dreams and longings for people. God intends to give the nations of the earth to His Son, and the heart of the Father longs for that to come! We are not on our campus or job to make good grades or to make money but to take care of God’s longings! John 4 reminds us to lift our eyes and see the fields are white unto harvest – see the things that He sees and be moved by what moves Him.
2. Understand that God’s plan is to partner with us to carry out His plan. We must come before the Lord with whatever we have and say, “Here’s my life – use it for your will” We can either spend our lives on ourselves or spend it on God; but we have to decide. Many of us don’t ever fully give ourselves to God because we are overwhelmed by the need. One of the things that is killing the church is the lie of insignificance. The spirit of intimidation tries to speak smallness and insignificance, to try to get us to sit down and shut up. But, when we bring our lives to God, He has the ability to take what we bring and multiply it.
3. Count the cost – Luke 14: 25-33. Jesus requires it ALL. He says, “You may feel that you don’t have much, but I want all of it.” He requires everything. So the issue is this: Is my heart completely His? If we are going to be agents of change, our hearts must be completely His. We must cross the point of no return – when we no longer have any option but to follow him.

That night, the altars were full of young people saying “yes” to God’s call, having their lives marked for revival because of that commitment. All over the building, people were healed of various ailments, and young people were ready to go out and do what God has destined for their lives.

Perhaps the summary of the three days lies in the words of one of the musicians, “I am royalty. I have destiny. I have been set free. I’m gonna change history!” Hundreds young people are eager to jump into God’s plan. Just imagine what’s going to happen!

Click here to see more pictures.

Last summer, a group of people from Victory dedicated themselves to making a difference in our community through prayer…and it worked – big time! It started near the end of the 2007/2008 school year when Gladys Torres, a VWC staff member (Marketing) whose daughter was finishing her senior year at Meadowcreek High School, began to feel a tremendous burden to pray for that school during our weekly prayer meeting.

Meadowcreek had come to have a very negative reputation, with many people referring to it as “Ghettocreek.” In recent years, the school had experienced an unusually high decline in overall support, tremendous pregnancy rates, high numbers of violent acts, gang and drug activity and an overwhelming number of suicides. Large numbers of families began to move out of the district in order to avoid having their children in the school.

At the same time, however, Meadowcreek had come to play an integral role in our (Victory’s) basketball program for kids, serving as our “homecourt” – a real blessing! Additionally, we have been blessed with the support of the school staff.

Coming on the heels of R.E.A.L., a series in which Pastor Dennis challenged us to be Real, Engaged, Authentic and Living, it became obvious that God was moving us to reach out and do some serious work in the spiritual realm on behalf of the students and staff of Meadowcreek.

With this burden pressing heavily on her heart, Gladys went to Amanda Dance, another VWC staff member (Children’s Ministry) and prayer warrior. Together, they launched two teams of dedicated intercessors that would pray around the school every week throughout the summer. Beginning on June 10th, they prayed for at least an hour every Tuesday and Thursday evening, walking the grounds and, eventually, with the blessing of the school administration, throughout the common areas inside the school itself.

Among many other things, they prayed:

• Against the “Ghettocreek” stereotype and all that it encompassed.
• That the students would come out of the school with more vision and purpose.
• That God would send godly teachers who would speak life into the student’s lives.
• To break the power of addictions, fatherlessness, perversion, witchcraft, rebellion and other such strongholds evident in the school.
• That the students would succeed and not fail.
• That God would bring joy, peace and hope into every teen’s life.

With summer’s end, the teams stopped meeting. BUT THAT’S NOT THE END OF THE STORY!

On June 7th, almost exactly one year after the launch of the summer of intercession for the school, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published this article, entitled “Meadowcreek High Revamps Reputation.” The article speaks of a turnaround for the school, with higher test scores, a graduating class with high levels of college scholarships including multiple full-rides and increased pride in the level of cultural diversity represented in the student body.

Truly, this is a direct answer to the prayers that were prayed. And, it is a challenge to all of us to make a difference in our world through the power of concerted prayer. We look forward with great anticipation to many more such reports!

During the month of March, Pastor Colleen invited us to join her in learning about and experiencing God’s healing power through a three-week teaching series called Acquire. The experience is best described in the words of a couple of people who attended:

How many of us have gone to the doctor only to be told that we have a life threatening disease or illness? The first question that comes to mind when we are given the bad news is “why me?” In Part 1 of her three-part series, “Acquire: Experiencing God’s Healing Power,” Pastor Colleen outlined what is necessary for God’s healing power to become effective in our lives. Here are some key ingredients to achieving supernatural healing:

1. Healing starts in the soul or the “heart.” When the soul rejoices, it brings healing to the body. The soul is the strongest link to your healing.
2. Think positive – choose to believe that the Word of God is the Truth, and that God wants to heal you.
3. Take possession of your healing. In other words, chase and seek God for clarity. \
4. Never allow the disease to define you. For example, you may have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have you.
5. Don’t get caught up in the “Why?” Stay in the place of assurance where you can see the works of God being worked out in your body.
6. Speak the word of healing over your life, and talk to God about what His word says.

About 75 people attended the first session on Saturday night, including Sandy Serrato. It took being diagnosed with HIV, for Sandy to believe God for a healing. As of 2008, he wasn’t a believer. He says after hearing Pastor Colleen preach about having a Vision for Your Health, he realized that he needed Jesus. To date, Sandy is not on any HIV medication and is seeking the Lord for a full recovery. He says, “I expect to be fully healed from HIV by October 2009.”

Pastor Colleen spoke passionately and truthfully about the healing power of God. She says the Lord healed her of several addictions and diseases. She says healing is so important in the body of Christ because “it’s one of those promises that God wants us to have. It’s an area where there is a lot of ignorance. People have said from pulpits that God isn’t healing in the world today. It becomes more important to me because of what I’ve experienced personally and what I know is possible.”

Pastor Colleen explained that healing is a process, and that we need to take the necessary steps in order to experience fully God’s healing power. “We get sick so that God’s glory and power can be demonstrated in our lives.” – Tonette Underwood

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Tonight was the last night of Acquire. Pastor Colleen talked about communion and receiving Christ’s “broken body” into ours for our restoration. She spoke about the connection between sin and sickness and thus, forgiveness and healing.

Before we took of communion, we had a time of consecration and repentance before God. Paul makes a charge in 1 Corinthians 11:29-31 that we are to rightfully receive communion and examine ourselves before we take of it. Our notes from tonight’s Acquire message had a prayer of thanksgiving for the communion experience. They also included prayers of repentance from sins such as unbelief, un-forgiveness, un-confessed sin, pride, apathy, involvement with occult, negative confessions and a religious mindset. We were encouraged to examine ourselves for the areas of sin we had in our lives and pray the accordingly using the prayers that we received.

Our communion experience was very personal. Leaders took their place at the right side of the sanctuary, and each person walked up to a leader. Each leader ministered the love of God to the person standing in front of them, explaining the significance of the communion elements before we took of them and reminding us that Christ sacrificed Himself for us individually. The cup represents forgiveness – the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us and washes us of all our sins. The broken bread represents healing – Christ’s body was broken for us, and He bore all our sicknesses and diseases so that we may be healed. Isaiah 53:5 states “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.“He bore the punishment for our sins so we would not have to, and through Him, we are forgiven. He endured many stripes on to His body so that our bodies would be made whole.

After receiving communion, we returned to our seats. Then we corporately prayed for healing for our bodies. Then, the leaders once again took their positions to the right of the sanctuary and each leader prayed individually with each person who needed healing.

God is mighty to save. He is alive, well and living in us and in our midst. He is so personal and near to us in our time of need. In His grace, He reminds us of His immense and undying love for us. Halleluiah! – Tosin Yusuf

On February 11, 2009, we were pleased to welcome author David Batstone and musician Brant Christopher. Together, they shared with us a message of freedom.

David Batstone is the founder of Not for Sale, a campaign to end slavery in our lifetime. Brant Christopher is a musician who has partnered with Not for Sale, helping to spread the word that human trafficking and slavery is a modern day reality.

During this special service, David Batsone delivered a powerful message of freedom for the captives. Eyes were opened as David shared with Victory the disturbing fact that 27 million people are currently enslaved. Yes, 27 MILLION! And this is not just in other countries, it’s happening in our own backyard – right here in the “land of the free.” Children and adults are being sold as slaves to a perverse world – a world full of evil, greed, lust, and spiritual deadness. David not only informed us, but empowered us with the wisdom, knowledge and truth necessary for us to do our part to end slavery. As Isaiah 61:1 says: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor…to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” (NIV)

Brant shared his heart for the issue by putting music to his words – playing guitar and singing songs that portray the unsettling emotions associated with human trafficking and slavery. Brant’s music seized our hearts and caused them to be sensitive to the issue at hand. Brant unselfishly used his musical talents for the greater good of all. Brant is a great example of how we all can use our gifts to raise awareness of this issue.

We are truly grateful to David and Brant for bringing this relevant and urgent message to Victory. As a result, many were challenged to take responsibility, take action, and take the message of freedom to all who are oppressed.

Taina Brown had this to say about the event:

I had heard [Batstone] speak on the cause last year at a Fusion service and, since that time, had developed an interest in joining the anti-slavery movement. The Fusion band had led us into a time of worship and there was a sense of expectancy in the room. There were those of us who had already been involved as modern-day abolitionists on several different levels, and there were those who were new to the movement and unsure of what to expect from the night. Interweaved with the backstory of Not For Sale and what we as average citizens can do to combat the terror of human trafficking, was music by Brant Christopher and visual images presented on the screens. It was a very creative presentation that gave us information and also touched the human soul at its core through the different types of media that were present.

An abolitionists is defined as someone who favors the abolition of any law or practice deemed harmful to society. How many of us would actually say that sex trafficking and human slavery is something that we favor? At the end of the night, we were encouraged to take action. Not by signing up on rescue teams or traveling abroad to places where it’s right before our eyes, but by signing up to be informed, by writing letters to major companies which deem it un-profitable to buy things like chocolate and clothing not made from slave labor, and by getting the word out. We were challenged to live differently, work differently, shop differently. We are no longer ignorant to this issue, and to do nothing is to turn a blind eye.

Christ did not die in vain! The true reality of our times is that ALL are free! Not a select group, class, race, or gender, but ALL. Freedom! Shout it from the roof tops! Proclaim it to the captives! “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36, NIV). ~ Alex Hogan

For more information on “Not for Sale”, check out their website: www.notforsalecampaign.org

Two and a half years and over fifty thousand dollars and we are finally debt free except for our mortgage. To some it might sound like no big deal, or to others it may seem like bragging, but to Torrey and me, it’s the most significant hurdle we have overcome, and it was only by the grace of God.

Three years ago, I was barely able to pay my bills, let alone tithe and give to others. I was 34 years old and had almost $25,000 in credit card debt. Not a proud moment in my life, but it’s the truth. When Torrey and I decided to get married we knew it had to be by God’s rules and not our own. That included our finances. What had to happen was a heart transformation that would put my total trust in God for his provision and blessing.

So I sold the car that I loved and started driving an older car that had belonged to my mother but was paid for. God put the idea on my heart to ask a dear friend if she minded a roommate until I got married five months later. I had never had a roommate before so this was new to me, but she immediately said, “Yes!!” I paid very little rent as Torrey and I saved to pay for our wedding in cash.

While we were engaged, Torrey and I attended the Crown Ministries (www.crown.org) class at Victory. (Click here for class registration and info.) This was more than a financial stewardship class. It was a heart-transforming lesson on what the Word of God says about how he desires for us to handle all that he has given us to manage; time, money, our jobs, future children, investments and so much more. This was the foundation.

First and foremost, we faithfully and cheerfully tithed and put ourselves on a budget and did not stray from it. We made sacrifices that were sometimes hard, but we never went without food, shelter or the basic needs. We sacrificed travel, entertainment, eating out, and new clothes and, sometimes, we ate peanut butter and jelly during the last week of the month when the food budget was gone. If something came up and it was not in the budget, we did not buy it.

But God was always there. We have had a lot of fun in these last few years. I have won tickets to concerts and sporting events, and people have given us tickets to events and blessed us in many ways. We were able to have people to our house to eat on many occasions. Our hearts’ desire was to go on a mission trip to Mexico, a first for both of us. We were left with only three weeks to try to raise the money and a few days before the trip, we were blessed with the exact amount we needed to go, plus a little spending money. We also found that things were going well for us. Our cars did not break down. We were not sick and things around the house were maintained and in good shape.

Now we are following the sound financial advice of Dave Ramsey from his book Total Money Makeover. This is a book that provides sound, common sense advice with a Christian value system. A theme in his book is “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” Our goal is to be “supernatural sowers” in God’s Kingdom, as my husband says!

We don’t know the plan that God has for our life yet, but we want to be ready to carry it out when we are called. Our journey so far has shown us that God is faithful, and being obedient to His calling reaps huge rewards for the greater good.

Amy and Torrey Edwards

Back to School with a Smile iCare Outreach

With summer break halfway over and back to school planning already in full swing, we learned that there are many families in our community who were finding it difficult to afford the school supplies their children needed. As a church, we wanted to reach out in a practical way by providing children with backpacks filled with basic school supplies, CD’s and devotional materials.

So, on July 12th, we took a special iCare offering to help meet that need. Then, volunteers from our church came together to stuff the bags and prepare them for delivery, while various V•Groups submitted the names of children in need. Members from these V•Groups then hand delivered the backpacks and supplies to those children. We were also able to bless Meadow Creek High School with about 250 of the backpacks to distribute to those students most in need.

Thank you, Victory, for your generous giving toward the Back to school with a smile iCare outreach. It was hugely successful and hundreds of children were blessed with backpacks and school supplies that they wouldn’t have had without you!

This Is What Community Looks Like

 

 

Dr. Claire Lockman Boyce, Director of Meadowcreek Community School, many of whose students received these backpacks, wrote:

On behalf of the Meadowcreek Community School, we would like to thank you for the school book bags that VWC donated to us. During the high school Freshmen Orientation last Tuesday, we were collecting various forms. As each family submitted their form we presented the children and students the very attractive book bags. The word “spread” and by the end of the evening, every student and child was walking around with a brand new book bag and a large smile.

During the next few days when parents arrived at the Parent Center to register their child, Mr. Gomez, our Parent Center guide was able to present the new families a brand new book bag as an additional welcome.

We sincerely thank you for this wonderful donation. We continue to work in a community partnership to provide extended learning opportunities for our youth and adults in the Meadowcreek cluster.

Sincerely,

Claire Lockman Boyce, Ph.D.,Director
Meadowcreek Community School

We were excited to receive a newsletter from Pastor Mark in India and find that the children of our Victory Children’s Home are doing exceptionally well; winning awards and bringing recognition to the school through their academic performance.

It’s always inspiring and amazing to see what God can do to multiply our efforts. The impacts upon these children’s lives and the community around them will not be truly seen until eternity. God has taken the faithful giving of our church and will multiply it for generations to come.

Thanks again, Victory, for your generous giving and love for the nations.

Here’s the snapshot from Pastor Mark’s newsletter:

You can also use the link below to visit the Rays of Peace Ministries website to see some photos of the children enjoying a day at a nearby Amusement Park.

Day out at Wonder-La