Nurturing Relational Connections Across Boston's Christian Community
Have you been praying for Revival? Then come and receive fresh fire for the next great awakening in New England.
ReviveBoston events are worship gatherings that release the manifest presence of God with prophetic exhortations and prayers, followed by a call to action from the audience. Our goal is to see revival fire fall upon believers from churches across Boston and New England, so they can be carriers of a great spiritual awakening for the salvation of souls.
Kissed by the Son: Revive and Reform, July 12-14 at The Moody Center of Northfield, MA, is focused on experiencing and knowing the love and reviving presence of God, and bringing God’s kingdom to our spheres of influence, resulting in reformation in America. The topic also anticipates the upcoming 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing in 2020.
Guest speakers include Eric Metaxas, Chuck Pierce, Paul Jehle, Jon and Jolene Hamill, Phil Zaldatte and Mark Fee. Workshops by Dick and Mardi Keyes and John Rankin. Worship provided by local New England bands. Registration available for the whole conference with onsite lodging and meals, or by the day. Go to www.firstloveworks.org to register and for complete information.
Join us for an evening of music as we celebrate God’s love for the world at our Honduras Benefit Concert! For the past six years, Pentecostal Tabernacle has partnered with World Resources Group (WRG), to send a missions team to Honduras to work with mentors who have devoted their lives to serving the youth in their communities. These trips have given us the opportunity to build relationships with the children, their families, and the dedicated Honduran mentors who serve them. This year, our missions team will depart for Honduras on July 28th, and proceeds from the concert will benefit their trip. Tickets are $10, and you must purchase one to attend this event.
Date: Saturday, May 4th 2019
Location: Pentecostal Tabernacle North Campus – 77 Columbia Street, Cambridge MA 02139
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Featured Artists: Nicole Schmidt, 7th Degree, Kamva, Caleb McCoy
Tickets: Purchased online at www.ptspice.org
Today, Kelly Steinhaus, UniteBoston’s Team Leader, shares her perspective on God’s destiny for the city of Boston and how this is reflected in what is currently happening within the Christian community.
Above: Sunrise over the Charles River
Do you like watching the sunrise? I sure do.
Whether or not you prefer to wake up that early in the morning, we are in an amazing time where God is rising over this city, awakening hearts and calling people to the place of prayer.
Isaiah wrote this message to the city of Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, and I believe it’s also a representation of what God wants to do in here in the city of Boston.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.“ (Isaiah 60:1)
I want to specifically draw your attention to verse 3: “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” This is actually strikingly familiar to a sermon preached by John Winthrop on his way to America, where he spoke that the new community they would form would be "a city upon a hill, that the eyes of all people are on us…We shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world.”
You see, Boston’s destiny is to be a beacon of the nations.
Thus, the question becomes: what do we want to be known for?
Currently, Boston is one of the smallest world-class cities, known for its rich history and being an intellectual hub. With over 300,000 college students, Boston is a popular place to come to pursue high-class education.
But I believe that God has so much more for us – This is only the beginning.
What if Boston were to be known for the way the Christian community works together? As a city where people pray? As a place where love is displayed?
If you’re intrigued by this, I’d encourage you to listen to the short message that I shared on Easter at the first Awaken Winchester service.
We all cry out for revival but don’t realize that what brings revival is repentance. Two weeks ago, Dr. Paul Jehle gave a lecture on the spiritual history of Massachusetts – he said that the Great Awakening was a direct result of the repentance that happened after the Salem witch trials.
Above: Pastors and leaders gathering to pray for Boston at the New England Regional Leaders meeting
I’m convinced that God wants to bring revival to Boston, we’re not ready for it. Our light shines brightest when we extinguish the darkness, so my prayer is for conviction and changed hearts, that we might be capable for the revival God seeks to pour out.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, may we arise and shine, so that the glory of the Lord can come upon us, that Boston might be awakened to its destiny as a city on a hill and a light to the nations.
Below: A photo of His Eminence Sean O’Malley of the Boston Catholic Archdiocese and His Eminence Methodios of the Metropolitan of Boston of the Greek Orthodox Church joining together to light the first candle of Easter night. Photo taken by Alexander Mavradis.
Basil Yarde has a unique “birds-eye” view of God’s work throughout the region as Director of Church Relations at Salem Communications. It was an honor to sit down with Basil to hear more about the spiritual revival and awakening that he sees.
At a recent New England leader’s gathering, Basil Yarde enthusiastically proclaimed that he has the best job ever. When asked to explain, he said, “I get to interview and see what God is doing all over the region.”
These past ten years, Basil has seen remarkable change among the spiritual landscape of the city: “When I came to the city, I knew that revival was coming, but people told me that I was crazy. They would say to me that Boston is God’s frozen chosen and that nothing happens here. And some of these same people are now saying the thing that I came saying, that revival is here.”
What indicates that the revival is here? Basil has seen a number of churches recently inherit huge parcels of land and large buildings. One is the ever-growing North River Community Church, which was built recently on 45 acres of land. The same thing happened with International Family Church in North Redding, who was able to get a large factory for half price (7 million dollars). Basil remarked, “When the Reebok people were building, they had no idea they were building for God’s harvest!”
In addition to this, here in the metro Boston area, several large Catholic churches have become home to smaller Pentecostal ministries and churches, such as the Greater Boston Vineyard in Cambridge. Youth With A Mission in Somerville recently acquired a massive 21,000 square-foot building in Somerville. Other churches are forming new sites to reach more people, such as Fenway Church, Grace Chapel, Pentecostal Tabernacle, and Alethia Church. He says, “All of these churches have a vision for souls – God is giving them barns to bring the harvest in. These churches are not pulling people from other churches, but rather being filled with new people that are coming into the Kingdom. For me, that is major proof that revival is here.”
Not only is God increasing the capacity of churches, but He is birthing dozens of new ministries in the city. Ten years ago, Basil heard about one new ministry every month. Now, there are three or four times that many popping up.
There is one vision of revival that stands out as prominent in Basil’s mind, a vision that God gave him when he first arrived to Boston: “The Lord showed me that people were walking down the street crying. They didn’t know why they were crying, but the weight of God’s glory was so strong that people were feeling remorse and wanting to repent. Rather than churches going out, people were knocking on church doors to get right with God.”
Personally, when I moved to Boston, I was inspired hear many groups of Christians believing for a large spiritual revival and awakening in the region. However, each time I left the prayer room I became discouraged in my neglect to see the answered fruit of these prayers.
Despite this, I believe that the lack is not on God. He is working; it just takes eyes to see. Through creative genius, He is birthing new ministries, increasing the capacity of churches, and reviving our city. It is only when we are able to have a bigger perspective not on us and our church but on God and His Church that we are able to truly detect the mighty workings of our King. Indeed, there is a monumental fabric of redemption and restoration that is being woven through the Greater Boston region.
The Church is growing…do you see it?
Boston’s Quiet Revival is becoming loud…can you hear it?
What is God doing in your midst? I invite you to post below…
-Kelly Steinhaus
UniteBoston Team Leader