(Nov. 2018)
We did it! Another miracle crusade at UC Berkeley!
It was my honor to work together with Unity in Christ for this event along with ministries in and outside of Berkeley. Let me briefly share the wins and losses of this crusade to reach souls at UC Berkeley.
WINS
A number of individuals really stepped up to the plate and served. People from all over the Bay Area came even from even as far away as Modesto. Additionally, the finances all came in quickly. As I was sharing at a local church in Pleasant Hill, a gentleman was moved by God to give towards the crusade. He sent me a letter encouraging me and enclosed a $1,000 check! He said, “God told me to do this.” Hallelujah! Many other individuals gave very generously. A couple of people wrote $750 checks. One woman gave all the way from New Jersey and she hadn’t even met me personally! I am humbled and honored by this outpouring of love. Another win was that the presence of God was very strong during the crusades. Though we had some hiccups (like not really having a worship team) God provided through individuals and most importantly His Presence was there. Everyone who directly participated in or came to the crusade gave witness that they were impacted greatly. We also had a couple of people share their testimonies. One a young student named Michael shared his testimony from anxiety, depression and transgenderism to coming to Christ who has made him whole! Not only did we see all the aforementioned wins but there was also a woman who experienced healing of deafness at the crusade! See this on the Day 3 video! Finally the fact that we had a crusade in a place like Berkeley is in itself a win. We reached out to over 5,000 people via advertising, word of mouth and flyering to share about the event. We estimate 1,000 students saw, heard or walked by over the course of four days. This is the fourth crusade I have held at Berkeley over the past five years and the gospel being preached is always significant.
LOSSES
Although I wish I could say we saw everything we hoped for, that would not be authentic. I highly value being real in life and ministry so here are some of the areas that were a let down.
We reached out to ten ministries on campus and including churches in Berkeley. We saw very little real support. A couple of ministries half way helped and a few people showed up but sadly a number of them declined to help or even show up. Others said they would help / come but didn’t follow through. We only saw a sum total of about fifteen to twenty people show up / participate from all ministries in Berkeley…
The other heartbreak was that after four days of preaching my heart out and praying fervently, we did not see a single person come forward publicly to profess Christ! I wrestled with God about this, lamented and sought counsel from godly men and I concluded that even Jesus was not received in his hometown. My job was to present the eternal gospel. Whether people receive it is something they will give an account for.
CONCLUSION
As the Word says, “One plants another waters but God gives the increase.” I know that my labors and those of the community who supported this crusade were not in vain. God’s Word will not return void. Heaven alone knows the impact of the crusade. Many people saw and heard the witness. God will bring others to water and cultivate this word and to Him be all the glory! Jesus is worthy of every soul in Berkeley and the world and we labor to that end. As the Scripture says, “Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.”
My sincere thanks to everyone who gave, prayed for, served and supported this crusade. We plan to come back again to Berkeley next year.