In July of 2005, I was blessed to travel to the Faith Dome in Los Angeles, CA to attend the 15th annual Fellowship of Inner-City Word of Faith Ministries (FICWFM) as well as Doctors Fred and Betty Price’s celebration marking 50 years in the ministry. I attended the celebration with the expectation of witnessing a great movement of God and receiving a word from God that would assist me further in His divine will and purpose for my life. As expected, I received in abundance … from the opening night of the celebration to the closing night. The celebration began with praise led by Crenshaw Christian Center’s praise team. Words can’t describe or do justice to the charge in the atmosphere as thousands and thousands of believers lifted up hands and hearts and offered praises unto our God. The burden removing, yoke-destroying power of God was omnipresent. It was electrifying!
Prior to attending the conference, I personally struggled with the act of announcing free will offerings. Matthew 6:1-4 teaches us to let our alms (acts of charity) be done in secret so that our God who sees in secret shall reward openly. I had been pre-warned that this “public display” of giving was a very big part of the FICWFM conference. As I sat in my seat preparing to be offended by this open act of giving, the Person of the Holy Spirit spoke to me quickly and said, “Don’t be so focused on the act, that you fail the lesson.”
David said in Psalm 119, that it was good for him that he had been afflicted, that he may learn God’s statues. It was good for me to have seen the abundance ($1.5M+) of giving from FICWFM members so that I may fully grasp my covenant with God as a believer concerning wealth. Our God is a covenant keeping God. He has given each believer, equally, the power to obtain wealth. He is not going to do it for us, nor can we do it in our own strength; we have to use His wisdom and anointing in exercising our covenant right (see Deuteronomy 8:18).
It is clearly not God’s will that believers should “barely make ends meet.” It is His will that His covenant, which He swore unto our fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), be established in all the world. Wealth in the church is necessary, and as believers, it is our covenant right. It is a means to rectify our cities, our neighborhoods, and our families and to promote the gospel or good news. Had the magnitude of corporate giving not been revealed to me, I would never have envisioned this for my spiritual (In Christ New Hope Ministry, Inc.) or natural family (see Deuteronomy 29:29). Without doubt, it is important that our motive in giving (be it our time, resources, talent, or finances) remains pure and within the Word of God, such that we can expect a return on our giving (see Luke 6:38).
The conference was full of countless testimonies of miracles and of God’s intervention in difficult situations. The one that stood out the most for me was the testimony from Missionary Eleanor (Ma) Workman. Ma Workman’s single purpose is “to share Jesus with the poor people of Haiti and rescue abandoned babies in this impoverished island nation.” At the age of 52, Ma Workman sold her home in Miami to fund her missionary work in Haiti. “She began in 1974 when she found infant twins on a garbage dump with their terminally ill mother, who had been evicted from her little hut because she could not pay the $3.00 per month rent. The mother signed her babies over to Eleanor Workman before she died, and the orphanage ministry was born.” Now, in 2005, at the age of 86, she is credited with two orphanages, two schools, training seminars for pastors working in the mountain villages and remote areas of Haiti and bringing valuable resources to Haiti from the United States. For more information on the mission in Haiti, led by Eleanor Workman, visit her website.
Lastly, I was honored to have been in attendance at the ordination service of our Pastor’s Roger and Madell Breedlove into the FICWFM family. FICWFM and its leadership strongly believe, teach, and exemplify a high standard of integrity, Godly character, and moral excellence. Moreover, they encourageduplication of that standard throughout the membership. It is with great honor that In Christ New Hope Ministry, Inc. has been proven and acknowledged for its commitment to using God’s principles in equipping believers by this faith-driven international organization. As part of our oath, and an ordained member of the FICWFM family, we are to continue to play an instrumental part in taking a leadership role in standing against the ills that influence our city. For more information on FICWFM, visit their website.
In closing, I continue to be excited by operating on the higher level into which In Christ New Hope Ministry, Inc. has moved. I thank God that He has chosen us to do exceptional works in our homes, in our families, on our jobs, and in the City of Rochester. Thanks for your time. May the grace of God continue to be with you and His word be the final authority in your life.
–Regina Bradley
In Christ New Hope Ministry Blog 