In the presence of the ONE they love

Navapur convention now has been the attraction of the year for thousands of worshippers, pastors, leaders and those hungry for the word of God. None of them were disappointed, but rather they went back enriched in the presence of God.
People hired cars and jeeps to come to the meeting this year. A group of 15 believers were crammed in a van that could hold eight people, and they had driven nine hours to reach the venue. But the were not tired. They were ready to go right in and worship and spend time in the presence of the one they loved.
One of the key sights in the convention was the hunger of the people for the Word of God. They were hungry for God, for His Word, to worship Him and to spend time with Him. It is not a dormant type of hunger, but something that was passionately displayed in their prayers, in their singing, in the way they used their fellowship times. You could hardly stop the people from sitting in the front row, below the stage. They were coming before time and would be found praying passionately for the sessions to follow. It was a humbling experience.

More than you ask, think or imagine
“More than you ask, think or imagine” – Ephesians 3:20 was the theme of the convention. Dr. R. Stanley, Bishop Jonathan Ansar and Pastor Babu Cherian, were the speakers this year. All of them are renowned teachers of the Word and it was a ready feast to hear the Word and to soak in his presence. Dr. Joy Punnoose, the Chairman, also addressed the people and shared the highlights of the past year and also what was to be expected in the year to come.

Separate track sessions for the leaders, women, children and youth were well attended. Coming together in smaller groups enabled the people to relate to one another. Focused teaching and worship times imparted the people with a sense of vision and purpose for the future. Every session had a word or an encouragement to go out and reach and plant congregations among new people.

Course correction for a year
The participants came with an amazing sense of hunger for God. You can see it in the way they sat and heard and also prayed between the sessions. For many, this is the time of year, where they will correct their course and also set the pace for the next few months. This is true especially for pastors.

The blessings of the Lord it maketh rich
While talking to the sound and tent provider, a pre believer, I heard an amazing testimony. He put it this way, “Providing sound and light at Navapur is the only time that I can rest and enjoy. Because once I have done this task faithfully, and at a subsidized cost, I am so blessed and so busy that I hardly get time to rest for the rest of the year. Coming to this place is a big blessing for my business. It is all because of your prayers and God’s favour! When I started my work, I had no no generators to work with, but now I have bought seven brand new heavy duty ones!”

What was new this time?

At Navapur there were several things that set it apart from the other conventions so far. Some of the highlights as mentioned by various leaders and preachers were:
• No one seemed to be ‘in-charge’ of the sessions, but it all was beautifully woven together into a beautiful tapestry. The Lord Almighty was in-charge!
• The preachers, the worship leaders, the announcements were all in sync with the Lord’s presence
• The Word in the general sessions and in the Leaders Session were spoken with great anointing and every person sensed the strong presence of God.. One of the leaders later commented “I could not take in all that was being said because I was under the presence.
• Brotherly love, the true meaning of Filadelfia, on display in all the sections of the crowd.
• A great exhibition of unity among the leaders and the believers.
• An elderly participant commented, “ I could hardly move my feet during the conference. As the days progressed, I could hardly sit because of joy. So I jumped up and did an impromptu dance for my Lord”. This dance triggered other women to join her and in a few minutes the sisters, young and old, rural and urban were dancing to God’s heart beat.
• After the closing session, there was half an hour of what I would call a Miriam dance – an impromptu dance of celebration, thanksgiving and pure rejoicing in all what God has done for His people and in which the leaders, the elders, the women and the children all joined in.
• The dedication of the Grace Hospital, a 70 bedded hospital which would meet the health needs of the people in Navapur and nearby localities, was the other highlight of the week.

The police @ Navapur

As a precautionary measure the district police officials have always deployed over 100 police personnel to the convention venue. Over the years, some of them have become familiar faces. With nothing much to do, they come, greet the people and then sit down to hear the word of God. One of the senior officials called me aside. I thought it was going to be a question and answer drill. But the only thing that he said was, “Would you please sing the special song with the word ‘Yehovah’ that you sang last year?” I was pleasantly surprised and blessed at the same time. They have also been prayed over personally and corporately several times. Let us believe and pray that as many as heard the Word of God, would be saved even while being deployed in these meetings.