BOOK OF HOPE
AFTERWARDS
CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA METRO AREA
NEARS
100% SATURATION WITH THE GOSPEL DURING
BOOK OF HOPE CAMPAIGN
EASTER BLITZ!!!
What had happened to make this possible? This had not been in our plans for this year?! We had heard of the Book of Hope Campaign at the Mission America National Committee meeting in Chicago in 1999. But as the target was to be 50 of the largest cities in the U.S. I immediately dismissed it from my mind.
Someone once said that another name for God in addition to Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Nissi, etc. should be Jehovah -"Sneaky" and that is just what He did to us-He sneaked up on us! Our phone rang early in February and on the other end was our National Coordinator for Mission America, Jarvis Ward, with the question, "Do you want to do the Book of Hope in Charleston?" I was somewhat taken aback, "Do I want to?" was my immediate thought. Initially all that was required was to arrange a place for an informational breakfast to be hosted by the Book of Hope folks, get the message out and see what happened.
Almost 30 representatives from various churches and ministries gathered at Wellington's of Scarlet Oaks on February 29 to receive the presentation. There was something about this group that held great portent for what was about to happen. Many had been praying together for over ten years for a breakthrough in our area and especially since the Billy Graham Associate Crusade in 1994 they had insisted on nothing but the development of loving trusting relationships and corporate prayer. This group provided the nucleus for the chain reaction that was about to happen!
The response to the presentation was enthusiastic (en theos - in God) and we decided to go forward with the endeavor. We asked, "What would be a good target for us to aim toward?" The reply was that 60% saturation would be good and that 75% would be optimal. After the breakfast we were at about 37% and 60% seemed to be a long way away. We needed warehouse and office space- it was miraculously provided! We needed skillful and responsible Zip Code Coordinators and they were appointed. The commitment from local churches, ministries and ministerial and denominational associations began to climb. God put it in our hearts to pray for 100% saturation. There are 105,000 households in the Charleston Metro area! Were we being foolhardy? The response continued to grow - 60% and then 75%! Was it going to happen? We initially received 75,000 copies of the booklets - this was not going to be enough! 90% and rising, "We will just ship you a total of 150,000 Books of Hope was the response from the National Headquarters."
We started receiving responses from other communities in West Virginia: Princeton, Beckley, Oak Hill, Summersville and Craigsville, Ripley, Gassaway and Sutton, Huntington, Ona, and Kenova. And then Ashland, Kentucky as well as South Point and Ironton, Ohio. It was becoming a very real possibility that all 105,000 households of the Charleston Metro area were going to be impacted with a loving, prayerful and comprehendible presentation of the Gospel Message.
Now that we are on the other side of the majority of the Book of Hope Campaign - a few overlooked areas are still being attended to - the objective reality is that we now live in a community that has been totally saturated with the Good News! All the way from Montgomery to Hurricane. We have 2,400 copies of the Book of Hope left in our inventory as of this date!
And what is so amazing about all of this is that Charleston - out of the 33 participating cities in the U.S. - is the only one that reached the maximum potential! What has made this possible? There was no intricate strategy here, no well thought out plan - it was really very simple. A group of men and women - spiritual leaders from throughout our community - reconciled denominationally and racially who would not give up on fervent united prayer until they saw something like this happen here. And who are now reaching forward and saying,
"Lord,
we want more. We want your full blessing for our city.
We will give
You no rest until You make us into a Transformed Community -
a praise to You in the earth!"
And not Charleston only, but all of West Virginia and Appalachia.
Pastor Ron Thaxton,
Church in the City