Hempstead Youth Revival

May 22-25, 2009

by Onuwa Osueke

The long-awaited youth revival weekend began at the Apostolic Faith Church in Hempstead, New York, on Friday evening, May 22. It was a blessing to have Pastor Joseph Lamidi’s wife and children in attendance (they are still living in Houston and plan to move to Hempstead this summer). The guest speaker for the weekend was Reverend Ritchie Ho, from St. Louis, Missouri, and the theme verse was Joel 2:25, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” After a few remarks from Daniel Tetteh, the youth leader in Hempstead, the congregation welcomed one another with handshakes while singing, “One more time, He allowed us to come together.” Before the sermon, Emmanuel Kesse sang “We Gather Together.” Reverend Ho took his text from Acts 26:24-29, encouraging the young people to continue in their commitment to God, who would in turn bless all their efforts.

After breakfast on Saturday morning, everyone gathered in a tent outside the church for a Bible teaching on “Moral Decisions and Our Conscience” by Reverend Ho. The men and women were split into separate groups, and each group had to decide if certain decisions were right or wrong. In a sometimes lively discussion, it was determined that God has given each one a conscience and if one will remain sensitive and honest, God will be faithful to let him or her know whether a decision is right or wrong.

Seyi Oladipo led the congregational singing during the Saturday evening service. Femi Odulaja and Emmanuel Kesse played a couple of selections on the clarinet and trumpet. Ayo Oni and Elechi Osueke sang “You Are God Alone.” Those who were over the age of forty and had been saved in their youth were invited to share their testimonies to demonstrate the benefits of giving one’s life to God at a young age.

The Sunday morning service began with an organ prelude by Jenny Lamidi, and then the youth orchestra played “Saint Anthony Chorale.” Elechi Osueke led the youth choir in singing “Faithful, Faithful.” Using the story of Noah, Reverend Ho admonished the young people to take the Gospel seriously because a time of judgment is coming just as it did in the days of Noah. The message was followed by a time of soul-searching and prayer around the altars.

A skit was presented on Sunday afternoon on “How to Be Spiritually Fit,” in which a young man attempted to take a shortcut to spiritual fitness by ordering a “Spiritually Fit Kit” from a TV infomercial. After witnessing the predictably painful (and hilarious) results of this young man’s quest to be spiritually fit without taking the necessary steps, a more mature Christian friend helped the young man see the true path to spiritual growth and health by directing him to study the Bible and rely on God for strength.

To commemorate Memorial Day, the youth choir and orchestra presented a patriotic concert on Sunday evening. One special highlight was when the choir sang “God of Our Fathers,” during a slideshow presentation of Gospel veterans who had been an inspiration down through the years, one of which was Reverend Christopher Kupoloyi, the first pastor of the Hempstead church. After reading 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Reverend Ho reminded the young people of how temporal the things of the world are, and admonished them to let go of anything that prevented them from serving God the way they should. A wonderful prayer meeting followed—three individuals were saved and two were sanctified! A man passing by the church also heard the prayer meeting and came to join in.

During the final service on Tuesday evening, the testimony portion was dedicated to those who had received specific blessings from the Lord during the Sunday evening prayer meeting. Before the sermon, the youth choir sang “I Stand in Awe.” Reverend Ho took his text from Romans 8:1-2, encouraging the young people not to conform to the world because the world has nothing good to offer. He recapped the good things that God would do for them if they would consecrate their lives to Him. Following another outstanding prayer meeting, one more individual reported that he was saved.

The Hempstead church members are thankful for all the blessings that God showered on them during this special weekend, and it is their prayer that God will continue to strengthen their congregation spiritually in the days ahead.