A weekend of special meetings at the Apostolic Faith Church in Pullman, Washington, was held from August 18-20. The Pullman congregation had three days of prayer meetings before the start of the special weekend.

On Friday evening, a small vocal ensemble set the tone for the service with their rendition of the “There Is Power in the Blood Medley.” This marked the beginning of the special meetings. The choir joined in by singing the “Redeemed Medley.” Following a time of congregational singing led by Femi Johnson, the opening prayer was offered by Bill McKibben, pastor in Seattle, Washington. Then Pullman pastor Olusola Adesope extended a warm welcome to all present and introduced the guest minister and pastor of our church in Roseburg, Oregon, Jack Chasteen, who was accompanied by his wife, Wendy. Brother Olusola also acknowledged the presence of other visitors from branch churches in Washington (Chehalis, Seattle, and Port Angeles) and Oregon (Portland and Roseburg). The Pullman congregation welcomed the visitors with a big round of applause.

Continuing the service, an octet presented the song “I Just Feel Like Something Good Is About to Happen” before the testimony service was opened by Sister Wendy and Lori McKibben. Both shared touching testimonies about the power of God to save from sin and the privilege of serving God alongside friends in the Gospel. Taiwoo Park, Iudita Trotter, and Pearl Oladele also testified to the power of God to save and keep. Brother Femi’s rendition of “Something Good Is Going to Happen to You” preceded the sermon. Taking his text from Isaiah 64:1-5, Brother Jack encouraged the congregation by assuring that God would rend the heavens and manifest His presence and salvation upon all those who would humble themselves and seek mercy through prayer. After the sermon, a wonderful prayer meeting ensued, and attendees felt the power of God around the altars. After the prayer meeting, everyone enjoyed a delicious spread of pizza and drinks. 

On Saturday, the youth choir and orchestra presented a concert that drew a large audience. Lee Spakousky gave the opening prayer, after which the orchestra performed “Shout to the Lord.” Florin Baros of Port Angeles conducted the orchestra while Pullman youth music leader, Josiah Lere-Adams, conducted the choir. The concert proceeded with a succession of musical performances including a violin solo, vocal duet, and piano rendition of “You Are My Hiding Place.” A ladies’ trio sang “Over and Over,” and a vocal solo gave a beautiful rendition of “Blessings.” The choir’s repertoire featured uplifting songs including “He Would Hold Me Fast,” “To the King,” “Order My Steps,” and “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.” The audience was further blessed by the orchestra’s performance of “Since Jesus Came into My Heart,” a sextet’s performance of “O Happy Day,” a soloist and string quartet rendition of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and a flute solo of “Le Cygne” and “Le Basque.” Brother Jack gave a sermonette during the intermission, and Alex Wilson, from Seattle, read Scriptures between the specials. The concert concluded with Gary Olson of Seattle giving the closing prayer. There was a time of fellowship after the concert and many left feeling spiritually enriched.

On Sunday, Brother Bill taught the adult Sunday school class, Ryan Trotter of Chehalis taught the high school/college class, and Brother Taiwoo taught grades 4-8. Star Tai-Sonubi taught the Beginners class while Blessing Akinrotimi taught the Primaries. The Lord blessed all of these sessions.

The Sunday morning service had about 150 people in attendance. It commenced with the orchestra presenting “You Are My All in All,” followed by a soul-stirring flute duet by sisters Blessing and Angelina, both from Seattle. A grand combined choir from many branch churches in the state of Washington continued by singing a heartwarming song, “Heaven’s Jubilee.” The congregation was led in singing by Florin Baros, and Joshua Adaramola offered the opening prayer. A Baros family trio sang “Refiner’s Fire,” after which the Scripture reading by Brother Ryan was taken from Mark 10:46-52. Sister Iudita blessed the congregation with her rendition of “The Goodness of God” before Brother Jack delivered the sermon titled “Deep Calleth unto Deep.” Drawing his Bible text from Psalm 42:7 and recounting the story of blind Bartimaeus, Brother Jack emphasized that although humanity has plunged into the depths of sin, God’s love reaches deeper and is vast beyond measure. He highlighted that through Jesus Christ, anyone who calls out to God can obtain mercy, salvation, and favor from Him. He further emphasized that God has the power to deliver His children from challenging life circumstances if they call upon Him. At the end of the service, many gathered around the altars to seek God’s presence in prayer. 

The special meetings concluded with a delightful time of fellowship, in which participants enjoyed a banquet of American, African, Asian, and Italian food before departing to their locations. The weekend of special meetings was characterized by abundant blessings and answers to prayers. Many left rejoicing in victories won during the weekend. We pray that the blessings received during the 2023 Pullman special weekend will deepen each soul’s relationship with God and ensure readiness for the Second Coming of the Lord.