Oniyas Gumbo’s first contact with the Apostolic Faith church was through an issue of one of these magazines in the early 1970s when he was a twenty-year-old university student (read his testimony here). He read The Light of Hope, as it was then called, while deathly ill in an infirmary in Zimbabwe. He was drawn to the fact that individuals could experience the power of God in their lives, including salvation and divine healing. What he read led to a sincere prayer the very next day, which resulted in him being instantly healed and miraculously saved. Over the years, forty-five of his relatives have been converted through the efforts of the Apostolic Faith Church in Southern Africa (read his testimony).

My first contact with the Apostolic Faith Church was through a simple Gospel service conducted in our Roseburg, Oregon, church in 1974. I was a twenty-one-year-old university student. Unlike Brother Oniyas, I was physically healthy, though sick of sinful living. After sitting through that service, which included personal testimonies and a simple, understandable sermon by a pastor, I was interested. That very night I prayed a sincere prayer of repentance and was miraculously saved. Over the years, over forty of my relatives have been saved through the efforts of the Apostolic Faith Church.

When I visited Zimbabwe in 2011, it was striking to visit our churches and see firsthand what I already knew. What they taught and the manner in which they conducted their services and practiced their faith was the same as it is in Portland, and the same as what I experienced in that 1974 Roseburg church service. More than interesting, it is powerful because it is rooted in the teachings of the Bible. The results are evidenced by many families around the world who have been impacted just as Brother Oniyas and I were impacted.

While we strive to lift up Jesus rather than our own church, we have a deep appreciation for the teachings and practices of the Apostolic Faith Church. The contents of this magazine are the product of Gospel meetings held in our churches, where sermons are extemporaneously delivered and testimonies spontaneously given. Afterward, the sermons and testimonies are transcribed, edited, and distributed free of charge, both in print versions and electronically through our website and mobile device application.

We pray that this magazine, like the one Brother Oniyas read so many years ago, will be a blessing to you as it was to him.