Four thousand people met in Nashville, Tenn., for Foursquare Connection 2019 this week, and walked away encouraged, challenged, refreshed—and with a new president.
Following a powerful business session that concluded with a time of prayer before ballots were collected, Randy Remington was elected as the new president of The Foursquare Church. On Tuesday night, hundreds waited in line to meet Randy and his wife, Sandy, at the International Celebration. Randy will spend up to a year of shadowing current President Glenn Burris Jr. before taking office on Sept. 1, 2020.
The recurring theme for the week was “Restored by Jesus” as we celebrated people who had been healed and reconciled, as well as received challenging words on areas where the church is working to be restored.
“Wherever there is a place that needs to be rebuilt or restored—ministry, marriage, life, your health—God will be the rebuilder and the restorer of your life this week,” Glenn Burris Jr. declared early in the week.
Restoration
Testimonies did not disappoint. Shavonne Lang from Restoration Church (Huntsville Foursquare Church) in Madison, Ala., shared the account of how she was healed of a tumor, much to her doctor’s surprise. Heidi Cooper, co-pastor of Faith Fellowship (Uxbridge Foursquare Church) in Uxbridge, Mass., shared how the Lord healed her after being sexually abused, and later healed her marriage. Chanda Crutcher, an assisting minister from Restoration Church, told the audience how she was reconciled with her birth father, while challenging churches to disciple those 65 and over just like we invest in children’s programs.
Sharon Snow, co-pastor of Chestnut Street Community (Roselle Foursquare Church) in Roselle, N.J., and Becca Mundt with Foursquare Missions International (FMI) each shared how they struggled with depression and loneliness. As suicide numbers and depression are on the rise, Becca challenged fellow leaders to “teach people they are being called by their name, and they are not alone.”
“Wherever there is a place that needs to be rebuilt or restored—ministry, marriage, life, your health—God will be the rebuilder and the restorer of your life this week.” —Glenn Burris Jr.
With energy and passion for reaching the next generation, Brian Barcelona spoke of showing up at some of the hardest schools in South Los Angeles and being welcomed to start a “Jesus club.” At his very first club, 200 kids were saved, and he is now reaching 17,000 kids at some of the roughest schools in L.A. each week.
Keynote speakers didn’t waste their time on the platform mincing words. Renown speaker and author Pete Scazzero admitted: “You can do work for Jesus without Jesus. I know, I’ve done it.” Much like a master mason trains for a decade, so must we slow down and be with Jesus: “You are going to get a lot more done by doing a lot less.”
[vimeo 339374819]
Phil Manginelli, senior pastor of The Square (Smyrna 2 Foursquare Church) in Smyrna, Ga., cautioned pastors against buying into a “culture of significance,” and asked: “Have we actually traded in what God has for us because we are trying to reach and achieve the greatness of our own name?” He challenged us instead to listen to our true, meaningful callings.
Following a talk where well-known author and speaker Lisa Bevere said, “We need to create this opportunity for men and women to bring their strengths to the house of God,” a time of healing and forgiveness followed. James Ranger III, senior pastor of New Life Church (Bakersfield Southwest Foursquare Church) in Bakersfield, Calif., and Mary Walsh, senior pastor at Northwest Community Church (Steilacoom Foursquare Church) in Lakeland, Wash., addressed any possible hurt regarding Tammy Dunahoo not being elected as a female president.
International
Foursquare leaders from 54 nations traveled to Nashville to celebrate all that God is doing around the world. Monique and Yaseer Handall shared how they are bringing Native Americans to Jesus; leaders from Brazil shared how they now have 16,000 churches and 50 missionaries; leaders from Venezuela shared about revival breaking out that has led to exponential church growth and nearly 1,000 water baptisms this year.
On Wednesday night, Ted Vail, director of FMI, honored a family in Southeast Asia whose names can’t be shared due to who they are risking it all to bring the gospel to. Ted reminded us that we need many more ordinary people to courageously take the gospel to unreached places.
FMI’s Paul and Carina Greer thanked Foursquare for their incredible generosity in recent years and shared a vision to send 1,000 workers to the mission field. To do that, FMI needs more workers, and they need the funds to send people into unreached regions, where their adventurous assignments will make traditional fundraising difficult. Convention attendees gave nearly $100,000 to help send workers.
Celebration
Ted and Diane Roberts of Pure Desire Ministries were presented with the “Restored by Jesus” award for their work serving leaders with pornography addictions and sexual addictions. The duo brings biblically based and clinically informed ministry and resources to serve men and women, pastors and leaders.
Lydia Ingeneri started the week off with powerful worship, followed by Jesus Culture on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday evening concluded with an extended time of worship with Jesus Culture, as well as a time of ministry.
Wednesday afternoon was a busy day. In addition to 21 workshops on practical topics, Multiethnic Connections and Conexión Hispana were also well attended.
Several prophecies were shared during the week, onstage and off. Read them here.
Conexión Hispana
On Wednesday afternoon, 400 Hispanic leaders gathered together in the main ballroom for Conexión Hispana to worship Jesus in their heart language, led by Eric Diaz.
General Supervisor Tammy Dunahoo and Daniel Prieto, former chairman of the National Hispanic Commission, passed the proverbial baton of the Foursquare Hispanic movement from the National Church Office to the Southwestern Hispanic District (Distrito Hispanic Del Suroeste) and to all of the district leaders across the nation, ushering in a new season.
Daniel and Monica Prieto shared a word of healing and restoration. Monica invited pastors to not only live the Great Commission to go and make disciples, but also to answer the call of Jesus to come to Him when we are tired, and He will give us rest; putting on humility and leaving self-sufficiency behind.
Daniel called the Hispanic movement to be a community of health—one that celebrates communion together, accepts each other and cares for each other. He said: “Our best days are not in the past. Our best days are in our future.”
Next Year
Foursquare Connection 2020 will be held May 25-28 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort + Convention Center just outside the beautiful city of Denver, near Denver International Airport. The event will include a time of celebrating Glenn Burris Jr.’s presidency and installing President-Elect Randy Remington. Make plans to join this historic moment in Foursquare!
The Connection 2019 Digital Downloads are available for $99 with all the general sessions, interviews, QuickTalks, video presentations and over 20 workshops (audio only). Downloads will be available this weekend.
Additional reporting by Melisa Prieto and Allyson Siwajian.
To see more from Connection 2019, click here.
