News and Updates
May 1, 2024
David Copeland · May 1, 2024
Newsletter · Volume: 24 Issue: 5
We began April in Pulaski, Virginia, at Spirit of Life Worship Center with Bishop Ed and Donna Slaughter. What an outpouring we experienced. All weekend long, that first weekend in April, I kept hearing in my heart, “Don’t settle for a breakthrough when God wants you to have a breakout!” I am convinced (at least in my own life) that I have often settled for just getting some relief from the trouble I was experiencing instead of pressing through until a complete breakout comes. Only you can decide if you want to be utterly free from whatever is holding you back from the fullness of God. Often, your victory is hidden in a fresh instruction from the Lord. Take the time to listen, then obey.
On April 9th, we began traveling to Kenya for the first School of Ministry sessions for 2024. In February, at the urging of the government of Kenya, we changed the name of our Kenya Pastors Training to Shepherd’s Hope Training Centre. In both Kilgoris and Narok, the name change was well received, and most of all, the Presence of Jesus prevailed in all the sessions.
Kilgoris Report
To begin our ministry time in Kenya, Pastor Jack Chancey spoke about worship at our Second Revival Now Worship Conference in Kilgoris. It was a tremendous word of instruction for worship leaders from across Kilgoris. The only problem was that people complained that it was only a one-day meeting. God made it worth everyone’s time with His Presence.
At Kilgoris, we saw over 110 students register for the training, with over 50 leaders being first-time students. Thank you to Tim Williams, who taught “Biblical Prosperity 2,” Jackie Benefield, who taught “The Word,” and Jack Chancey, who taught “Awakening Worship.” In our degree class, I taught in the Homiletics & Preaching Lab. One brother rebuked me when I said Homiletics is not one of those “spiritual” subjects that makes goose bumps stand up on your arm. But the Holy Ghost came and made it very interesting.
In the preaching Lab, I gave each student a portion of scripture on a piece of paper, then gave them 8 hours to study the passage and 10 minutes to preach it. Every student stayed within the time limit, and every one of them brought a revelatory word that blessed my socks off. God is raising up some mighty men and women for God from East Africa who are truly world changers!
Narok Report
In our Narok School, we had 111 total attendees, with 71 of them being first-time students. On the trip to Kenya, the Holy Spirit spoke to me to split the first-time students from the rest of the group. So, this term in Narok, we experimented with separating the Certificate (first-year) students from the rest of the group to see the response and the flow. I was initially concerned that it might change the dynamic of the sessions, and it did, for the better! With this new system now in place (which will be installed in Kilgoris as well in August), we will be able to accommodate more students to attend the training, and it will open the doors for us to allow more teachers from the US to travel with us to help us serving and instructing these world changers. If you are a minister who has a desire to teach and train leaders around the world, reach out to me for an opportunity to join us at the Shepherd’s Hope Training Centre classes in the future.
As always, we were honored to be able to visit Hope Centre Children’s Home in Nyangusu to check on the students there. We now have ½ of our property secured with a new security wall, which is fully plastered and protected from the elements. We are planning another work trip that will coincide with the August Pastors Training Classes, which will focus on painting the completed wall. If you are interested in traveling with us, contact Megan Hayslip, our US Director of Hope Centre, who will lead the work team, and she can give you the details. Her email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or by phone at 706-773-8754.
Any time there is change, there are challenges. But despite changes and the challenges that come with it, God will always show you a silver lining. Sitting in the Narok School last week, it dawned on me how much God has blessed us with a team to work with in Kenya who actually want to work with us and be with us. As we marked the 14th year of teaching & training pastors in Kenya, I realized we have had minimal turnover in our staff there. That is a blessing and testimony in this day and age. I want to thank God for calling Pam, my entire family, and me to minister in Kenya. I thank God for the team He has given us to work with us, who WANT to work with us. I thank God for all the leaders we have seen pass through these training classes in the last 14 years who today are touching well over 75,000 people across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda, with most of them (90%) serving in the rural areas of East Africa. We have had partner ministries who have served with us, giving away over 11,000 Bibles in this time, seeing over 20 churches built, and impacting the lives of thousands with the Gospel.
It is all possible because of the friends and partners who have trusted us with the finances to do all this. Teamwork does make the dream work.
Thank you to everyone in the United States and around the world for being a part of this Revival Now International Team.