2008 Heritage hot off the press

The 2008 annual edition of Assemblies of God Heritage magazine is hot off the press and will shortly be mailed to all credentialed Assemblies of God ministers. Additional copies may be ordered online or by phone: 877.840.5200 (toll free).

Download selected free articles from the 2008 edition from the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center website. If you like what you read, consider ordering the entire 2008 edition of Heritage for yourself, or as a gift for your friends or relatives. We think you will agree that Heritage magazine is a keepsake!

The 2008 edition features the following articles:

Dr. Charles S. Price: His Life, Ministry and Influence
This Oxford-educated pastor became one of the most noteworthy Pentecostal evangelists of the twentieth century.
BY TIM ENLOE

Teen Challenge: 50 Years of Miracles
What began as an outreach by David Wilkerson to the gangs of New York City has developed into one of the largest and most successful Christian drug-treatment programs.
BY DAVID BATTY AND ETHAN CAMPBELL

Conflicted by the Spirit: The Religious Life of Elvis Presley
The “King of Rock ‘n Roll,” the most famous Assemblies of God Sunday school prospect from the 1950s, experienced an all-too public struggle between his religious upbringing and the temptations of the world.
BY JAMES R. GOFF, JR.

Rev. R. L. Brandt (1917-2007) is remembered

Robert Louis Brandt was born May 29, 1917, at Tower City, North Dakota, the oldest child of Alfred and Etta Brandt. He passed away in Billings, Montana on September 27, 2007 at the age of 90. He served the Assemblies of God Fellowship as pastor, author, Bible school president, executive presbyter, National Home Missions Secretary, and superintendent of two districts.

Raised on a farm near Rock Lake, North Dakota, Brandt accepted Christ at Lake Geneva Bible Camp near Alexandria, Minnesota at age 16 and soon felt a calling to the ministry. After completing high school, he attended North Central Bible Institute (now North Central University) in Minneapolis and went on to pastor churches in Stanley (1939-1945) and Grand Forks, North Dakota (1945-1951). He married Marian Williams in 1940, and they became parents of three children.

Brandt’s ministry expanded when he was elected North Dakota District Superintendent (1951-1958), resigning to become the National Home Missions Secretary for the Assemblies of God (1958-1965). He then became pastor of First Assembly of God in Billings, Montana (1965-1970) and Montana District Superintendent (1970-1983). He served faithfully for 20 years as executive presbyter of the Northwest Region from 1981 to 2001. He also served on many boards and committees, including the board of directors for North Central Bible College, Central Indian Bible College, and Northwest University.

A gifted author, he contributed articles to the Pentecostal Evangel, Pulpit, Enrichment, and wrote several theological texts including Praying With Paul, The Spirit Helps Us Pray, Attitudes of the Beatitudes, The Pentecostal Promise, among others, and a number of Sunday school quarterlies. He also traveled as an evangelist to many countries including Puerto Rico, Thailand, Java, Canada, and South Korea. He is remembered as a leader, board member, teacher, preacher, and author, but most of all, he is remembered as a faithful servant of God.

Farmer makes pilgrimage to Springfield

Sixty-nine years ago an eleven-year-old boy, Elvin Farmer, walked door-to-door in Glenwood, Arkansas, asking friends and neighbors to buy the Pentecostal Evangel for two cents each. It was a very proud moment for the earnest young man when he learned that he was the top seller in his area and that his achievement would be noted in the October 15, 1938 issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

That story prompted one of his four daughters to recently visit the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, located in the Assemblies of God Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. A thorough search yielded the 1938 article, which was to be a surprise gift for Farmer’s 80th birthday party in California in April 2007.

Two months later, Farmer, his daughter, and his grandchildren visited Springfield and toured the Assemblies of God Headquarters. Farmer, a faithful Assemblies of God member for 80 years, currently attends Calvary Christian Center Assembly of God in Yuba City, California.

According to his daughter, Darla, Farmer is “very proud that he raised his four daughters in the Assemblies of God.” She stated that the tour allowed him “to see the inner workings” of the Fellowship and “gave him a stronger sense of belonging.”

When traveling through Springfield, be sure to stop and visit the Assemblies of God Headquarters. Free tours include visits to the Gospel Publishing House, AG World Missions, the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center and more! Explore our websites for more information on the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center museum and the guided walking tour of the Assemblies of God national headquarters.

Photo: young Elvin Farmer, circa 1938.

Technorati Tags:
Assemblies of God, Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, Elvin Farmer
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Furl |

Dan Betzer on the blessing of Heritage

Dan Betzer, one of the most recognizeable people in the Assemblies of God, has served as pastor of First Assembly of God (Fort Myers, Florida), since 1987. He is also the assistant district superintendent of the Peninsular Florida District of the Assemblies of God.

He followed C. M. Ward as speaker on the Assemblies of God’s flagship radio program, Revivaltime, broadcasting from 1979 to 1995. Our younger readers will know him as the voice behind the Dan and Louie Bible stories that they grew up with.

He currently hosts “ByLine with Dan Betzer,” a two-minute program heard weekdays on radio stations nationwide. He also hosts the 60-second weekday ByLine Television commentary, which is aired around the world on over 900 television stations. Here is a reprint of his “ByLine” radio message from July 17th.

——————————————————-
“ByLine with Dan Betzer” Program # 3597
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
“The Blessing Of Heritage”
——————————————————-

Hello again, this is Dan Betzer. In our fellowship, the Assemblies of God, we have a periodical called Heritage. To us nostalgic types, the magazine is a blessing. We read stories and see pictures of the great men and women of the past who shaped our fellowship, heroes in the truest sense of the word. I think I have every issue ever printed. They are bound in huge volumes so they are easy to pick up and read.