‘Good News’ draws the crowds
“Yippee” cried a big man with a safety pin in his ear, jumping over a knee-high rope that enclosed the covered stage at English Park yesterday afternoon; He was one of a group of about 30 people from a crowd of about 1000 who came forward after a crusade meeting to receive the “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” The first meeting of the crusade in Christchurch was held on Saturday evening, 1500 people attending. The organisers said the numbers, were probably down yesterday because of the cooler :weather. They expect bigger crowds towards. the end of . the crusade, which twill continue at English Park each evening until Saturday. Families made up most of yesterday’s crowd. They listened quietly to Larry Allen, a preacher from the United States, who told them that he had come “to arrest Christchurch,
New Zealand” in the name of the Lord. “The Holy Spirit is all over this place,” he said, from the covered stage in English Park to his audience who were mostly seated - bn the lawn in front of him. “Glory, glory, glory, glory, glory . . . Can’t you feel if moving?” At the end of the meeting, Mr Allen called for people in the crowd to come forward to receive the life of the Spirit. “C’mon brother, c’mon sister. I guarantee you’ll get this Holy Ghost,” he exhorted them. '‘Hallelujah; „ glory, glory, glory When about 30 people had come . forward, .with friends or relatives,; Mr Allen told them to lift their hands “higher, higher, higher to. let the love of Jesus in.” ■ Several of the people present began to speak in “tongues” and at least two of them collapsed under the strain of their experience.
The Christchurch crusade meetings are being organised by a committee of members of Christian churches or fellowships in the city. A spokesman for the group said yesterday that when people went to the front of the meeting to give'-their lives to Christ they were prayed for by; the ministers and counsellors. “The effect on .many of them is. that some . are bowled over and are prostrate' for a minute. Others speak in tongues for the first time —..that is a sort of prayer and it is seen by many as evi-. dence of the Holy Spirit starting to work in their lives'in a tangible , way.”' • Many of the Christ-; church organisers -. are members of the . Full' Gos"-' pel Businessmen’s Fellowship ' International. The Auckland chapters of thisorganisation are.-behind the Good News *BO crusade — their first national.'; nriA /
‘Good News’ draws the crowds
Press, 18 February 1980, Page 1
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