Pastor Dr. Dean Weaver of Memorial Park Evangelical Presbyterian church wrote this letter of recommendation for the Growing the Church Conference by PRMI.
Pastor Weaver serves Memorial Park as her Senior/Lead Pastor. Pastor Weaver is a graduate of Grove City College, with a BA in History and Religion; Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity; and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with a Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching.
Memorial Park An Evangelical Presbyterian Church
8800 Peebles Road † Allison Park, Pennsylvania 15101-2716
412-364-9492 † Fax: 412-367-4054
November 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is an absolute delight to recommend to you the “Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit” conference facilitated by Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International (PRMI).
I am very purposeful in the choice of the word “facilitated” as it has been my profound experience that the works of this conference are that of the Holy Spirit Himself.
The servant staff of PRMI are working cooperatively with the Holy Spirit to help provide one of the most important and empowering opportunities for congregations and their leaders that I have known in my twenty five years of ministry.
I have been blessed to experience two manifestations of “Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit” in just the last year.
My first exposure was when PRMI’s Executive Director Brad Long and the Director of their Dunamis Fellowship, Cindy Strickler came to visit our campus at Memorial Park.
The time they spent with our Elders, staff and congregation was a time of great empowerment for us! Brad and Cindy took our congregation by the hand and led us in the powerful “dance of cooperation with the Holy Spirit” that has forever changed our fellowship.
This was no mere “program” that would be soon forgotten as many of us have experienced in the church. Rather, this was the first significant step in a whole new movement for our congregation.
Since that time, the outcomes from the “Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit” conference at Memorial Park, have resulted in a dramatically new strategic ministry plan that has energized our congregation with a renewed and intentional focus on our cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit in His empowered ministry of exalting our savior Jesus!
My second encounter with “Growing the Church” came at PRMI’s home base, called the Community of the Cross, in Black Mountain, North Carolina.This time set aside for the equipping and empowerment of church leaders was made all the more powerful as the whole PRMI staff came along side the participants in an environment that can only be described as “holy ground.”
The Community of the Cross is a powerful and anointed place where the work of the Holy Spirit is evident and demonstrative.
I went to Black Mountain to be a co-facilitator for the conference, and came away overwhelmed by how the Lord had ministered to me during that time at that place through His servants!
All this is to say, I cannot recommend to you enough that you consider attending the next “Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit” conference, and that you bring some of your key leaders!
This may be the single greatest investment in the advancement of the Kingdom of God in your midst that you can make during this God appointed and unique “kairos” season of gospel ministry!
