The Miracle of Mount Zion Tabernacle

My friend gave me the phone number of the current Trustees who had custody of the property, and yet I didn't call them right away, because I still thought my friend would be the one to see about raising up a ministry there. After all, he was the one who had heard about it. So after another week or so, it became apparent that he just was feeling that the Lord was leading him in a different path, and he insisted that he would rather see me try.

At this point, the burden of the Lord was growing stronger and I knew the Lord was speaking to my heart about pastoring there, but how would this all happen? What was the current situation with the property? What would I find when inquiring about it? Was there a catch? Why wasn't my friend taking it on? What was God's will for the place?

That night I called Pastor O'Connor and shared these things with him, and I will never forget how the presence of God descended upon us as we spoke. Under a great unction and with great urgency, a powerful prophetic word came forth that night while on the phone, that I was to speak with the owners of the property immediately and not to wait one more day, because if I waited, all hope for this vision would be lost! At this point, I knew it was God's will and the prophetic word served as a strong encouragement and confirmation to me. It also served to get me moving, because if not, I would have waited too long and missed what God was trying to do. Many times when God is moving, we have to be quick and move in faith, or else we can miss God's timing. The old expression says it best: “You have to strike while the iron is hot.”

The very next day I called the phone number that was given to me by my friend, with great anticipation. Keep in mind that I didn't even know these people's names or where they lived, but only had this phone number. I dialed their number and it began to ring... and no one was picking up the phone, so I planned to leave a message... but it just kept ringing... no answering machine! I called back again after a little while and the same thing. What a let down. It was so hard to be patient. Did I even have the right number?

I went about my business that day and was out in the garage that afternoon wondering what to do. I was coming back into the house and I heard my Mom on the phone with someone, just getting ready to hang up. She was saying, “Who? …, No, I didn't... I don't think anyone here called you...” I shouted: “Mom, WAIT! DON'T HANG UP! I took the phone and discovered that it was them. They saw my number on their caller ID and decided to call back to see who it was. If they hadn't, then things may have turned out a lot different, as you will soon learn.

I introduced myself to them and inquired about the church, and said that I would like to meet with them right away. They were fine with that and I jumped in my car and went straight there. We sat down at their kitchen table, it was a husband and his wife, and they opened up and shared with me their story. They had been there as Trustees for over ten years, and been the stewards of the property, but how the Lord was leading them to move on. It had been a difficult season for them. The funds had dried up and the attendance had dropped right off. They also told me they had been praying for the Lord to send a pastor, to relieve them, and carry on the work. No one had come forth. They didn't know what to do. They couldn't carry it alone and they were so weary in their stage of the journey. The only other option they had was to turn it over to another denomination that wanted it, but this group had plans to then sell it off to an antique dealer.

I could see from their faces that that was the last thing they wanted for this little “church in the Wildwood.” They wanted so badly for it to remain a viable local church, but no one was stepping to the plate, and they simply couldn't carry the expenses out of pocket anymore. They told me that if I had come a day later, it would have probably been too late. They had already drained the fuel oil tank and made all preparations to leave the property, having made their last trip already.