Very sad to read of the recent passing of Rev. Henry Rodriguez, a Pastor affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International, who was senseless murdered by assassins this past week in Colombia.
May his soul rest in peace until the day that trumpet sounds. Blessings upon his family, and also to the church he left behind. May the saints of God never forget to pray for the safety and well-being of the ministers and fellow saints around the world. Amen.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is calling for a full investigation into the murder of protestant Pastor Henry Rodriguez, 44, who was shot dead as he exited his church in Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday 16 September. Pastor Rodriguez was a leader at the United Pentecostal Church in the Marsella neighbourhood in the Kennedy sector of Bogota.
The reasons behind the assassination are unknown, however, according to local press reports, witnesses said the murder was carried out by what appeared to be professional hit men. Pastor Rodriguez was leaving the church after an afternoon service when he was shot multiple times by two men on a moped, a method commonly used in professional hits in Colombia. Hospital staff were unable to resuscitate him.
While the assassination of a pastor is extremely unusual in Bogota, countrywide church leaders are frequently targeted by illegal armed groups. CSW’s long-term partners in Colombia, the Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches (CEDECOL) Peace Commission, estimates that on average 20-30 church leaders are assassinated each year. In general, leaders are targeted because of their refusal to cooperate or support the objectives of the illegal armed groups; however, the reasons behind the murder of Pastor Rodriguez are unclear as he had not reported receiving any threats prior to Sunday’s events.
Pastor Rodriguez, who was on course to graduate in October from the Baptist Seminary in Cali, is survived by his wife and three children. In a statement released by the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia, Vicente Arango, Director of Missions, said, “Our heart is troubled by the departure of or brother, companion, and faithful friend. Our brother Henry Rodriguez, left for the King’s palace. Now he awaits the joyful words of our beloved Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, added, “We were devastated to learn of the assassination of Pastor Henry Rodriguez on Sunday evening and are extremely concerned at the fact that the assassination was carried out so brazenly in the capital city on the steps of the church in front of many witnesses. We encourage the Colombian authorities to ensure that a full investigation into the murder of Pastor Rodriguez takes place soon and that those responsible are brought to justice. We also offer our condolences to his wife, Sara, and their three children.”
Sad to hear about the recent passing of Grant Jeffrey, a giant among Bible Prophecy teachers and authors.
Jeffrey was an exceptional author and defender of the premillenial dispensational view of Bible prophecy. His research was always impressive to me, both in his books and articles (such as this one dealing with the pre-tirbulation rapture) , and as one who has a slew of prophecy related books, Jeffrey's works (such as Final Warning, pictured above) were always some of my favorites. He, and his work, will definitely be missed.
Longtime minster Rev. David Wilkerson has died today in a car accident today. He was 79. Wilkerson rose to prominence as the author and central character in the bestselling Christian book "The Cross and the Switchblade", also made into a movie of the same name. He later founded the 5,000 member Times Square Church in New York City in 1987, of which he was the Senior Pastor until he retired last year.
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From the New York Times:
The Rev. David Wilkerson, an evangelical minister and author who founded the Times Square Church to minister to the downtrodden in one of Manhattan’s seedier precincts, but whose later writings included apocalyptic predictions for New York City and beyond, died on Wednesday in an automobile accident in Texas. He was 79 and lived near Tyler, Tex.
Mr. Wilkerson’s car veered into oncoming traffic on a highway near Cuney, about 110 miles southeast of Dallas, and was hit by a tractor-trailer, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety told The Associated Press.
His wife, Gwendolyn, was seriously injured but is expected to recover, Mr. Wilkerson’s brother, the Rev. Donald Wilkerson, said on Thursday.
David Wilkerson was known to a broad readership through his many books. His most famous, "The Cross and the Switchblade" (1963), chronicled his ministry among gang members in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where he had arrived as a young preacher in the late 1950s.
Written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, the book has sold tens of millions of copies and has been translated into more than 30 languages, according to its current publisher, Chosen Books.
“The Cross and the Switchblade” was made into a feature film of that name, released in 1970. It starred Pat Boone as Mr. Wilkerson and Erik Estrada, in his first film appearance, as a member of his flock.
Dr. Malinda Sapp, wife of Dr. Marvin Sapp, gospel singer and pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center Church, has died of colon cancer at age 43. Pastor and First Lady Sapp were married for 15 years and had three children.
Personally, I've been very blessed by the music ministry of Dr. Sapp over the years. Our condolences and prayers go out to Bro. Sapp and his family at this difficult time. May the peace of God be with them.
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From examiner.com:
Gospel music artist Marvin Sapp has lost his wife and best friend, MaLinda Sapp to colon cancer. Marvin and MaLinda had been married for 15 years and have three children. Marvin and his church, Lighthouse Full Life Center Church, had previously launched a 24 hour prayer campaign for the complete healing of MaLinda. Marvin recently curtailed his travel and recording plans in order to be with his wife during her time of sickness.
MaLinda Sapp was Administrative Pastor alongside Marvin Sapp at their church, Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, MI. According to MaLinda's bio she was a limited licensed psychologist, licensed professional counselor and served as a college professor. She also served as manager for Marvin Sapp and had Executive Producer credits on many of his audio and video recordings.
Gospel music industry worker Walter Hawkins died yesterday.
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By John S. Marshall
The Associated Press
Monday, July 12, 2010; 1:28 AM
RIPON, Calif. -- Walter Hawkins, a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, composer and pastor from Oakland, died Sunday. He was 61.
Walter Hawkins, who was battling pancreatic cancer, passed away at his home in Ripon, Calif., his older brother Edwin Hawkins said.
"Today, I lost my brother, my pastor, and my best friend," said Edwin Hawkins. "Bishop Hawkins suffered bravely but now he will suffer no more and he will be greatly missed."
Born in Oakland, Hawkins studied for his divinity degree at the University of California, Berkeley.
While at the university, he recorded his first album titled "Do Your Best" in 1972.
The next year, Hawkins became a pastor and founded the Love Center Church in Oakland, where he also formed a choir.
Veteran evangelist Oral Robert died Tuesday in Newport Beach, Calif., due to complications from pneumonia. His son, Richard, and daughter, Roberta, were at his side. The founder of Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University was 91.
There will be a private family internment. Arrangements for a public memorial service in Tulsa are pending and will be announced soon.
-------- Some of his teachings were controversial, to say the least. But Roberts was undeniably a giant figure in the world of Christendom.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Roberts family at this difficult time.
From: Charisma News Online Monday, 23 November 2009 12:47 PM EST Adrienne S. Gaines
Megachurch pastor Billy Joe Daugherty died early Sunday morning after a brief battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 57.
A memorial service will be held Nov. 30.
Daugherty, founder of 17,000-member Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Okla., announced last month that he had been diagnosed with cancer, spawning a global prayer chain for his healing.
In a statement released Sunday, church leaders said Daugherty "experienced his ultimate healing by entering into the presence of God." They said the pastor passed away peacefully at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, surrounded by his family.
New Age false prophetess Elizabeth Clare Prophet has died. I feel sorry for this lost soul... but I feel even more sorry for the untold thousands of people this woman -- as a tool of her demonic "Ascended Masters" -- deceived during her lifetime. ------------ From the Los Angeles Times, October 18th, 2009: Elizabeth Clare Prophet dies at 70; former leader of religious sect
She was the head of the Church Universal and Triumphant, which gained notoriety in the late 1980s for its followers' elaborate preparations for nuclear Armageddon.
Elizabeth Clare Prophet, retired spiritual leader of the Church Universal and Triumphant, which was based for several years in a Calabasas headquarters called Camelot and gained notoriety in the late 1980s for its followers' elaborate preparations for nuclear Armageddon, has died. She was 70.
Prophet, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Thursday in Bozeman, Mont., her legal guardian, Murray Steinman, told the Associated Press.
The church's beliefs combined aspects of the world's major religions, mixing Western philosophy with mysticism. Despite Prophet's illness, her videos and writings continued to dominate teaching in the church, which has transformed into a New Age publishing enterprise and spiritual university.
Prophet was called "Guru Ma" by her followers, who believe she received "dictations" from such "ascended masters" as Jesus, Buddha and St. Germain. She retired in 1999 from an active role in the church, which once had about 50,000 members.
They say you’ll always remember where you were when you heard a stunning piece of news (such as the death of JFK, the death of Elvis, the 9/11 attacks, etc). I guess that's true. I know I wont forget the moment I first heard that Michael Jackson had died.
Ed McMahon died yesterday. I wasn’t shocked really. He was 86, so I guess I felt he had lived a full life and it was just his time to go. Then I saw today that Farrah Fawcett died today. She was 62. This was not exactly a shock either, since she’d been battling cancer for a while. But I didn’t see this one coming at all.
Today, things started as just another weekday afternoon. I was driving home when my wife, a journalist with a national news outlet, called. She said she might be home later than usual. The reason: Michael Jackson had had a heart attack and was in the hospital, and if, God forbid, he should die, she’d have to work late to cover what would be a huge story. When I hung up the phone, I was hoping for the best, not sure what to expect. But when my cell phone rang again 11 minutes later, I had a bad feeling as I answered the call.
“I’ll be working late tonight. We just got the news Michael Jackson died”
“Are you sure?”
‘Yeah pretty sure.”
“Are they carrying it on the network yet?
“No. Not yet, but we have some pretty solid information on this. We just need to verify it fully before we run the story, but we have every reason to believe it’s true. Don’t tell anybody yet, because it’s not yet official... but right now, it looks like it's true.”
I continued driving, making two stops on the way home, listening to the radio all the way there. “Michael Jackson is dead,” I thought to myself. ‘Wow. This is crazy.”
I listened as the radio host was covering the story, speaking of how Michael Jackson had had a heart attack and was in grave condition. Listeners were calling in , with the callers and the radio host hoping for the best, but gradually sounding increasingly pessimistic. It was kind of odd to me, knowing already that Michael was dead, even though the radio host kept saying he was in grave condition, and that they were waiting for word on how bad the situation actually was.
By the time the radio station finally announced, maybe 90 minutes later, that it was confirmed that Jackson had died, it started to dawn on me just how big a story this was. Jackson was probably the biggest thing since Elvis, and here he was, dying suddenly at a relatively young age (50) much like Elvis did (at 42). I listened to the radio guy rattle off some impressive statistics: 13 Grammy awards, 750 million records sold, etc. And the more I listened, the more it hit me that this was just not another death, as much as I wanted to kind of tell myself that it was just one of many thousands that will take place today and every day. This was the death of a musical and cultural icon – in some ways, the end of an era.
As I sit here typing this, the news networks are still giving this wall-to-wall coverage. I was a kid when Elvis died in 1976, and barely even noticed it, if at all, even though it was a huge story worldwide. But here I am, witnessing first-hand the effects of the sudden death of someone who could be considered the Elvis of this generation, and whose music was in many ways the soundtrack of our generation.
A moment like this often will cause us, rightfully so, to become pensive, even philosophical. It makes one think of how suddenly it can all end. It reminds us of how God can call our number at any time, and how important it is for us to be ready to meet him.
Several scripture verses come to mind at a time like this:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and bebaptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.(Acts 2:38)
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (Acts 2:40)
For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14)
All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (Isaiah 40:6-8)
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.(Ecc 12:1,7-8)
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