As I went out today to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ one man stood out. I went through the scriptures and he know Jesus but said “no” when I asked him if he was going to Heaven. I went on and as he began to weep I could feel true presence of God. We continued and a vision came upon me from God. In the vision God was sitting in Heaven, the man that was in front of me was walking up stairs toward God. Now through Jesus I knew this man was saved. care giver at nursing home soften up, received Christ, hugged Kim. Walmart: guy, girl and baby “we would no go to heaven” gave their hearts to Christ. “Thank you so much”.
Hi, Pastor Rodney … I was speaking with Pastors Eric & Jennifer today at the G.A.T. – Sanford pastor’s breakfast. Jennifer suggested I email you my testimony. My wife, Jean & I were hit by the Holy Spirit in Lakeland in ’93 and we have never been the same. We were in the second service you held at the Carpenter’s Home Church and have been mega-blessed in hundreds of your services since. We were with you at The River of Tampa Bay every Sunday (starting the second Sunday) for the first six months in the Sun Dome. The Lord opened a door for me to serve as an associate pastor at an inner-city Assembly of God on Martin Luther King Blvd. there in Tampa (“Freedom Ministries Assemblies of God”). I came (with Jean and our daughter, Connie) to ask your counsel about it after church one Sunday in the Sun Dome. We loved worshipping at The River so much, I was honestly hoping you, as our pastor, would say something like, “You’re not ready” or “You should stick around The River for another season”. Instead, the Lord had you lay hands on us and say, “Go … Go … that’s what the River’s all about … run with the fire”. After we got up off the floor, we knew we were to go. The next 3 years of our lives were filled with many blessing and many, many challenges. Freedom Ministries, where we were serving, had 24 homeless (and very needy) men living upstairs. I was working as director of corporate support at WEDU-TV during the day and serving at Freedom Ministries during the evenings and on weekends. Every chance we could, we came and jumped in The River. Countless times we were blessed, refreshed and recharged in your services. Many, many times God used you to speak a word to us that brought ‘just what we needed’ at that specific time to ‘get us over the next hill’. Without some of those rhema words, Jean and I know that we know we would not still be in the ministry today! In 1999, with our senior pastor’s full blessing and a wonderful send-off service (I left my six-figure job at WEDU-TV) and we planted Higher Ground Ministries as a non-traditional, outreach-focused church in DeLand, FL. Countless times over these past 8+ years, we have come back to The River during Camp Meetings, Minister’s Meetings, Holy Spirit weekends and just any time we can. Each and every time we do we feel as if we are “coming home” or reconnecting with the mother ship. The Holy Spirit continues to refresh and bless us so through your ministry. We take turns hooking up to our Revival IPOD and can’t begin to tell you how instrumental you and Pastor Adoncia have been in our lives. I have found DeLand to be a hard and religious area and our local church has struggled. Yet, by God’s favor, we continue to press on in full time ministry and recently planted another church in Cocoa as well. In spite of the challenges in the local church, the Lord continues to smile on each and every outreach we hold. Last year we spearheaded 68 outreaches in 16 cities and witnessed 534 first time salvations and 112 rededication … all glory to God! We have held hundreds of meetings in 9 prisons in Florida (led two men on Death Row to the Lord, recently headed up our second mission to Honduras where we held 10 meetings in 5 days and saw more than 230 born again. By God’s grace we have held outreaches in nursing homes, children’s homes, teen pregnancy centers; half-way houses, homeless shelters, etc. … even a few churches 🙂 In spite of the ‘light and momentary trials’ we have seen well over 2,000 souls saved … because God used one fiery missionary from South Africa to say, “Fill!” and “Never the same!” Most recently we were able to be a part of the G.A.T. – Cocoa. Our schedule allowed us to be there for 2 nights and 1 day. We had the joy of going out on the streets in Cocoa with your drummer, Austin (great guy). We witnessed probably close to 100 decisions that day just in our little group. One of our guys in the Cocoa church came to me the week before the G.A.T. and said, “I’ve been walking with Jesus for 15 years and have never actually prayed with anyone as they received the Lord.” The next week, he and his son hit the streets of Cocoa with one of your teams and in just a few hours those two guys led 20 people in the prayer of salvation! Through the Great Awakening Tour – Cocoa, a fire has been lit in our hearts to take the gospel to the streets with one-on-one street evangelism … and our folks are catching ablaze! We can’t begin to tell you how excited we are about G.A.T. – Sanford! We are making some noise around here and will continue to. I know the Lord has great things in store and we are absolutely thrilled to be a part of it! Words fail to convey the gratitude Jean and I have for the price you and Pastor Adonica have paid for revival. Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough. Please suffice it to say, we love you and earnestly have and will continue to pray for you, your family and awesome ministry at RMI. With You for the Harvest, Jim B
I couldn’t make it to Cocoa, Florida, but two newspaper guys got saved, today! They were ripe for the picking! One guy needs a car to go to church. Could you agree with me in prayer that God will provide for him a car? Thanks! I went to see Dr Rodney& Adonica Howard-Browne, not knowing what to expect…But I was healed after he prayed for me. I have had 7 spinal surgeries and have lived with horrible pain for 12 years. The Doctors told me I will always be in pain, might as well get used to it. Three days now and no pain…thank you Jesus
I participated in the Great Awakening in Tulsa and went out with the group on Saturday. I have a Christian school and we went to a retirement center at Christmas and led 13 people to the Lord. I would like to do more teaching on soul winning. Do you have a copy of the class that is taught before going out? It was so helpful and so well done I would like to listen to it again before I teach it.
TBN broadcast with my 2 teenage sons and their friends .you said put your hand on where you think you spirit is and command the joy of the Lord to come out. We all did it and the friend couldn’t drive home he was so filled up with laughter. That joy stayed with me; and helped me through the accidental death of one of those boys. Now I’m sharing the stories of salvations in the witnessing sessions and a friend and I went to the mall and used the tract . 5 were saved. Now there are 3 other ladies who want to go out with us.
No one had ever told him God loved him. No he didn’t know where he was going-He talked about his religion a lot, I continuted with the script. I led him to the Lord and he thanked me and said “It’s not every day tht some one is going to heaven, but today I will be going! Streets We talked to people. We talked to a man at Partners Bar B Que. He said the prayer and then he started crying and told us he was abused as a child and then he walked us to the car and told us that we changed his life.
Dear Pastor Rodney and Adonica, Thank you for the Ocala River. God’s providence and provision led us there and then ultimately to The River in Tampa. Please read: On Monday, October 16, 2006 at approx., 4:15PM in the afternoon. After doing a long day of housecleaning, I decided to unwind and watch Sky Angel for a few min. before making dinner. As I went through a few channels, I ended up on CTN. What I observed changed our lives! I saw a man on the stage of an auditorium that I’ve never seen before (It ended up being Rodney Howard-Browne at the Christ chapel at Oral Roberts University). This man never said a word. He just quietly walked back and forth on the stage moving his hand back and forth as to have been orchestrating the audience. The audience was completely immersed in lingering in the presence of God. There was no pressure to change the course of the service. I had NEVER seen such a thing! I was born, raised and bred in church and NEVER seen the lingering in the presence of God. The first thing I thought to myself was “NO CLOCK!” This particular 10min. that I observed was so desirable to me because I have been in so many services where I knew that if people would be aloud to linger a little longer in the presence of God, God would move on their behalf. However, the structured services that I had previously been in, NEVER aloud this freedom or experience. Here, before my eyes, was what I considered a breakthrough! Heaven on earth with NO CLOCK! The next thing I thought was, “WHAT I WOULD DO TO BE IN THAT TV!” Before I knew it, the program was over. A man at the end of the program came on and spoke for a few min. I got a glimpse of his name and face, but was unfamiliar with him. Regardless, I determined in my heart to go to the same channel the very next day to see more! However, I just couldn’t get this whole experience off my mind! That night upon going to bed, I explained to my husband the above mentioned. He said, that I made it sound so good that he was willing to come home early from work the very next day and watch it with me at 4:00pm. I told him there’s no need for that and that I’d tape the program and he could watch it when he got home. However, the very next morning, Tuesday, October 17, 2006, he went to work. I stayed home and I could not get this experience from the day before, out of my mind. I couldn’t wait until 4:00pm! So, instead, I went on the internet and did a Google search to the best of my ability of what I had remembered of the man’s name. As I searched, the very first search that came up for me was “revival.com”. I clicked on it. Next is, UNBELIEVEABLE…on the very front page, THE VERY FRONT PAGE…it said, OCALA FLORDIA ABLAZE, Oct. 17, 18, 19 & 20th! I was shocked because that is where I lived in Ocala, FL! And not only that, Rodney Howard-Browne was coming to our town that very night and rest of the week! Additionally, I clicked on the location of the revival and it was going to be TWO MIN. from our home!!!!!!! I called my husband excitedly at work. I said on the phone, “God has placed this man in our lap!” To make a long story short, we attended that evening and the rest of the week. Then, we came to realize that these services were being held at the satellite church of the mother church in Tampa. This satellite church was extremely welcomed and we were so glad that we could attend, because, we were desperately looking for a church in Ocala. The rest is history….. God eventually moved us to Tampa. We both completed a year of RSW. God has financially supported us with a miraculous job. We’ve been introduced to the FIRE and JOY of God that we never knew before. Additionally, our personal experiences as a family, are too tremendous to express in words and our hearts are filled with gladness and the mere fact of your obedience to God. Thank you.
I’ve watched every service of your campmeeting this week and it’s been so awesome. I wish I could be there with you in person but even watching on the internet has been SO powerful. I’ve only known your ministry for less than a year but I love you guys and I am plugging in with you. I am an extension of your ministry becuz you have fired me up and my ministry has changed as a result of this. I’ve been traveling singing for 20 years now and this past year I’ve grown leaps and bounds spiritually and what a hunger I have for souls now, a REAL hunger! I am in Ohio winning souls and going into other Churches to fire the people up to go out and win more souls. This week God has given me more of a direction of what to do now and I understand the fire that you’ve been talking about..I am burning inside for souls to be saved! Thank you so much! And I thank God so much for crossing my path with yours, I needed this.. My son is planning on coming to your Bible School this fall, he also loves your ministry and wants to train up under you and we are behind him 100% on this. I will help all I can on your building, I believe in what you’re doing and I know that God is in this. What a blessing!! I feel the Spirit of God everytime you show that video of the building! I just want to thank you………
Wow, what an awesome Sunday at The River Church of Tampa Bay. We had an incredible turn out as we hosted an outreach blessing every child with a toy for Christmas. What an honor it is to be involved in a church, where the presence of the Lord is. Weeks prior by faith as a church, we set the need before God, that every child that attends The River would receive a toy. Praise the Lord because once again He makes a way. It was incredible!! Multitudes of families showed-up. The love of God poured out and lives were changed. The power of prayer, WOW!! I literally watched as people walked up and I received the blessing of my prayers answered. Our pastors, Rodney and Adonica Howard-Brown are an amazing man and women of God. I am so thankful to be under their ministry, as I know that they serve after God’s heart, and teach people the word of God, with the power of God. The altars were full as the Holy Spirit was at work and people received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We have 8 charter buses and 4 vans that go thru out the Tampa community picking people up for Sunday morning services every week. What higher Praise for what God is doing in this city, than watching the bus attendance grow and the gospel being spread! Hallelujah! I also had the privilege of serving the Lord over in our kid’s ministry. We had 147 boys and girls give their lives to Jesus. It was intense, crazy fun watching these children go crazy for Jesus. Some of these children I may never see again, but I know that Jesus will forever be alive in them. Holy Spirit thank you for your continual work in these beautiful children, in the lives of their parents, in me, and in the River Church.
