White-hot faith on display at third annual Fire in the Hills
A daily itinerary of classes, lectures and special music kept both adults and children busy throughout each day. The daily 7 p.m. services were a big draw, with the smallest crowd being 500 attendees one particular night.
Submitted
The third annual Fire in the Hills took place July 10-13, and it left indelible marks upon the thousands who attended the four-day revival under tents the size of a football field.
This celebration of faith in Jesus Christ was made possible by several local churches joining forces, in cooperation with Timbercrest Camp & RV Park in Walnut Creek, which provided the grounds and parking space for the 2,334 attendees over three days of praise and worship that culminated with a Sunday morning service.
There was a vast amount of praise and worship music throughout the event, and the music added to the spiritual depth of the daily 7 p.m. services.
Most of the music was provided by a mixture of artists from local churches, with an invitation to be baptized extended to anyone who wished to commit their life to Christ. Twenty-two believers were individually baptized in the heated pool during the revival.
During the 3 1/2 days of the revival, hundreds of attendees responded to many different altar calls to receive salvation, healings, renewal, guidance, deliverance, help with life’s struggles and prayer.
The event provided a time of fellowship and unity, and the list of speakers throughout the event featured orators from both the local and national level, with several of the speakers having overcome some dark moment in their life only to find a new life through their faith.
Markus McFolling, founder of Reach1 Ministries, which ministers to abandoned children, is originally from Seaside, California. He moved to Ohio in 2008 as a collegiate athlete, but after two years as a professional player, he suffered a career-ending shoulder injury demanding surgery after surgery, leading him down a dark path of drug addiction.
After losing his family and everything he knew and loved, he was inspired to make a full recovery and turn his life around. After rehabilitation and graduation from Adult and Teen Challenge Ohio Valley, his family was restored, and McFolling pursued his dream and calling to make a difference under the name Reach1, which stands for Reconciling Every Abandoned Child Home.
Urie Hershberger, senior pastor at Freedom Fellowship in Apple Creek, was raised in an Old Order Amish family. Hershberger spent many years addicted to drugs, damaging his heart and mind and devastating his marriage.
At 26 years of age, he experienced a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and was instantly set free, saw his marriage healed, and heart and mind restored. He has a passion to see people released from bondage, healed, and empowered to be fulfilled and productive in every area of life.
He spoke on removing walls of division and seeing God’s glory come to his people.
Other speakers throughout the event included Curtis Raber, lead pastor at Gateway Fellowship in Millersburg, and Jeremy Chupp, outreach pastor for Sanctuary Missions in Winesburg and owner of Rafter “C” Chuckwagon, a food truck that supports Sanctuary Missions, a prison ministry and other mission work to spread the Gospel throughout the world.
In addition, there was Marcus Weaver, pastor of Cross Connections in Strasburg, and Lamar Troyer, lead pastor at The Well in Winesburg.
Initially, Troyer and his wife Janet hosted a weekly gathering of born-again believers in their home in 2016. On April 1, 2017, they purchased the old Longenecker Mennonite Church building, establishing The Well.
John and Carol Arnot, authors, former pastors and missionaries, brought their decades of experience to the event. Now in their 80s, the couple live in the Greater Toronto, Ontario area. They travel extensively while continuing to work with the Catch the Fire network of churches.
Overall, the four days proved to be filled with inspiring messages of hope, love and inspiration.
