by Mark Theisinger
Launceston, known as the ancient capital of Cornwall and even “The Gateway of Cornwall,” is tucked away in the Southwest of the UK. It has known such revivalists as John Wesley regularly reaching out in the area and even George Fox was imprisoned there in its castle.
A wonderful opportunity opened for Gayle to minister in Gateway Church across the weekend of 14-16 October. A real sense of hunger and expectancy was met with the impact the Word of the Lord brought to each meeting from Gayle.
Despite the delays arriving at the airport, we would still have time en-route for Gayle to see John Wesley’s cottage near Launceston, which is where he and his companions would both stay and preach. It was wonderful to briefly experience the history of seeing this tiny house that he would use to impact this region in the 18th century.
The Friday night meeting got off to a great start and it certainly set the bar for the weekend. As people worshipped, the Holy Spirit moved and began to prepare all our hearts in readiness with the encouragement, strengthening, equipping and indeed the challenge the truth of God’s word brought.
Saturday morning was a masterclass in prayer and evangelism and the experience and wisdom Gayle brought to the session benefitted everyone there. Saturday night continued the momentum, and you could really sense everyone’s hunger pulling the presence of God as they worshipped the Lord and fed on the word Gayle ministered.
By Sunday morning it was exciting to see how the Lord touched every heart as people responded to the call to reach others and make an impact, especially in places that can be obvious and often overlooked. It was certainly a time of dedication, challenge and commitment and I’m sure Wesley would have been cheering Gateway Church on with a loud “Amen!” amongst the crowd of witnesses in Heaven!
The final evening meeting was held in the cafe run by the church, with a shared meal and it provided a wonderful opportunity for all to hear more about the work of Voice in the City. Gayle also encouraged the young people and it was really lovely to see them pray for her at the end of the evening. The leadership were greatly blessed to see what God did throughout the weekend and it has really strengthened and focussed the work and ministry to this region through Gayle and VitC. Praise the Lord!