Vinesong in USA
May / July 2010

We give God thanks that he has enabled us to be in the US another year to serve and encourage the church. Every year we are reminded that there is an enemy who will stop at nothing to unnerve and distract us from being obedient to what God has called us to do, this year is no exception.
Read more............... Part one (weeks 1 - 6)
Read more............... Part two (weeks 6 - 9)
Read more............... Part three (weeks 10 - 12)

Vinesong in Ghana
March / April 2010

Vinesong in The Netherlands
Feb / March 2010

Vinesong in Zambia
2009

Vinesong in the Caribbean
2009

Great Beginnings

Vinesong in the USA (2)
June / July 2009

Get back in the race
During this tour Pastor John Watson’s message to the churches has had a major impact on many lives. He told the people, too many of you have been knocked out of the race that God has called you into, by things that have happened in your lives, bringing discouragement and leading you into self-pity. Now is the time for you to throw off the self-pity, get up and get back in the race.

New York & New Jersey
Following our meetings in New England, we travelled on to New York and New Jersey. It was a blessing to be hosted by long time friends of Vinesong, Dave and Debbie and their two sons on Long Island. We also enjoyed meeting up and spending time with their extended family. It is always a blessing to be able to minister in many different situations and during our short time in New York we ministered at an open air outreach. We thank God that the weather was great on that day considering that the preceding days had been cold and rainy, not the type of conditions enjoyed by sound equipment!!!!
In New Jersey we saw a great response to the message with many people confirming that they are getting up and back into the race, serving God with all that they have got. As always, it’s a pleasure to meet with Vinesong family on the road and New Jersey was no exception. There we were able to spend time with Bode, once a Road Manager for Vinesong and now a deacon and administrator at the RCCG church there, and his wife Yemisi, following our ministry at their church.

Pennsylvania
Whilst at the National Day of Prayer in Washington D.C., we met a couple from Pennsylvania, Linda and Greg. Some how we got talking and found out that Linda is a bookkeeper for a minister that we know in England, who is based at the church we attend whenever we are not ministering. We exchanged details and that was that. We had been praying about a bookkeeper who is able to do our books according to our non-profit status as our current U.S. bookkeeper, who has been faithful over the past couple of years, is now unable to continue with this job.
During our stay in Pennsylvania, with Sumner, the Chairman of Vinesong USA, and his wife Pamela, we had arranged to convene our yearly board meeting with the directors of Vinesong USA. Prior to this we had contacted Linda, who had expressed her availability to do our books should we require it. Amazingly she lived only an hour and a half from Sumner and Pamela and was able to meet with us at their home prior to the meeting for a more formal discussion. At the board meeting, Linda was elected our bookkeeper by the board.
We are so thankful to God that another chance meeting would produce such a wonderful outcome!!! It is essential for us to submit our accounts and tax returns and everything that allows us to operate legally as a non-profit organisation in the U.S. This is impossible without a bookkeeper, especially one who is already well versed in preparing books for a non-profit organisation. We can not thank God enough for this miracle and for continually being faithful to meet all of our needs!!!!!

Ohio, South Carolina & Georgia
God has blessed us with many contacts and friends in diverse places and Poland Ohio was no different. It was a pleasure for us to minister at the home church of sisters, Linda and Joan, friends of Pastor John’s for almost 30 years. We were blessed to see a group of senior ladies attending, all of whom were widows, who had decided to attend the meeting together. Following the meeting they expressed how refreshed they had been by the meeting and how glad they were that they had attended. We enjoyed great fellowship with Linda and Joan and our hosts, Tim and Chris, laughing and joking and eating great food.
Following our ministry at a Methodist Church in South Carolina, we had a great time of rest, relaxation and productivity at our host’s home. We were able to fix our equipment and get everything serviced and working correctly, taking over the basement of our host, making it a real home from home. The quality of the fellowship that we enjoyed with our hosts, members of the Sprayberry family, was excellent. Daniel, Charlene and Rachael were taken out to see a play at the local theatre and to experience the beauty of Greenville. It is at times like this when we are reminded that ministry does not begin and end in the pulpit, but that if we are available, God uses us completely for His glory. God truly ministered to us through the beauty and harmony that we saw in Greenville and the generosity of our host and his friend at a time when we needed rest.
We had a blessed time of ministry in Atlanta and Brunswick. Many people responded to the challenge to get up and get back into the race. We had a wonderful time with the Oke family in Atlanta and were blessed by the politeness and good behaviour of the two children. We were also blessed by their Nintendo Wii ministry and we played many a game with them on their console which we enjoyed immensely.
It was sad to see so many vacant lots where business used to blossom in Atlanta. This was the one city on this tour that seemed, from our estimation and on face value only, to be worst hit by the economic downturn.

Florida
Our first stop in Florida was a church near a town called St. Augustine. When we stopped waiting to meet up with our hosts and the pastor, we remember stopping at the same the previous year at the World Golf Village. Daniel being an avid golfer and Charlene and Rachael following in his footsteps could not forget this. Well, to our delight, we were placed with hosts who lived in the golf village, a series of housing estates built around golf courses. We had wonderful fellowship with our hosts and a couple who were not going to be able to make the Sunday service due to prior family commitments. After setting up our equipment and sound check on Saturday morning, ready for Sunday, Daniel, Charlene and Rachael were blessed by our hosts to a round of golf at one of the courses. We were given everything that was needed: golf clubs, golf balls, the works!!! Daniel was even lent one of Gary Player’s clubs to play with!!!! Well the weather was fantastic, scenery beautiful and we were given golf carts that had GPS!!!! We were so spoiled. The GPS told us how far away each hole was and gave us tips on how to play each one. Grateful does not begin to express our thoughts and sentiments to the generosity of our hosts. The ministry during the two Sunday services was fantastic and many responded to the call to get up and get back in the race. Many people came up to us to tell us how blessed they had been by the worship and how enriched they felt following the ministry. We are so thankful to God for this opportunity, which came out of Pastor John’s fellowship with a fellow traveller last year on the plane as we left the U.S. on the way back to the UK following the 2008 US tour. We are thankful to God for the lives He has seen fit to touch and change!!!!
It was a pleasure to minister in Tallahassee this year following the conference that we had attended last year. We were blessed to minister to a combined congregation brought together by Pastor Ivey Williams a long standing friend of Vinesong. The response to the worship and the message was fantastic. Many decided it was time to get up and get back into the race, letting go of all that had pushed them down.
On the Sunday of the July 4th weekend we ministered at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Truth with senior pastors Kennith and Helena Barrington. Despite many families taking the opportunity to go away for the long weekend, we all know that God is faithful and those present really entered into worship. We had such a great time with our hosts and the church members in general and we were well looked after during the 4th July celebrations. We thank God for the opportunity to minister here and see so many people respond to the message to get up and get back in the race.
Once again we are thankful to Pastor John’s sister Beulah who hosted us and accompanied us for the rest of our ministry in Florida, along with her granddaughter Gabi. The team, Beulah and Gabi travelled to Orlando to meet up with Ed and Laura (whom we met in Massachusetts - see first US newsletter) and their four boys. We had a wonderful time with the family in their home. Dan and Rachael played pool/billiards with the boys (winning every game, we hasten to add!!!) and all of us played group games on their games console. The following day we had a ministry meeting in Orlando and at the end of our meal, Ed, Laura and three of their four boys agreed that they would come. At the end of the meeting, all three of the boys stood to give their lives to Christ. Praise God!!! We can not thank God enough for His faithfulness and goodness to us and Ed, Laura and their family. The salvation of this family, even if this had been the only thing that had happened on this tour (which it was not), made everything worth it all.
Following our final meeting in Fort Lauderdale Pastor John got into the car with Pastor Peter, one of the leaders at the church we had just ministered in. Pastor Peter turned the radio on and on the Christian radio channel that he had tuned into a song with the words ‘Get up’ came on. They were both startled and the song grabbed their attention. As the song progressed, the lyrics confirmed everything that Pastor John had spoken about during his message. Amazing confirmation removing any doubt about the timeliness and importance of the word Pastor John has been faithful to share in this season. The fact that God did this and so much more brings to mind the scripture Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV):
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
We can definitely lay claim to having seen that Word become flesh in our midst!!! All in all we have seen God work wonders in and around us throughout the whole of the tour. We have experienced God’s unlimited grace and mercy along with swift answers to prayer. We know that we have not experienced this in isolation and that many of those to whom we have ministered have been challenged and changed!!!

Please thank God for:

· The fruit of our tour in the US and all those that have given their lives to Christ

· Helping people to ‘Get up’ and get back in the race, discarding self-pity

· The miraculous provision of a warehouse to store our van and trailer

· Being with us as we travelled 11,000 miles with no mechanical problems

· For God’s sovereignty in all situations demonstrating that He is definitely in control

Vinesong in the USA (1)
April / May 2009

The Journey
We arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 early on Wednesday 15th April to beat the traffic and to minimise any stress at the airport. This left us with an hour to spare before check-in officially opened. With a smaller team and less equipment to carry God has blessed us and on this time of ministry in the US as we were able to travel with all of our luggage and sound equipment without having to incur the extra costs of freighting. At check-in we quickly discovered that we had left Daniel’s expired passport behind which was the one holding his current visa for the US. Drama!!! Pastor Chris who was with us at the airport and Geoff who had just arrived home from dropping us off at the airport were able, thankfully to work together and get the passport to the airport five minutes before the close of check-in!!! Our next hold up came at the security checks where five of the eight bags we were carrying on board were taken aside and checked thoroughly with all the contents removed. Once we had cleared security we found that we would have to travel by the airport shuttle to our gate which was estimated at fifteen minutes away. Boarding was due to close in about ten minutes. After a mad dash, and two final calls for the flight, we just about made the plane. Phew!!!!!
We arrived safely in the U.S. with no other hindrances, ready to start our 2009 tour!!!!

Texas
First stop Houston, where the first meeting of the tour took place at ‘Star of Hope’ shelter for homeless men. The meeting was full of men, some who were professional people and had lost their homes and families due to drug and or alcohol addictions, many had just come out of prison on probation and many have also been living on the streets for many years and had sought shelter for the night. Those at the shelter full-time were on a drug rehab/lifestyle program to get them back into a positive lifestyle, including employment after which they would be assisted to live independently. We were also joined by Uncle Yemi whom we had met in October in Nigeria and had set up this meeting, his family and members of his congregation.
Following the ministry 30 men came forward and gave their lives to Christ. We were greatly encouraged by their response and thank God for the opportunity to minister to these men.
We would like to take the time to specially thank Pastor Bayo Fadugba and his team at Dominion Chapel, the venue of our second meeting. Pastor Bayo and his team met us at the airport, hosted us during our stay in Houston and went out of their way to bless and accommodate us. For that we thank them and give God glory!!! Incidentally, Dominion Chapel was the venue of our final meeting of the 2008 US tour. Many people came to speak to us after the ministry and commented on how the anointing had increased since last year and how they had been greatly encouraged.
Throughout our ministry in Texas we are finding that many believers are being encouraged by the power of unrestrained pure worship that is burden lifting and yoke breaking, something that America needs so much right now; and the word that Pastor John is giving about running the race and not allowing any issue to push one out of the race and destroy one’s relationship with God.
We thank God for Diran and friends in San Antonio who arranged for us to minister at their home church Cornerstone, where Pastor John Hagee is the senior pastor. Those who attended were blessed and refreshed by the ministry as we were by their fellowship and hospitality. It is always a blessing to have the opportunity to spend time with people that we have met elsewhere in the world, and minister to them and with them on their home soil.
From San Antonio we made our way to Dallas where we met up with Rex, a friend of Pastor John’s and Vinesong for many years who provided our accommodation and hosted us during our stay. Rex and his family joined us for the Sunday morning meeting, after which, Rex spoke to the Pastor and offered Daddy G.O. the General Overseer (G.O.) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God use of his airplane hangar free of charge any time Daddy G.O. travels to Dallas, and fuel at a preferential rate!!! A very generous offer!!!
From Dallas we travelled to Longview, Texas for ministry and from Longview we embarked on a 1200 mile two day drive to Maryland for ministry meetings and importantly for the National Day of Prayer held in front of the Capitol building in Washington D.C.

Maryland and Virginia
The National Day of Prayer takes place on the first Thursday of May every year and this year was no exception. The weather was changeable, in the morning there were heavy showers and when we arrived at the Capitol in the afternoon we were greeted by sunshine. We were blessed to arrive in time to meet up with old friends of Vinesong, Pastors Michael and Terri Hall along with their family and church members who had just finished a five day reading of scripture from Genesis through to Revelation read out 24 hours a day. We borrowed a parasol from them which proved to be essential as the day went on. The event began with prayer and worship and a procession including flags of the nations represented. It continued with worship, dance and prayer, giving God thanks and calling out to God for the nation. Just as we went up to minister, the heavens opened and the rain, which until then had been very slight, began to come down heavily. Just as we ended our time of ministry and intercession for the nation, we noticed that two Capitol Hill Police Officers had arrived and were speaking to the sound engineers. We found out that they had come because the canopy that the engineers had set up over the sound equipment to keep everything dry, had not been on the permit that the organisers had applied for and needed to be taken down otherwise the event would be stopped.
At first the sound engineers just lowered the canopy but then found out that the Police had contacted the organiser again saying that they could see by camera that the canopy had not been removed and if were not removed immediately, they would shut down the whole event. The sound engineers started immediately covering all the equipment with tarpaulin, and started to take down the canopy in the rain. Once they had taken the canopy down completely, it miraculously stopped raining!!! We recognised that this really was an attack of the enemy (the canopy had been up for 7 hours since before 10am and it was now almost 5pm) and thank God for the ceasing of the rain, preventing the sound equipment from being water damaged.
We thank God for letting us know that He knows where we are, what we are doing and that He is right there in amongst it all!!! We also thank God that during this time we were able to get the van serviced at an unbelievable price!!! God is ordering our steps and we just want to thank Him for all His provision!!!

New England
We were blessed to be invited for a second year to the Southern New England Assemblies of God (AOG) District Council. This year we opened up the conference with praise and worship and the presence of God was tangible. Many ministers told us how they were ministered to, uplifted and strengthened through the worship. Following the conference, at the Assemblies of God Church in Worcester, we were again privileged to lead worship at the ordination of 24 pastors. Again many attendees approached us to let us know how blessed they were by the ministry. We thank God for the opportunity He gives us to lift up His name and to encourage the world wide body of Christ.
As we were on our way to the conference in Worcester on Sunday afternoon (10th May), we heard the news that Pastor Karen Shirk from New Hope Assembly an AOG Church in Saugus near Boston Massachusetts, had gone to be with the Lord after a long battle with cancer. At the conference we sang ‘It is well with my soul’ and dedicated it to her, happy that she is now safe in the arms of her Father and knowing that it is well with her soul. Though our next meeting was in Cape Cod, we were able to attend the Wake and give our condolences to Pastor Wayne Shirk (Karen’s husband) and their daughter Ashley. As long standing friends of Pastor John and Vinesong, it was fitting that we were able to be in the area at the right time also with ministry scheduled there for the week following the funeral.
It is always good to meet up with old friends, especially ex-Vinesong members and we were blessed to be able to spend time with Steve and Evelina Shippee in Rhode Island. It was great to see how their children Sam and Isabel have grown over the past year and wonderful to be able to encourage them and minister to them and their church.
Just before our penultimate meeting in New England, we met a family at the hotel that we were staying at. Pastor John met Ed on the way down to the foyer as he was returning a luggage trolley and they struck up a conversation. They both waited in the foyer, Pastor John for the rest of the team as we prepared to go out for a meal and his Ed, for his wife and son. We all arrived at almost the same time and as we mentioned that we were going for a meal, Ed said that he wanted to invite us to eat with his family.
On our way to eat, which was incidentally next door, we found out that the family lived in Florida and Pastor John spoke about how we were hoping to leave our van and trailer in Florida but had just had an arrangement fall through in the past few days. Prior to the meal, Pastor John had mentioned to the team that he had a picture of the van and trailer being stored in a warehouse. During the meal Ed and his wife, Laura disclosed that they were in Real Estate amongst other things and had warehouses in the Orlando area. As the meal went on they offered to keep the van and trailer in one of their warehouses at the end of the tour until next year. We couldn’t believe it!!! We invited them all to church the next morning. Ed and Laura attended the meeting and gave their lives to Christ. We are so excited that God would meet them in such a way at a time they say they needed it the most!!! We are also excited that God would also meet our need at a time when we were disappointed about the way our previous arrangement had fallen through. God is awesome!!!! We can’t thank Him enough for this unexpected and miraculous encounter.
Throughout our ministry we have been greatly encouraged by testimonies of those we have ministered to being uplifted and encouraged through the worship and the teaching and also the time of fellowship spent with them in their homes. At one meeting, a lady came to our table and explained how hearing ‘Let Your Living Water’ reminded her of her long battle with depression. The moment she listened to this song she had a miraculous encounter with God and she has been freed from a spirit of depression ever since. We have been blessed to witness many people giving their lives to Christ for the first time. Many are being uplifted by Pastor John’s teaching based on Hebrews 12:1 about running the race and how the enemy through many different circumstances and situations tries to push us out of the race. With many people becoming disillusioned with the Church and life in general, it is a message that is enabling people to get up and back into the race and let go of self pity that can so easily entangle us as Christians and tempt us to stay down and become a spectator watching everyone else running the race from the side lines.

Please continue to pray that:
· God would use this time to stir up the people of God to seek Him to orchestrate real change in the US
· All those that commit their lives to Christ during this tour would grow in the knowledge of Him and find a supportive Church family that will help them to grow
· That God would continue to protect our van and trailer as we travel
· That God would continue to keep us in good health

South Africa
March 2009

Eastern Cape
A surprise meeting was arranged at short notice in St. Francis Bay, a beautiful, serene and picturesque area of the Cape. With the beach nearby and a building code that ensures that all houses are white, with either thatched or grey slate roofs and canals running throughout the area, it is a natural tourist destination (especially high season where the natural population of around 3,000 grows to about 23,000) and home to retirees looking for a quieter life.
When friends of Pastor John, Lew and Judi Slade, heard that we would be passing their way as we journeyed towards Port Elizabeth, they decided to seize the moment and arrange a Vinesong meeting in the village.
The village hall was booked with people from the local Anglican church, their friends and people from other churches, including many from the nearby settlement of Sea Vista. The spiritual pace of village life and the surrounding area was altered forever when 40 people gave their lives to Christ and many stood afterwards to respond to the message to get up and get back into the race. The day after the meeting Lew and Judi were receiving calls and hearing testimonies from people of how the evening had already had a great impact on their lives!!!
From the idyllic surroundings of St. Francis Bay, we ended the weekend with two Sunday meetings in Port Elizabeth. Again the response to the message was phenomenal and in all a further 56 people committed their lives to Christ as a result of these meetings.
From Port Elizabeth we continued the great journey north for our final meetings in Polokwane, Pretoria and Johannesburg. The awesome presence of God that we experienced in our Polokwane meeting has been so prevalent throughout this tour. The congregation really met to worship and to meet with God and 16 people of all ages committed their lives to Christ.
We are so in awe of the greatness of God and the unmistakeable flow of the Holy Spirit throughout the whole tour and our penultimate meeting in Pretoria was no different. 40 people gave their lives to Christ. We are so in awe of how God has honoured His word, in that if Jesus be lifted up; all men will be drawn to Him.
At this meeting we were also honoured to be joined by two members of the very first Vinesong team, Sylvie and Pam (Charlene’s mother and aunt). It was so great following the service to have an extended time of fellowship together as we celebrated the Pastor’s birthday.
The final meeting of the tour took place at the House of the Lord in Benoni, Johannesburg and what a meeting!!! We were joined by Transworld Radio who had interviewed us at their station at the beginning of the tour and had promised to join us at the end to hear how the tour had turned out. It was such an honour to be able to report huge victories in the name of Jesus that will be broadcast all over southern and central Africa.
Prior to the meeting Dan and Charlene met with a group of young people who are doing a ‘year of your life’ course at the church, where they study and carry out practical tasks and ministry full-time for a year. Dan and Charlene were able to share their testimony of how God had restored them as individuals and how he brought them together through friendship and a shared vision, enabling them through His grace to conduct a Godly courtship leading to marriage, which by today’s standards swims against the flow of popular opinion.
Half an hour before the service, people were already arriving and getting themselves seated and God did not fail them. “Wow!!!!”, doesn’t begin to describe God’s faithfulness to us. The presence of God was heavy as God began to do only what He can do in refreshing, renewing and reshaping the lives of those present. Sixteen people gave their lives to Jesus with one young man being baptised in the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by speaking in tongues!!! At the end of the meeting, one of the members of the congregation went up to John and said that they had been praying for their sister and that tonight she had given her life to Christ.

Testimonies
In Cape Town, we met a young man, Everret from the Congo, who was completing his Masters degree in Chemistry at the University of Cape Town. He attended our very first meeting in Cape Town and felt so moved by God that he gave his last 20 Rand as a seed into the ministry. We met up with him again at our very last service in Cape Town and he was overflowing with joy and bursting to share his testimony with us. He had said that he was believing God for a move from his accommodation to somewhere more suitable for him. Whilst he did not have the finances he found somewhere suitable and agreed to rent a room in the property. He still did not know how he was going to finance it and was going to speak to his brother just in case. On the Friday prior to our final Sunday meeting in Cape Town, he got a text from the bank because money had been deposited into his account (in South Africa most banks offer this facility to combat fraud). He had not been expecting it, but found that it was more than enough to cover the rent of his new accommodation without having to depend on the refund of his deposit from his current accommodation. On Saturday he moved and on Sunday he came to the meeting to tell us all that God had done. He was so excited and it was such an honour to have made an impact on the life of this young man, who is sold out for Jesus.
Margaret, our host in Durban called us just before our final meeting of the tour to tell us of a friend of hers who had gone to St. Francis Bay for a break from her life in Durban. She told us of how this lady had lost her husband a few years ago and how she had invested her life savings, only for the broker to run off with everything. Now living in a small place on one of her children’s property, she had given up on life and had nothing to live for. When she arrived at her friend’s house in St. Francis Bay they told her that the Church was putting on an event and that a ‘band’ was going to be playing. That ‘band’ was Vinesong. She attended the meeting with her friends and left marvelling at what God had done. On her return to Durban she told Margaret of her experience, how the word that Pastor John gave was just for her and how the quality of the ministry and prayer had met her where she was and changed her life. She told Margaret how encouraged and uplifted she was and how she had a renewed zeal for God and life!!!

Following our final meeting one young man shared how three years ago he had behind him a string of failed relationships and a failed marriage. He was drinking and partying but knew that his life was going nowhere. He decided to leave Johannesburg and went to stay with relatives on a farm. During this time, they spoke to him about Jesus and he fobbed them off, continuing with the lifestyle he had sought to leave behind. One day, he decided to accept prayer and he gave his life to Jesus. The following Sunday he went to Church and the first song he heard was ‘Let your living water flow over my soul’. He said that he was cleansed and changed by the words of that song. The song played such a powerful role in his conversion that he wrote the words down at the front of his bible to remind him of who he now was and what God had done. He moved back to Johannesburg and felt himself being pulled back into his old life. He heard about the meeting at House of the Lord and came to recommit his life to Christ. During a time of prayer following the meeting, he was baptised with the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the tour, Pastor John made a time for prayer and asked Rachael to use her gift in leading the congregation in a time of intercession for the nation of South Africa. This always proved to be a highlight of the meeting as Rachael implored God to intervene in the forthcoming Election. She asked God to allow a Spirit of Truth and honesty to be upon the Nation at this time, with His protection from corruption and violence. Many people have said that this was a divine and anointed prayer which we believe has caused many to continue in intercession for this coming Election.
Though we haven’t heard them all by any stretch of the imagination, we know that there are many testimonies of what God has done as a result of this tour. Revelations 12:11 (NIV) says, “They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…..” Thank God that more ‘overcomers’ have been born into His Kingdom!!!
We are so in awe of what God has done and is doing, drawing all men, women and children to Himself. Over 550 have committed their lives to Christ during the course of our meetings and many more have recommitted their lives to Christ afresh and been encouraged to ‘Get up!’ and get back into the race. The richness of the word that God has given Pastor John in this season, based on Hebrews 12:1, has allowed many to reconnect with God’s purpose for their lives and to start to live life abundantly. We rejoice with all those who have given their lives to Christ and thank God for his grace, mercy and power that sustains us. We cannot praise God enough for allowing us to behold His Glory.
Please join with us to thank God for:
• Being God our Father and Creator of all things
• The lives that have been committed to God throughout this tour for the extension of His Kingdom
• Godly conviction that is causing God’s people to cry out to Him for South Africa and the nations according to 2 Chronicles 7:14
• Pastors and leaders that have received renewed vision and purpose in building God’s kingdom
• All those that have sown faithfully into this tour by providing transport, equipment, finances, hospitality and fellowship
• His complete protection and provision for us as a team throughout this tour and His continued protection as we continue to work with and live for Him.

South Africa
February 2009

Durban
We arrived in Durban on Friday 30th January, our first ministry being on Sunday 1st February at Sarepta Church in Hillcrest. Again the presence of God moved mightily and the congregation responded wholeheartedly to worship. Eight people gave their lives to Christ and many members of the congregation came to let us know that the worship was everything that they had been praying for. A couple said that one of the friends that they had been praying for had been touched by the meeting and they believed that God had answered their prayers. Rev Bob and Stella Bosworth, a missionary couple from Zimbabwe who discovered that they had known Pastor John as a boy, said that they had never experienced worship anything like they had experienced that morning. Others had said that the Church needed a miracle of revival and they believed that in the worship, that miracle and change had been granted.
Our Sunday evening meeting at Frere Road Presbyterian Church saw 74 people respond and give their lives to Christ. One member of the congregation thanked us for leading the Church into worship in a new and refreshing way that they had not experienced before. Many of the congregation came to speak to us and thank us for coming and ministering to them. There was an absolute air of joy and fulfilment following the meeting. We are continually blessed by the encouragement of so many who have been touched by the peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit. It is only His grace that keeps us doing what we are called to do.
Vinesong’s birthplace
During the week we were blessed to return to the place where Vinesong started all those years ago in 1982 in a small Hindu cinema in a place called Tongaat, near Durban. We also saw the little house in which Pastor John wrote ‘Let Your Living Water Flow’ on a borrowed broken piano accordion. We were reminded never to despise the day of small beginnings!
Ministry at the weekend saw 67 people respond to the call for salvation, with 132 people making a recommitment to God. Following a meeting we had in the Newlands area, a member of the congregation approached Pastor John and said ‘I don’t know if this makes sense, but I believe I heard the Lord say to me during the worship that I must tell you that your trip to Zambia has been paid for, everything has been taken care of.’ No one knew about our planned ministry in Zambia later on this year and we thank God for confirmation of His provision and confirmation of His guidance. On the Sunday evening in Chatsworth, it was a real pleasure to spend time with Pastors Sam and Rani Kisten, prior to the meeting at their church. They were with Pastor John in Tongaat when he wrote ‘Let your Living Water Flow’. They also spoke fondly of their times with Pastor John and how they were ministered to, healed and set forth into ministry during their time in Tongaat. They have been in full-time ministry ever since and the legacy has lived on in their two sons, one of whom is a full-time pastor at the church.
The Journey South
A mid-week meeting in Queenstown that had been arranged once we had started the tour was a welcome break in the long drive between Durban and George; and what a break!!! The meeting in Queenstown was one of the most dynamic of the tour so far. The meeting began with worship led by the Church worship leader, and we were ushered into the unmistakable presence of God. When we got up to continue the worship, the mixed congregation (made up of members of various churches in the area) worshipped with all their hearts and voices. When Pastor John stopped to introduce the team, he said that if Vinesong were ever to record a live album, then this Church would be the Church to do it in. We were so blessed by their wholehearted worship and the way that they served us with a spirit of excellence.
Spirit of intercession
Whilst we have been on tour, God has caused intercession to rise up in our hearts to pray for South Africa, especially as it draws near to the elections in April. In one of the meetings during the conference we attended in October in Kafanchan, northern Nigeria, one of the elders prophesied and said that he saw a dark cloud moving towards South Africa and that we needed to pray. When we got to South Africa, Pastor John shared this privately with Pastor Meshoe, the leader of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) just before we ministered. Pastor Meshoe said that God had given him a similar word and that he had told his Church that a storm was coming and that what Pastor John had shared was directly in line with what they knew.
During the meeting in Queenstown a cry was sent up by Rachael to God for the first time about the country and the election. Since then, God is using Rachael mightily, the non-African in the team, to lead all congregations in intercession. The response of all subsequent congregations has been sincere as they join together in agreement.
Our meeting in George was hosted by a long-time friend of Pastor John and Vinesong, Slabbert Pretorius and his wife Anne-Marie. Many young people attended the meeting on what is usually their youth night. In total 16 people responded to the call for salvation and 22 people recommitted their lives to Christ during this meeting.
After one of our services a member of the congregation said ‘Some people sing for God but you sing with God’. It’s such an accurate analysis of what we do and hope to do at every single meeting, because the moment it is about us, all is lost. We thank God that we are so blessed to minister in all denominations to all people of all creeds and colours and see them reach out to God and commit their lives to Him.
Cape Town
Our two and half week tour of Cape Town started in Wittebome where we enjoyed a wonderful time of worship. Following the meeting a visitor to the Church spoke to John and said that he believed God wanted him to say that because of John’s faithfulness, God was going to bring a great breakthrough in the ministry and open new doors. During dinner, the assistant Pastor was also moved by God to say to John that because of his faithfulness, he will be rewarded and that he does not need to spend any time looking for any other team members as God will supply the right people to be around John at the right time. He went on to say that John must not worry about his legacy carrying through to the next generation as God would look after the next generation and the legacy.
Protection for vehicle
Following our Sunday night meeting at the Lighthouse in Parow, many many people, more than we would have expected, came up to the team to say how blessed they were by the ministry and over forty people responded to the call for salvation. A lady approached Daniel and John saying that she believed that she needed to pray for protection on the vehicle against any accidents. Whilst we were on the way home, Daniel noticed that the clutch was not one hundred percent, so the following day we went to a garage to get the car looked at. At the garage the car was looked at and the mechanic said if it was a clutch problem they would have to remove the engine to fix it; not only would it be expensive, it would also be a three day job. Considering that this was Monday and we had a meeting planned for Wednesday, this was not what we wanted to hear. Then one of the mechanics from the garage got into the car and felt underneath the clutch. From this it was deduced that maybe the clutch master cylinder was leaking, this would take about a day to repair. We were referred to a clutch specialist garage about two minutes drive away. When we arrived, the previous garage had already phoned ahead to say that we would be coming. A mechanic came and had a closer look at the liquid leaking from the clutch pedal and found that the leak was not from the clutch but from the air conditioning system. It took him only five minutes to eliminate the fault and when he finished we were told that the problem had been solved and that there was no charge!!! We thank God for his continued protection over us, our vehicle, our equipment and our finances as we travel!!
CCFM Radio interview
On Wednesday morning we were privileged to be interviewed live by CCFM radio, Dan, Charlene and Rachael representing the team. We enjoyed the interview and always find it an honour to be able to not only represent what God is doing through the ministry but also to take the opportunity to encourage others concerning God’s faithfulness and provision and ultimately to find and embrace their God-given destiny.
Following the interview, it was great to meet up with Trevor Sampson, a leading Gospel artist, songwriter and producer in South Africa. In the past couple of years he has set up a music school for underprivileged young people in a Cape Town township. The music school is the first in South Africa to be accredited by London College of Music. He has a really great vision, not only to tap into the musical and creative skills of young people, but to partner the work with Social Workers and a wider network of professionals to address the many issues in the lives of the young people, giving them a better chance in life and combating their hopelessness. His vision extends out into the surrounding community where many people are living below the breadline. He hopes to refurbish the houses directly opposite the centre and beyond, and to see the living standards and lives of people change for the better, moving beyond the mere presentation of religion to relationship on many levels. His project receives no Government money and to date has been in the most part self-funded.
The evening meeting in Mitchell’s Plain was dynamic and from accounts of the organiser, life-changing. The Church in Mitchell’s Plain has had many gospel artists and following the meeting John remarked that we were probably just another group in a whole line of groups that had visited the Church; to that the organiser replied ‘No, this was different’. Although this was a non-evangelistic event two people committed their lives to Christ and many more stood for further prayer. Again the appreciation of the congregation following the meeting was tremendous and some remarked on the fact that they had heard us on the radio earlier on in the day and saw us on TV the week before.
PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS NATION
As God continues to do many wonderful things in the lives of the people we encounter and in this nation, it is our heart that you join together with us to pray for South Africa using the following for guidance:
1. Pray for a government whose main aim is to champion justice in every area of governance.
2. Pray for a new President and politicians whose private lives are above reproach both morally and financially.
3. Pray against any form of tribal or ethnic warfare.
4. Pray for lawlessness and crime to be conquered
5. Pray that the living standards of the poor be raised as communities are reached with a living, moving and restoring gospel (Isaiah 58)

Nigeria / South Africa
15th December 2008 – 22nd January 2009

NIGERIA (15th – 21st December 2008)

Once again we were privileged to attend and minister at the annual Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Congress in Lagos, Nigeria; the theme ‘Joy Unspeakable’. It is such an honour to minister yearly at the Congress boasting over 1 million delegates (some say 3 million), all hungry to hear the Word of God and receive salvation, deliverance and healing.
It was a great time of reconnecting with many people who have become firm friends over the years as well as making new friends from many nations with a common goal and purpose, to see Jesus glorified and lifted up.
We witnessed many people giving their lives to Jesus and, during the anointing service, many of the physically impaired being healed. We heard the testimony of a lady who fell pregnant and went to the doctor to have a scan only to be told that there were no babies in her womb. This woman had been barren and had been praying for a miracle to enable her to conceive. Although the doctor had given a negative report in regard to her pregnancy, her belly continued to grow. Her husband came to a congress meeting and prayed to God for a miracle, refusing to believe what the doctor had said, believing that their prayer had been answered and that his wife was indeed pregnant. A couple of weeks later his wife gave birth to healthy triplets!!

VINESONG'S TOUR IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

October-November 2008

VINESONG IN FLORIDA

USA Tour Report - July 2008

USA Tour Report - June 2008

SING GLORY AND SING PRAISES TO

THE LORD GOD MOST HIGH

OH SHOUT FOR JOY

OH PEOPLE PRAISE

HE’S TRIUMPHED FOR ALL

(Isaiah 35)

Tour Report - April 2008

HEAR THE CRY

The earth groans with the cries from the heart of the Spirit of God, for the saints, the Church, and God’s people.
Where there is unity, God commands a blessing. More now than ever before, the Spirit of God is moving “The Bride of Christ” into this position of unity!
Without unity, the Body of Christ will be ineffective, regardless of how or where we are positioned. Whether in the cities or towns, in upmarket society or slums within our communities.
There is an urgent cry rising from the heart of Almighty God for us to work together with one directive……..To reach a lost and dying world. 2008 is the year of personal evangelism!
To embrace all that God brings into your life will end in blessing for He is a compassionate and gracious God.
Pastor John has completely embraced a message he believes is from the heart of God for this season. It will challenge and equally motivate and inspire you.
“Most of us go into a market place where people do not know God. We can become as a fragrance of perfume in a world filled with the stench of ungodly spirits of religion. Fear is everywhere! This is expressed even through the media…..—but revival is coming.” Pastor John makes specific reference to Isaiah 35 and also to his childhood experiences of lighting a fire while living on a mission station in Zimbabwe.
(The following has been paraphrased for easier reading:)… He said that although the fire has the appearance of grey ash, lighting a fire includes the process of finding that bit of coal still hot and glowing inside from the previous fire. We blow upon it hoping to create the slightest flame. Tremendous glee fills us when we succeed and we hurriedly proceed in adding dry sticks and grass hoping to get a fire going. Pastor John illustrates the “blowing” action with great humour and sound effects. Most Africans especially relate to this analogy as it depicts much of their own childhood experiences.
Pastor John ends his account by showing us how the Holy Spirit blows upon us to check whether there is still something of the passion for Christ burning within us.
He said that we can ignite the world when we cast aside our hidden agendas and make the desires of God our priority. When we do this we will hear, see and make a difference to the world around us.
Our colleagues and neighbours may never know God unless we effectively pray for them and ask God for a fresh and ingenious strategy on how to reach them.
As he concludes his teaching on ‘being effective in the market place,” he further encourages people to start by inviting those around them in the office or at play to join them for tea/coffee and then eventually home for dinner. Others will be introduced this way to the Christ in us “The hope of glory”.

THE NETHERLANDS
Upon arriving in the Netherlands there was an expectancy that was almost tangible.
We were celebrated and were warmly received in churches where the “power” of God would normally not be spoken of freely. People were challenged to be real in their walk with God. During our 4 weeks in the country, testimony after testimony can be told of countless healing experiences. Stories of many who were delivered from oppression and depression. Marriages and relationships restored. Pastor John also celebrated his birthday during this time and we thank all those who participated in making this event a memorable one.

SWITZERLAND
On a frozen November evening in Germany, steadily driving along an extremely busy motorway en-route towards the border that would take us to Switzerland, our vehicle started to cough, splutter, then jerk a few times and eventually died. All our desperate efforts to revive it failed.
Hands stiff with cold we continued to push, all with the same thought….what madness would make us continue doing what we do……...and while pushing our vehicle along a treacherous stretch of road we all came to the same conclusion. We had found our place in the world.
We were heading towards a nation that needed to experience the wondrous love and mercy of God. Energised and empowered by that thought we forced our drenched bodies to move towards help. The love we received from the Swiss churches encouraged us and made us view our struggles as worth it all. We were encouraged to keep moving on.
Oh that God’s love for this lost world will be our strongest motivation to do whatever it takes.

THE NEXT STEP
Very dear friends and pastors in Switzerland assisted in getting our vehicle temporarily fixed which entailed installing a new gear-box. God miraculously provided finance for this which made it possible for us to continue our ministry. Throughout November we truly experienced the grace of God as we completed our Swiss tour. We thank Pastors Marcus Hofmann and Marcus Meier and their wives for unlimited and tireless support and love.

NIGERIA
We once again participated in the Annual Holy Ghost Congress called “The Next Level”. Pastor John had been given the responsibility of writing the theme song in its entirety. We receive amazing responses everywhere we go. What an awesome song! The Holy Ghost Congress remains an experience not to be missed. With Hallelujahs resounding and the earth shaking with the presence of an Almighty and Sovereign God one is left with a distinct feeling of having experienced something of Heaven.

UNITED KINGDOM
After this we returned to the icy, crisp air of England where we ministered at several Christmas celebrations and praised God for taking us into a New Year.
Our time of ministry in the UK saw God’s continued blessing and anointing upon the meetings. From Oxford to Birmingham, London, Colchester, Essex, Liverpool—from Pentecostal to Baptist, many committed their lives to Christ and others were refreshed and renewed in their joy of salvation.

FROM THE SLIPPERY , SLEET–COVERED STREETS OF THE NETHERLANDS TO THE SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAIN TOPS OF SWITZERLAND AND THEREAFTER…………
The moist December heat of Nigeria and on to the icy crispness of England’s weather.
Through all these extremities the awesome grace and power of God was shown to us. Our God has been and will always be faithful and gracious.

PRAISE AND TESTIMONIES
We received a wonderful word of encouragement from a pastor visiting Glory International Worship Centre in Catford—he related how blessed he was by Pastor John’s teaching. He found it to be practical and relevant. Being a preacher and teacher of God’s word he found the teaching on marketplace evangelism refreshing and easy to apply. He said it motivated him and gave him practical help in evangelism for the future.
In Holland a woman was miraculously healed from back pain with which she had been suffering for years. She had consulted with a chiropractor and undergone an operation but this had not alleviated her discomfort and excruciating pain. She testifies that while sitting under our ministry and worshipping to the song Living Water, she felt the Spirit of God move over her entire body as she was enveloped with a supernatural heat. Immediately all pain left her body. She delivered this testimony after the meeting with almost uncontrolled jubilation.
We thank God for the gifts of wisdom and word of knowledge and discernment that enables the Spirit of God to speak into situations and circumstances. We heard a testimony of a woman who confessed to being burdened by a spirit of criticism. She told of how she could never enjoy ministry because she would sit throughout and condemn and criticise whatever she saw and heard. But during our ministry the power of God touched her so much she started to weep and she believed that the old burdens were lifted and God’s forgiveness had filled her with new joy and freedom.
Praise God that our vehicle is at last well mechanically. It had to eventually be taken to the Netherlands to be fixed again, and during that time we hired vehicles to enable us to continue our ministry in the UK.
Over the years testimonies are received of how Living Water has been instrumental in the salvation and healing of many. It has become obvious that this powerful ministry song has become synonymous with the name Vinesong.
One such testimony of the impact of the song Living Water came from Pastor Sydney De Bruyn in Cape Town, South Africa, 28 March 2008. Pastor Sydney had been exposed to the ministry of Vinesong almost 20 years ago. This is a copy of an email received from him addressed to Charlene who had sent him a copy of our Living Water Album requested by him in a previous email. It is important to mention that details outlined below have been included in Pastor John’s teaching during the past few months. We therefore found this testimony most encouraging and inspiring. Liberty has been taken to edit some abbreviations and quotes to facilitate easier reading :
Dear Charlene
Thanks very very much for the godly gesture. I really really appreciated it and am eternally grateful. The group Vinesong has left a permanent mark on thousands of Capetonians. How could we forget? One of the worst storms in a 100 years blew the world’s largest tent to smithereens. But God had been in it all along. The tent could only accommodate 34,000 yet record attendances of over 70,000 were recorded. They would never have fitted into the tent. Many of us were not familiar with Vinesong at the time. After the 17 day crusade was finished, over 100,000 decisions for Christ were recorded. A record for Cape Town in 1984. Revival hit Cape Town in a big way. I was there every night because I was part of the counselling team.
After the crusade, I think almost every Christian home had Vinesong's music. We played it during Bible Studies, as part of praise & worship in churches, and at youth camps and meetings etc. Many churches still sing the golden oldies of Vinesong today. Today we see lots of "contemporary praise and worship" with deep influences drawn from rock n roll etc.
The " talent" of those lead guitarists and strumming of the rhythm guitars and drummers can steal the show sometimes and can take the focus off from God and on to man. That probably sits well with some people. God will use whomever He will.
VINESONG was pure , "spirit music sung from the heart and Spirit of God”
Good to talk about those old times again. Keep up the good work. The music and ministry of Vinesong has certainly produced much fruit. God bless,
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It brings back blessed memories.

Sydney K de Bruyn (Pstr.)
Cape Town RSA

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