This Is A Pressing Way!

In the sermons that she preached, our founding first lady, the late Mother B. Francine Norman, would often say, "This is a pressing way." And indeed, she was right!

We completed our first year as pastors of Deliverance Revival Church in the month of July and marked it with a weekend of special celebratory worship services. The Spirit of the Lord was in our midst, and we had an amazing time. Our special guest speakers, Bishop H.H. Norman (Chief Apostle of Revival Church Incorporated) and Bishop Ann L. Hardman (Chief Apostle of Faith Worship Center International) brought timely words that encouraged our hearts and souls.

The encouragement was much needed. We love our kingdom assignments as pastors and church builders, but it hasn't been a simple task. The past year has been full of highs and lows, joys and pains. We've welcomed numerous members into the Deliverance Revival Church family. We have embraced them, nurtured them, prayed for them... helped them in every way that we can. We've loved on them, helped them, given them rides; even given them monetary assistance if needed. Some have stayed with us... some have not. Some have been faithful in their attendance... some have not. Regardless, we continue to look to the hills from whence cometh our help (Psalm 121:1).

It's been a sacrificial year for us. Each week, we give of our personal time, our personal finances, our personal sleep. Yes, THIS IS A PRESSING WAY. Our drive to church each Sunday is over 100 miles (one-way)! We knew what we were taking on before we accepted the call and appointment in July of 2016. There were no members at all on the roster, so we knew we'd have to build. We lived in the same place then as we live now, so we knew we'd have to commute. It's something we were willing to do because we knew that God had called us to it, and if He called us to it, we knew that He would equip us with everything we need in order to carry out the work He'd entrusted to us. That includes equipping us with the patience, dedication, courage, zeal, etc. that we would need for the assignment.

In no way has it been easy. After all we've done and all the sacrifices we've made, there are still times when we make that 100+ miles drive to church and few or none of the members who have connected with us will show up for worship. THIS IS A PRESSING WAY. When that happens; guess what? We still carry out service. We pray, sing, and worship with just the two of us. We are sometimes disappointed, but we are NEVER discouraged; for we realize that it's only a test! Sometimes in our walks with God and even in our kingdom assignments, the Lord will test our obedience and our faith. Will we continue to do His will when we don't see immediate fruits from our labor? Will we remain faithful despite people's slothfulness? Will we keep trusting HIM regardless of what our eyes see (or don't see)? 

God's testing isn't so that we can prove to Him that we will remain obedient. He is all-knowing. He doesn't have to figure out anything. Nothing takes Him by surprise. God's testing is so that we can prove to ourselves that we are who He says we are; that we are fully capable to carry out the task. THIS IS A PRESSING WAY, and every man, woman, and child must PRESS for themselves. 

As pastors, we try our best to pump, prime, and even pamper people into coming to church and being fully dedicated in their walks with the Lord. But it's impossible. All we can do is preach/teach the Word, lead by example, and do all we can to encourage the masses. Our individual relationships with God are a personal choice. Each person must choose to serve God with all their heart, mind, and soul. We are living in perilous times, and half-stepping isn't going to get it. Either we're IN or we're OUT. There's no straddling the fence. Our actions--not our words--prove just how dedicated we are to God. THIS IS A PRESSING WAY. 

And we say to you... PRESS!!!

~ From the hearts of Pastors Michael & Kendra Holmes

Happy (almost) 1st Pastoral & Church Anniversary to us!

When we were ordained and concurrently installed as pastors of a church that had been inactive for over two years and where there were absolutely no preexisting members, we didn't know what to expect. Though we'd both been licensed ministers for many years, pastoring wasn't an assignment that either of us had ever aspired to... but it was one that God ordered. So, we obeyed His will, prayed for His direction, followed His lead, and served wholly in His calling. And God has been faithful.

It's difficult to believe that in just four days, a full year will have passed since that July 10th date in 2016 when we stood before a congregation that consisted of family members and supporters and accepted our divine assignment. This hasn't at all been an easy task. In the midst of the highs, joys, and rewards; there have been many days of lows, frustrations, and sacrifices. But it's all been for the glory of God, and we thank HIM for choosing us and trusting us for such a time as this.

Our first official service (which was the Sunday following our ordination and installation) consisted of a grand total of two people. Yes, it was just the two of us. Every single pew in the edifice was empty, but we carried out worship as though the church was full. We had the same experience the following week. In fact, we did this for several Sundays. Being that we live roughly 100 miles from where the church is located, we were unable to do the typical grassroots marketing ministry to make our presence known in the community. So we hit the Internet, using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as our primary ministry tools.  It took some time, but we started to see the fruit of our dedication, diligence, and dollars. Slowly but surely, God began drawing souls and adding to our Deliverance Revival Church family.

We can still recall the Sunday morning that we picked up a sister who had learned of our church through social media and was visiting with us for the second time. As we pulled into the parking lot of the church, she said to us, "One at a time. They're going to join the church one at a time." We had no idea that she was going to be that "one" who would connect with us on that same day. And true enough, since that time, members have been joining... and for the most part, they've come one at a time. The enemy has fought and continues to fight us (that's his job, and he does it well) but as we continue to lay before God, HE continues to give us the victory (that's HIS job, and HE does it better).

The scripture tells us in the New Living Translation (NLT) of Zachariah 4:10, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..." We have a heart for God and we are genuine in our worship and our faith. So even though we don't have a full house (yet) we are more than thankful for those who have become a part of our church, where our motto is: Strong Faith. Strong Family. Strong Fellowship. Every time we come together, we commit to building an atmosphere where those three ingredients are felt in all that we do. Everyone who has connected to us over the past twelve months hasn't stayed. Members have come, and members have gone (as is the case for all churches), but we've increased more than we've decreased, and far more have stayed than have left. And this is only our beginning. As we move forward, we continue to see with our VISION (our faith) and not with our sight (our physical eyes). And our vision tells us that our latter shall be far greater than our former!

On July 15th and 16th, we will officially celebrate the first anniversary of Deliverance Revival Church and our first anniversary as pastors of this great work. Our theme scripture is John 14:21: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. And our theme for the occasion is: "The Best Is Yet To Manifest," because we know that the Lord is doing a marvelous thing in our midst. Our best is not yet to come. Our best already here; we are simply awaiting the manifestation of it all.

To help us commemorate the occasion, we have two dynamic speakers coming to share the Word with us during our celebratory weekend; both of whom have played significant roles in our lives as individuals and as pastors. Bishop Ann L. Hardman, Chief Apostle of Faith Worship Center International and Bishop H.H. Norman, Chief Apostle of Revival Church Incorporated. It's going to be a Spirit-filled weekend of worship, fellowship, and the Word!

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. We know that there will be a great move of God...


~ From the hearts of Pastors Michael & Kendra Holmes

The Struggle Ain't "Real-er" Than God!

In July of 2016, we were ordained as Elders and assigned to co-pastor a newly planted ministry in Macon, Georgia. Although we both had been serving in ministry for several years, neither of us ever envisioned ourselves one day become pastors.

Deliverance Revival Church had been in existence previously, but due to it being more than the overseer could handle at the time (he had just lost his wife of 53 years and was already pastoring one of the other six churches under his ministry) the decision was made to close it down. DRC had been defunct for more than two years when the founder and Chief Apostle of Revival Church Incorporated, Bishop H. H. Norman approached us and asked if we would be willing to answer God's call to rebuild it.

Amazingly enough, just two weeks before Bishop Norman came to us and asked us to take on this huge undertaking, our then pastor, Bishop Ann L. Hardman (Faith Worship Center; Columbus, GA) stepped from the pulpit, walked into the congregation, stood in front of us (Kendra, in particular) and said the Lord had revealed to her that her dad (Bishop Norman) was going to ask her to pastor one of his churches. She said, it was a good thing and God had ordained it. At the time, it seemed so far-fetched. Kendra and her dad had never even had a conversation about it. Yet, just a few days later, it came to pass; just as the woman of God had prophesied.

While it has been a challenging past ten months, we knew then, and we know now, that our placement at Deliverance Revival Church was the will of God. For the first two months, it would only be the two of us at the church. We would get up every Sunday morning and drive nearly 100 miles (one-way) to get to a church and carry out a service where it would be just us and the four walls, but we remained encouraged and determined. We made special trips to Macon and walked the community handing out flyers. We used social media to get the word out to people who we'd likely never meet face-to-face. In September, a frequent visitor began coming, but in October, he moved away from the city, and it was back to "just us" again. In November, DRC got its first official members when two young ladies joined. In December a family of three came to the alter and made the connection. When the New Year rolled in, the Lord began to draw others. One at a time, our family of believers began to expand. By the grace of God, it's no longer the two of us.

But the struggle has been real. Often times people see "Pastor" as some sort of glamorous title, and in some cases; perhaps it is. Many preachers are placed in churches where the congregation is already in place, finances are flowing in, and everything is already functioning and flourishing. Many weren't given work, they were given employment. They weren't given a charge, they were given a check. Understand what we're saying... there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's a tremendous blessing as long as they are called and chosen and truly doing it to God's honor and glory and not for the title or financial gain; it's just important to understand the difference in what the assignments entail. Pastors who are charged to build a church and those who are brought in to carry on one that is already established have two entirely different experiences. Both come with their unique challenges, but the truth of the matter is that one is far more grueling than the other.

Hired pastors of preexisting churches are typically walk into their appointments with ministers, deacons, musicians, and praise team members already in place. Often times, their biggest undertaking is convincing an existing congregation to embrace them as a worthy replacement for the predecessor to whom the members had probably grown accustomed. These pastors don't generally have to worry with doing grassroots marketing to get people to know that the church even exists. They don't have the mandate to personally go out in the community and knock on doors with hopes of convincing "unchurched" people of the importance of corporate worship. They don't have to concern themselves with constantly trying to keep the handful they finally got to attend service last Sunday to continue coming while simultaneously trying to draw others. They don't know what it's like to have a weekly church deposit that only consists of the pastors' tithe and offering because there's no one else there to give. They don't deal with the juggling act of being the person/people to carry out every aspect of the service from opening prayer to the closing alter call. They don't have a clue of what it's like to carry out an a-cappella praise and worship because God hasn't yet sent musicians in the house.

No, there's nothing glamorous about being placed in an empty edifice with the charge to "go forth and build." There's nothing glamorous about getting up early and making a more than three-hour round-trip drive every Sunday for weekly worship. There's no glamour in doing it all without a salary. And there's certainly no glamour in knowing that people are watching; smiling in our faces and speaking words of encouragement in our ears, but all the while hoping we fail. All these things have been our experience. Some of them still are. But the fact that we know, that we know, that we know... that our assignment as Pastors is a divine one, handed to us by God, is enough to keep us pressing forward because we understand the importance of obedience. Our reward is one that we can't currently see with our natural sight, but we see it clearly with our spiritual vision. The struggle is real, but it ain't "real-er" than God!

We know that if we remain steadfast, unmovable, and continue to do God's work in spite of the struggles and in spite of the ridicule; He will reveal Himself in a mighty way and show us that our labor is not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58). And we know without doubt that what God has promised, He will surely bring it to pass. He has promised to fill this house, and God cannot lie. It's already done. We're just waiting for the manifestation of His word. There is a tremendous blessing awaiting us because of our sacrifice, but there is an even greater blessing awaiting us because of our obedience (I Samuel 15:22).

"...and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:13)


~ From the Hearts of Pastors Michael & Kendra Holmes