Ministry on the Margins At Daystar

Eleven months ago, my family and I prayerfully answered the call to go to Gordonsville, VA, to pastor the Daystar Worship Center. Having once again stepped out into the unknown, we prayed and wondered what we would find when we arrived. In short, we found a loving, warm, and welcoming body of Pentecostal believers that accepted our family without hesitation or delay. It is truly an honor to serve this local body of believers, and we are humbled by the congregation's dedication to the cause of Christ and His Gospel.

Since our arrival, we have found the church to be in a season of plowing and planting. We have seen souls saved and restored. Testimonies have been given of miraculous healings. Others shared that peace has been restored when they previously suffered from anxiety. There have also been those precious souls that have been filled with the Holy Ghost as well. The Kingdom work of God is happening on all fronts. God is preparing and strengthening our church to do the work that He has in store for us in the here and now and going forward.

Saints of God are being nourished, refreshed, revitalized, and revived by reoccurring moves of the Holy Ghost in fantastic and unique ways. God is not moving so that we can "feel like we've been to church." God is moving mightily here, so the Holy Ghost-filled believers can be encouraged and empowered to go forth into the white field of harvest that already exists in this area.

We are a church that is excited to see where God is going to take us. The more He pours out His Spirit on us, the more we know we must share what God is doing and what God is capable of doing. The more He blesses us, the more we realize we must bless those around us. Daystar currently supports both home and world missions and is actively seeking God for ways to expand our giving locally.

Several specific areas of ministry that we have seen God working in are women's ministry, discipleship, children's ministry, and teen ministry. Our women's ministry, Women of Worth, consists of a vibrant small group that helps, teaches, informs, and encourages women of all ages. As God strengthens that ministry, we believe it can grow to a place that reaches out to the cold, dark world around us to see lives changed for the glory of God. We believe this ministry will be critical to evangelizing the area surrounding Gordonsville.

Our children and teen groups are called Radical kids and Radical teens. These groups focus on a central idea: DISCIPLESHIP. A comment that is frequently uttered here, “We are not interested in raising a generation of pew warmers.” We move forward in ministering to children and youth with that in mind. We want to raise a generation of those that are like Christ and follow Him. Our youth are vital to the ministry and are active in music, technology, and drama.

We want to raise a generation from our church that is strong and full of mighty warriors for God. We want the children and teens of our church to know that the promise is theirs. The promise of this church is theirs. The promise of salvation, sanctification, and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is theirs. When they leave these walls, we want them to be prepared to unashamedly and expectantly lay hands on the sick and see them recover. We want them to be able and ready to sing, teach, preach or otherwise minister to both saint and sinner alike.

God is doing great things at Daystar Worship Center in Gordonsville. Pray for us going forward that we may continue to listen to His direction and see souls saved and won into the Kingdom of God.

Pastor David and Deborah Akers