Our Story

We have Joined Global Legacy!

We are excited to announce our affiliation and partnership with the Global Legacy Network. Our church was planted as a Vineyard in September 1987. We will always cherish and be very thankful for our affiliation with this amazing community of churches. From our beginnings with John & Carol Wimber, Happy & Dianne Leman of the Champaign, Illinois Vineyard, Randy Clark of the Rolla, Missouri Vineyard and Mike Bickle & Crew of the Metro Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Kansas City we have prospered and been thoroughly blessed by our association with the Vineyard. Thank you!

In the Fall of 2003 we heard Bill Johnson of Bethel Church in Redding, CA speak at a conference at Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, CA. In hearing Pastor Bill our experience mirrors Randy Clark's comments in his forward to Bill's first book When Heaven Invades Earth.

"Not since I first met John Wimber have I been so taken with someone's understanding of the significance of the kingdom of God message. I have yet to meet a pastor who is more committed to "power evangelism" than Bill Johnson."

And later Randy writes:

"I have had the privilege of meeting many pastors from the United States and Canada over the past nine years of traveling. Pastor Bill Johnson, I believe, has more to say regarding the concepts of 'power evangelism' than any other pastor I have met. Though he is an Assembly of God pastor and not a Vineyard pastor, he carries the DNA of John Wimber more than anyone else I know, especially when it comes to his passion for healing and the activity of the Holy Spirit."

Thus began a purposeful intent to experience more of the complete package of Bethel Church-their Staff, Intensive Pastoral Schools, Conferences and the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. While our young adults have flourished in the school of ministry, our church has been transformed by encountering and embracing Bethel's teaching on a culture of honor. Yet, as we began this journey we were struck by how familiar it all felt. Do you remember what it is like to return home for the holidays after having been gone for an extended period of time? Tangibles such as the happy faces of loved ones, sleeping in your own bed and eating your favorite home-cooked meal together with intangibles such as happy memories, familiar smells and family traditions combine to produce feelings of love, comfort, security and belonging which can only come from being home-among parents who truly love you. That has been our experience over the past three years as we have traveled numerous times to Bethel and they have come here to Valparaiso to conduct conferences and trainings. The wealth of this experience isn't founded on current opinion or theology but is an internal expression of a spiritual reality.

When Bethel launched the Global Legacy Network in 2006, we were very excited to join but didn't feel it was time for us to be exclusively aligned with Global Legacy. Approaching the end of 2007 it became clear that the time for this transition is now.

We are very excited about the relationships which are developing within Global Legacy in the Great Lakes Region. If you have any questions or an interest in these developing relationships please feel free to contact us.

A New Name & A Great Promise

In August of 1998 we were worshiping the Lord on our newly acquired property that is for our relocation to our new facility. Toward the end of this time of worship and prayer the Lord gave us two scripture references accompanied by the encouragement "I have a new name and a great promise for you!" The two scripture references were:

Genesis 28:16-19
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel...

Exodus 23:29-30
But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.

By the grace of God we have always felt we are not only laboring with the Lord to see the Church in Revival but to see an entire city and region transformed by the greatness of God and His Kingdom.

During this experience in 1998 we sensed it was not yet time to change the name of the church but immediately opened our prayer house naming it "Bethel, House of Prayer For All Nations". The prayer house is still flourishing to this day. However, with this transition to Global Legacy, it has become clear to us that now is the time to change our name and now is the time to place this banner of blessing over this house. Joyfully and thankfully we are now...

Bethel Valparaiso
All Nations Church