'Outpouring' Continues At Lakeland Revival

By BILLY TOWNSEND and MICHELLE BEARDEN The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 10, 2008

LAKELAND - Cassandra Serine and her two teenage children already were planning to leave Thomasville, Ga. They say they wanted more from their lives and their church. They found it on God TV, live from Lakeland.

Eight days ago, the Serines joined pilgrims drawn by coverage of what organizers are calling the "Florida Outpouring," evangelist Todd Bentley's monthlong healing revival. Since then, they've slept each night in a tent in a Lakeland-area campground.

A month in, and more than a week after it moved to stadium locations, Bentley's healing revival is rolling on. By now, the number of worshippers likely has topped 70,000, based on crowd estimates from venue operators.

The Serines say they're getting what they need to survive in Lakeland.

"We just pray each day to God for provision," said Cassandra Serine, 47.

And how's that working?

"I'll show you," said her 17-year-old son, Michael, whipping out his wallet and showing off at least $300 in fresh, crisp $20 bills. "People just give us money."

Whatever plans the Serines had eight days ago are on hold.

"When you come to a place like this, people who have a prophetic gift can unlock what is going on in your life," Cassandra Serine said.

Welcome To 'Godstock'

Bentley, 32, is a tattooed, body-pierced religious barnstormer who travels the world organizing revival meetings. He says the power of God rescued him at age 18 from a life of drugs, crime and sexual misconduct, including an arrest and conviction at 13 for the sexual abuse of a child.

Bentley, who says he was abused himself, freely talks about the incident. He uses it and his youthful drug and alcohol addiction as evidence of God's power to transform lives and ease personal burdens. He's now married with three children. Though he preaches to a mostly Pentecostal audience, Bentley said he eschews religious categories.

In addition to the evening services, which began in early April, a regular 10 a.m. service at Ignited Church quickly is outgrowing its 700-seat capacity, said Lynne Breidenbach, a spokeswoman for the event. One of Bentley's staff members typically officiates at the morning meeting.

A sign on the door to the sanctuary admonished worshippers, "Please do not lay hands on people unless given instruction to by the pastor. Thank you."

The growth of the morning service follows the pattern of the original revival, which organizers say started as a typical five-day Bentley visit to Ignited Church. Word of healings and an especially intense religious energy spread quickly, driven by Internet streaming and coverage on the God TV satellite channel.

The revival returned to the Lakeland Center arena this week after spending the weekend at Joker Marchant Stadium, where the Detroit Tigers play spring training baseball. Tonight it moves to a field at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In headquarters at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. Bentley is calling it "Godstock."

The event will return to the Lakeland Center on Sunday, where it has the option to run for two weeks, Bentley said.

Buckets Of Money

Bob Gomeringer, a Lakeland retiree, works part time parking cars at Lakeland Center events and finds the services unsettling. He said he watches ministry workers carry in buckets "to rake in all the money" during offerings.

In a brief interview Thursday afternoon, Bentley said there's no other way to collect an offering from a crowd of 8,000 or 9,000 people than by using buckets. He also said collections are barely keeping up with the costs of production, venue rental and maintaining his other ministry operations and staff.

What concerns Gomeringer most are the young people, many of whom appear to be in a "trancelike state" when they come out of the arena, he said.

Gomeringer has attended Methodist churches for more than 50 years and said what's happening in Lakeland is quite different from the Christian faith he's known throughout his life.

"It's not prayerful or private. This is extremism," he said.

For the Serines, that's precisely the point. The extreme religious emotion pervading the revival is at the center of their experience. Michael Serine and his sister Allyssa, 14, spoke several times in an interview about being "drunk" in the Holy Spirit. At times, the boy swayed and he rarely stood still.

His Coming Foretold?

Like the Serines, Barry McAlpin, a 43-year-old minister and veteran of overseas missions, first encountered the revival via God TV. He said many "prophetic voices" long have predicted "a move of God is coming to America."

Many events have claimed to be that movement, McAlpin said, and he has learned to withhold judgment. So he drove from his Sevierville, Tenn., home to see for himself.

"It appears to me, because of how quickly it's spreading, that it's an authentic move of God in its embryonic stages," McAlpin said. He cautions believers to remember that God, not Bentley, is responsible for whatever's happening.

"Todd's being used by God," he said.

James Goll is the co-founder of Encounters Network, a Franklin, Tenn.-based ministry. He is also the author of nearly 40 books and study guides. On Sunday, he delivered a short message to the revival.

Goll said the Holy Spirit spoke to him a dozen years ago, telling him, "I will raise up a new young champion. His name will be Todd. You will need his raw faith, and he will need your vision."

He said he believes this revival is the real thing.

Goll expects to return after making a short mission trip to Israel. And he intends to bring his wife, who has cancer.

"I've done my due diligence," Goll said by telephone Wednesday, noting his 34 years in ministry. "I've got an excitable, demonstrative side when I see the Holy Spirit in action. But I also have a scholarly side, and I've investigated many movements."

Reporter Billy Townsend can be reached at (863) 284-1409 or wtownsend@tampatrib.com. Reporter Michelle Bearden can be reached at (813) 259-7613 or mbearden@tampatrib.com.