African Festival of the Nations

One of the things I love about Bethel World Outreach Center is the fact that it celebrates diversity. The sad truth is that even In the "buckle of the Bible belt", 10AM on a Sunday morning is still the most segregated time of the week. Bethel is an exception where the walls of racial division have been broken down. It is a true melting pot of nationalities and cultures where the logo of the black and white "Praying Hands" is a representation of the experience you find when attending the church.

I once had the privilege of welcoming and walking into a meeting of the His People congregation in Cape Town, South Africa, with President Nelson Mandela. During his impromptu address to us, he recognized that the "Rainbow Nation" that he had envisioned and suffered for had truly found expression in this church service, where people from every ethnic origin in South Africa were worshipping and living together in harmony and unity. It is great to find this same spirit and characteristic in Bethel and in the other Every Nation churches I visit.