I sat on the front row in the sanctuary of the ultra-modern
Arise and Shine Intl. ministries during their 10th year anniversary service.
The Bedford Texas location was sprawling with VIP guests and internationally
acclaimed ministers of God including Pastor Dave Duell. The host Pastor of ASIM; Nosa Onaiwu introduced
Pastor Dave Duell as a spiritual father.
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| Pastor Dave Duell |
From the moment he got unto the
pulpit, there was no dull moment. Dave Duell spent the first few minutes
raining praises on the host pastor and at a point in time, dramatically knelt
before him. I saw a man of God with pure humility and grace. His preaching was
somewhat unusual but he conveyed the message in a unique manner.
On another occasion, he was a guest minister at ASIM
where he deliver a message titled; “We are saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:8)”. As
expected, he delivered an exceptional sermon and physically went round to touch
every member of the congregation on that day. There was so much spiritual
presence in the house of God.
I had just produced a special edition of Trendy
Africa Magazine featuring the 10th anniversary celebration of the Arise and
Shine Ministries and as a special guest; Pastor Dave Duell was prominently featured
in the edition. Pastor Dr. (Mrs) Adesuwa Onaiwu, wife of Pastor Nosa Onaiwu deemed it
fit to show a copy of the magazine to Dave Duell. At the time, I was on my way
to another assignment when my phone suddenly rang out.
Guess who was on the line? It was Pastor Dave Duell
who spent more than 5 minutes expressing his opinion about how impressed he was
with the quality of the magazine and how much he would love to see it blossom
beyond my wildest imagination. I claimed it. It was such a humbling experience to
hear the great anointed man of God speak to me on my cell phone.
When Pastor Nosa Onaiwu called to invite me to the
memorial service of Late Dave Duell, I was numb for some seconds. A great man
who spoke to me just recently with extremely high spirit was gone in a
heartbeat. Such is life. His legacy lives on.
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| Dave and Bonnie Duell |
About
Dave Duell
Dave grew up on a farm in Kersey, Colorado. The
youngest of thirteen children, Dave learned many of life's valuable lessons
through hard work and love. His strict father taught him discipline and his
gentle mother taught him love. Dave says in his book 'Faith, Believe It or
Not', "The training I received growing up on a large farm let me see how
God operates through many practical experiences”.
Two specific incidents influenced Dave in his early
years to bring him to where he is today. One event happened when he was twelve
years old. He spent a week at a Bible camp in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado
and heard the testimony of a missionary from the Congo of Africa. That week
Dave accepted Jesus into his life and from then on had a heart for missions.
The other event happened when he was fifteen years old. One day by a hay bale
out in the field, Dave knelt down and asked God for the privilege of being
wealthy enough to support five hundred missionaries and this prayer has stayed
vivid in his mind and influenced his life to this very day.
Later, when he graduated from high school, he chose
to go to North Park Junior College in Chicago, Illinois, to put some distance
between himself and the farm chores and to find a wife! God answered his
prayers and he met and later married Bonnie McCartney from Chicago, Illinois.
He brought her home to live on the ranch in Kersey, Colorado. God blessed them with three lovely daughters,
Tamara, Juli, and Darla. Later they adopted a beautiful little Korean girl and
named her Sarah.
As Dave and Bonnie raised their girls, they taught them the
love of Jesus and were very involved in their church. When Dave was thirty-one
years old, his desire to know the Holy Spirit personally, began to increase.
One night he was invited to a Full Gospel Businessmen's meeting in Denver,
Colorado. That night he asked for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the power
of God actually came into his life. It was the beginning of many adventures.
In June of 1992, the Holy Spirit spoke to Dave and
Bonnie to move to Denver and plant a church. The foundation was laid, a
leadership team was assembled, and in February of 1993, Faith Ministries Church
International began. He was an anointed with the gift of healing.
Through
supernatural events, Faith Ministries Fellowship began from a Bible study in
Greeley, Colorado, in 1978 and grew to be an international church touching over
100 nations. Dave Duell and his Wife Bonnie founded the Faith Ministries Church
International, Colorado.
Tosan Aduayi is the founder of Trendy Africa Magazine and writes from Dallas, Texas info@trendyafrica.com (+1 903 309 1172)
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