Pastor Adeboye at Wildfires Festival:
Stoking Fires of Revival across the UK
S
traw and fire. One can’t escape the imagery, even if that is your desire. The spiritual metaphor stares one squarely in the face, wherever you turn. The symbolism of being surrounded by square, straw bales scattered across a huge tent in the striking, West Sussex countryside sets one’s heart racing, given that this gathering of about 3,000 are awaiting just one thing: fire! Of course, it’s a spiritual fire they yearn for, the kind that strangely warms the hearts of men, women and children, quenching a need within the soul. It’s a fire many travel in search of, far and near, to be deeply warmed by.
From all indications, it’s going to be a great night and expectations are very high indeed, as participants at the Wildfires Festival look forward with barelycontained excitement to welcoming their conference guest speaker Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and a widely-acclaimed apostolic father to the nations. 34 | Sunrise Autumn 2019
The 3-day camping festival which brings together between 2,000 – 3,000 people of all ages, with a heavy family presence, is taking place from the 27th to 29th May 2019 at the historic Wiston Estate in West Sussex and Pastor Adeboye is speaking in the middle of the programme on the 28th. Launched in 2018 as a joint adventure between 24/7 Prayer, Worship Central, Pioneer, Fusion, Big Church Day Out and Tearfund, the theme for the 2019 Wildfires gathering is REVIVAL: it could not have been more apt. With attendees drawn from different church denominations and faith expressions, they are all united at Wildfires by a common hunger: revival! Their expectations are not misplaced, as the spirituallycharged atmosphere goes up a notch when Pastor Adeboye makes his modest entry. Building on the warmest of welcomes from festival hosts Mike Andrea who is the Lead Coordinator and Overseer of Wildfires Festival and his wife Stella who together lead Global Generation Church, the Chairman of RCCG in the United Kingdom Pastor Agu Irukwu also formally welcomes Pastor Adeboye.
