Band of Brothers 2020--ARISE & BUILD
Wow! Wow!!! Band of Brothers was a wow! The sense of anticipation was evident as guys began to come into town on Wednesday. It was great to see old friends and connect with new ones. Our registration numbers were 457, making it the largest NRP event ever! Our host church, Living Stones, hit it out of the park with their hospitality and honor. Food, transportation, and smiling faces were abundant. Tony Crombie and the team from The River honored God with sincere praise to Him as they called us to worship our King. Hearing 500 men worship is quite a sound! It’s the sound of war. Tim Quintrell’s added video dimensions made the experience terrific.
We received two mission offerings and raised just shy of $35,000! The checks were handed out before the conference was over. We had a throng of worshipers on the street in front of Planned Parenthood. Many were there for the first time. The general sessions were full of vision and insight. Each workshop session gave practical tools and guidelines. Eric Johns led a large group through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The NRP conference team and local conference team did a superb job! What a joy to be connected to this tribe. I can’t wait until our National Conference in February!
We welcomed two outstanding men of God who both have years of faithful service. Joe Kelley pastors Hampton Church in Long Island, New York. Ray Mas pastors The Bridge Church in Sunrise, Florida, near Ft Lauderdale. I have been to each of these churches and have known each of these men and their families for years. They are a great fit for NRP! Ironically, they are on the opposite edge of the east coast, about 1400 miles apart! Joe and Ray, we welcome you. Covenant!
--Keith Tucci
NRP Apostolic Team Leader
As leaders of the church, we invest heavily in helping men get to the Band of Brothers conference. We help subsidize part of the cost so as many of our guys as possible can get there to receive a fresh impartation from God. It’s a powerful thing to be singing your heart out with hundreds of like-minded men who are hungry for God’s presence. The variety of messages and instruction from God’s Word are always solid, inspiring, and challenging. It’s also a rich time for men to travel and stay in a hotel together. It forms and strengthens relationships in ways that Sundays alone never could. Many men enjoy bringing their sons to see and experience what it means to be a true follower and lover of God. We look forward to it every year.
--Pastor Steve Crombie
The River Church in Faribault, Minnesota
Once again, the Band of Brothers conference was a success, and God did not disappoint. He always shows up, and His Holy Spirit moves in great power. My biggest take away was a combination of two sessions. Pastor Keith Hodges spoke of the new wine in a new wine skin and that God is always doing something new. We need to be aware of the new thing that God is doing. We need to not be afraid of change, lest we miss what He is doing. Pastor Eric Johns spoke about the need for the power of the Holy Spirit. God mixed these sessions together for me in this way—He is always doing something new. We need to be prepared to move in the new thing He is doing. We will best accomplish this through the power of the Holy Spirit by listening and following His prompting. That way, we are doing this new thing, not under our own power or the system of some new program, but by the power and influence of His Holy Spirit.
--Adam Shaw
Leader at Freedom Fellowship Church in Orlando, Florida
Most leaders in the body of Christ that I personally know were seriously thrown off balance by the impact and implications of the global pandemic we are experiencing. So many voices have demanded to be heard and followed. Even in church congregations, there are great divisions over navigating these waters.
I do believe this pandemic season has caused a great deal of heart searching and repentance before God. The 2020 Band of Brothers was a Spirit-empowered, clarion cry from the heart of God to Arise and Build! We all gained strength and clarity to build in the power of the Holy Spirit in the context of our own congregations. Pastor Keith Tucci and the Apostolic Team brought together an amazing conference to strengthen our hands and launch us with more focus and power into furthering the call of God upon our lives. We are determined to Arise and Build.
I brought one of our leaders from India with me to Band of Brothers. He has lived only two years in America. Like me, he was extremely encouraged. He made an insightful comment that I hope you understand the significance of. Watching teenagers at the altar repenting and weeping before God for an extended time, he turned to me and said, "As of today, watching young people repenting and weeping, I have hope for America."
The preaching was not with man's wisdom, but in the demonstration and the power of the Spirit. Thanks to Pastor Keith Tucci and the Apostolic Team for allowing God to move upon us to Arise and Build.
--Pastor Dan Cramer
Zion Christian Church in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania