PDF - Gateway Believers Fellowship

25th Anniversary
2
3
5
6
7
9
10
11
12
14
15
The House Will Stand - Apostle Bobbie Jean Merck
The Real Church - Harold Hanley
World Training Center - Randy Grier
We’re On The Move!!! - Linda Frederick
Apostle David Coker: A Gift to the Body of Christ - Apostle Jonas & Rhonda Clark
Transformation and Discipleship - Andy & Stephanie Coker
Gateway for Learning and Fulfilling Destiny! - Carol & Randall Hanley
Doers of God’s Word! - Tenana & Nessa Singleton
We Celebrate You Gateway! - Jennifer Wiley
A Son of the House - Nathan Mack
Happy Anniversary, Gateway! - Lois Hylton
gatewaybelievers.com
thecelebration.wordpress.com
Bobbie Jean Merck
w
The House Will Stand
ho can measure the call, the
gifting, the anointing with
which God has graced Apostle
David? I do not believe his call and his
faithfulness to that call can be measured in
this life. Truly, his life is an example of one
who is submitted to God.
"And with great power gave the apostles witness
ofthe resurrection ofthe Lord jesus: and great
grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33)
Let us go forward. The foundation of the
house is the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore,
the house is sure and secure on Him. This is
the year of many God-given instructions and
The song Amazing Grace could be a summary directions, one being, “rebuild.” The
of his love, gratitude, and commitment to
foundation is strong, but sometimes some
God. By grace, through faith, he has been
wood, hay, and stubble have crept in
chosen, and by grace, through faith, he has unawares into the building process.
prevailed. He has proven and is proving that
God’s grace is sufficient. He freely
Without hesitation, some of the building
acknowledges in many ways that he is what that should be torn down has been torn
he is by the grace of God.
down. The re-building process will perhaps
in progress for many years. But, be
But, be assured the house will stand, beassured
the house will stand, multiply,
and replenish in the earth and in
multiply, increase, and replenish increase,
the
Kingdom
of God as His church.
in the earth and in the Kingdom of
God as His church.
From the personal perspective of attending
services where I am not ministering but
Apostle David is, I have been strengthened
and encouraged. What a joy it is to observe
and to be a part of his yielding to the Holy
Spirit in teaching and ministering to people
and their needs. Compassion from his heart
overtakes all cares and he simply cares for
the people. Yes, he has discovered what
grace can do.
2 - 25th Anniversary
Congratulations Gateway Believers
Fellowship! In Jesus Christ the best is yet to
come! And yes, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Be blessed…
In His Great Love,
~Apostle Bobbie Jean Merck
y
Harold Hanley
ears ago, my wife, Callie, and I
were seeking God in our home. We
were hungry for more, and we
needed Him to show us where to
go. Through those prayers, God brought us
together with David Coker.
The Real Church
be committed in whatever I‘m doing and be
here every time the doors open. We value
the truth in the Word here. That truth is the
most important thing taught here in this
house; it’s what keeps us all growing and
reaching our purpose.
This church is real and the
people are real. That speaks
volumes and it means
everything to me.
This church is real and the people
are real. That speaks volumes and it
means everything to me. Not only
that, but Apostle David is real. I feel
like I know his heart. I was there in
the very beginning when he
received his call into the ministry
and was prophesied over by Sister
Pearl. When I heard that, it put a
desire in my heart to help him fulfill
his destiny. It has been a privilege to see
Gateway blossom like a flower for 25 years.
Hold on, because we are getting ready to
bloom out like never before!
For the last 25 years, Gateway has given me
what I needed every day. This church keeps
me alive. I have seen the transformation in
my life and in the lives of many others from
the teaching that is taught here at this
church. I’ve learned, over the years, how to ~Harold Hanley
live my life in a way that demonstrates what
I’ve been taught. One of the most important
things I have learned here at Gateway is to
25th Annivesary - 3
collage by: Barry Duncan
m
Randy Grier
y wife, Patti, and I became acquainted
with Apostle David and Mrs.
Geraldine Coker around 1989. We met
at a Rhema minister’s function at a hotel and became
good friends from that day. We had both attended
Rhema Bible Training Center. Apostle David was called
Pastor David Coker at that time, and we were both doing
our best to see our ministries survive from day to day,
with great struggles. I was a traveling evangelist and was
barely getting by myself. We were both walking by faith
and not by sight or we would have both given up on our
calling, because Satan was doing his best to destroy us.
Pastor David would invite me to his church to preach,
and God would bless us mightily. There were only
twenty or so people in a very small rented room. One
day, after several years of knowing him, I was talking
with Pastor David. He said to me, “They lied to me at
Rhema!” I said, “What do you mean?” He replied, “They
told me to preach the Word and the people would come,
but they have stayed away by the thousands!” I could tell
he was upset, but I laughed with him, as I understood
how he must feel. He told me, “There must be more to
God than they told me. I am going to put my head down
and run at God until I hit Him or die one.” I sensed the
determination in his voice and told him that I agreed
with him.
World Training Center
"Fear not, only believe!” That day she began to improve
and the Lord Jesus raised her up from her deathbed.
The church began to improve and much success and
prosperity came. The church bought the entire shopping
complex they had been renting a room in, and later
brought the land around them. They rebuilt the entire
complex and changed it into a functioning church facility
and built other buildings. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke to
Pastor David and told him why he struggled so much in
his calling. He said, “You are an apostle, not a pastor.”
That set him free and his ministry took off on an entirely
different level, spiritually.
I was caught up in the Spirit... above
the church sanctuary. I heard the
words, “World Training Center”.
I was sitting in the parking lot of the church, years ago,
when I had a vision. I was caught up in the Spirit and
seemed to be standing about one hundred feet in the air
above the church sanctuary. I heard the words, “World
Training Center”. I saw buildings behind the church that
were not there yet and I saw what seemed to be a large
auditorium setting on the southeast side that was not
there. Since then, the first buildings I saw have been built
but not the large building I saw on the southeast side. I
know the Lord Jesus Christ has many great plans for
Gateway Believers Fellowship, and the devil does not
want those plans to come to pass. The good news is that
the devil is already defeated and victory is sure! I have
been very blessed to be friends with Apostle David Coker
and to be acquainted with Gateway and see its
supernatural growth and maturity over all these years!
He began to fast, pray and seek God. The Lord spoke to
him and told him to pray in other tongues for twentyfive hours a week. He set out on that journey, and it
started to look like he and his church were going under
47 different ways. He would walk the floor of his little
church and fast and pray for hours and hours. There
were times that I would join him for several days at a
time and fast and pray with him. I can say he made the
devil mad. All hell broke loose against him and his
family! Mrs. Geraldine Coker was attacked with a very
rare disease and was destined to die because medical
Happy Anniversary, Gateway!
science did not know how to help her. One day the Spirit
of God spoke to Pastor David about his wife and said,
~Randy Grier
25th Annivesary - 5
Linda Frederick
e
We’re On The Move!!!
arly in 1993, I was so hungry for more of
God that I began an intense time of seeking
God on my own, immersing myself in the
Word and praying and fasting. Little did I know that
40 miles away, Pastor David Coker and a few of the
members of his little church in Carnesville were doing
the same thing. That time of seeking God led to a deep
dissatisfaction with what I was seeing in the Body of
Christ. Where were the miracles? Where were the
salvations? Where was the manifestation of Holy
Ghost? These things certainly were not happening in
the church where my family attended, nor were they
common in the church circles in which we had
fellowship. By 1996, we had had enough. We didn’t
know where to go to find people who were hungry for
what we were hungry for, but we knew God would
lead us: and He did!
We are moving out of this territory
into the land that He is opening up
for us... Get ready, ‘cause we’re on
the move!!!
anointing that Apostle David carried. He was plain; he
was real; he was insightful, and he was funny! The
Sunday after that, we joined the church, and God
showed me in a supernatural vision that David Coker
was my spiritual father. Within six months, we
relocated to Carnesville and the rest is history!
Through the years, we have been stretched and
pruned, shaped and molded into the people we are
today. I have experienced so much personal
breakthrough and deliverance through the teaching in
this house. I’ll never forget Apostle looking at me from
across his desk, telling me that I was “crusty” and that
people were afraid to talk to me. What kind of
minister could I ever be if I couldn’t reach out to
people and show them that I cared about them?
Learning to love myself and love others has opened
the door for me to experience the most significant
relationships of my life. Through these relationships, I
have come to know the Love of God on a whole new
level.
It’s hard to believe we have been a part of Gateway for
fifteen years already! Although we have experienced
great change over the years, I get the feeling that all of
We thought we were only dropping by Faith Christian the change has been preparing us for what is in store
Fellowship to hear a friend of ours preach while he
next. God is enlarging our tent and expanding our
was home for Christmas holidays from RHEMA.
circle of influence and love. We are moving out of this
Little did we realize Holy Ghost had orchestrated the
territory into the land that He is opening up for us.
entire service to show us how He had access in this
Can’t you just hear the buzz on the streets: “Those
house and this is where He wanted us to be. We could people over there at Gateway who have turned the
sense the anointing so strongly on every aspect of the world upside down have come here to our city, too!”
service that day and, to top it all off, five people
Get ready, ‘cause we’re on the move!!!
received Christ at the end of the service! Dave and I
decided we needed to go back to hear the man of the
house preach, so we went back the next Sunday. I
~Linda Frederick
remember being blown away by the authority and
6 - 25th Anniversary
Jonas & Rhonda Clark
n
Apostle David Coker: A Gift to the Body of Christ
o one has influenced me more than
Apostle David Coker. His unique
ability to minister the Gospel of the
Kingdom of God in a simple yet profound way is
inspiring. I first met Apostle David after
receiving an invitation to minister at Gateway
Believers Fellowship on the restoration of the
apostolic in 2001. I was so impressed with the
gift of God in him and his spiritual maturity that
we invited him to minister at our annual Global
Cause Network conference in Hallandale Beach,
Florida. Since that time, Apostle David has
traveled with us to Honduras, Nicaragua, France,
Belgium, and England. He is a valuable team
player in every way. Mombotombo while sharing his room with the
slowest carpenters in the world, forced to join a
conga line on Pochomil Beach by Dutch
Evangelist Rudy Langenberg, and hiking to the
top of a mountain ridge in the hot sun while
asking for a photo to show his church what he
looked like right before he died. Of course all of
these are from his perspective, but that’s another
story!
No doubt Apostle David will tell you of the many
exciting adventures he has shared with us in the
nations: preaching in a Gothic church that met
in a London pub, receiving an offering in a small
wooden coffin, proving his apostleship by eating
raw turtle eggs on the beach in Nicaragua, being
abandoned on the street corner by a Muslim taxi
cab driver in Paris because he was an American,
lying awake all night because his hotel room was
directly above a bottle crushing plant and
nightclub in England, falling down the escalator
at the train station in Belgium under all of Mrs.
Geraldine’s luggage, preaching eight services in
coat and tie in 107 degree weather in Managua,
enjoying Leon – the loudest and hottest city in
the world, experiencing the floor moving under
his feet while preaching during an earthquake in
Crucero, dying in the flesh with the
Apostle David is a true gift from God to the body
of Christ. Not only can he teach the Word of
God in a way that everybody can understand, but
he also knows how to minister in the Holy
Ghost. David continues to remind us that the
Holy Spirit is our teacher and without him we
can never fulfill our purpose in life. I have
witnessed him lead thousands of people to Christ
and get them baptized in the Holy Ghost with
the evidence of speaking in other tongues. It is
my honor to know him and to attend the 25th
year anniversary of Gateway Believers
Fellowship. We love you, Apostle David and
Geraldine.
Not only can he teach the Word of
God in a way that everybody can
understand, but he also knows how
to minister in the Holy Ghost.
Your partners,
~Apostle Jonas & Rhonda Clark
25th Annivesary - 7
collage by: Ann Bowman
Andy & Stephanie Coker
g
Transformation and Discipleship
ateway has meant EVERYTHING to
us! It’s true that Andy is one of Apostle
David’s sons and has been here from
the very beginning (and before). It’s
true that we met and got married right here at
Gateway. Our journey began here, but Gateway
means so much more than just that to us.
It's hard to wrap words around it, but
transformation and discipleship are the things
that have meant the most in our life, and those
are the most valuable things that we have
received here at Gateway. Our whole lives have
changed because of the teaching, training, and
relationships we have here.
We left Gateway for a season, but our hearts
were still with the church. Our love for this
house never changed. What we believed never
changed. While we were gone, we had an
opportunity to find out what we really knew for
ourselves and we realized that we still don't fully
understand everything that's in us. We gained a
whole new perspective about church and who
we are in Christ. When we came back, we were
looking for something that was real, and that is
what we found here at Gateway. Not only that,
but we now know for certain that we are here
because this is where God has called us, not
because of who our family is.
How to grow up spiritually is one of the most
important things you will ever learn at Gateway.
This ministry is built around the pursuit of truth
and helping believers know the truth for
themselves. It doesn’t matter who you are or
what you’ve done, Holy Ghost will develop you
here if you stay and pursue the truth. No person
can develop you: only Holy Ghost can.
... transformation and discipleship
are the things that have meant the
most in our life, and those are the
most valuable things that we have
received here at Gateway.
Apostle David leads us with the truth no matter
what the cost. He has this transparency that you
won't get anywhere else. We can tell you better
than anybody can that he is the same all the time;
he's real no matter where you see him. His
dependency on God and his willingness to
change and grow is what has helped him make it
twenty-five years.
No matter how far you have come, you will
always have to depend on God. We’ve come a
long way over the years, both personally and as a
ministry. We have more clarity and structure
around here now than we ever have. There are
more and more people stepping into what God
has called them to be, and there is going to be
even more of that happening as we enter into the
next phase that God has for us. Stick around!
God is doing great things here at Gateway!
~Andy & Stephanie Coker
25th Annivesary - 9
Carol & Randall Hanley
Gateway for Learning and Fulfilling Destiny!
b
eing at Gateway has meant a great
deal to us. It is a place where we can
seek refuge. Not only is Gateway a
place of refuge for us, it is also a place
where we can come and grow spiritually.
There is no other place that can feed us the
Word and help us to grow and fulfill the
destiny that God has for us as individuals and
as a couple. It was prophesied that this will be
a school of learning and it has definitely been
that for us. We are taught the Truth every
time the doors are open. Not some sugar
coated, watered down, resemblance of the
Word, but we are taught the WHOLE Truth!
changed us a lot over the years. We have
grown to trust in God more and to look to
Him for help through the difficult
circumstances that will sometimes happen in
life. Each day, we grow and learn more that
God does truly love us and He is helping and
teaching us to Stand on His Word. We have
also learned that God does have a plan for us
personally. That plan includes being at
Gateway where we are fitly framed together in
our place. We have a place where we fit so that
we can fulfill our destiny.
Apostle David is a mighty man of God! He is a
man after God’s own heart. We have
appreciated the way he seeks the truth no
Gateway is truly a gateway for
matter what the truth is. Because he wants
and
your
and not a lie or a façade, he is one of the
!... Stick around to see what truth
most transparent people you could meet. He is
God will do next!
not prideful. When he misses it, he will let you
know! He is also a man who hears from God
and allows God to flow in our services. We
Randall and I have known Apostle David from have never met anyone who is as transparent
way back. We knew of him even before
as Apostle David and we love him dearly!
Gateway ever existed. What brought us here
and has kept us here is the belief in Apostle
Gateway is truly a gateway for learning and
David’s ministry and that God has sent us to
fulfilling your destiny! Prophecies have been
be a part of this mighty work. We believe in
spoken over this house and some have already
what Apostle David preaches each time he
been fulfilled. Gateway has many more
steps into the pulpit. He is all about the truth prophecies that WILL be FULLFILLED! Stick
no matter what the truth is.
around to see what God will do next!
learning
destiny
fulfilling
Being brought up under this ministry has
1 0 - 25th Anniversary
~Carol and Randall Hanley
Tenana & Nessa Singleton
t
wo years ago, we wanted a deeper and
more meaningful life with the Lord and
a friend of ours invited us to Gateway.
Right away, we knew this was the place
where God placed us. At Gateway, we began
to experience what it means to walk with the
Lord and allow Him to be the Lord over every
aspect of our lives. First, we were challenged
with truth, transparency, and the reality of His
Word. We began to learn who we are in
Christ and that God wants to manifest His
glory and power through us. In this church,
we have been challenged to grow and develop
our character and allow the Lord to use us,
and we are truly being transformed. In fact,
transformation is an ongoing process that has
caused us both to get out of our comfort
zones! We’ve been able to do that easily
because people here don’t put others down.
We came for the anointing, but we have
stayed because of the love that the people
show us. At Gateway, not only do we have
powerful teaching and a powerful anointing,
but we also have a church where the people
treat us like family.
Apostle David’s example of transparency,
truthfulness, honesty, and integrity causes us
to get real about ourselves. He is a leader by
example - a father figure, strong but gentle,
tough but tender. You might describe him as a
warhorse: powerful, anointed, selfless, and
unafraid to preach and teach the truth. Apostle
Doers of God’s Word!
David gives you the unadulterated truth…no
sugar coating! He’s an awesome spiritual father
and we are blessed to have him!
At Gateway, we are encouraged,
equipped, and challenged to be the
best that God created us to be... At
Gateway, we are not just hearers of
the Word, but we are doers of God’s
Word!
Every member of the body at Gateway has a
Kingdom assignment. At Gateway, we are
encouraged, equipped, and challenged to be
the best that God created us to be. You can just
sense that God is going to do great exploits
through every believer at Gateway. There is
going to be an explosion of every facet of the
ministry, from our local fellowship to the
world. We are already seeing miracles, but we
are going to see MIRACLES, MIRACLES,
MIRACLES!
We want to invite everyone to come be a part
of the body of Christ in action. At Gateway,
we are not just hearers of the Word, but we
are doers of God’s Word!
~Tenana & Nessa Singleton
25th Annivesary - 1 1
Jennifer Wiley
w
We Celebrate You Gateway!
e Celebrate You Gateway!
I remember our first impression
of Gateway was the prompt attention and
sincere welcome we experienced while simply
parking our car. Wow! We had never seen this
kind of servant’s heart in an usher ministry in all
our years of church attendance!
The routine, mundane rituals that religion so
easily provides can quickly mislead you into
thinking you’re on the right path when, in
reality, you’re far from it. God, in His rich mercy,
provided countless opportunities to remind me
that my position as a worship leader must never
serve as a substitute for worship! You see, I
thought I knew all about worship, praying,
serving, and being diligent in the Word. But, I
found out real quickly the definition of genuine
relationships and transparency before a
congregation, leadership and ultimately God
Himself. You can only hide and pretend for so
long.
Our journey to Gateway was a culmination of
many changes-one in particular was the fact that
we had outgrown every previous Pastor we
served. It was heart-warming and fulfilling to
hear Apostle David say to both Scott and myself,
“I can assure you, you will never outgrow me.”
Those words rang in my ears throughout the
I thank God for Gateway. I thank God for a place
years we remained in ministry here, and I will be of divine opportunity that awaits individuals
forever marked by them. who truly hunger after God and all He has for
them. I thank God for men and women of
Congratulations Gateway for
increasing faith and tenacity who refuse to give
in to the pressures of the norm, whose ultimate
of
and
goal and purpose is to bring forth truth, while
commitment in proclaiming the
spreading the love of Christ and transforming
gospel!
lives a generation at a time.
25
years faithful dedication
Change is not an option but a necessity. This is
one specific component that has stayed with me
as a result of our powerful fellowship with this
church. In order to go to the next level in
ministry YOU MUST CHANGE…period. I
thank God the leadership of this house never left
me alone. I am grateful they exercised tough love
during those moments when my flesh wanted to
stop and quit.
1 2 - 25th Anniversary
Congratulations Gateway for 25 years of faithful
dedication and commitment in proclaiming the
gospel! Much blood, sweat and tears have been
shed but not in vain. May God grant you many
more years to come as He continues to add to the
house daily those that are being saved (Acts.
2:47).
~Jennifer D. Wiley
collage by:
Eric Back
Nathan Mack
m
A Son of the House
y name is Nathan Mack. I am
presently serving in the Army
and my family and I are
stationed at Fort Stewart in Savannah,
Georgia, where we have been living for the
past year. I have a beautiful wife, Amberly,
and two children: my two year-old daughter
Abrielle and my son Lathan, who just turned
one.
I want to personally thank all of
you for listening to the Holy Spirit
in you because you have all played a
major part in changing my life and
that of my whole family.
I have been attending Gateway since 1996.
Words could not describe how much God
has changed my life through Gateway! A
few years back, I was involved in an auto
accident where my car was T-boned. The
ambulance worker told me that when he
came to the wreck, he just knew that no one
survived. I did survive. That night, I felt
someone slide into the car next to me, which
protected me from the impact of the wreck.
I know for a fact, as I rode in the ambulance
to the hospital, that if it were not for Camp
Jubilee and Camp Destiny teaching me how
to pray, as well as the covering of my family,
and my Gateway family, I would be dead! I
1 4 - 25th Anniversary
walked out of that wreck with minor
scratches!
I have learned that if I have done all that I
know to do, then it is time for me to give my
problem to God and trust Him with the
situation. I may not be at Gateway during
this season, but every time I go home to visit
I make sure I attend Gateway. I may be
young, but my advice to you all is to cherish
what God has and is doing at Gateway
Believer’s Fellowship.
I want to personally thank all of you for
listening to the Holy Spirit in you because
you have all played a major part in changing
my life and that of my whole family.
I love you all and again, thank you.
~PFC Mack, Nathan
Lois Hylton
w
hen my husband, John, and I
first moved into this area, we
drove by Gateway, and John
told me to stop by the next day and talk to
the staff. We rehearsed what I should ask
that night. The following day I drove to the
church and Apostle David was there. The
first thing I asked was, “Do you believe in
segregation?” I further explained, “The
reason I’m asking is that we’re from the
West and we don’t have that type of thing
going on out there, and we don’t agree with
segregation in the church at all!” Apostle
David broke into this large smile and said,
“Come visit us on Sunday; you’ll see what
you’re looking for.” He was right, and from
the minute we walked in we felt
comfortable. More than that - we grew!
To this day I
consider
everyone at
Gateway my
friend.
Moreover, I
respect, admire,
and love Apostle
David. His heart
is genuine – no
hidden agendas.
He’s not perfect,
but both John
Happy Anniversary, Gateway!
and I loved that about him – he’s real! He
encouraged us to grow as we worked in
many areas of ministry at Gateway. Since my
dear husband went home to be with the
...I respect, admire, and love
Apostle David. His heart is genuine
– no hidden agendas. He’s not perfect,
but both John and I loved that about
him – he’s real!
Lord a few years ago, there have been times
that I wish I could have seen the roller
coaster of my life before I embarked on the
ride, but I doubt that I would have taken the
trip if I had. God has shown me mercy and
grace during many hard times, and it was
through the life lessons and God lessons
taught by Apostle David and his leadership
that I’ve been able to stand in the valley and
see the light rise above the mountain! I
thank God for Apostle David and for
Gateway!
Happy Anniversary, Gateway!
~Lois Hylton
25th Annivesary - 1 5
Gateway Believers Fellowship
6475 Highway 1 45
Carnesville, GA 30521
706-384-5242
www.gatewaybelievers.com
[email protected]