Friday, September 19, 2003
"Kenneth E. Hagin dies after nearly 70 years in ministry..."
As many of you know, I am a 1976 graduate of RHEMA Bible Training Center and was part of the RHEMA faculty from 1978-1981. I was originally ordained through Kenneth Hagin Ministries.
My wife, Debbi, and I are grateful for the life and ministry of Brother Hagin.
His simple message of faith in God and His Word have helped countless numbers of people experience God's love, power, and faithfulness.
I will be taking a few days away from "Line Upon Line" while I travel to Tulsa to attend the memorial service for this exceptional man.
The following was posted today on RHEMA's website...
Broken Arrow, OK – September 19, 2003 – Reverend Kenneth E. Hagin, founder of Kenneth Hagin Ministries, went home to be with the Lord on September 19 at 7:00 a.m.
On Saturday evening September 13, Reverend Hagin went to bed feeling well. Sunday morning, he woke up and prepared for the day. Friends came over and cooked breakfast for he and his wife, Oretha. After finishing his breakfast, Rev. Hagin sat at the end of the table, smiled at Oretha, sighed, and his head fell to his chest.
He was quickly transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he was admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit. He remained hospitalized with his family at his side until the time of his passing.
Rev. Hagin was born August 20, 1917 and was in the ministry for nearly 70 years from the time God miraculously healed him of a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease at the age of 17. He was raised from a deathbed in 1934 by the revelation of faith in God’s Word.
Known as the “father of the modern faith movement,” Rev. Hagin was a dynamic preacher, teacher, and prophet known for ministering healing and for the message of faith. His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God’s power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
“He wrote in his Bible, ‘The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it!’” said his son, Reverend Kenneth Hagin Jr., Executive Vice President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and Pastor of RHEMA Bible Church. “Brother Hagin was not a man who merely practiced what he preached,” said Rev. Hagin Jr. “He preached what he lived. His great legacy of faith will live on in the countless lives that have been healed, touched, and changed through his ministry.”
Since its inception, Kenneth Hagin Ministries has expanded to include numerous media outreaches and ministries that will continue to grow and impact the world. These include Faith Library Publications, which has more than 65 million books in print; RHEMA Praise, a weekly television program; Faith Seminar of the Air, a radio program which is heard on scores of stations nationwide and on the Internet worldwide; The Word of Faith, a free monthly magazine with nearly 250,000 subscribers; crusades conducted throughout the nation; RHEMA Correspondence Bible School; and the RHEMA Prayer and Healing Center.
Rev. Hagin long carried a passion to help those who suffered in pain and sickness the way he himself had once suffered. In 1979, he founded the Prayer and Healing Center to provide a place where the sick could come and have the opportunity to build their faith. Healing School continues to be held free of charge twice daily on the RHEMA campus.
In 1974, Rev. Hagin founded RHEMA Bible Training Center USA, which has 23,000 alumni. There are RHEMA Bible Training Centers in 13 other nations of the world: Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand.
“Brother Hagin traveled and ministered throughout the United States and Canada as part of his goal to raise funds to underwrite the Training Center. The best tribute we can give him is to keep that going forever,” said Rev. Hagin Jr.
Rev. Hagin is survived by his wife, Oretha; two children, Kenneth Hagin Jr., and Pat Harrison; 5 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren.
Visit www.RHEMA.org for more information on Kenneth Hagin Ministries.
// posted by theChurchGuy @ 9/19/2003
