Ministry in a big tent--Local evangelist targets metro area
for ‘Outpouring’

By JOHN FORTMEYER
CNNW publisher
   TUALATIN — Portland-based healing evangelist Hamilton Filmalter has brought the message of Christ to enormous crowds — literally hundreds of thousands of people — in such far-flung locales as Pakistan.
   Back home in Oregon the turnout so far is clearly smaller —averaging about 100 people per night — but Filmalter is now with great faith and anticipation focusing attention on the local area with his Portland Outpouring tent revival that began Sept. 10 and will run Wednesday through Sunday nights, 7 to 11 p.m., through Nov. 2.
  “I guarantee you, there will come a point in the next few weeks that if you come late, you won’t have a seat,” Filmalter in early September confidently told one night’s gathering with the accent he still carries from his native South Africa. The next evening, he added his belief that “within a few weeks we are going to see people flying in all over the country for this revival.”
   Admission to the meetings is free. Location is property on Southwest Greenhill Lane, off Southwest Boones Ferry Road, in Tualatin, that is owned by a friend of Filmalter’s River of Life Ministries.
Filmalter particularly invites all who do not know Jesus personally; who are searching; who are afflicted with addiction, disability or disease; or those who are depressed, in pain, or facing a life-threatening illness.
   Filmalter and his team — in faith — are utilizing a tent with a seating capacity of 1,000 people. They are trusting the Holy Spirit to start a spark that sees increased attendance night after night at the tent — not unlike the revival meetings that this spring and summer took place in Lakeland, Fla., and that have inspired other meetings across the nation.
   Mike Maksimowicz of River of Life says there is no direct connection between the sponsorship of the Lakeland Outpouring meetings, which generated nationwide headlines because of the controversial ministry style of Canadian preacher Todd Bentley, and the local sponsorship of the meetings in Tualatin. But he and Filmalter and other members of the team visited the Lakeland meetings and were blessed by what they believed to be sincere, Holy Spirit-led ministry.
  “Obviously, it all relates to revival,” said Maksimowicz. “That’s the connection. I think a lot of people went to Lakeland and felt the Spirit of God telling them to go back home and start meetings. From that there have been sparks established all over the world.”
   Maksimowicz acknowledged River of Life is not large and has a limited budget, “but we just felt willing to step out in faith ... we just feel this is the time of God pouring out His Spirit throughout the world.”
   It can happen in Portland, he added. “We want to see the spiritual climate of Portland changed,” he said. “We’ve heard about groups here praying for revival. Obviously there was a lot of prayer for (evangelist Luis) Palau’s recent event. We want to keep this spiritual revival and fervor going.”
   Born in South Africa, Filmalter experienced God’s call to the ministry at the young age of 12. As a young man he had what he describes as a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit while attending Bible school. This eventually led to the vision and mission of River of Life, established in 1992. After pioneering a church and school in South Africa, the Filmalter family came to America in 1994. They traveled extensively conducting revival meetings, eventually settling in Portland.
   Filmalter says that during the Persian Gulf War of the early 1990s, God placed a passion in his heart to reach the Pakistani people. The door opened in 2003 when Pastor Anwar Fazal invited him to do a crusade in Pakistan, the results of which exceeded all expectations. He has since then made about 10 visits to Pakistan. Maksimowicz said about 1.5 million people total have attended Filmalter’s meetings there, with “probably over a half-million Pakistanis coming to Jesus.”
   The response has been seen even among populations much influenced by hard-line Islamic influences, Maksimowicz said. “We bring a message of peace, and they are looking for peace,” he said.
   Maksimowicz said the Tualatin meetings include praise, worship, testimonies from those touched by God, a message from Filmalter, an invitation to meet Christ, and a time of ministry to the sick.
   He adds that the tent is well structured and has heaters, so people can attend comfortably in the fall evenings. Occupancy permits run through early November; if it is determined that meetings need to continue , a suitable indoor venue would be found.
   Those not able to attend the meetings in person can view them live on the event website, www.portlandoutpouring.com.


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