Marquita Klinedinst held her first Revelation of Hope evangelistic series at the Southside Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Louis Aug. 1-20. Up to 15 guests attended nightly, in addition to a core group of supportive members.
Marquita’s husband, Pastor David Klinedinst, serves the entire St. Louis area as a resident evangelist. He reports that when Marquita decided she wanted to try presenting an evangelistic series, he was excited and encouraged her to proceed with plans.
“Each night I watched as God used her to portray the three angels’ message in a very relational way that connected with people,” Pastor Klinedinst said. “She took the Revelation of Hope materials and wove her own stories, testimonies and illustrations into them, and the audience responded. She fell in love with the people and immediately bonded with them. It was amazing to watch God develop her evangelistic gift. I feel like I’m learning things from her.”
The Spirit Stirring
Last year at NY13 Marquita heard Teenie Finley share her testimony about her conviction to hold a series of meetings after watching her evangelist husband, Mark, preach for many years. This touched Marquita’s heart and she leaned over and whispered to her husband, “I think I need to hold an evangelistic series.”
Marquita says that public evangelism has maintained a special place in her heart for years. “This stems from the fact that God utilized this method over 20 years ago to introduce me to deeper truths in His Word,” she explains. “In the time since, I have always loved attending and participating in evangelistic meetings because I know how life-changing it is for people who come with open hearts. I never imagined that one day I would have the opportunity to be the one standing up front and presenting those messages.”
Love, Passion and Sincerity
Southside’s head elder, Frederick Nyanzi, said they were thankful for the opportunity of having Mrs. Klinedinst present the Revelation of Hope series. “Sister Marquita’s presentations were well planned, very clear and simply presented for even non-Bible students to understand,” he stated.
Lonesome Tsoka, a member of the Southside Church who attended the meetings, said, “It is a heartwarming experience when the truths are presented crisply and night after night people come to listen. The message was delivered with love, passion and sincerity of heart. It helped me to appreciate all the more that time, as we know it, is now very short and Jesus will soon appear in the clouds of heaven.” Tsoka added that church members are staying in prayer that the Holy Spirit will lead mightily in the lives of attendees who showed keen interest and participated night after night. “I have no doubt that the seeds of life and hope were sown,” he says.
Preparing to Present
Marquita recalls that when the opportunity to present a series came, she realized how important it is to prepare for such a ministry. Four things helped her during the process:
- Recognize and reflect on God’s calling to serve Him. Any time God opens a door for us, we need to walk through it, believing He will strengthen and equip for whatever is needed.
- Pray fervently for personal cleansing of sin and offer intercessory prayer for those volunteering and attending the meetings.
In the few weeks prior to the Southside meetings, Marquita dedicated at least one hour every morning to prayer, with fasting on some days as well. - Prepare each message with a personal conviction. Ask, What does this truth mean to me personally? How has it impacted my life and my relationship with Jesus? This is a transforming factor when we preach because people not only want to hear truth, they want to know what difference it can make in their lives.
- Focus on praise and thanksgiving. Any time we step out for God, the enemy becomes angry. He will try to throw all kinds of darts to discourage us. But claiming, “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world” brings tremendous personal peace. Nothing compares to knowing we are sharing precious truths that make a difference of eternal significance.
Marquita and David Klinedinst have been partners in life and ministry for 19 years. They have two daughters, ages 10 and 7. To learn more about Marquita or invite her to speak at your church or Women’s Ministries event visit her website: www.marquita.org.
