August 18, 2006

        Dave Apel was my pastor and mentor while I pursued an education at the University of Missouri – Columbia from 2004 to 2006. I heard about his ministry and his desire to gather a community of people who desired to be the Church rather than settling for “doing Church,” and something stirred in my Spirit. I knew I had to be a part of this. Dave and his wife, Lorri, were committed to shepherding me from the very beginning. I knew, even at our first meeting, that they were people who were after God’s heart. They were ambassadors of Christ willing to pour out their lives for the sake of others and for His kingdom.

I was immediately impressed by the tenderness with which Dave approached his wife and young son, Samuel, and by his fatherly heart. He is devoted not only to his earthly family but to the family of God as well. He is committed to spiritually fathering a generation of young people who will advance the Kingdom of Heaven and contending for the breakthrough of revival. Dave’s humility is so evident in everything he does. He invested fully in me even on an occasion when I was the only one to show up for a prayer meeting. It was never about numbers, but about obedience. His tenacity and willingness to pursue the things of God even when all natural circumstances seemed against him strengthened my resolve to follow the Lord even in seasons of barrenness.

Dave is truly focused on relationship with God and not on religion. He wants the presence of God, not the praise of men. He encouraged and exhorted me to exercise the spiritual gifts God has given me, and provided a safe environment for me to do so. It was never about him running the show. Dave reveres the Word of God, understands the importance of intercession, and revels in worship. His fervency in prayer and his enjoyment of God through worship were unmistakable, and provoked in me a desire to go deeper in God. I am now a student at the Forerunner School of Ministry in Kansas City, MO, and it was Dave and Lorri who fueled my passion for God and helped pave the way for me to reach this next step on the path God has set before me.

It is my privilege to endorse the Apels and their ministry, and to encourage your participation in the work God is doing in and through them. I am fully confident that the hand of God is on their lives and of their continual surrender to Him. May the Word and work of God run swiftly to advance His Kingdom, and to Him be the glory!

In Christ,

Allison Werner