BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

35 Years // Southwest Believers' Convention When I asked The LORD all those years ago, “What do You want out of these meetings? What is our specific purpose?” He said to me, 'I want you to conduct meetings where people can totally immerse in The WORD of God. Get into The WORD of God and stay there! Talk about faith and the integrity of The WORD—talk about it and talk about it and talk about it…there is a people in the land today who have enough hunger for My WORD to come and sit under that kind of intensive exposure.' That’s our calling and we’re seeing it done! —Kenneth Copeland Raising Up a New Generation When he stepped onto the platform of the first Southwest Believers’ Convention in August 1981, Kenneth Copeland was taking a major step in fulfilling a vision and call the Lord had given him nearly 15 years earlier. In 1966, on the campus of Oral Roberts University, he was still basking in the anointing after Brother Oral Roberts laid hands on him in a ministry line. As he did, God opened his eyes to see the spiritual condition of believers as he’d never seen it before. Suddenly the bodies of the believers passing before Brother Roberts for ministry were transparent. Only a vague outline could be seen. Though physically healthy in most cases, their spirits were so scrawny and sickly they could hardly walk. Yet, on top of each emaciated, little spirit body was a huge head. 'Son,' the Lord said to him, 'I have called you to feed My people. They are out of balance. They are physically developed. They’re mentally developed. Some are so developed mentally that they can hardly hold their heads up. I’ll show you how to feed My people and build them up spiritually until they become balanced.' That commission was the goal as the doors of the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, opened on Aug. 17, 1981, for the first-ever SWBC. A powerfully anointed lineup of speakers for the six-day meeting included Norvel Hayes, Charles Capps, John Osteen, Hilton Sutton, T.L. Osborn, Jerry Savelle and of course, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. In the 35 years since it began, the SWBC has continued to thrive, remaining committed to total immersion in God’s Word. Free and open to the public, the convention is designed to build up the Partners and Friends of Kenneth Copeland Ministries and to take them from the milk to the meat of the Word. In this special commemorative edition of BVOV, we look back at the first SWBC and the anointed word from God that was delivered to the Body of Christ. The articles included here came from messages delivered at that meeting. It was evident God was raising up a new generation of believers. In a word delivered through the late John Osteen about the meeting, the Lord said: 'I’m sending a Word revival to cause the Church to know who they are in Jesus Christ. And they will arise like a giant and they will go forth into a darkened world saturating them with My glory and My power. And they’ll cast out demons and heal the sick and bring deliverance to mankind. And I will show My glory in your generation.' From then until now, those words have rung true as the power of God has been evidenced in every SWBC. Southwest has continued to be a catalyst for change in the lives of hundreds of thousands as new Kingdom keys have been revealed and new strength infused into their lives. Many of you have been along for most, if not all, of the journey. Others have connected with us along the way. We rejoice that you chose to allow the SWBC to play a role in your spiritual growth and maturity. And we thank you for being part of this exciting piece of history. V —Ronald C. Jordan, Editor 4 : B V O V

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