BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

The sun set like a shimmering globe over Australia, casting red beams across the lush rolling hills and beautiful trees of country Victoria. Leaving work after a long day running the family business, David Welsh felt himself relax as he watched the sunset. No wonder his Irish ancestors had settled here—it must have reminded them of home. In addition to running the business, David was a husband, father of four children, director of a major agricultural cooperative, president of the school council and president of the local cricket club. He had a lot on his plate, but life was good. His wife, Jane, was the love of his life. Their marriage was a slice of heaven on earth. Well, except for one thing. God. That was a sticky wicket. They’d agreed not to raise their children in church. None of their children had ever so much as heard the Christmas story of Jesus. The second eldest in a Catholic family of nine children, David had been raised in church and attended Catholic school. As a child, to please his priest, he’d often make up sins to confess—lying for the greater good. His penance for his pretend sins was to pray five Hail Marys. In his young mind, prayer equaled punishment. When he left home at 21, David told his mother the truth. “Don’t expect me at Mass,” he said. “I honored you while I lived here, but church has no meaning for me.” After earning a degree in business, he had gone to work in Melbourne’s corporate world. At age 24, and now a non-practicing Catholic, David had married Jane, a former Baptist. They each had strong, differing opinions about God, church and religion, so they agreed not to discuss the subject. Mrs. Naylor’s Seed “A woman I never knew named Mrs. Naylor, left all her Christian materials to Jane’s uncle when she died,” David explains. “He shared them with his sister, Jane’s mother. Jane’s mother in turn shared the material with Jane. “The first thing she brought was a copy of the April 1997 "Believer’s Voice of Victory" magazine. An avid reader, Jane was interested in an article about the Holy Spirit. Inside the magazine was a TV schedule. She started recording the "BVOV" broadcast. It was late by the time David finished a school council meeting and arrived home one evening. The children were already in bed, and Jane held a videotape in her hands. “Mum gave me a videotape of an American televangelist,” she told David. “Will you watch it with me?” David felt himself flush with anger. “It was bad enough she wanted me to watch someone preach,” he recalled. “But this was an American televangelist. I kept telling myself not to get upset. I knew this must be important to her or she wouldn’t have broken her agreement not to discuss the subject.” Jane started the video. It was Kenneth Copeland preaching a series called "The Anointed and His Anointing." David had never heard anything like it. About 10 minutes into the message, Kenneth Copeland slapped his Bible and pointed straight at the television. “Don’t take my word for it,” he said. “Check for yourself.” David paused the video and turned to Jane. “Do we have a Bible?” “Let me see if I can find one,” she said. A few minutes later, she returned with a small Bible. Each time Brother Copeland referred to a scripture, David paused the video and looked it up. He found each passage, reading the verse before and after the ones mentioned. When the video ended, David and Jane stared at one another in amazement. BVOV : 19

• Cover