ALTAR STORY
In 2014 Steve and Cara were praying about land and the Lord said to Steve, “Open your Bible anywhere you want and touch a page”. Steve opened his Bible to a random spot and dropped a finger. It landed on Psalm 84:3, which says…
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Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
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They knew the Lord was calling them to build an altar, a place of visitation, where people would come and encounter the presence of the Lord. At the time they believed they would also build their home—their nest—somewhere at The Altar. What they didn’t know was where or when.
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Five years later, in 2019, the Lord spoke to Steve while driving on Highway 620. He was coming back to town after looking at a property the bank had rejected them from purchasing. One kilometre from town the Lord drew his attention to a beautiful quarter section and Steve sensed the Lord saying, “Look at that one. I’ll meet you there.”
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Steve and Cara purchased the land, which wasn’t for sale, dedicated it to the Lord, cleared hundreds of trees in out in the woods, built a stage, and called a gathering not knowing who would come to Drayton Valley to meet God in the backwoods. 300 hundred came to the first gathering and the presence of the Lord was thick. It lasted an entire weekend, and many camped on the land. The second gathering attracted 700. The third gathering drew nearly 2,000. Each gathering has grown not only in size, but in Holy Spirit presence. God meets us in a special way when we meet Him at The Altar. The fourth gathering will be held July 20-22, 2023. We have no clue how many will come, but we know that those who do will meet Him there.
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Steve and Cara tried, over and over, to choose a place on the property to build their home but the Lord would never give them peace. Eventually they came to realize He wasn’t interested in sharing the property with them. Even their key scripture said they would have a “nest… near your altar”. Not at the altar, but near it. In 2022, they gave the property to the Lord, surrendering all personal rights to it. The Lord miraculously provided the property, once again “not for sale” directly across the road from The Altar to stay as “near” as they could.
HOW DO WE PAY FOR ALL THIS?
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It seems hard to believe, but the Lord has miraculously provided every step of the way. He speaks to people, they give, and all expenses are covered. Our partners are very dear to us, we see them as family, and we are building this altar together. This is not “Steve and Cara’s” vision. This is the Lord’s.
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The registration is free. The camping is free. The phenomenal food is also free. We charge nothing, and yet God speaks to people, they give, and that’s how it’s done. Our last gathering cost well over $100,000 and every penny came in without putting any pressure on anyone. God is generous and so are His kids!
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There’s never any pressure to give at The Altar. High pressure offerings wouldn’t cover the cost of what God is asking us to build anyway. We need financial miracles to pull this off! We have a vision for a beautiful 2-million-dollar timber framed worship barn where year-round gatherings can be held and $250,000 has already been raised for this project. We have a vision for cabins, dorms, greenhouses, and all sorts of things. How is it going to happen? It’ll be God working through a spiritual family who realize how important this is.
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Many kingdom minded people are waking up to the reality that we are coming into dark days where we will need places to gather “out-of-site-and-out-of-mind”. We must build altars, places of visitation, where we can come together and lay down our lives before King Jesus. Are you looking for good kingdom soil to sow into? Perhaps you will consider joining us, becoming a monthly partner or a Gideon partner, and help us build this altar. It will happen. It will be a light to the nations. Partner with us and you can be smack dab in the middle of it!