Dear brothers and sisters,   I’m writing to personally invite you to the annual Renewal Ministries’ Gathering, which will take place in the evening on Friday, April 22, and will conclude on Saturday, April 23, after our evening session. The Gathering will again take place at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan.   It is time for us to gather as a spiritual family to encourage each other and build each other up in the Lord. After nearly two years of fear, anxiety, confusion, discouragement, lockdowns, and isolation, it is time for us to come together to turn our hearts towards the Lord to draw closer to Him and listen to what He is saying to us in this moment.   As we face an ever-intensifying spiritual conflict, the prophetic words of St. John Paul II, in which he called the conflict “the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced”, ring true. It is happening, and we are living in it! However, we need not despair—we were “born for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14), and the Lord will give us all we need to be faithful witnesses to His plan and His goodness in these times.   Our intention at this year’s Gathering is to encourage you as we encourage one another. More than ever, we need each other—we need to pray for and with one another, and together ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit so we can respond to this moment in our culture and the intensification of the spiritual conflict with hope, courage, and faithfulness.   I’ve invited our friend, Dr. Jonathan Reyes, to speak to us this year. Dr. Reyes will speak on the rise of “pseudo-religions”—why they are compelling and what the Christian response should be. In addition to Dr. Reyes, we will have Spirit-filled praise and worship, times of prayer and fellowship, and talks by Peter Herbeck and myself.   If you have any questions about the weekend, please contact Natalie Klackle at (734) 662-1730 ext. 132 or email her at [email protected]. You can register by visiting www.renewalministries.net/gathering or clicking here for a downloadable registration form.   Please prayerfully consider joining us this weekend.   In Christ Jesus, Ralph Martin