Hinn raises $1.4M in less than an hour

The rental of the stadium, Hinn, 60, told the thousands who gathered to hear him and to be ministered in healing on Sunday evening, was costing the organisers, the Woodbrook Pentecostal Church, $1.2 million. Pledging US$5,000 to help defray expenses, he called on others to pledge US$1,000.

About 100 people came forward pledging the US$1,000 while one person matched Hinn’s pledge of US$5,000.

A few people pledged US$2,000.

In about 45 minutes, Hinn announced that the US dollars pledges, when converted to TT dollars, amounted to some $900,000.

That sum did not include contributions and pledges made in envelopes that were passed out to the crowd.

He also announced that contributions and pledges on Saturday night totalled $500,000. On Saturday night he called on the worshippers to pledge US$100 or its equivalent, TT$600.

While calling in the pledges, Hinn preached that prosperity and debt relief were achieved through giving and receiving.

“Prosperity is not an accident,” he said, noting that “people of God” who gave in Indonesia and Ghana among other countries in the world were receiving ten times in return. “It is time the ‘people of God’ in Trinidad prosper,” he said.

The keys to prosperity, he said, included making God the source, giving, receiving and praying, putting iniquity far from oneself; and obedience to God.

Asked whether the church would have met its expenditure based on the money raised, Woodbrook Pentecostal Church’s Director of Administration David Farrell told Newsday yesterday that the event was not depending entirely on the donations, or “free-will” offerings made on Saturday and Sunday.

Churches from Central, individuals and corporate bodies, he said, made contributions towards the event.

The event, without meeting the hospitality cost for Hinn and his team, Farrell said, was budgeted at $1.5 million.

In planning the event, he said the Woodbrook Pentecostal Church had an account opened in the name of Trinidad and Tobago Miracle Crusade.

The signatories of the account included people from other churches, so there would be transparency in the accounting. Farrell said tomorrow a meeting will be held to carry out an analysis of the event and all financial matters including expenditure and monies received will be dealt with. On Thursday, he said, the church will be in a better position to say how it has fared with its expenditure, and how much money was raised.

Though security personnel at the stadium estimated that Saturday’s night crowd was in the vicinity 8,000 and Sunday’s to be about 14,000, Farrell would not commit to a number. He said the numbers could have been more or even less.

Asked to compare the numbers with the previous crusade held in May 2006, Farrell said he could not say whether or not it was bigger or smaller. The last crusade was held at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Meanwhile at the miracle service, Hinn also preached spiritual healing and salvation as opposed to physical healing, and he ministered to the sick towards the end of his four hours on stage.

The sick, including the young and the elderly, arrived in all forms of transportation. Many of the infirm who went for healing arrived in wheelchairs, some on crutches and some with walkers.

Among the crowd, and who were called up and seated on the stage, were Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Rodger Samuel, himself a Pentecostal pastor, and Laventille East Morvant MP Donna Cox.

The scene outside the stadium had an atmosphere of festivity with brisk business being conducted by food vendors. Even a toys’ vendor was seen selling “glow sticks”.

Shortly after the crusade began, a balloon with a banner hanging from it reading “Jesus Loves Me”, hovered for a while above the stadium. Its arrival was greeted with cheers and whistles.

Hinn, who was obviously pleased with the attendance of the faithful and those seeking conversion, was not pleased with local photographers and local television cameramen who might have been distracting his sermon with the flashing lights. He told the local photographers half an hour into his four-hour service that began at 6 pm, “I am asking the photographers for no more pictures. You have had pictures for the whole year.”

He also told a cameraman and his assistant who were at the side of the stage fixing some wires to leave the wires alone and that he did not care about “the stupid wire.”

During the first half hour, he had the crowd singing along with him in several songs of praise.

Praying for salvation and the healing of every sick body, he said, “We will give you (God) the glory.”

Calling for each person to accept God as his personal Saviour, Hinn said that God does not have grandchildren. Each person, he said, has to account for himself.

Salvation was a free gift, he said, that was already paid for by Jesus who died on the cross. Calling on people to accept Jesus immediately, he said “you’re a fool, if you wait. The time for salvation is now. Tomorrow might be too late.”

The greatest miracle, he said, “is not physical healing. It is spiritual healing.” That healing, he said, was possible by being born again as a Christian. He explained that people had no choice in coming into the world, or to be baptised at birth, but they do have the choice to accept Jesus as God, and as such have the choice to be born again.

Leaving the venue, people were in high praise of Hinn’s lead in the singing, prayers and his sermon.

Throughout his sermon Hinn declared that he loved TT and promised to return.

The event, without meeting the hospitality cost for Hinn and his team, Farrell said, was budgeted at $1.5 million.

In planning the event, he said the Woodbrook Pentecostal Church had an account opened in the name of Trinidad and Tobago Miracle Crusade.

The signatories of the account included people from other churches, so there would be transparency in the accounting. Farrell said tomorrow a meeting will be held to carry out an analysis of the event and all financial matters including expenditure and monies received will be dealt with. On Thursday, he said, the church will be in a better position to say how it has fared with its expenditure, and how much money was raised.

Though security personnel at the stadium estimated that Saturday’s night crowd was in the vicinity 8,000 and Sunday’s to be about 14,000, Farrell would not commit to a number. He said the numbers could have been more or even less.

Asked to compare the numbers with the previous crusade held in May 2006, Farrell said he could not say whether or not it was bigger or smaller. The last crusade was held at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Meanwhile at the miracle service, Hinn also preached spiritual healing and salvation as opposed to physical healing, and he ministered to the sick towards the end of his four hours on stage.

The sick, including the young and the elderly, arrived in all forms of transportation. Many of the infirm who went for healing arrived in wheelchairs, some on crutches and some with walkers.

Among the crowd, and who were called up and seated on the stage, were Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Rodger Samuel, himself a Pentecostal pastor, and Laventille East Morvant MP Donna Cox.

The scene outside the stadium had an atmosphere of festivity with brisk business being conducted by food vendors. Even a toys’ vendor was seen selling “glow sticks”.

Shortly after the crusade began, a balloon with a banner hanging from it reading “Jesus Loves Me”, hovered for a while above the stadium. Its arrival was greeted with cheers and whistles.

Hinn, who was obviously pleased with the attendance of the faithful and those seeking conversion, was not pleased with local photographers and local television cameramen who might have been distracting his sermon with the flashing lights. He told the local photographers half an hour into his four-hour service that began at 6 pm, “I am asking the photographers for no more pictures. You have had pictures for the whole year.”

He also told a cameraman and his assistant who were at the side of the stage fixing some wires to leave the wires alone and that he did not care about “the stupid wire.”

During the first half hour, he had the crowd singing along with him in several songs of praise.

Praying for salvation and the healing of every sick body, he said, “We will give you (God) the glory.”

Calling for each person to accept God as his personal Saviour, Hinn said that God does not have grandchildren. Each person, he said, has to account for himself.

Salvation was a free gift, he said, that was already paid for by Jesus who died on the cross. Calling on people to accept Jesus immediately, he said “you’re a fool, if you wait. The time for salvation is now. Tomorrow might be too late.”

The greatest miracle, he said, “is not physical healing. It is spiritual healing.” That healing, he said, was possible by being born again as a Christian. He explained that people had no choice in coming into the world, or to be baptised at birth, but they do have the choice to accept Jesus as God, and as such have the choice to be born again.

Leaving the venue, people were in high praise of Hinn’s lead in the singing, prayers and his sermon.

Throughout his sermon Hinn declared that he loved TT and promised to return.