Hope Remains Alive

 This features article I'm about to share comes from Denise Winter who I met through Christian Media Spotlight and Joseph Neal who runs His ministry has given Denise and I the opportunity to do interviews with Christian artists, so that can be shared with others to read them. This one talks about and she shares about her journey of faith with the ministry of Dave Pettigrew and the difference it has made on her life! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did. She did a great job as a contributing writer too. I love Denise and I love that I can be a contributing writer alongside her.

It is no surprise my first write for CMS is about Dave Pettigrew. So, allow me to take you on a Faith Journey. It begins with having the desire to attend Christian music concerts to drink and feed off of my love for Worship. A life time resident of South Jersey, it was such excitement nearly five years ago when K-Love, The Bridge and Lift FM music artists came to the area churches, especially to my own, to meet them and to support them became a norm for myself, as well others who joined in with me in the moderate travel to be on a quest for worship out of the walls of church. To advocate that worship should be everywhere since He inhabits the praises of His people and knowing it's a powerful tool in Spiritual Warfare. It was over three years ago, a festival held in a park/zoo respectively done every beginning of August called Praise In The Park. It got rained out on this particular day and the church that sponsored it I realized had been my Great Aunt's church who was my Spiritual Mom. She had passed the year before, so I had not been up this way, near Stone Harbor since then. I had two other friends with me and we were there to support two area Independent Artists we knew personally... and see JJ Weeks, the headliner. Here is where a journey for me starts and to continually watch unfold to this present time with this Independent Artist. When Dave Pettigrew started I was instantly hit with the Presence and wondered why I had not known of him before? Of course none of that matters now in a good way. There he was, belting out true worship and got everyone to do just that. It was the song There Is Hope. From that day forth I had to support Dave and caught on to every South Jersey concert he had coming next. I was already involved with Teen Challenge through my home church and my friend Vicki Schneider which she too supports with her yearly Rally For The Nations. I have had my personal experiences that coincide with his...that hits the core of his heart and what birthed the Hope Movement. The memory and story of his nephew Ryan. It's shared at every concert, website and livestreams as well it should be. Dave's heart is huge, deep, wide and strong in what he lives for and strives to accomplish. I'm often quoting that "He doesn't disappoint". His genuine passion for the hurting, afflicted, outcasted shows in everything he does...definitely a reflection of our Father. It also shows how he keeps re-inventing himself to keep Hope alive. Many of us like myself have shared personal battles where only Hope could dwell and he reaches out in such a way that you know he really cares, because he has lived it, dealt with it too. He is heard and shares this..."we can take this thing for what it is or turn it into something good." So the Hope Movement was born, bracelets handcrafted by his sister for Ryan was her son. The nephew never to be forgotten and remembered for all we need to help from now on with their story. Hope lives on, Hope lives in Faith, and believing someone else will benefit and be helped and receive Salvation in knowing the love of Jesus...as we reflect that from within ourselves and along with Dave Pettigrew. Another part of the Movement is his participation with Holt International, to have every overseas orphan sponsored as well. Again, also presented in all his avenues he's at. Rather busy, versatile he has the Monday Night Worship, Worship Underground Bible Study and Daily Faith Devotionals just to name a few. Like I mentioned, he reinvents himself. His music that he writes just simply pulls us out of any "Undertow" we have to get pulled out of. I love how he gets his inspirations as he had recently shared in a zoom concert through nature walks, every day experiences and even in the shower. I must admit it's the same in my own creativity in writing poetry. We of Dave's Monday Night Worship group call ourselves "Pettigrewpies" and have a mascot a Conture bird named Jerry. Lovingly depicted from Jerry Seinfeld, but his name means exalted by God, chosen by God. Well, he sure is entertaining, "beaking" on the mike as one of his shenanigans on the livestreams. The purposed of the Hope Movement is to keep our hearts that Hope never quits, Hope never dies, and Hope is still alive. We all have a story to tell and on a Faith journey. It's been an amazing journey with Dave as I've been to a recording studio, and worship retreat twice that was so surreal. All for the love of worship and the same passion he promotes. So in closing let us all be a community of believers that believe Hope changes things. Every minute miracles do happen. In this Hope Movement led by Dave Pettigrew...Love Is Here.