I am on the property of the Over-comers Tabernacle.
Behind me is the huge auditorium. A big signboard is in front of me. It says ‘Inflatable bible stories’ with an arrow to the left and ‘Ultraviolet good news’ with an arrow showing straight ahead.
I head left and arrive at the beginning of a very long warehouse. It has a roof but the sides are open.
There are huge speakers playing remixed praise and worship to a huge crowd of kids of all ages who stand in line to enter the warehouse.
At the entrance is a huge daylight screen showing the creation of earth in 3D animation. It is very well done.
There is a walkway next to the line for parents. I take the walkway.
I walk past the line of kids and approach the warehouse which is filled with massive jumping castles, plants and climbable rubber trees. A big sign says ‘Eden, Genesis 1’
And the first chapter of Genesis is written out for all to read.
It looks like a massive greenhouse with rubber trees and jumping castles. There are also rabbits hopping everywhere and many different kinds of small colorful birds.
The sides of the warehouse are made out of mesh.
I estimate the size of the Eden warehouse to be about 50 meters long and about 20 meters high. Hundreds of Kids are climbing, swinging, jumping and laughing.
As they exit, they get a colorful pamphlet explaining creation and the fall of man.
The warehouse roof extends over an open area with wooden tables everywhere and water fountains for refreshing drinks.
Young people sit with parents, children’s church leaders and youth leaders having picnics, resting after their fun.
There is a big sign that shows the story of Cane and Abel with a map showing how man proliferated from there.
Some TV screens around the area show the animated version of the story and it is also available for download.
I keep walking and the next section starts. A big sign says ‘The tower of Babel’.
There is a huge jumping castle shaped like a climbable pyramid with smooth vertical sides for the first 3m. Kids are using small sponge blocks to build steps to climb up. It is quite a task that requires a lot of teamwork, even for grownups. Every now and then the steps collapse and they land in the sponge pit below.
Once they get up to the top of the huge pyramid, they can slide down and land in the sponge pit. It looks like a lot of fun. One side of the pyramid is a water slide which is open in summer.
The story of Babel is on a signboard and a signboard at the exit reads ‘Building your own Kingdom can be fun but it always ends up with a downward slide’. ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.’
In the next section are tables and water fountains again. There are also statues of Methuselah, Enoch and the Nehalem, all with accompanying bible stories and video animation.
The next bit is the Ark and I realize that these fun warehouses contain the entire Bible in the most fun way you could learn it. The warehouses stretch into the distance. This place can keep you busy for days!
I hear a voice say “millions will bring their children to learn the word and many will duplicate what is seen here”.
I walk past the last warehouse which contains the three end time judgments, rapture and tribulation. (The rapture is very cool, kids jump onto higher platforms with trampolines and Velcro walls.)
I notice that the warehouses are shaped in a big ‘U’ with maintenance and staff housing in the middle.
I am back at the signboard that showed me where to go.
Now I head towards ‘Ultraviolet good news’.
Another massive warehouse is in front of me. There are also thousands of kids waiting to get in.
There are screens all along the waiting line area under shaded bus stop benches showing what is happening inside. It looks like a LOT of fun!
Many grownups are in this line too. The excitement is palpable.
There is a very cool worship band on a covered stage playing praise and worship. A youth pastor hops on stage and leads everyone in the exact same style of prayer and word as in the main auditorium. Everyone prays, sings and listens. It is an incredible atmosphere and I have not even entered the warehouse yet. This is just the waiting line!
Next up a DJ hops on stage and plays remixed praise and worship with the words to the songs on daylight screens on either sides of the screen. I now notice that the entire waiting area is a cleverly designed amphitheater that can handle thousands of people.
Many have left the line to dance in front of the stage or worship. I almost don’t want to enter the warehouse for fear of missing something but I enter the door excitedly.
We are now in a huge entrance hall with very low lighting and ultraviolet lights everywhere. People have access to UV paint which they are joyfully putting on their hands and faces.
There is a lot of laughter in this room. The voice speaks to me and says “See how Father and son laugh together? They have not done so in years”.
I start crying as the enormity of what I have just heard sweeps over me but my crying is soon turned to laughter as I see how ridiculous I look in the mirror with my neon face paint and glowing teeth.
The laughter in this entrance hall is so infectious.
It is amazing.
I see a countdown timer on the last 5 minutes above the entrance to the next section and realize that everything here is on a strict schedule. When it hits 10 seconds I am shouting out the countdown with everyone in the room.
The doors open and we head through into another huge UV room. A beautiful electronic worship song plays while we all head inside. There are stunning visuals on screens everywhere and a mind blowing laser show.
Once we are all in, I estimate about 500 if us, the story of Jesus through the Old Testament and new begins to play on the screens. I realize that we are about to learn the entire blood covenant and why Jesus needed to die on the cross.
Everything is presented in such a way that you can either watch and learn or dance and learn. The experience is unforgettable. I walk into the next section with an overwhelming love and gratefulness to Jesus. I don’t want to leave that room. I want to hear it over and over again.
We now head down a long passage which is lit brightly and contains all the scriptures we have seen on the walls, floor and ceiling. There is a sense of awe as we head to the next section.
We enter the door to another hall and are handed 3D glasses. Everyone starts chattering excitedly.
There is a big screen in the front that says “please put on your glasses now”.
I put on my glasses and immediately the text is in front of my face in 3D.
A 3D countdown begins.
3… 2… 1…
Beautiful cinematic music begins to play in full surround sound and the words ‘The Father heart of God’ float in front of my face.
30 minutes later, after seeing the story of the prodigal son in 3D I am weeping again. I have a profound revelation of the nature of God as a loving Father.
The door to the right opens and worship music is playing in the hall next door. There are already hundreds of people there.
Worship songs with the lyrics in 3D play for another 30 minutes in this new area and councilors are everywhere, praying with young and old alike, orphan spirits being healed.
2 hours have passed since we entered the entrance. I don’t want to leave and I don’t have to as this room is huge. People keep arriving from the ‘ Father Heart’ area.
I drop my 3D glasses into a marked bin on my way out and head down a passage which enters a large room with couches and water fountains. I take a long drink and want to sit down but can hear a steady “boom! Boom! Boom!” like a nightclub through the next door.
I head on through.
This place is loud. Thousands of kids of all ages are dancing, singing along to the words on the screens, worshipping, laughing and having an incredible time.
There are jumping castles, trampolines, foam pits and lasers.
I stay until my legs cannot carry me and then head out the exit where I get a tag which allows me back into this area at any time.
The tag shows that I have been through the Blood covenant and Father’s Heart areas: a requirement for having access to the big UV concert area.
I head outside and I receive a brochure with everything I have just learned and a USB with both videos and lots of music.
A signboard reads – discipleship training. I decide to check it out later.
I come back the next day for more fun and then head into the training area where I learn about Life groups and the discovery bible study.
I want more so I head to the main auditorium and join one of the prayer groups.
The next day I head to a wooden building on the river.
There is a sign that says ‘No food in here please’.
I enter and take a bottle of water and a sleeping bag from a shelf that says “Please help yourself.”
There are bunks in a big open area and the next area has hundreds of bean bags.
Hundreds of young and old alike are fasting, praying and studying the word together.
I wake up from my dream at this point.