In
June 1998, while at a men's retreat in North Bay, Ontario, Barry had
a powerful encounter with the love of God as a Father that transformed
his life. This new revelation of God's love was the catalyst that
brought about a multi-media sermon illustration called 'Father's Love
Letter'. This selection of 57 paraphrased Scripture statements was
first presented in a Powerpoint format accompanied by Brian Doerksen's
song 'Faithful Father' in January 1999 as a closing sermon illustration
to Barry's message on knowing God's love as a Father.
In November 1999, Barry created a new website ( www.FathersLoveLetter.com
) to facilitate the free viewing of the Father's Love Letter video
in a Flash format. By January 2000, there were so many people viewing
the video simultaneously that it almost shut their Internet service
provider down.
In
March 2000, Barry and his wife Anneliese founded Father Heart Communications
in order to facilitate the growth of this new ministry. Later that
fall, his home church released him from pastoral ministry to share
the message of the Father's love full time. By January 2001, the
number of online video previews had increased to nearly one million
downloads a month.
In
October 2001, Barry responded to a request from the wife of a rescue
worker of 9/11 to share God's love with the hurting people of New
York City with a new initiative called 'Father Loves New York'.
Thousands of Father's Love Letter CDs, videos and 'Father Loves
New York' cards were delivered to the local church & ministry
community in New York City for free distribution at that time. The
newly created website, www.FatherLovesNewYork.com
became the inspiration for other cities to start their own citywide
initiatives. There have been a number of 'Father Loves Our City'
outreaches that have resulted using the Father's Love Letter as
their primary outreach tool.
Since
its inception, Father's Love Letter has been viewed by millions
of people from over 125 nations on the Internet and has been translated
into 80+ languages. It has been shared in the jungles of the Amazon,
by bush pilots in Papa New Guinea, missionaries in Thailand, broadcast
via satellite television in Arabic throughout the Middle East. The
narration version has been broadcast on television and radio stations
throughout North America and was included on the 2002 DVD release
of Worldwide Pictures movie 'The Climb'. People have even personally
sponsored full-page newspaper ads featuring this message and used
the free downloads of cards and posters to share the love of God
with their friends. Father's Love Letter has also been an effective
ministry tool for prison ministries, pregnancy crisis centers, youth
ministries, missions' organizations and drug rehabilitation centers.
When
asked about its impact, Adams said, "The Father's Love Letter
is a series of paraphrased Scripture statements that take on the
form of a love letter from God to us. In Hebrews 12:4 the Bible
says that God's Word is 'living & active, sharper than a double
edged sword'. I believe that the reason why people are responding
in such a profound way has more to do with the power of God's Word
combined with His extravagant love than anything else".
The
English version of Father's Love Letter is available in numerous
media formats including CD, video and DVD, and a hard cover devotional
gift book by Wingspread Publishers.
Barry
& his wife Anneliese are still members of Westview Christian
Fellowship.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION...
To
watch an 11 minute video of 'The Story Behind Father's Love
Letter Click
Here
For contact information Click
Here
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