Andrew Wommack Ministries of Europe Welcomes David Illingworth

The new Director of Andrew Wommack Ministries of Europe, David Illingworth and his wonderful wife, Lesley.
(Click to enlarge)Pure gold streams of water poured from a waterfall, emptying into a serene, shimmering gold pool. As David Illingworth gazed upon the beauty of the scene, he sensed the Lord beckoning him to stand in the pool under the golden waterfall. David obeyed and as he did, the gold water was absorbed into every fiber of his being. At that moment, he realized he wasn’t standing under a waterfall made of water but, rather, of God’s pure, unconditional love.

After receiving this life-changing vision in 2009, David knew without a doubt that God was calling him into kingdom service and out of the corporate world he had known his entire life. “At first I didn’t know what God was calling me to do,” says David. “I just felt compelled to learn more about God and His love.”

David speaking at his daughter's wedding. (Click to enlarge)A year prior, David was exposed to Andrew Wommack Ministries Europe (AWME) when a friend was diagnosed with cancer. David was given Andrew’s teaching God Wants You Well, and it completely changed the way he thought about and prayed for healing. Andrew taught God’s Word in a way that David had never heard before, and he wanted to hear more. In the fall of 2009, he enrolled in the Charis Bible College (CBC) correspondence course from his home in England.

After devouring the lessons, David was ready to move to Walsall and begin his second year at CBC. His wife, Lesley, wasn’t thrilled with the idea at first. But God spoke to her heart, and the Illingworths were off to Walsall. Upon graduating in 2011, David and Lesley decided to return for a third year.

“During my second year, God told me He wanted me to get to know Him. But during my third year, He said He needed me to get David (back row) stands with his CBC classmates in Walsall. (Click to enlarge) to know myself,” recalls David. By the end of David’s third year, God’s love had given him an unshakable hope, solidifying his faith and enabling him to minister in God’s grace. “I grew to understand who I am in God’s love, which has released peace into my heart,” explains David.

After their third year at CBC, the Illingworths didn’t know where to go next. “I had no plans and no open doors,” says David. “God just kept telling me to wait.” With his vast business background in sales, management, and organizational consulting, along with his global experiences from traveling to over seventy-five countries, there were numerous paths in the natural he could have pursued. But instead of pushing doors open, he simply waited on God. The payoff came in the form of a phone call.

David and Lesley participating in some CBC Christmas party fun.
(Click to enlarge)“I received a call one day informing me that I was being considered as the new CEO of AWME,” recalls David. “As I thought about it, I realized the position perfectly fulfilled all that God had shown me and prepared me for over the years.”

In September 2012, David took the helm at AWME, taking over for Will Graham who had stepped down after serving as director since 2005. Under Will’s leadership, teaching materials have been translated into many European, African, and Asian languages, and Walsall became home for AWME and CBC West Midlands. But Will’s heart was primarily that of a pastor, and in May 2012, the opportunity arose for him to return as a full-time pastor to a growing church.David (back row) serving as part of the volunteer staff at Andrew's annual Grace & Faith Conference in the UK. (Click to enlarge)

Now that David is on board, he hopes to concentrate on developing relationships within the surrounding communities as well as nearby churches. “Many of the churches in the area see us as undermining their authority. We’re working on building trust by partnering with them to serve those in our cities,” says David. He’s confident that once those in Walsall and beyond taste of God’s love through these relationships, they will want to be a part of what AWME has to offer.

Laying Hands in a Hands-On Profession

Dr. David Riffel and his family. (L-R) The Riffel's son, Kirk and his wife Shelley; their two daughters, Danielle and Lauren; daughter-in-law, Rhonda and her husband, the Riffel's son, Craig, and their two children, Emily and Stephen; Marian and David. (Click to enlarge)What happens when a Christian doctor, a man who practices a hands-on form of healthcare, gets a revelation of the power of the laying on of hands and of his authority in Christ? Miracles happen. Meet Doctor David Riffel, a practicing Chiropractor from Michigan, who has gotten a hold of Andrew's teachings and they have radically changed his life, work and ministry.

David and his wife of 45 years, Marian, have been spirit-filled believers for four decades. The couple had watched Andrew's television program periodically for a couple of years, but it wasn't until a longtime friend, Angie Abraham, who had been healed of cancer, suggested they read Andrew's books, that they really got a hold of the Gospel Truth.

The Riffel's friend, Colleen Morabito, had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the lungs and spine. This photo was taken between PET scans. (Click to enlarge)Just before the Christmas holiday in 2011, David read God Wants You Well, and he said that the information rocked his world. Between his formal medical education and having attended a church that taught about healing, David was familiar with the subject prior to reading the book. This made receiving the revelation of the availability of healing, through prayer and faith in Christ's finished work, a short leap of faith. "What I read in God Wants You Well told me that we have the power and authority to command sickness to leave and to release the power of God to heal others. This was something I had read in Scripture before, but I never saw it modeled in the dramatic ways that Andrew explained with certainty, and so I never believed that I had reason to expect dramatic results and that miracles could be a normal part of the Christian life."

As David began to get a hold of the revelation unveiled in Andrew's books, he also began to step out in faith and put into practice the things he saw in Scripture. David saw that Jesus told the disciples to, 'speak to the mountain,' but he had never understood that to be After David began to see results as he ministered to others, his pastor asked him to teach a class on healing at their church. (Click to enlarge)applicable to disease. After reading God Wants You Well, he had understanding and started to address people's ailments by their root causes. He has spoken to various mountains including kidney stones, Alzheimer's and cancer and seen some dramatic results.

The Riffels have a friend, Colleen, who had been diagnosed with stage four cancer of the lungs and spine around the same time they had read God Wants You Well. When the Riffels found out about the diagnosis, they gave Colleen's husband, Paul, a copy of the book to give to Colleen. In March of 2012, they invited Paul and Colleen and their longtime friend Angie and her husband Eldon to their home. Together they ministered to Paul and Colleen Colleen and David. Here, Colleen shares here testimony of healing in front of David's healing class at their church. (Click to enlarge)regarding God’s will to heal. The couples prayed and commanded cancer to leave Colleen's body, and they released the life of Christ into her to heal the damage done by the cancer.

Two weeks later the Riffels saw Colleen at church, and she looked radiant for a woman battling cancer. Two months after they prayed for Colleen, she had a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan which showed that all of the nodules in one lung had gone and that the tumors in the other had shrunk by 50%. Two more months passed, and another PET scan showed that one tumor was completely gone, and the second one had shrunk by 90%. The doctor explained that what was left was, “just a dot,” and according to Colleen the doctor said, “I’m ecstatic!” All the families involved are ecstatic as well, and David is standing with Colleen that her David and his friends, brothers, Dave and Dan Zink standing next to David's plane. David's revelation of his authority in Christ hasn't been limited to spirit and body, but he has spoken to weather conditions while flying and seen the weather change. (Click to enlarge)full healing will manifest as she and Paul continue to stand on God's Word.

The reality of God's power being available and flowing through believers has changed David's approach to healing and has opened up opportunities for him to share the good news with others in new ways. Since reading God Wants You Well, David has given away more than 200 copies of the book to relatives, friends and patients visiting his practice. This has not only produced healing, but has also yielded many salvations. And, after witnessing the fruit of David's ministry to people in their church, his pastor asked him to teach a series on his revelation.

This screenshot from the cockpit satellite weather display shows the weather parting after David spoke to the storm as he and his son flew to Colorado Springs. (Click to enlarge)It has become a daily occurrence for David to pray for a patient or friend and to see results, either on the spot or progressively—both undeniably credited to God's healing power. He has seen kidneys healed, barren wombs retain pregnancy, and even seen weather patterns change after taking authority over them. "We have gained so much understanding of the Word by reading Andrew’s books (we have about every book he has written) and the revelations God has given me in the Word are amazing," said David with joyful satisfaction in the Lord.

Frank and Joan Korinek

Frank and Joan Korinek stand with Andrew and Jamie after Joan's first-year promotion ceremony at CBC. (Click to enlarge)Frank and Joan Korinek both grew up in Catholic churches, where they found their church environment to be peaceful and structured. They both learned about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but relationship with God was thought to be a very private matter, not regularly discussed or explored. Although they were both born again in their respective churches at a young age, neither of them really understood what salvation was. It wasn’t until later as adults, that the two realized that they could pursue a more personal, intimate relationship with God.

Frank standing in the AWM/CBC parking lot in Colorado Springs before attending the 2008 Men's Advance
(Click to enlarge)After the Korineks were married and had children, they spent periods of time attending church regularly, and other times not going at all. “As I look back, I now see that I, and my family, could have achieved and grown so much more if only I had chosen to seek God and His word earlier,” said Frank.

Joan recalls, at one church service, hearing that it was possible to live a “sin-free, fear-free life." This was significant for Joan and spurred her to begin exploring the Bible to find more encouragement and instruction. Unfortunately, Joan had difficulty understanding what she read. She decided to look for help and in her search, Joan discovered Andrew on television. For the first time in her life, she heard Scripture being explained in a way that made sense to her.Joan, a former Executive Administrator for the Corporate Vice President of Finance for Motorola, shaking hands with AWM's World Outreach Director, Wendell Parr, during CBC-Chicago's 2009 graduation ceremony.
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In 2007, several months after Joan found Andrew, she heard an advertisement for one of Andrew's Gospel Truth Seminars (GTS) being held near their home in Chicago. Knowing Frank would be out of the country on a business trip during a portion of the GTS, Joan decided to go the seminar alone. Joan had a wonderful experience during the first sessions at the GTS. While there, she ran into another member of her church, a man named, Joe. He told her that he had been studying Andrew’s teachings for a while and that Andrew was one of the better teachers of the Bible. Joe's words were a great encouragement to Joan.

Frank, a Director of Strategy with Motorola Solutions, at a business meeting in Taipei. (Click to enlarge)When Frank returned from his business trip, he was tired from jet lag. Joan mentioned to Frank that she had attended a GTS meeting and was planning to go back that evening. Frank acknowledged her plan, and chose to go to bed early. When Joan started to leave, however, Frank realized he needed to go with her. “At this point, I had also just begun reading my Bible, and was struggling with understanding as well,” recalls Frank.

At the conference, Frank was able to quickly and easily understand the Bible as Andrew taught, A Place Called There. At the end of the meeting, both Joan and Frank were baptized in the Holy Spirit. “Everything significantly changed for both of us after that,” Frank explained.The Korineks sense the Lord leading them to minister to ministers. As they explore this calling they are purposeful in making connections with other leaders in ministry. Here they vist with Mike and Carrie Pickett, the directors of Charis Bible Training Center in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Click to enlarge)

The Korineks purchased Spirit, Soul & Body and enjoyed the teaching of how God designed man and how to grow in their relationship with God. They were both encouraged and energized to learn God’s Word and they now had God’s gift of being able to interpret the Bible. “I was basically on fire for the Word. I downloaded all of Andrew’s audio teachings that were available at that time, burned CDs, and then spent the next nine months listening, meditating and re-listening to all of them,” said Frank.

It wasn’t long before Joan had the desire to attend Charis Bible College. A few days before the start of the 2007-2008 school year, Joan and Frank decided that she would enroll and attend CBC-Chicago full-time. Frank shared, “This was one of the best decisions we have ever made. As I was learning and growing through Andrew’s audio teachings while traveling, Joan Joan enjoying a laugh with the late Leland Shores during her second year at CBC. (Click to enlarge)was learning the Bible, how to build a relationship with God and how to apply God’s Word in our everyday lives through CBC.” The two spent hours discussing what they were learning, and they grew very quickly in the Word together.

In 2008, Frank and some friends from church attended CBC-Colorado's Men’s Advance. This event further strengthened the teachings Frank had been meditating on and helped him overcome some personal struggles. “Experiencing other men openly discussing God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit really helped me get past some of my internal hurdles,” Frank explained.

Frank and Joan visiting CBC-Colorado for the Summer Family Bible Conference in 2009. (Click to enlarge)As the Korineks continued to grow in the Word, the two began to minister to their immediate and extended family members. As a result, both of their children are now born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit.

As the couple's revelation increased, the desire to give something back to the ministry began to grow, and the Korineks decided to dedicate vacation time and resources to volunteer at Andrew's seminars. The couple has completed the GTS prayer ministry training program, and they serve as prayer ministers at a minimum of two seminars each year.

Looking forward, Joan and Frank feel they have a joint calling to minister to ministers. Although they are not sure what this will fully entail, they are confident the Lord will show them. As God continues to reveal His plan for their future, they are content to enjoy life together, spend time with their family, enjoy their growing relationship with God and minister out of the overflow to those around them.