In St. Louis, Missouri, Pastor Lusajo Kasyupa is focused on revival. The Tabernacle of Praise Church is full of disciples meeting several times a week. Every Sabbath morning, up to 30 people arrive hours before service to pray. They pray over every seat in the sanctuary, every musical instrument, and every microphone. They show up at 9 am for what Pastor Kasyupa calls “Make Your Voice Heard in Heaven.” Getting to church extra early isn’t easy, especially for families.
Before working in St. Louis, Pastor Kasyupa shepherded a flock in the nearby town of Charleston at Grand Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church. That’s where he first brought up the idea of holding an early-morning prayer meeting before Sabbath school. There were doubts about such a program working. Sabbath school attendance was not great to begin with.
Pastor Kasyupa said, “I remember mentioning to my prayer ministry leader, who is my elder, ‘If nobody’s there, four people will be there: that’s me, my wife, and our two sons.’”
But the church family responded. It wasn’t long before the early-morning prayer meetings attracted 10, 20, and even 30 people each week. “We’re not asking for silver or gold or anything,” he said. “We’re just asking for the presence of God to permeate our worship experience.”
When he moved to Tabernacle of Praise, Pastor Kasyupa brought the new program with him to great success. As part of the Pentecost 2025 initiative from the North American Division, the church has recently gained a number of new disciples. One of those is Tenshi Shaw, a kindergarten teacher and mother to 7-year-old Dakari.
Tenshi had been looking around, attending different churches for a while. She had attended Baptist churches as a child and found herself searching for a renewed connection with Jesus, so she asked her churchgoing friend, Cherie, if she could come along with her. Cherie could tell that Tenshi was in a place of spiritual need and pushed her to officially become a Seventh-day Adventist.
Stepping into faith
When she was younger, Tenshi struggled with fears about life after baptism. “For the longest time growing up, you think once you get baptized you can no longer do any wrong,” she shared. “That’s what I’d been told.” It wasn’t until she met Pastor Kasyupa and joined Tabernacle of Praise that she decided baptism was for her, even if she wasn’t perfect. “He told me that was not the case at all. This is about stepping into your faith.”
When church members told Tenshi that Dakari expressed a desire to get baptized too, she was amazed. “When I saw my son going in the path that I did when I was younger, finding my faith, finding Jesus, and saying he wanted to get baptized,” she said, “I just had tears falling.”
Her son’s journey has been shorter, but just as convicted. “Dakari just jumped in headfirst,” said Tenshi. “He just believed with his whole heart that he was a child of God.”
Pastor Kasyupa explained, “I believe in the power and efficacy of prayer. And I’m a living witness of what it has done in my personal life. I wanted to direct the church … [to] avail itself of the privilege of prayer.”
Now, bright and early on Sabbath mornings, Dakari and his mom are there. He likes to pray over the drums.
Bio: Luke Morris is a senior English major from St. Louis, Missouri. When he isn’t writing or studying, he enjoys playing folk music.
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