Miracle City
Nestled in the foothills of Appalachia and in the middle of the Ohio River Valley is a small area of land with a very special history. In the spring of 1985, following a glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a rural Methodist church located in Pike County, Ohio, the Lord gave Pastor Rick Struckel and a small group of people a desire to plant a church, one filled and impassioned with a desire to know God more fully.
On August 25, 1985, that group of forty-five believers met for the first time under a member’s home carport. Shortly thereafter, the Lord provided the newly-formed congregation an unused house-office building with more suitable accommodations for their regular services. They would gather there together weekly for the next four years.
In their prayers, however, was a request that God might provide a more permanent church structure and land that would last for generations. In time, the Lord revealed to their pastor that the new location would be in Pike County along Ohio State Route 32, known locally as the Appalachian Highway. In fact, it was not far from where they had been meeting at the time.
In his own words, Pastor Struckel recalls,
“In an act of obedience to God, I would get in my car and travel along that route, praying and looking for confirmation as to where that place might be. One day while driving along my regular route, a “Road Closed” sign had been set up. Rather than turning around, I drove several miles further west down the highway, which I rarely would drive. All of a sudden to my right side, I saw this beautiful piece of property. The Lord spoke to me in that moment saying, “This is it.” Immediately, I got out of my car and walked into the large, overgrown field. On the ground in front of me, I saw a weathered white plywood sign. Written on the barely legible sign read the words, “Lots for Sale.” I contacted the seller immediately and arranged a meeting to discuss the property.”
The owner’s name was Forrest Hawk. He was eighty years old. He explained to Pastor Struckel that the property had been his family’s farm for many years. He informed Pastor Struckel that he sold the property in 1953 to some individuals from California and was named “Ohio Miracle City”. They had intentions of turning the lots into a subdivision with residential housing, commercial businesses, and retail stores. It was to become a new, influential city in Pike County.
For whatever reason, the grandiose plan of the Californian investors did not come to fruition. Hawk was forced to go to the county courthouse and buy back his farmland piece by piece. He explained to Pastor Struckel that after he regained his property the Lord gave him instructions not to sell the land again until
He showed him the right person. He then told Pastor Struckel, “You are the man.”
Word Alive Fellowship purchased one hundred and twelve acres of Hawk’s “Ohio Miracle City”. In 1989, the clearing and development of the grounds began. Hawk and his wife, Elta, set up their little camper near the construction site. Excited to help, Hawk brought his tractor and cleared the grounds while construction commenced. During this time Mr. Hawk would regularly share with Pastor Struckel what the Lord had told him about the land. Hawk told him about a move of God that would take place in the future. At the time, Hawk knew that he would not live to see it, but he felt confident that he had fulfilled his obligation to the Lord by making sure Miracle City was now in the right hands.
The members of Word Alive Fellowship have anointed the land and prayed for a move of God. There is a growing hunger for revival and a certainty that this place is, in fact, holy ground. Miracle City will live out it’s name. The glory of God will be revealed. His presence will bring healing, deliverance and transformation to the lives of those who take part and live out the destiny of “Ohio Miracle City.”
Nestled in the foothills of Appalachia and in the middle of the Ohio River Valley is a small area of land with a very special history. In the spring of 1985, following a glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a rural Methodist church located in Pike County, Ohio, the Lord gave Pastor Rick Struckel and a small group of people a desire to plant a church, one filled and impassioned with a desire to know God more fully.
On August 25, 1985, that group of forty-five believers met for the first time under a member’s home carport. Shortly thereafter, the Lord provided the newly-formed congregation an unused house-office building with more suitable accommodations for their regular services. They would gather there together weekly for the next four years.
In their prayers, however, was a request that God might provide a more permanent church structure and land that would last for generations. In time, the Lord revealed to their pastor that the new location would be in Pike County along Ohio State Route 32, known locally as the Appalachian Highway. In fact, it was not far from where they had been meeting at the time.
In his own words, Pastor Struckel recalls,
“In an act of obedience to God, I would get in my car and travel along that route, praying and looking for confirmation as to where that place might be. One day while driving along my regular route, a “Road Closed” sign had been set up. Rather than turning around, I drove several miles further west down the highway, which I rarely would drive. All of a sudden to my right side, I saw this beautiful piece of property. The Lord spoke to me in that moment saying, “This is it.” Immediately, I got out of my car and walked into the large, overgrown field. On the ground in front of me, I saw a weathered white plywood sign. Written on the barely legible sign read the words, “Lots for Sale.” I contacted the seller immediately and arranged a meeting to discuss the property.”
The owner’s name was Forrest Hawk. He was eighty years old. He explained to Pastor Struckel that the property had been his family’s farm for many years. He informed Pastor Struckel that he sold the property in 1953 to some individuals from California and was named “Ohio Miracle City”. They had intentions of turning the lots into a subdivision with residential housing, commercial businesses, and retail stores. It was to become a new, influential city in Pike County.
For whatever reason, the grandiose plan of the Californian investors did not come to fruition. Hawk was forced to go to the county courthouse and buy back his farmland piece by piece. He explained to Pastor Struckel that after he regained his property the Lord gave him instructions not to sell the land again until
He showed him the right person. He then told Pastor Struckel, “You are the man.”
Word Alive Fellowship purchased one hundred and twelve acres of Hawk’s “Ohio Miracle City”. In 1989, the clearing and development of the grounds began. Hawk and his wife, Elta, set up their little camper near the construction site. Excited to help, Hawk brought his tractor and cleared the grounds while construction commenced. During this time Mr. Hawk would regularly share with Pastor Struckel what the Lord had told him about the land. Hawk told him about a move of God that would take place in the future. At the time, Hawk knew that he would not live to see it, but he felt confident that he had fulfilled his obligation to the Lord by making sure Miracle City was now in the right hands.
The members of Word Alive Fellowship have anointed the land and prayed for a move of God. There is a growing hunger for revival and a certainty that this place is, in fact, holy ground. Miracle City will live out it’s name. The glory of God will be revealed. His presence will bring healing, deliverance and transformation to the lives of those who take part and live out the destiny of “Ohio Miracle City.”