The Pentecostal spirit was reawakened forcibly when the House of Prayer International Ministries celebrated 90 years of ministry and service with two great services on Sunday.Testimonies and reminiscences accentuated by soul-stirring singing, praying and preaching were the order of the day, with host pastors Bishop Calvin R.E. Armstrong and his wife Elder Patricia Armstrong presiding.Guest preacher was Dr Clifton Buckram, pastor of Resurrection Fellowship Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was powerful to say the least, bringing members of the congregation, including a number of ministers from other local churches, to their feet during his sermon.Many of us remember the original House of Prayer being a large, tin-topped wooden building, a far cry from the imposing modern edifice overlooking Marsh Folly Road and what was once called ‘the lowlands’ or the old Pembroke dump.The church is the outgrowth of cottage meetings held at the home of the late Mrs E.C. Williams at North Shore, Pembroke East. Those responsible for the meetings were Elder Thomas Trott and his wife Evangelist Hattie Trott of Hamilton Parish.Sis Sheena Steede and Sis Luan Khan, giving the history of the House of Prayer, related how the Trotts had a dynamic yet sobering influence on the lives of thousands of Bermudians as they carried the Gospel to the four corners of Bermuda.When the weather was favourable, open-air gatherings were the order of the day; when it was blustery or rainy the fledgling converts would meet at one or another’s homes.Sisters Steede and Khan noted that the transformation of persons who formerly lived lives of sin and in some instances degradation was miraculous. In a real sense Bermuda was in the throes of, or rather was caught up in, a soul-stirring revival during those early years. Ministers and many of their congregations not only listened, but were influenced to upgrade their Christian experience. The early church was especially dynamic in the sense that converts automatically became community workers, caring for the sick, giving shelter to the homeless.The missionary zeal of the immediate circle worshiping at the House of Prayer penetrated the North Shore community. Many a sick neighbour was bathed, clothed in freshly laundered apparel and given a meal, or groceries when no money was at the disposal of the of the missionariesThey visited the Leprosarium (the existence of which the present generation cannot imagine) weekly and attended daily prayer meetings. To think of those women as modern versions of the Bible’s‘Good Samaritan would be a misnomer. Not only did those early sisters bind the psychological wounds of the distraught, they continued to give comfort through prayer and counsel.Among several others named as moving spirits behind the growth and expansion of the House of Prayer were Elder C.H. Caisey and Bro Joseph Trott, who were installed as Pastor and Assistant Pastor respectively. As the wooden building deteriorated, leaked and required major repairs, Elder Caisey had a vision of a new edifice.The building was pulled down by Elder Caisey and Minister Rupert Outerbridge. However, they left a part of the building for worship services. Although the church could not afford to contract masons to build the new edifice, Minister Rupert Outerbridge and his brother Dudley Outerbridge were skilled masons.Although the two brothers had full-time employment, they were dedicated and committed to God’s work, doing the construction after hours and in their spare time as the church supplied the materials.