Minister Diane Rowe says "The bible states in the book of Jeremiah 3:15 "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” I am most grateful for the passage of scripture mentioned above.   God thought so much of me that he gave me some dynamic leaders in the persons of Bishop Larry and First Lady Margaret Dennison.  

I have been a part of Compassionate Outreach Ministries for over twenty plus years now.   The knowledge and understanding that I have obtained through the preaching, teaching and sharing of God’s word has been invaluable.   I have had some tremendous trials in my life but because of the Ministry that I have been under, it has been a sustaining force in not just my life but in the lives of my family as well.

When I first visited Compassionate Outreach Ministries back in 1985-86 somewhere in that time frame, I was emotionally devastated and spiritually drained. I was going through a painful divorce and just wasn’t sure what I needed to do. I had no family in the city and I was trying to decide whether to leave Gainesville and go home to Sarasota where most of my family lived so I would have a support system or whether to tough it out and stay in Gainesville with no family support.   I visited the Ministry one Sunday morning and the word was so powerful, I must have cried through the entire service that day.   I visited the services several more times after that and still could not stop the flow of tears during the services. I believe my spirit was just so overwhelmed by the truth and power that was brought forth by Bishop Dennison that all I could do was cry. Even though I did not have any natural family support in the city, Compassionate Outreach Ministries was more than family; they embraced me and my children and held us up spiritually, emotionally, and at times even financially. Since that time, God has blessed me with a wonderful Husband and we have been married over twenty one years now.

Over the years, God has worked so many special miracles in my life as a result of Bishop and First Lady Dennison. I had a son to get really sick when he was in high school, and was admitted into the hospital. After many tests, the doctors were talking about giving him chemotherapy for the particular issue that they thought was the problem.   I informed Bishop about everything and he prayed, along with the church body. The doctor came back and told me they were not going to do the chemotherapy but had decided to wait and to watch some things. After a few weeks, that same doctor came back and told us “Somebody upstairs must be looking out for your son, because his labs and everything is looking normal”.   All the glory and honor belonged to God, and I know it was also because of the prayers from my Bishop and First Lady.

As one writer stated “If I had ten thousand tongues, I could not tell it all”.   The miracles, the blessings, the dynamic word preached week after week, there is no way to share everything that God has done in my life as a result of being in this Ministry.

After twenty-plus years, I have watched in amazement as Compassionate Outreach Ministries has grown from less than twenty members to several hundred members.   Bishop Dennison has preached just as hard when there were the few as he does now with the several hundred.   Bishop Dennison’s dedication and commitment has been totally awesome.   This man and his wife really love the Lord and it shows in the way that they treat their members, there has never been a big “I” and little “you” attitude in their treatment of all members.   

Again, I am so grateful that God gave me a Pastor and First Lady after his own heart!"