It was a local Walmart, where Tim Sevarino witnessed one of the most memorable miracles. He approached a paralyzed man in a wheelchair and asked if he could pray for him. Moments later with tears streaming down his face, the man experienced God’s supernatural healing power. “I can feel you touching my leg,” the man cried joyfully. As Tim continued to minister, the man would eventually get up out of his wheelchair, and his life would be forever changed.
Years ago, Tim Sevarino penned in his journal that he felt God was calling him to plant a church. He and wife Janette faithfully attended a local church in Fort Myers, Florida and had no desire to start a church of their own, but when the coronavirus struck and people were shut out of church buildings, they knew it was time to open their doors.
In March of 2020 a microscopic, yet deadly virus turned the American Church upside down. There are nearly 380,000 churches in the US according to Beacon Journal, all of which were forced to close their doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A report from Gallup showed that church attendance has dropped about 4% since before the pandemic. While virtual attendance naturally began to rise through the season, the need for personal interaction drove many Christians to find alternative ways to gather and fellowship.
The Sevarinos began inviting believers to their home for meetings in 2020. “One of the things I enjoy about it, is allowing everyone to participate in everything that takes place at our gatherings,” said Tim’s wife Janette, “what blesses me is seeing what gifts come out of people that they didn’t realize were there.” Pastor Tim describes the process of launching his home church, Arise Church, as very slow, claiming that he could tell God didn’t want them to get ahead of him.
In October of 2023, he was officially ordained under Global Awakening, a ministerial network that believes God moves in miracles, signs, and wonders, equips and trains people to minister in the supernatural. Even before that, Tim had seen all sorts of God’s supernatural power, by taking the Gospel to a spectrum of places, from Walmart to the ER, and the global mission field.
How did he get into supernatural ministry? Pastor Tim stated, “I got tired of praying and believing for it, and long story short, it was time to just start doing it.” And so, Walmart became their stomping ground to go and pray for people, the miracles started to flow, and now the Sevarinos have a heart to raise up others to do the same. They have a passion to see people impact the world for Jesus outside the church building.
Whether it’s out in the world, in their home, or in the corporate worship setting, Pastor Tim desires to create opportunity for others to experience God. He recognizes that our generation is looking and hungry to experience God in a way that can’t even be explained. In addition to hosting weekly Arise Church meetings in their home, the Sevarinos hold outreaches and corporate gatherings for worship monthly. They welcome all to come expectant this Saturday, January 27 at 6pm for Encounter Night at 8400 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, Florida.
Photos courtesy of Tim and Janette Sevarino: (https://www.facebook.com/tim.sevarino)
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