In 1986 while lying on an exam table at an abortion clinic Pennie Richwine heard the Lord speak saying ”there is only one who gives life and takes life.” Shaken to the core she instinctively got up and off the table, dressed herself, and walked into the waiting room where she tapped her husband on the shoulder and said, Lets take our baby home.” Within minutes of driving they pulled their car over to watch the space shuttle, Challenger, lift-off. The rest is history. As the shuttle exploded, Pennie heard the voice say again, “I am the only one that gives life and takes life.” She had experienced the Lord giving life and taking life in a matter of minutes.
It was immediately following that her passionate pursuit for God began. Both Pennie and her husband Dave, a college professor served on staff in many facets of ministry and leadership within the local church body. On January 14, 1995 after four months of fasting and praying, the Richwines and their daughters encountered the Lord’s presence; for four hours, they were prostrate on the floor and unable to move. As a result immediate healing was manifested; one of their daughters was healed of Cerebral Palsy and another of Dyslexia. This encounter then spilled over into the local church they attended, where it sparked a healing revival. Many signs and wonders followed.
This holy visitation became the catalyst that consumed the Richwines with a longing for the pure presence of God to invade their city. It was in 1995, that Jesus kissed Pennie with great revelation that her life was created for Him. This left her determined to give her life for the cause of Christ. She knew the Lord had marked her as a warrior and that He was giving her the grace and strength to willingly penetrate into deeper levels of obedience, holiness, adoration, and transformation. For years, awakened in the night, from 2AM on, He began to train her heart for intercession. Little did she understand, that she was embracing the forerunner mandate even then to see night and day prayer established in her city.
She began a journey to understand the Biblical model of intercession and God’s heart concerning this matter. In 1998, Mike Bickle came to Bradenton, Florida, and this was God’s sovereign plan to put definition and words to the burning that consumed her. For a week Mike shared about an emerging prayer movement, led by youth, which was going to break out all over the globe, resulting in a great outpouring of God’s presence. In 1999 the night and day prayer movement began in Kansas City, where the fire on the altar has never gone out.
Thereafter, Pennie began a series of visits to IHOP – KC, and in some years, attending conferences as often as three times per year, and responded to the Anna calling. On many occasions, she would take musicians and singers to IHOP-KC, to sit in this fire of continual intercession and bring it back with them to the Treasure Coast.
In January 2007, she was serving as a Vineyard Pastor when the Lord answered the cry of her heart, for a House of Prayer in her city. Through a number of prophetic events the house of prayer for the Treasure Coast was birthed. Among these events, was an e-mail Pennie received from IHOP-KC containing a prophetic word saying “The Lord is going to take you to the piece of property where He is going to build His House of Prayer in your city” and on the same day the email was sent, by divine inspiration, the title deed to a house on a large piece of land was gifted to ODHOP. Within the coming seven days Pennie resigned her pastoral position and the Open Door House of Prayer was birthed.
Subsequently, the Lord began to bring musicians and singers burning with the call to proclaim His coming, and soon 24 hours of weekly prayer sets were completely filled. Many of these faithful watchmen are the same musicians and singers that had attended Harp and Bowl training seven years prior, at IHOP-KC. Pennie and her husband David, along with the ODHOP community remain steady to this day eagerly awaiting for the fulfillment of 24/7 incense movement on the Treasure Coast, because He is worthy.