November 30, 2011
The Board appreciates hearing from constituents with various opinions, suggestions, or concerns. Each letter is considered by the entire Board and frequently is sent to a committee for discussion. Letters addressed to the Board of Directors shall be presented to the Board at its next scheduled meeting through the Corporate Secretary’s Report. Upcoming Board meetings are:
- February 22–23, 2012
- June 27–28, 2012
- October 24–25, 2012
- February 27–28, 2013
- June 10–11, 16, 2013
- October 23–24, 2013
After a meeting, you will receive a response from an administrative vice president or from the secretary of the Board of Directors.
Letters to the Board of Directors should be sent to:
The Christian and Missionary Alliance
Office of the Corporate Secretary
PO Box 35000
Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500
closes@cmalliance.org
719-265-2005
Fax 719-262-5393
Dear Co-laborer for Christ,
The Board of Directors of The Christian and Missionary Alliance met in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 26–27, 2011. On occasion, the Board meets at a location away from the National Office in Colorado Springs. In this instance the Board members met at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church (ACAC) and were thrilled and challenged by the transformative urban ministries of this thriving congregation. This church is a faithful example of what God is doing through Alliance ministries around the world.
In addition to touring the work of ACAC, the Board reviewed numerous reports and acted on certain recommendations. The following is a summary: Funding our global vision is an ongoing challenge as we research ways of engaging a larger percentage of our Alliance family in advancing Christ’s Kingdom globally. It was a blessing, however, to be able to appoint 12 international workers to posts around the world, including creative-access regions. Also, funding has been approved for a Spanish edition of an updated All for Jesus, a history of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
The idea of holding General Council overseas has been discussed but a committee has determined that it is not feasible at this time. Revisions to the local church Annual Report will allow this document to be completed online and will compile data in a manner that will be more useful to our congregations. A list of National Evangelists and Ministers-at-Large was approved for the next year.
The Office for Federal Chaplain Ministries will now be called Alliance Chaplain Ministries. Also, the director for Federal Chaplain Ministries will now be the executive director for Alliance Chaplain Ministries, and the assistant endorser for Alliance Institutional Chaplains is now the director for Alliance Institutional Chaplain Ministries.
The Office of Intercultural Ministries has been renamed the Office of Multicultural Ministries. This more accurately reflects the current constituency and ministry of our denomination.
The report of the Audit Review Committee was received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. All financial practices were deemed to be sound and there were no recommendations for changes or improvements. The Board is also asking districts, colleges and supporting organizations to complete audits and reviews within 120 days and no longer than 180 days following the end of the fiscal year. The Board of Directors suggests that it is helpful to meet with auditors regularly during the year to avoid year-end surprises and also for district executive committees to meet with their auditors as part of the year-end audit or review process.
Other special committees reported to the Board and are continuing their work. The Board also received reports from several supporting organizations, including the following retirement communities: Chapel Pointe at Carlisle; The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation (Shell Point Village and DeLand); and Town and Country Manor. A fourth organization, The Orchard Foundation, also reported to the Board.
The next meeting will be February 22–23, 2012, in Colorado Springs. It is always refreshing to review the wide expanse of God’s work through our Alliance family. We thank God for each of you and solicit your prayer and labor for the increase of the Kingdom.
Rejoicing in Jesus,
David L. Goodin
Corporate Secretary
dlg/smc
The following is an adapted excerpt from an update by Dakar Academy staff, Evan and Jewel Evans, about the 2011 Thanksgiving weekend outreach in Senegal.
Outreach Summary:
- 1,000 people in 4 villages reached in evening evangelism campaigns; more than 200 decisions to follow Christ
- Children’s outreach team ministered to some 2,000 people in 10 villages
- Drama team ministered in 10 villages (“Best response ever!”)
- One church foundation dug and poured
- 573 bricks made by hand
- 1,800 liters of water pump-filtered by hand
- Mural painted in the village church of Diofane
- Inside of church painted in Bikol
- 283 patients treated by medical team
- 20 benches built by work crew
- Food crew fed 150 people 6 meals
GOD KNEW That . . .
Our medical team would encounter some difficult medical cases, so He sent us a doctor and a nurse from the United States to join us this year
Our water filtration system would break down, so He “just happened” to send us a brand new one with students from the States who joined the outreach
We would have three generators break down, but a first-time team member, who “just happened” to be a mechanic, was able to repair all three
Although we questioned why there was a last minute change of villages to conduct an evening campaign, an important person attended who committed his life to Christ. (A few others joined him after some time.) We had seen greater responses to the gospel in previous outreaches, but imagine our joy when we learned later that night that the first man who accepted Christ was the village chief!
GOD KNEW!
What You Can Do
Praise God for the successful outreach! Pray for the new believers to grow strong in their faith and for Alliance workers the world over.
Donate to the Great Commission Fund. In doing so, you partner with workers like Evan and Jewel to share the Light of Christ with those who live in spiritual darkness.
November 22, 2011
By Peggy Drake, RN, serving in Burkina Faso
It was an ordinary day at the clinic here in Bobo-Dioulasso. Around 10 a.m., I was between the waiting room and the pharmacy when I heard an old taxi pull up along with another much less noisy car.
I decided to walk out to the street, thinking someone in the taxi might need help getting into the clinic. To my surprise, the man in the taxi hopped out and went on into the waiting room. I then looked over and saw a beautiful black BMW! The driver, a well-dressed African woman, was looking straight at me and waving for me to come help her. Through the window, she explained that in the back seat was her neighbor, whom she had found crying and who had pled with her to please take her to the clinic.
“Please Pray for Me!”
When I opened the door, I realized that I knew this woman. She was a patient of ours! She looked up at me with tears streaming down her face and said: “Peggy, can you please pray for me!” That I can do, I thought!
This woman (we will call her Sali) is not a Christian but is of the majority religion here in Burkina. She told me that she had learned that her husband was in the United States with another wife and their children; he also had another wife and child in a different African country. She was obviously devastated. Sali told me that she was filled with sadness and fear when she was alone with her children in their family courtyard.
What a joy to be able to pray with this woman!
A few days later when I walked into the clinic, Sali was standing by the door. She came over and hugged me (this is not African, but she was so happy). She said that things were so much better in the courtyard and that her husband was now back and was being very kind to her. God is so good!
You see, it does not matter if people come to the clinic on foot, bicycles, motorcycles, or in taxis or BMWs. What does matter is that our patients learn about our Lord Jesus and see Him in us! That is why we are here—Living the Call together!
Thank you for giving to The Great Commission Fund so we can do what we do—shine the light of Christ among those living in spiritual darkness, desperate for the true hope only He offers!
What You Can Do
Pray for Alliance workers around the world who are being Christ’s light in some of the world’s most spiritually dark places.
Give to The Great Commission Fund—partner in Living the Call together with Alliance workers like Peggy!
By Evan and Jewel Evans, serving at Dakar Academy, Senegal
The following is an excerpt from a recent update by the Evanses who serve at Dakar Academy—a boarding and day-school program (K-12) largely for the children of international workers. School chaplains, the Evanses head up outreach programs and discipleship ministries; they also serve as dorm administrators.
We are up to our eyeballs in preparations for our Thanksgiving outreach weekend. It is going to be a big group again this year—about 140 of us, including 15 students from Faith Christian Academy in Colorado Springs. There will also be 10–15 Senegalese pastors and laypeople who will join us in ministry when we arrive in the area.
We will be busy with a number of team ministries during daylight hours, including:
- A drama team and children’s ministry team that will travel to a number of villages
- One work team that will paint a church in Bikol (the church for which we laid the foundation and made bricks by hand in January).
- A team that will paint a mural on the front wall of a church in Diofane (the church we built in November 2010).
- Our medical team, which will include three nurses and a doctor who will minister in Diakhao; they will be joined by a team that will dig and lay a foundation as well as make bricks by hand.
- A small team that will build 20 benches for the new church.
In the evenings, we will be holding evangelism campaigns in the following villages:
- Fri., Nov. 25: Diakhao, Gandiaye, Poukham Tok
- Sat., Nov. 26: Mbelakadio, Ngouloul Peul, Mbouscene
On our way home Sunday morning, we plan to worship in the church that we helped build in Diofane during the fall of 2010. We’re looking forward to the blessing of worshipping with our African brothers and sisters and seeing the results of our labors there last year.
Please Pray
We will be serving in an area that is populated by followers of the predominant religion here and ministering in villages that have just begun to hear about Jesus. Please pray for open doors and open hearts. Pray against spiritual resistance and that God will prepare the way for us. Pray for protection in travel and at all the ministry sites.
November 16, 2011
Former Gangster Introduces Ex-Con to the Light
By Mark Edwards, serving in Taiwan
I didn’t think it likely that Jonathan would ever follow Christ! Entrenched in a mixture of Buddhist and Taiwanese folk religion beliefs from an early age, the 30-something car mechanic was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him hospitalized in a coma—and also resulted in the death of the man he had hit.
The police deemed Jonathan to be at fault. Unable to pay the heavy fine to the victim’s family, he chose a six-month prison sentence instead. It was after Jonathan was released, in spring 2010, that Taiwan team leader Don Kramer introduced me to him.
The very next week, I arranged for Jonathan to meet Peter, an intern from the Taiwan Alliance Theological College who was working with us on weekends. Previously, Peter had been a gangster involved in drugs. He had served a short prison sentence prior to coming to know Christ through Operation Dawn, a gospel-based drug rehabilitation program. Partly because of their shared background, Peter and Jonathan got along well together. Peter visited Jonathan almost every weekend for a year; I also visited him, on weekends and during the week.
Before the motorcycle accident, Jonathan had been involved in a bad car accident when he was 19. As he lay there on the ground, he had what he could only describe later as an “out of body” experience, in which he was looking down at himself from above. Because of his car accidents and his time in prison, Jonathan was now more open than the average person in our community to talk with our team about issues of faith. Nonetheless, in every conversation the focus quickly moved off of Jesus and onto Jonathan’s own accomplishments, abilities, good deeds, qualifications, and wisdom. Much to his credit, Peter never gave up on Jonathan—visiting, calling on the phone, and encouraging him to come every Sunday morning to our informal meeting.
A String of “Coincidences”
During summer 2010, while Peter was away on a summer missions trip, I hosted a short-term team from an Alliance church in northern Taiwan. One day I brought the pastor’s wife over to visit Jonathan. She told him that he was a “child of God.” She also counseled him to watch the Christian TV cable station to learn more about Christianity.
Just as she said this, I made a passing reference that our Bible student intern was away on a short-term trip. At that exact moment, Jonathan flipped the TV channel over to the Christian station. The person who appeared on the screen was none other than Peter, our Bible school intern! The station had put together a short program that shared how he and another person had turned from drugs to follow Jesus Christ.
The following week I visited Jonathan again. We laughed about how the previous week Peter had suddenly appeared on the TV precisely when we had been talking about him. At that moment, Jonathan flipped the channel to the local cable channel (not the Christian station), only to see a “Say No to Drugs” documentary featuring—you guessed it—our intern! Jonathan had the same experience a total of three times during that one-week period. God’s timing was impeccable.
No Longer Omnipotent
Jonathan’s attendance at meetings became more regular as we slowly made our way through the Book of Mark. Along the way, however, there were some serious theological misunderstandings. While the concept of “sin” had slowly sunk in, for a few weeks Jonathan mistakenly took the earlier admonition from the pastor’s wife that he was a “child of God” to mean that he himself was omnipotent!
A few weeks later, the Lord set the record straight: Jonathan was involved in yet another accident. Swerving to miss an old man who had pulled his scooter out onto the road without looking, Jonathan intentionally drove his car into a field. The car, a Mercedes belonging to Jonathan’s brother, rolled over and over again as it crashed through the field. The car was totaled. A building in the farmer’s field was also badly damaged. However, Jonathan himself emerged with only a few minor cuts and bruises on his arms. Most importantly, he no longer thought of himself as being omnipotent!
There were other semi-miraculous happenings that occurred along the way, and Jonathan decided soon after that he wanted to follow Jesus. I spent eight weeks helping Jonathan prepare for baptism. We baptized him on September 4.
Over the year and a half that Jonathan has been coming to our small group, Jonathan’s wife, sister, her husband and their three children, mother-in-law, and, more recently, Jonathan’s father and another relation have come to the group once or twice to check us out. In spite of their curiosity, they have yet to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to know God personally. Jonathan’s father and family members continue to be involved in temple activities, parades in the community and elsewhere that honor other gods, and the I-Kuan Tao “Pervasive Truth” religion, which incorporates elements from Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Please pray for the seed of the gospel to take root in the hearts of Jonathan’s father and other family members. Pray also that the Holy Spirit would empower Jonathan daily to continue following Jesus—and Jesus alone. Pray, too, that God will bless Jonathan’s business so that he will be able to support his family as a faithful follower of Christ.
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers, like Mark Edwards, who are lighting the way for people trapped in spiritual darkness.
Pray for Alliance workers around the world.
Check out how your church can begin a Ministry Partnership with overseas Alliance workers.
A “random” encounter leads to a heavenly selection
By Rob Burns, serving in Macedonia
I passed some hitchhikers on my way to Kochani to pick up Zoki, a national Christian who has a gift for evangelism, before going on to Berovo, a town of 7,500 near the Bulgarian border where we regularly visit believers and seekers. As I approached the city of Shtip, I saw more hitchhikers. After some deliberation, I “randomly” stopped next to a couple young guys, and asked them where they were going. They said, “Kochani, and then on.”
The boys, Noel and Victor,* hopped in the car and said they were high school students, studying in another town. They asked, “What are you doing in Macedonia?” I explained that I was here to work with the Evangelical Church of Macedonia (the national partner church) and to be a blessing to the people and country of Macedonia. I told them that regardless of whether someone calls himself Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant, the most important thing in life is to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Coincidence?
When we came to Kochani, I asked if they were stopping here, telling them I was going on to Berovo. They were excited, as “coincidentally,” their real destination was Berovo, too, and now they had a ride as far as their town. Perhaps I was even more excited, however, as I thought, “Good, they will meet Zoki.”
Zoki got in the car, and, after learning my companions were students, discussed what it means to get an “excellent” grade in life. He asked them if they believed that was possible without God, to which both replied that they felt it was impossible. Zoki began to share the gospel with them, asking from time to time if they wanted him to continue or if he was boring them. Each time, the students said, “No, please continue!” Zoki shared his own story, the gospel, and the need for repentance.
Divine Appointment
I prayed silently as I drove. Zoki asked his listeners if they wanted to pray a prayer of repentance and begin a relationship with God. They said yes! We still had several minutes before arriving in Berovo, which was invaluable time as the young men prayed with Zoki, who stressed the importance of fellowship. I related my testimony as well. The two guys, Noel and Victor, gave us their phone numbers, and we promised to be in contact with them. They both seemed interested in that. Zoki said to me, “Shame on me and shame on you for not having any New Testaments to give them!”
“How often does this happen?” I asked my coworker as we allowed the moment to sink in. Zoki said that he was surprised to see so much spiritual openness and warmth, particularly in teenagers. He was excited that they agreed to pray with him a prayer of repentance in the car and then also to give us their phone numbers. Had they not been interested, or just humoring us, they would not have given their numbers.
The following Friday, Zoki and I picked up Noel and gave him a New Testament, which we obtained through someone in his village. We told him many important basics about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Zoki and I look forward to meeting again with Victor and Noel, who continue to show an interest in learning about Jesus.
Our first Alliance Core Value states, “Lost people matter to God; He wants them found.” In the case of Noel and Victor, I refer to Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep; we could also say that He wants them brought home. God chose us to give them a ride to their physical home to lead them to their spiritual home.
Please pray for Victor and Noel! I have been encouraged by the warm reception we have received in Noel’s village. I have to wonder if God is preparing this village for spiritual fruit and Noel is just a part of that. Pray that the seed that has begun to bear fruit will result in many people knowing Jesus as their Savior.
Learn More
Read more stories about Alliance work in the Balkans.
Read additional stories of the worldwide work Alliance ministries supported by the Great Commission Fund.
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers, like Rob Burns, who are lighting the way for people trapped in spiritual darkness.
Pray for Alliance workers around the world.
Check out how your church can begin a Ministry Partnership with overseas Alliance workers.
By Alan Lee, San Jose Christian Alliance Church pastor, serving on a short-term missions trip to flood-ravaged Cambodia.
As the plane was preparing to land in Phnom Penh International Airport, I peeked outside the window to see the flooding firsthand. What I witnessed was truly unbelievable—acre after acre of rice fields and houses literally submerged in the flood along the riverbank, reminding me of the scenes of devastation in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. The Cambodia flooding was severe—the worst in 10 years. Many lives were lost. Others lost their homes, rice harvests, and livelihoods.
With the help of the Khmer Evangelical Church (C&MA national church in Cambodia) and Alliance international workers Rev. Joe and Kay Kong, our team of seven was honored to participate in the flood relief work. Through the generosity of one couple, we purchased 11,000 pounds (about 5.5 tons) of rice to be delivered to two devastated areas.
A Disturbing View
On the first day after our arrival, we headed north to Kompong Chhnang province, where the flooding was severe. The trip was long and tedious. We had to drive from Phnom Penh to a river dock to take a boat to one of the remote villages. As we were approaching the dock, we saw that the floodwater was everywhere. Roads were submerged; buses, cars, motorcycles, and boats were floating on the streets! Many businesses were boarded up or had used two-foot high cement walls in a futile attempt to hold back raging waters. Children were going to school in boats. We witnessed a little girl (with IV still administered) heading home from a hospital in a boat! Living conditions were indeed harsh and tough!
Before we got on the boat, we had to walk barefoot in the water, not knowing that the roads were littered with sharp objects. One member, who was carrying his wife, was wearing slippers borrowed from a local pastor. As he stepped out of the water, he discovered that the base of one slipper was literally “chopped” off, yet he was unhurt. It was indeed divine protection from our Lord.
Familiar Territory
The boat ride was cool and sweet. We sang praises along the way, and our spirits were lifted. We saw many houses submerged in water along the river bank. After we docked, we drove a “tuk-tuk” (a converted motorcycle with passenger seats) to our final destination. When we saw a C&MA church sign hung between two trees, our hearts were so moved with praises and thanksgiving to God. In this remote village in Cambodia, there stood a C&MA church that glorified the Lord. It made us all very proud to be part of The Alliance!
The “church” was an empty lot with a canopy on top. Cambodian brothers and sisters, who have suffered much, welcomed us with such joy, warmth, and love. After singing songs with them, we gave rice to the villagers who had lost almost everything. Our hearts were warmed to see the smiles on their faces. They displayed much faith and joy in the midst of suffering and pain, and they even treated us to a “gourmet” lunch of fish and chicken. We were so impressed with their love and hospitality.
No Marginal Worship
On the second day, we headed south to the Svay Rieng province. We had to cross the Mekong River to another flood devastated area. The scene was pretty much the same. People’s lives were severely affected by the floodwater. We were told that many Vietnamese people live along the river bank. They are the disenfranchised people without any legal rights, living in the poorest slums in Cambodia. One Vietnamese church was completely flooded, yet church members continued to gather in boats tied together while the pastor stood in one of the boats, preaching to them! We were all very moved to witness the faith and resiliency of the believers in the midst of suffering.
During these trips, we were able to help 200 families in need. Although the relief effort was small and might just be a drop in the bucket, we sensed God’s presence and pleasure throughout the trip. We are honored to be part of the C&MA relief efforts that bring hope and joy to people who have suffered much. May the Name of the Lord Jesus be glorified!
Learn More
Read more stories about Alliance work in the Cambodia.
Read additional stories of the worldwide work of Alliance ministries supported by the Great Commission Fund.
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers, like Rob Burns, who are lighting the way for people trapped in spiritual darkness.
Pray for Alliance workers around the world.
Check out how your church can begin a Ministry Partnership with overseas Alliance workers.
November 7, 2011
The following is an excerpt from a report by Jimmy Jacks, a freelance photographer whose C&MA church affiliation is the Hollywood Hills (Florida) Alliance Church.
The water levels in flood-ravaged Cambodia are receding. But as the flood waters go down, the danger of disease rises. Ly Sovann, deputy director of the Communicable Disease Control Department at Cambodia’s health ministry, says the government is watching closely for any severe outbreaks of diarrhea or cholera. Kim Rattana, director of the NGO Caritas Cambodia, has raised concerns about the lack of clean drinking water and water-borne diseases in areas hit by the floods.
Mosquitoes are increasing as the flood waters recede. According to Rattana, malaria and dengue fever are now a big concern. Nhik Bunthuk, director of the Battambang Provincial health department, says the floods have led to disease among affected residents. They are suffering from diarrhea, fever, and the flu, but hospitalization appears rare.
Most displaced families are living in very poor conditions. Their homes have been severely damaged or destroyed, and they have lost all or most of their possessions. Most of these Cambodians live an agrarian subsistence lifestyle, and their crops and orchards have been destroyed. With their source of income gone, their options are bleak.
Please pray for the people of Cambodia and for our Cambodian pastors and churches as they struggle to minister to their hurting fellow countrymen. Pray that individual Christians as well as churches abroad will be led to help. And, pray that Christ will be magnified in the midst of all this.
What You Can Do
Your support through the Great Commission Fund helps keep Alliance workers in Cambodia and around the world, impacting multifaceted needs with the love of Jesus.
Pray for Alliance people around the world, including those in Cambodia.
November 4, 2011
The following is an adapted excerpt from a recent prayer letter by David Manfred, field leader for Cambodia.
Thank you for your prayers for Cambodia, which is experiencing the worst flooding in many years. More than 200 people have lost their lives, and the rice harvest has been significantly impacted. In areas where the needs are greatest, emergency food supplies are being distributed through several local churches.
Cambodia is a low-lying country, much of which is in a flood plain; that is why many Cambodian homes are built on stilts. But the floods this year have been much worse than normal. In many of the homes near the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers, the flood waters have risen higher than the stilts. This particularly affects the Vietnamese minority, who tend to live on these rivers.
One of the outreaches of the C&MA in Cambodia is called “NewHope” ministries, which focuses on the 1 million-plus ethnic Vietnamese people who live in Cambodia. The number of Christians among them is far less than 1 percent. NewHope currently has eight small churches among the Vietnamese living here. Two of these churches have been under water for four weeks.
In the midst of this hardship, it is encouraging to see the faith of the faithful. A few Sundays ago, one of our international worker families from Australia, Tin and Anh Pham, went out to see how the Prek Kdam church was doing. Even though the water had risen above the height of the stilts and the floor in the church was flooded, they found that the believers had still come to worship—in boats. They tied them together in front of the church where they worshipped, shared in communion, listened to God’s Word, and prayed. Since the church flooded four weeks ago, they have been gathering together in their boats in front of the church every Sunday.
These are people, who—in the midst of the floods of life all around them—have chosen to build their “house” on the solid Rock of faith in Jesus: “‘As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built’” (Luke 6:47-48).
This church was started a few years ago through the faithful witness of Alliance international workers who continue to invest in developing new leaders, strengthening this church, and multiplying these efforts in many more places.
Thank you for your prayers for those who are being impacted by the flooding. We also thank you for your prayers for our field team and Cambodian believers, who are helping the peoples of Cambodia to understand that there is a true Rock upon which they can lean when the inevitable floods of life come. This is the eternal need that only Christ can address.
Thank you, too, for your support through the Great Commission Fund, which helps keep us here, impacting the multifaceted needs of this land.
What You Can Do
Pray for Alliance people around the world.
Learn More
Check out the December 2003 issue of Alliance Life magazine for Rest Beyond the River, a feature story about Beth and Rick Drummond, now-retired Alliance workers who founded the NewHope Evangelical School and Church in Phnom Penh.
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