December 20, 2011
“We intentionally take Christ to people who are least likely to find Him on their own,” says Ken McKinney, the part-time, one-staff Alliance church planter in San Francisco, where less than 4 percent of the Golden Gate city’s population attends church. “Love is the context for all mission, and everything we do is based on relationship. We are trying to be incarnational in our community, so relevance to culture is not optional.”
In a city where churches and Christians are perceived negatively, Ken believes, “We need to do more than invite people to Christian events and hope they’ll come. We also have to call believers to intentionally exemplify Christ within the culture. That leads us into culture rather than away from it, joining people in existing activities in order to demonstrate His love in a tangible way.”
An Unexpected Call
Ken sensed God’s call to the U. S. mission field while working for Compassion International, another faith-based organization with which Alliance workers partner in several countries. “My wife, Leah, and I thought that we would work internationally, supporting international workers with leadership training and resources,” Ken says. “Planting a church in San Francisco was not the journey we were anticipating.”
While seeking God’s wisdom and direction, Ken attended a church-planting conference where he met C&MA Central District Church Planting Director Ray Van Gilst. “‘If you ever make it out to San Francisco, give me a call,’ Ray told me. Two years later, we moved to the city and immersed ourselves in the San Francisco culture. Then I called Ray.”
With no C&MA background but realizing a strong personal resonance with Alliance core values, Ken began to cultivate a relationship with The Alliance, pursuing credentials as an official worker. “O’B O’Brien became my church-planting coach; he and Ray worked with me through the licensing process, and I became a C&MA official worker.”
Since Ken’s background is with Independent Christian Churches under the banner of Stadia, a church-planting organization with which he was partnering, the venture became a collaborative effort between The Alliance and Stadia, modeling a unified Church to a skeptical, postmodern community. “The watching world views Christianity as a fractured religion that can’t work out its own unity and says, ‘Why should I be a part of that?’ says Ken. “Through this collaborative effort, we hope San Franciscans will see the Church come together in Jesus’ Name.”
Cultural Experience
As Alliance workers, Ken and Leah continued to serve, partnering through various faith-based and secular nonprofit organizations, as they had been doing since their arrival. “We felt like, as salt and light, it’s not about starting a faith-based nonprofit but rather sending faith-based people into San Francisco’s existing nonprofits,” Ken says. “This is a city where people are highly motivated, with a strong sense of volunteering and giving back. Community service allows us to build relationships and gives us opportunities to invite people into discovering Jesus. We want to be an inclusive community in which people feel they belong in the course of coming to a place of belief.”
For two years, the church-planting couple did not have a church building but established many relationships that garnered a core group of believers, who joined them in their efforts to reach San Francisco. As their network of acquaintances grew and learned more about following Jesus, Ken realized that, in the eyes of the city’s accomplished professionals who place high value on credibility, it was time for the church to go public.
“If we’ve succeeded relationally in preparing them to step into a Christian environment,” says Ken, “then we want to give them an authentic Christian experience with true worship and solid teaching.” With that principle in mind, Ken and Leah launched New Community San Francisco, located in the heart of Golden Gate Park.
“We spend a lot of time describing what will be experienced, who we worship and why, creating a safe and relational environment to explore the life of Jesus in a community that follows Him,” says Ken. “We tell people, ‘You are welcome, included; you can belong even while you explore.’ But it is clear that this is a community that follows Jesus.”
Relational Living
Today, about 50 people are included in the New Community family, including Chris, a young man who felt rejected culturally and spiritually in his home state and made his way to San Francisco. Chris had been living in a homeless shelter and had lived on the streets for some time before Ken met him. “About three years ago, we happened to be visiting a church at the same time,” Ken recalls. “It was Chris’ first step back toward God. Besides Chris and me, the church service included 11 other people who were all seniors. I introduced myself, and Chris opened up to me.”
Chris agreed to meet with Ken, who began discipling him on a regular basis. It wasn’t long before Chris shared his struggle with his sense of self-worth and how in his pursuit of love and acceptance, he had been living a lifestyle he no longer wanted to live. “Chris said that lifestyle did not have the reward he was seeking and didn’t fulfill the longing he had,” Ken says. “We helped him find a safe place to live with safe relationships to recover his sense of self and discover his identity in Christ.”
Chris walked away from his old lifestyle and little by little, is discovering life and love and acceptance in Jesus and the community of His followers. His desire is for God; he was part of the church launch, attends Bible study, works part time, and recently received his associate’s degree.
“Ezekiel 34 has really influenced our sense of calling,” explains Ken, “where God says to the religious leaders, ‘You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost’ (Ezekiel 34:4). Then He says, ‘I myself will search for my sheep . . . I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness’ (Ezekiel 34:12). Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd and the Light of the world. He says He has come ‘to seek and to save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10) As His Body in San Francisco, we make that our mission.
“Whether we get to introduce someone to Jesus or seek out those who have gone missing, we ask, ‘Are we presenting people fully mature in Christ?’ It is a process and the fruit of a very relational and personal path that we have taken. The Gospel of John says of Jesus, ‘In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind’ (John 1:4). Life attracts people who are desperately seeking life. It’s our hope that people will see that life in us, and that life will be the light that helps bring them back from ‘all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness,’ drawing them to the light of Christ.”
Learn More
Read more stories about U.S. Alliance churches impacting their communities. www.cmalliance.org/news/topics/gochurch/
Read additional stories of the worldwide work of Alliance ministries supported by the Great Commission Fund. www.cmalliance.org/news/2011/10/24/gcf-celebration-stories/
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers 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 16, 2011
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.
July 15, 2011
Will a divine promise eclipse an ominous prognosis?
“You must have someone to travel with you in case you bleed to death,” a physician told Alliance Pastor Mike Gmetro when he confirmed that he was traveling to Kansas City for General Council 2011. When Council began Wednesday evening, Mike was “bleeding terribly and in excruciating pain” but forced himself to attend the service, where he heard Ravi Zacharias give a message that spoke to his heart. He sensed God telling him, “I still have a plan for your life if you just trust me.”
“I was trying to hold on to that,” says Mike. “I knelt down between the chairs and prayed, ‘Lord, I’m ready to be healed.’ I suddenly saw in my spirit (Alliance Pastor) Fred Hartley standing to my left. When I looked up, he was not there, so I continued to pray.”
The Battle Begins
Mike’s physical struggles began in 1999 when, as a New Mexico State College student, sudden, excruciating pain filled his abdomen. “I was rushed from the ball field to the hospital, where doctors gave me just hours to live.”
The visit resulted in an appendectomy. But there had been complications, and the pain had not subsided. Two weeks later, Mike was back in the hospital. This time, doctors diagnosed him with Crohn’s, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself, harming the good bacteria and eating away at the walls of the intestine. Mike underwent a second surgery; 30 inches of his intestine was removed. “I was never sick as a child,” says Mike, who had been training for professional baseball. “I knew that dream was over, but I played the last two years of college.”
The disease grew worse during those two years. Mike was in pain every day, doubling over for up to 60 minutes at a time, unable to move. A battery of prescribed medications did not help.
Mike married Liza in 2001, and they moved to Michigan, where they attended seminary. During a class in 2003, he had a “flare,” and Liza rushed him to hospital. Again, the doctors’ ominous prognosis was hours to live; another surgery took eight more inches of his intestine.
Graduating from seminary in 2004, Mike joined Liza on a missions trip to Siberia. “I knew I was really taking a chance,” he says. “Even If there was a surgeon, he probably wouldn’t have the instruments for the surgery I would need.”
Not long into the trip another attack began. The missionary the Gmetros were visiting and a local believer laid hands on Mike and began to pray. “Suddenly, it felt like bubbles were filling up inside me, and my body flushed with cool water. I felt incredible, and immediately all pain went away.”
A Reprieve
After the couple returned home, Mike continued to be free of pain. He completed the C&MA licensing requirements, and the Gmetros became missionary candidates with the goal of serving as international workers in the Middle East. They were assigned to Acts 29 Fellowship in Hamtramck, Michigan, for two-year home service before going overseas.
At Acts 29, Mike was associate pastor, working primarily in pastoral ministries and teaching ESL three days a week at a mosque to Bangladeshi men, and Liza ministered to youth. Then in December 2008, two months after their daughter, Lila, was born, a Crohn’s attack came out of nowhere. Liza rushed Mike to the hospital, and the surgeon removed another eight inches of intestine. For the next two and a half years, Mike experienced intense pain every day. The attacks would come when least expected—on walks with his family or in grocery stores. “Once I spent three hours in the cereal aisle,” he recalls, “with my daughter! I couldn’t reach anyone by phone, and I couldn’t move. People shopped around me or asked me to hand them a box of cereal when I blocked their reach, but no one asked if I needed help. The pain finally subsided enough that I was able to walk to the car.”
Shattered Dreams
Just before Council 2009, the Gmetros received word that Mike did not pass health requirements for overseas ministry, and they were removed from the candidate list. “Crohn’s was taking over,” he laments, “changing the plans that we believed God had for us.”
Mike continued his work at Acts 29, preaching and teaching daily, even as he endured severe pain. Resigning himself to owning the disease, he prayed, “Okay, Lord; tomorrow is not promised, but today I will serve you.” Then in March 2010, he started bleeding profusely. Liza rushed him to the hospital, where he learned that several ulcers in his large intestine had ruptured. Near death once again, Mike lay in the intensive care unit, shaking with convulsions and wanting to die. “I could only whisper, ‘Please help me. Please help me.” Two blood transfusions saved his life that night.
In fall 2010, Great Lakes District Superintendent Jeff Brown heard about Mike’s deteriorating health. “Jeff, who had been a mentor and spiritual father to me, authorized a medical sabbatical for rest,” Mike says. “As much as I love the ministry of Acts 29, I was in bad shape and needed a break.”
Mike’s health issues were stressful for Liza as well. The two were forced to broach the subject of death: what would she do if Mike died? How would she take care of their daughter? They prayed about their future, even as Mike planned for a speaking engagement at Beulah Beach. His district superintendent advised him, “Mike, if you can’t go overseas, then train up those who will go.”
After speaking at the Beulah Beach event, Mike met with Ralph Trainer, the camp’s executive director, who told him of a plan to establish Beulah Beach Institute to train up young people to take God’s word to the world and asked Mike to partner with him.” I thought of our prayer for the future and Jeff’s advice to train those who could go,” says Mike. “Ralph provided a fantastic opportunity, and I realized God answered our prayers.”
Removing What?
Mike and Liza moved to Beulah Beach in January 2011, excited about what God had in store for them. But Mike continued to be miserable with daily pain. In March another flare of ruptured ulcers resulted in a hospital stay and a blood transfusion. Tests showed ulcers lining his entire large intestine with two fissures three inches long. Then three days before General Council 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri, Mike and Liza met with a specialist, who gave them the shocking news that Mike would have to undergo surgery to remove his colon and large intestine.
“I was reeling,” says Mike. “I thought I was done with ministry. After the prognosis, I heard a message by Jill Briscoe, who said, ‘Oh to know the Lord so well that we stop asking for the thorn to be removed, because we love him so much that we trust Him.’ I was clinging to that hope—whatever God wanted. Okay, Lord, if you want me to live out this sickness as a platform, okay.”
After Council’s Thursday morning service, led by Fred Hartley, people were invited to the front for prayer. Sitting in the back, Mike thought of going forward but saw Fred “swallowed by a lot of people,” Mike says. “There was a couple sitting next to me that I did not know. They introduced themselves as Todd and Debbie Adams and asked how they could pray for me. I briefly told them about my ongoing battle with Crohn’s and how I longed to be healed. As they began to pray, Todd stopped and said, ‘I want to ask my dad to pray.’”
A Father’s Touch
Mike kept his head down as Debbie prayed. He didn’t know Todd or his dad or where Todd was going. But as he looked up, he saw Fred Hartley to his left; Todd’s father,Virgil Adams; Ron Walborn, and about 20 people standing around him. They anointed him with oil, and Fred began to pray for healing.
“I felt those bubbles again; I felt God’s joy. The pain was gone, and all my prayer warriors were praising the Lord with me. I couldn’t stop rejoicing. I felt great!
Later, Mike went out to lunch with some pastors and their wives. “I was so excited about telling my story of God’s healing that I forgot about ordering and someone else ordered pizza covered with jalapenos. I could never eat that before, but I began to eat and had no problems. I still felt great. I went back to the convention center and found Todd and Debbie to thank them and let them know I was still pain-free.”
Since that day, Mike has had no bleeding or pain. He discontinued all prescription medications, replacing them with a few nutritional supplements. He continues to have an abundance of energy and is looking forward to God’s new call on his life—to train and equip those who will go and make disciples of all nations.
“Todd Adams told me that he heard a specific word from God that day,” says Mike. “Todd said, ‘The Lord has told me you will receive manna from heaven; God will give you manna from heaven every day. He won’t give you more than you need, and He won’t withhold from you.’ So every morning I thank God for the manna today.”
Learn more
Read about Liza’s work with the youth of Acts 29 Fellowship.
Read about Todd and Debbie Adams’ work in Indonesia.
Learn more about the heritage of the Alliance’s Beulah Beach ministry.
What you can do
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries and impact lives for eternity as you make it possible for the people in this article and more to realize their call from God to go and make disciples of all nations.
June 15, 2011
A smiling, poncho-clad Native American woman, her long hair braided neatly behind her, carries a hollowed out deer horn filled with sand. As someone strums a guitar, the woman sings and rhythmically shakes the horn. Her brother, a man with sharp gray eyes and a quiet dignity, sits near her. His smooth voice suggests a fine tenor, though he seems reluctant to let anyone but the immediate group hear. “The brother and sister are here to experience the fellowship and help of the Food Cupboard ministry at North Woods Alliance Church,” says Pastor Vince Hartford. “Today, in the traditionally culture-cloistered world of rural Lee, Maine, it is hard not to notice that God is bringing to us a large and diverse number of people groups from around to world.”
According to Pastor Hartford, the New England District church, which was established in 1983 as The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Lee, “was steeped in a traditional Yankee ‘exclusivity,’ which would’ve previously made such an atmosphere nearly impossible.” Since arriving here in 2000, however, he has seen a gradual turnaround in the unwritten policy. The church’s Food Cupboard outreach has become a multicultural ministry to local and outlying communities, drawing people “who have found a weekly oasis near the center of this little town in the great forest of the Northeast,” says Hartford.
Sitting at the table with the Native American siblings is a man who residess in a ramshackle cabin in the woods. “He lives alone,” Pastor Hartford says, “but every week he arrives early, duffle bag on his back, ready to not only receive badly needed supplies but also to spend a little time with ‘family.’”
“We don’t think of it as a food pantry,” says Russian-born Irina Luekina, a transplant from a Toledo, Ohio, Alliance church, where she served with another food pantry ministry. Having experienced her share of hardship while growing up in the old Soviet Union, Irina now oversees the North Woods outreach to the poor with a great deal of empathy. Her sparkling eyes and anxious grin can break through language and cultural barriers even before she begins to speak. “We think of it more as a fellowship of friends. The people here are like family.”
Irina is assisted by exchange students-some are Christians, but most are not-who arrive each school year from Europe and Asia and are drawn to the ministry. “I don’t think it is the Christian faith that draws them to this church,” says Pastor Hartford, “as much as a fascination with serving poor people in a nation where the streets were supposed to be ‘paved with gold.’ This gives us opportunity to shine the light of Jesus into the lives of the servers as well as those who are being served.”
Every Friday, people of all ages and ethnicities fill the church basement-some to serve and some to be served. “The students help people carry groceries, lifting cardboard boxes filled with food to their shoulders,” Pastor Hartford says. “Some church members clean while others visit with food recipients; and the room is abuzz with the easy going banter that springs forth in a place where people know they are safe.
“There is a picture here of something deeper than just a food pantry ministry-something very special not devised by man nor fully understood by any sage foolish enough to attempt explaining it. Christ has sent His Church to bring good news to the all nations, but here in Lee, He seems intent on bringing the nations to us.”
Learn More
Read how other U.S. Alliance churches are impacting their communities for Christ. www.cmalliance.org/news/topics/gochurch/
What You Can Do
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries and partner with Alliance workers at home and abroad who are being light in a spiritually dark world. www.cmalliance.org/give
New Life Emerges from Murky Waters
A lone white dove hovered over 14 believers as they were immersed into the Jordan River recently, following Jesus in baptism. “What was amazing,” says Pastor Richard Mirpuri from the Word of Grace (Alliance) Church in Chicago, Illinois, who led the group on a tour in Israel, “is that they were not believers before the tour.”
This is not the first Israel tour that Rev. Mirpuri has led. In 2005, Word of Grace, a Filipino-American ministry in the Midwest District, joined a global, grassroots movement, focusing prayer and attention on the Middle East-specifically Jerusalem. The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, which was launched by a coalition of more than 500 Christian leaders around the world, drew participation from 53,000 churches in 72 nations that year.
Since then, Rev. Mirpuri has led several groups to the Holy Land for a prayer pilgrimage and Bible tour, initially among members of the church. This year, there were 27 participants, including people from Canada, the Philippines, New York, and California. Several of the participants were from Chicago’s Filipino community who are not members of the Word of Grace but learned about the trip from an article by Rev. Mirpuri that was published in a local Filipino community newspaper, in which he pens a regular column.
Life-Changing Trip
“I met the participants, the majority of whom were unbelievers, during the 2011 Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, when they signed up for the tour.” says Mirpuri, who uses the tours as an evangelistic tool. Before visiting the Jordan River, he explains the gospel message and challenges the participants to consider a relationship with Jesus Christ.
“During this last trip, almost all of the unbelievers in the group surrendered their lives to Jesus and went through the waters of baptism for the very first time at the Jordan River,” says Rev. Mirpuri.
“What is so cool is that during this occasion, the white dove came out of nowhere after the people emerged from the water. The dove hovered over the Word of Grace group, even while there were other groups in the water for baptism at the same time. This left such an impression upon the new believers that many of them openly wept through the whole event.”
One participant, a business executive from the Philippines, e-mailed Rev. Mirpuri after the trip, saying, “The Bible is so alive to me. As I read, especially the gospels, my mind brings me back to the very places we visited during our trip. Christianity will never be the same to me again.”
Learn More
Read how other U.S. Alliance churches are impacting their communities for Christ. www.cmalliance.org/news/topics/gochurch/
What You Can Do
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries and partner with Alliance workers at home and abroad who are being light in a spiritually dark world. www.cmalliance.org/give
June 14, 2011
“On June 1, 2011, the city of Gulfport presented me with a letter of occupancy for Liberty Café, a coffeehouse outreach to the community. We are now on the verge of opening the doors of Freedom Hall for the next vital step in our ministry plan.” says Rev. Darren Sanford, who moved his family to Gulfport, Mississippi, in 2005—after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast region—in order to plant Journey4Life Church and Freedom Hall community center amid the devastation. “Nearly 370 volunteers have contributed more than 15,000 hours of labor and resources over the course of two years. This is nothing short of amazing.”
Southern District Superintendent Fred King says, “We are very excited about the progress of Freedom Hall in Gulfport! Darren Sanford and his family have been the hardest working people I have ever known! His seven children jump right in and go to work. When was the last time you saw youngsters installing tile? They not only do it; they are really good at it!
“We believe this unusual ministry is of God and is very needed in the region. Though the project has made great progress, it is far from done. The need for materials and workers, as well as the Sanfords’ monthly support, continues to be something we can all share in. I plan to personally help, and I urge you to pray about what you can do. As we all participate together, I believe the need can be met.”
Darren and his family will connect with the people of the community through Freedom Hall by providing job training assistance to those who desire to become self-sufficient. “Training provides opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ with disillusioned, hurting people in a mutiethnic community of single and multi-family dwellings in which 20-30 percent are single-parent households. We offer tangible help and hope to people who otherwise would not hear about Him. This is what the mission of the church is all about.”
Establishing Community
Liberty Café will create an environment for building relationships and “bringing individual freedom to a hurting community through the indwelling life of Christ,” Darren says. ”The name ‘Liberty Café’ was chosen to reflect our purpose of bringing liberty and dignity to people. The coffees and teas served will be procured from fair/direct trade suppliers, and a portion of the profits will be donated to sponsoring ministries that are combating human trafficking.”
The grand opening of Liberty Café is scheduled for July. “While we continue to renovate Freedom Hall,” says Darren, “we realize the importance of establishing a community of local believers to provide the basis for Freedom Hall’s mission statement: ‘We bring freedom to those struggling with life’s hardships.’ Thank you for your faithful support of Journey4Life Church and Freedom Hall outreaches.”
Learn More
Read about ongoing Alliance work throughout the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina: Katrina Four Years Later
What You Can Do
To find out how you can participate in Journey4Life ministries, contact the Southern District at office@southerncma.org, or call 205-661-9585.
One More Thing You Can Do
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries and partner with Alliance workers at home and abroad who are being light in a spiritually dark world. www.cmalliance.org/give
May 23, 2011
On the heels of serving in tornado-ravaged Arkansas a month ago, Alliance Chaplain Paul Northcut now is in Joplin, Missouri, where at least 89 people perished in an EF4 tornado, Sunday, May 22. “Please keep this situation in your prayers,” says Paul. “I will be one of many chaplains helping there. We will need a lot of grace as we deal with the tragedy and loss of life.”
Bob Collins, executive director for Alliance Chaplain Ministries, was headed for General Council 2011 in his vehicle when he came upon the tail of the storm. “Denise and I were traveling north on I-35 through southern Oklahoma yesterday and came through a terrific thunderstorm with hail and very high winds,” he says. “Radio broadcasts warned of tornados, which may have been the beginning of that storm.”
Although there are no Alliance churches in Joplin, Alliance people in nearby Springfield and St. Louis are poised to help. “I know some of you will want to help [also],” adds Paul. “Please pray for the chaplains, first responders, and the many families who have lost loved ones as well as their homes and all of their possessions. May God bless each of you and use you for His glory.”
What You Can Do
Pray that God will pour out His Spirit on the people of Joplin, preparing their hearts to receive His Son. Pray for Alliance Chaplain Paul Northcut as he ministers to heartbroken people. For more information, contact Paul at ChaplainPaul@suddenlink.net
Learn More
Find out how Alliance institutional and military chaplains are serving God on the front lines of ministry in the United States as well as overseas.
One More Thing
When you give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries, you enable the worldwide work of The Alliance to continue shining the light of Jesus into the lives of lost and hurting people.
May 12, 2011
The following is adapted from a recent update by Tim and Penny Iverson, who serve among the working class in Taiwan.
Most of our updates center on what God is doing in Taiwan. But this time, we want to focus in a different direction. Recently, Tim and I finished up our tour ministries in U.S. churches, and we want to share some of the ways we have been blessed by the time spent with Alliance people.
Tour Stories
Two sisters, ages seven and four, collected and sold recycling materials to earn money to give to international workers. Theirs was “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).
A low-income family pressed $3 into my hand as they left church. Their sacrifice reminded us of Jesus’ words about the widow’s mite: “‘. . . she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on’” (Mark 12:44).
A man told me that he had already decided to give to the Great Commission Fund to support missions but then determined to give beyond what he could afford-by faith in God’s promise that “my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). This man was unemployed!
People joined me at the altar, committing to pray for us and the people of Taiwan. ”On him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many” (2 Corinthians 1:10-11).
We were prayed for by a mentally challenged individual with pure, childlike faith—a powerful prayer warrior! “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure’” (Luke 10:21).
People came to the altar to commit themselves to serve God wherever He leads, whether through short-term mission trips or a life of service to God. ”Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it’” (Matthew 16:24-25).
New friendships have blessed our lives, and we “thank our God every time we remember you” (Philippians 1:3).
Thank you to all of you who have hosted us in your churches this past year and in previous years. Thank you for upholding us in prayer and supporting us through your giving!
Living the Call Together,
Tim and Penny Iverson
What You Can Do
In your prayers, thank the Lord for the outpouring of love that Tim and Penny received from the Alliance family during their tour ministry. Pray that God will bless His people for their kindness to His servants.
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. In doing so, you partner with Alliance international workers, like Tim and Penny, in bringing the goods news of Jesus to the ends of the earth.
Learn More
Read about Alliance work in Taiwan.
April 29, 2011
New Hope (Alliance) Church Community hosted its annual Easter Fest at City Park-the oldest neighborhood park in Vallejo, California-Saturday, April 23. Nearly 300 people packed the park to enjoy a day of free Easter activities. “The purpose of the event was to bring joy into the lives of our children,” says Pastor Terrence Nichols. “These are difficult times for everyone, so we wanted to do something special for the children in our community.”
The day was filled with free games, prizes, and, of course, the much anticipated Easter egg hunt, which brought smiles to children of all ages. Separate hunts were held for different age groups, giving all the children an opportunity to find the colorful treasures. ”Everyone left with baskets full of plastic eggs that were filled with delicious candy treats,” says Pastor T, as he’s known to his congregation. ”We have some awesome merchants in Vallejo, and we are thankful for those who donated various items to make this a successful event.”
After decades of decline, City Park had an amazing resurgence when several neighborhood groups, including New Hope, worked tirelessly to renovate the “city jewel,” says the pastor, “opening events like this one to everyone in the community.” Throughout the park, the church had trained evangelism team members who passed out tracts that explained the Resurrection story. They talked to at least 30 people about the real meaning of Easter and prayed with several people who were depressed or discouraged. ”It was a powerful way to share the love of Christ,” Pastor T says.
New Hope Church Community has recently formed Hands of Hope Ministries, which is the outreach arm of the church. Hands of Hope provides food and clothing for the needy as well as organizing community events, such as the Easter Fest. ”God has called New Hope to be a light in the Vallejo community,” says Pastor T. “What better way than through the eyes of the children?”
Learn More
Read more stories about what U.S. Alliance churches are doing to reach their communities for Christ. www.cmalliance.org/news/topics/gochurch
What You Can Do
Pray that God will open doors to share the gospel as New Hope members build bridges of trust in their city. Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries, which supports Alliance initiatives worldwide. www.cmalliance.org/give
March 29, 2011
Rev. Stan L. Sniezek, senior pastor of New Life Alliance Church, West Palm Beach, Florida, and lead chaplain for the Lake Clarke Shores Police Department, was recently awarded an Exceptional Service Commendation. Chaplain Stan serves his community with the highest degree of professionalism. “Anytime you receive formal recognition from a government agency, it means a lot,” says Stan. ”The reassurance that you are doing an exceptional job is invaluable. This award spurs me on to continue to fight the good fight.”
Stan’s duties include-but are not limited to-counseling police officers, offering guidance to other members of the department and townspeople, making death notifications, visitation of the sick and hospitalized, and providing assistance to victims of trauma or crisis incidents, as well as offering invocations/benedictions at special events. Also, Stan is in the process of establishing CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) for the community. He will recruit and train local residents to join CERT.
“Being an Alliance chaplain with the police department has offered me a chance to minister to others outside the church,” he says. ”I have another congregation that I am involved with. I am a pastor not only to my church but also to the community.”
Learn More
Read about other Alliance chaplains who are impacting their world for Christ.
What You Can Do
Pray for Alliance chaplains, who are called by God to respond daily to lost and hurting people.
When you give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries, you enable Alliance workers to shine the light of Jesus into spiritually dark places.
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