February 15, 2011
Rev. Terrence Nichols pastors New Hope Church Community in Vallejo, California, is president of the C&MA’s Association of African-American Churches, and has been a voice of hope in the journey of reconciliation within The Alliance. As the United States celebrates Black History Month, Pastor Nichols shares his story of how God prepared him from his youth to cross cultural barriers with Jesus’ love.
My eyes swelled with tears as my mind filled with hundreds of memories of the past. All of my emotions were engaged as I recounted my days as a youth in the segregated southern town of Pelham, Georgia. As a guest lecturer in Dr. Ken Castor’s Social Justice class at Crown College, I wanted to make an impact, but I was not ready for the affect that my story would have upon me. My tears were not of sorrow but of joy and gratitude for the journey of racial reconciliation that God has called me to passionately embrace.
The Deep South
The memory of growing up in a world of two cultures that were separate but not equal is vivid. It was the ’60s. In Pelham, African-Americans were forced to order take-out food at a window in a side alley that was unappetizingly sandwiched between two “slop” buckets where the farmers retrieved feed for their hogs. Schools integrated, and riots broke out, with fires and fighting on the streets.
In schools, students were separated into groups. I was the only African-American male in the “A” classroom, while all of my other friends were placed in “B” or ”C” groups. Most of the white students were in the “A” and “B” groups, which were instructed by white teachers. It was classism at its best in the heart of America. I will never forget being slapped in the face by a white teacher and called the “N” word because I was in the hall before the bell rang, even though I showed my hall pass.
These painful experiences prepared me to be a reconciler. Allowing the pain of the past to paralyze me would have left me bruised and bitter. The apostle Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). I became broken-and better-as I allowed the peace of God to heal me.
Against the Wind
God began to shape my worldview of reconciliation through two instances. The first was when I was in third grade. The winds of integration had upended the schools in Pelham. High school students fought with bricks and bottles. Students in my elementary school fought with their fists. Teachers locked the doors before school, during breaks, and at lunch while students expressed their aggression outdoors.
I was not a fighter and did not understand why people were so angry. I relished the opportunity to sit next to a white student and learn from his culture. It was a challenge to me, not a crisis. One day while I sat on a bench, a white student, who also had grown weary of the hostilities, sat down and started talking. Neither of us could figure out why everyone was fighting. Our meeting developed into a lifelong friendship, and, fittingly, we are both ministers of the gospel today.
The second instance that impacted my path to reconciliation happened when I was a student at Simpson University in San Francisco. Some of my white friends came to hear me preach at one the black Baptist churches in the city. I was excited to welcome these students to experience our exuberant and participatory style of worship. For many, this would be their first time attending a black church. It was a dynamic worship experience, indeed, but I forgot one thing. It was February, which meant that it was Black History Month. Every speaker that Sunday used racial innuendos to describe what had happened to African Americans in this country.
The entire service was summarized in one speaker’s comments, “The white man brought us here in chains, and the white man still has us in chains.” Needless to say, I was horrified and embarrassed. I understood the hurt of my people, but I also saw the humiliation on the faces of my white friends. We had long conversations after this worship experience that helped to redefine our world view. This began a journey to unmask what the Bible says about reconciliation.
The Face of Reconciliation
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated that the most segregated time in America was at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning. Why is it so difficult for Christians from different ethnicities to worship together? Must we continue to be so divisive, even in the church? I began researching the subject of reconciliation and multicultural churches. The works of John Perkins and Dr. Howard Thurman impacted my approach to ministry. Both men referenced Acts 10:34-38 as a developmental foundation for their core values:
Then Peter began to speak, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”
God was shaping my mind and my heart, molding me as a reconciler as I discovered His love for all people. As a new creation in Christ, I examined how my theology and my practice match up in life. As a reconciler, I believe that I need an internal conviction. We all have prejudices, and we must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal them to us and show us how to reconcile with others.
Additionally, I must make an intentional commitment. In order for reconciliation to be sustaining, I must make it happen, ensuring that my staff, friends, influencers, and life experiences are multicultural ones. God wants us to not only be hearers of the Word but also doers of the Word.
Finally, reconciliation is an incessant lifestyle commitment. In this ever-changing world, our commitment to reconciliation must be never-ending, as we persevere in our journey to discover and grow as reconcilers. Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14, “Brothers I not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
No Color Lines
Eventually, I left the black church and chose to work with The Alliance, which gave me the opportunity to minister with Christians from a variety of countries and ethnicities. This step was viewed as courageous by some and with great consternation by others.
For 11 years, it was my privilege to pastor one of the most diverse churches in the C&MA, the San Francisco Neighborhood Church. Also, I became a representative for The Alliance at the historic joint meetings between the National Association of Evangelicals and the National Black Evangelical Association in their reconciliation conferences. My wife and I planted a C&MA church in Vallejo, California, and purposefully gathered a multicultural core planting team.
Just off the coast of Senegal on Goree Island is, pointedly, one of the most preserved slave trading outposts. It was there that C&MA leaders from all walks of life met and forgave each other for the atrocities of slavery. These ministry moments have forged healing and hope for the future.
As an Alliance pastor, I have opportunity to minister in a wide range of ethnically diverse churches and districts around the world, where, as Alliance founder A. B. Simpson said, “Your Master knows no color line, save that of His blood-red cross.” The C&MA is not perfect, but it is a good representation of the multiethnic Body of Christ, working together to reach lost people locally and globally.
Although Crown is not the most diverse of our Alliance colleges, a vivid picture of reconciliation is apparent in its classrooms. Through tears, I saw African-American students working and studying side-by-side with students who represent other ethnic groups. I shed tears of hope and joy in knowing what Christ-our Hope of glory-has done and can do in our lives.
Learn More
Read more about reconciliation in alife.
Find out how New Hope Church Community is impacting its San Francisco Bay Area community
What You Can Do
Pray for U.S. Alliance churches that are reaching multicultural urban settings with the peace of Christ.
Support Alliance Great Commission Ministries
December 23, 2010
Leanne pulls up in front of the building where an after-school program is located and gives her 13-year-old son, Peter, a hug as he gets out of the old car. The single-parent mother promises him that he can have whatever he wants for Christmas, because she’s getting a substantial Christmas bonus from her employer. But her hope of granting her son’s request is shattered later when her employer informs his team that because of budget cuts, there will be no Christmas bonus this year.
Leanne and Peter are characters in a video production that will be presented at Community (Alliance) Church of Jesus Christ in the Bronx, New York, on Christmas Eve. Written and produced by church member Christian Igbinovia, “The Perfect Christmas Gift” is an evangelistic outreach designed to bring God’s message of peace on earth to residents of the New York City burrough.
The project is the brainchild of Igbinovia, who incorporated the gifts and talents of believers from Community Church as well as other area churches to form One Body Productions. Each of the churches that participated in the production will present the video as well. The story revolves around a woman and her son, a student in an after-school program, and how their lives are impacted by the compassionate touch of the Savior.
“When the idea came, I knew it was from God,” says Christian. “Instead of the customary traditional Christmas presentation, I wanted to do something different. That’s when I thought about making a movie. Once the thought was there, the script came quickly and clearly. It was all God.”
The church, pastored by Das Misir, had no budget for the project. But Christian believed if he was willing to obey God’s call, he wouldn’t have to look for the resources. “The Lord would provide everything we would need,” he says. “And He did!”
Christian’s passion to reach the lost is especially piqued this time of year when he observes people getting into a celebratory mode and participating in the rituals of the season. Many can’t explain the feeling the wells up within, but their yearning for the hope and joy that Christmas offers propels them on. “As the season comes to a close,” he says, “they are left disappointed because the peace and joy for which their hearts longed appears to have been nothing more than a fantasy captured only through stories of Santa and happy-ever-after Christmas movies.
“This Christmas, we want to seize the opportunity to point people to that Bright and Morning Star of whom an angel from God proclaimed, ‘I bring you good news of great joy that will be to all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:10-11). This is the heart of ‘The Perfect Christmas Gift’- a message greater than any fantasy the mind could ever dream and more valuable than the production of any movie.”
This Christmas Eve, as New York City residents look for things to do, places to go, movies to see, and fixes for their inner thirst, the Community Church of Jesus Christ will open its doors with love and invite lost and lonely people to experience the perfect Christmas gift-Jesus.
Learn More
To find out more about the Community Church project, visit www.wix.com/wopchristmas/2010, e-mail wopchristmas@hotmail.com,
or call (718)-933-2812.
What You Can Do
Pray for God to draw people to the film presentation at Community Church of Jesus Christ in the Bronx as well as to the churches showing the film in other areas of New York City and in New Jersey. Pray for logistics to run smoothly without interruption. If you live in the area, take family and friends to the event.
December 1, 2010
Don’t blink as you walk through San Jose Christian Alliance Church (SJCAC); you just might miss one of the myriad outreaches taking place at this diverse mission that exemplifies the heart and vision of Alliance founder A. B. Simpson. The church, established in 1975 by Rev. Abraham and Lillian Poon to reach the Chinese community in what is now known as Silicon Valley, has grown into a multicultural, multi-ministry center that is meeting the physical and spiritual needs of thousands throughout the world.
Services are held in languages for six ethnic groups, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Khmer, Spanish and English. The English congregation is pastored by Ted Kang, who, along with his wife, Sandy, have been at SJCAC since 2002. Sandy oversees local ministries of the church, including the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program.
Teaching English
“Immigrants from Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico, and other countries learn the English language from faithful volunteers who work long days and then devote their evenings to teaching English,” says Sandy. “God has brought many people to us.”
Students are placed in beginner, intermediate, or advanced classes, which meet in community rooms at the church as well as at a nearby apartment complex, where residents are comprised of large numbers of recent immigrants to the United States. At the conclusion of each class, the teacher reads a Bible verse in English, relating a personal story that makes the Scripture relevant and life-applicable. Teachers are open about sharing their faith and ask students for prayer requests. An annual year-end party is held, where students receive a full gospel presentation. “Many hands have been lifted to receive Jesus by students who were moved by these selfless volunteers who teach them all year,” says Sandy.
Services in Jesus’ Name also are provided to senior citizens, “who arrive every morning via public transportation to the church’s Senior Center, a ministry that recently celebrated its 17th anniversary,” Sandy says. ESL and citizenship classes, singing, ping pong and line dancing give the area’s elderly immigrants an opportunity for socialization. The seniors receive lunch daily before going home.
Meeting the Healer
The area’s homeless receive medical and dental treatment from medical professionals at the Silicon Valley Christian Health Alliance (SVCHA), located a few miles from the church in a building operated by one of San Jose’s oldest Christian mission organizations, City Team Ministries. Dr. Cheryl Thieu, SJCAC church member and internist at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, founded SVCHA with a like-minded colleague.
“God placed recognition of His provision in my heart at an early age,” says Cheryl. “I grew up in an environment where I never lacked any material thing, but I saw people around me who clearly were in need,” Cheryl says. “Through a local VBS in Cincinnati I learned about Jesus as a child, and I began attending church regularly in high school. It was during medical school that I began to hear the Spirit say, ‘I put you here on earth for a finite time. What are you going to do with the time and skills I have given you?’”
Cheryl’s journey brought her to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she met and married her husband, Douglas, whose Alliance heritage goes back to Vietnam. Douglas’ grandparents were members of a Chinese church established by Alliance workers in Vietnam, one of whom remained a close family friend until her passing. “Betty Arnold was our dear friend and attended our wedding. We are grateful for our Alliance roots,” Cheryl says.
Christian medical professionals from other churches participate in the ministry as well, and equipment for the medical and dental offices was donated. “The focus is really the work of God and His healing,” says Cheryl. “The more I do this, I realize how small my role is. I’m the gatekeeper of meds, but God is the one who heals.”
The Least of These
Halfway around the world, the wounded spirits of disabled abandoned children in China also receive the Healer’s touch through Living Stones, an orphanage founded by SJCAC in 2005. When the final payment of SJCAC’s mortgage was made in 2000, the pastoral couple, Abraham and Lillian Poon, had a vision for the church. “Pastor Poon said since God had provided so much, we would use our resources to help the fatherless, poor and needy,” says Amy Lee, SJCAC member. Five years later, the vision was realized in Living Stones Village, a home for the fatherless in Nankang, Beihai, China.
The facility is located on 80 acres of land, where construction of a self-sufficient community is under way. Children with missing limbs, polio, blindness, cerebral palsy, hearing loss and crippling burns are being cared for and treasured at the orphanage. Living Stones’ unique mission is to provide a loving family, education, training, and career opportunities for the orphans and the underprivileged in the community.
The multi-outreach mission also includes Living Stones Academy, an English language instruction school (K-12) that provides high quality education with a comprehensive and holistic curriculum for students of all races and creeds. Additionally, houses have been built on the grounds for “parents” who provide a home and family for children who otherwise would not have the experience. “Children whose heart cry was for a mom and dad are now living with ‘parents’ in homes at Living Stones Village,” says Amy. ”Most children with disabilities [in China] are institutionalized for life. At Living Stones Village and its education center, they are trained in how to live productively in community and contribute effectively to society.”
Relying solely on a donor base with no advertising, the construction is gradual. “We don’t have flowery days every day,” says Amy. “Sometimes we wonder where the resources will come from. Then these nameless lovers of Christ give and bless us with what we need.”
Equipping the Laity
Abraham and Lillian Poon also have established Pastoral Care School, an international, cross cultural, Kingdom ministry endeavor to equip Christian ministers and lay leaders to pray for the sick and set the captives free. The Poons, together with their ministry team, have conducted Pastoral Care School conferences in the United States and worldwide since 2002.
The school is a five-day experience of “living in God’s presence, experiencing His healing and being equipped to shepherd others,” says Lillian. With a heart to minister to Christian leaders, the Poons are empowering the laity to shine the light of Christ into some of the spiritually darkest corners of the earth. There are more than 2,000 Pastoral Care School alumni worldwide.
The Rest of the Story
Abraham and Lillian Poon are relentless in their endeavors to proclaim the risen Christ, His healing power, and His soon return. From their humble beginnings 35 years ago to the extensive ministry outreach today, the power of God at work through San Jose Christian Alliance Church is evident, but it’s not over yet.
”The first 15 years of [SJCAC] was about getting established and having our own church home,” Abraham says. “Then the Lord renewed the church for the next 10 years before giving us His vision in the year 2000: ‘Every believer is a missionary, either here or there.’ In the last 10 years, we have sent out more than 20 workers into various mission fields, and a number of local outreach efforts for the church’s immediate neighborhood are providing compassionate care for the poor and needy. The story has only just begun.”
Learn More
Read how U.S. Alliance churches are impacting their communities.
Find an Alliance church near you.
What You Can Do
When you give to the Great Commission Fund, you partner with Alliance workers at home and abroad in sharing Christ’s message of hope with those who need good news.
November 2, 2010
By Doug Wicks, Donor Communications Manager for the U.S. C&MA
The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization convened in Cape Town, South Africa, October 16-25, 2010. The goal of Cape Town 2010 was to re-stimulate the spirit of the original Lausanne Congress represented in the Lausanne Covenant: “to promote unity, humbleness in service, and a call to action for global evangelization.” The Lausanne Movement is a worldwide movement that mobilizes evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelization.
Cape Town 2010 drew together 4,200 participants from 198 nations. The Congress was possibly the most representative gathering of global Christian leaders in church history. The Participant Selection Team, consisting of church leaders from every continent, established selection criteria to ensure that the Congress included men and women who represented a broad diversity of nationalities, ethnicities, ages, occupations, and denominational affiliations.
Delegates to the Congress met to consider the theme “God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19) and how to bear witness to Jesus Christ and all His teaching in every region of the world and every sphere of society.
In addition to the 4,200 delegates who attended the Congress, thousands of other leaders participated virtually via online and other digital technology. Organizers extended the reach of the Congress sessions to over 650 GlobaLink sites in 91 countries and drew 100,000 unique visits to its Web site from 185 countries during the week of the Congress.
Doug Birdsall, executive chairman of The Lausanne Movement, said: “We have worked to engage evangelical leaders on all continents. This is the first Congress of its kind in the digital age, and we’re praying that the results will herald a new moment for the Church.”
The First Lausanne Congress
The First Lausanne Congress was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in July 1974. Initiated by Dr. Billy Graham and Dr. John Stott, that First Congress involved some 2,700 participants and guests from over 150 nations.
According to Leighton Ford, the Lausanne committee’s first chairman, “The Lausanne spirit was a new and urgent commitment to world evangelization in all its aspects, a new attitude of cooperation in the task, and a new cultural sensitivity to the world to which we are called.”
In Africa
Convening the 2010 Congress on the continent of Africa is significant for a number of reasons. Since the First Congress, Christianity has ceased to be a “Western” religion. In 2010 approximately 60 percent of all Christians live in Asia, Africa and Latin America. By 2025, it is anticipated that 70 percent of Christians will live in what is called the global south. Roughly 50 percent of those attending the Cape Town Congress were from Africa and Asia.
In 1900 there were 8 million believers in Africa; today there are 500 million Christ followers. Africa is transitioning from a missionary-receiving continent to a missionary-sending continent.
Built for Interaction
Rather than assembling 4,200 individual chairs in the large convention hall, Congress organizers strategically arranged for participants to sit at tables of six during all of the plenary sessions. Each table consisted of individuals from a different nation and in one sense represented a microcosm of the global Church.
After each plenary session, participants at the tables of six engaged in robust discussion of questions raised by the issues addressed by the speakers. For example, participants at each table considered the contradictions of pluralism and the active evangelism of atheism in light of truth in the Person of Christ. They processed how to communicate Christ in their national context.
Additionally, during the Congress there were 24 multiplex sessions and some 160 dialogue groups that focused on specific issues impacting the Church, like prosperity theology, globalization, creation care and Christian interaction with people of other faiths and traditions.
The Cape Town Commitment
On the final day of The Third Lausanne Congress, “The Cape Town Commitment” was presented to the participants. Work on the statement, chaired by Dr. Christopher Wright, had been ongoing for several months leading up to the Congress. Senior theologians from every continent participated in the development of the statement.
The Cape Town Commitment is a declaration of belief and a call to action. The first part is an articulation of evangelical beliefs rooted in Scripture. This is available now on the Lausanne website, www.lausanne.org. The second part of the Commitment, which will be a call to action, is being generated through the feedback provided by Congress attendees as well as GlobaLink participants.
The completed two-part declaration will be published by the end of November. It will be available as a free download on the Lausanne website. Additionally, it will be available in a printed format in late January 2011.
Global Communion Service
The Congress closed with a celebration of Holy Communion led by Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi of Uganda. For this service, 100 communion sets had been borrowed from local churches around the world. “These represent the remembering of Christ’s death across many nations,” Birdsall stated. “We are a global movement committed to the local church.”
In closing, Birdsall exhorted, “The gospel is in our hands; we are Christ’s ambassadors in our generation. Let us seek God in a humble spirit. Let us work together, united around the great central truths of the gospel as we proclaim Christ in every sphere of influence and to all peoples of the world.”
Learn More
Find at more about this global movement at the Lausanne Web site. Read about Alliance participation in the event.
November 1, 2010
By Doug Wicks, Donor Communications Manager for the U.S. C&MA
More than 100 Christian and Missionary Alliance church and mission leaders from around the world participated in the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization held in Cape Town, South Africa, October 16-24. The 100 Alliance participants joined with 4,100 other delegates from around the world to discuss the issues and challenges facing the global Church in the next decade.
Rev. Arie Verduign, president of the Alliance World Fellowship, convened a special meeting of Alliance delegates during the Congress at which some 60 participants attended, including nationals from Canada, Congo, Gabon, India, Israel, Jordan, Netherlands, Philippines, Senegal, Serbia, United States, and Vietnam.
The Alliance World Fellowship (AWF) represents some 45 Alliance-related national church bodies from around the globe. The mission of AWF is to facilitate cooperation among its member churches as they work toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
As the Congress drew to a close, Dr. Robert Fetherlin, vice president of International Ministries for the U.S. C&MA, communicated the following message to Alliance international workers: “I am returning with some new friendships and connections, fresh ideas and new tools, and a deepened vision and greater love for Christ, His Church, and lost people. I was challenged, stretched in my thinking and understanding, and built up in Him.”
Also participating in the Congress was Dr. Martin Sanders, professor of pastoral theology at Alliance Theological Seminary (ATS) in Nyack, NY. Dr. Sanders was accompanied by a dozen student leaders from ATS who became exposed to the issues and challenges they will be facing as the church’s next leaders. In addition to his role as professor at ATS, Dr. Sanders directs a ministry called Global Leadership, which is committed to developing and empowering the next generation of effective Christian leaders for ministry around the world.
Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira, a Filipino-Canadian missiologist, serves as Lausanne’s Senior Associate for Diasporas. He also serves as Global Ministries Diaspora Specialist for the C&MA in Canada. Dr. Tira made a special presentation to the entire Congress. He believes that the Church needs a strategy for reaching the people of the diaspora, and it starts with the ministry of hospitality.
Dr. Fred Smith, professor of World Missions at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia, was fascinated with the broad representation of the global Church at the Congress. “Without doubt, the most impressive aspect of the weeklong meetings was the gathering of evangelicals of every stripe fellowshipping together without visible disunity. The one phrase of the conference that caught my attention was ‘we [the evangelical Church] need to develop a culture of grace.’ That spirit was exemplified with the unity I saw among the participants.”
Other Alliance representatives at the Congress were Rev. Jim Foster, vice president of Global Ministries for the Canadian C&MA; Dr. T.V. Thomas, director of the Centre for Evangelism & World Mission in Regina, Saskatchewan; and Dr. Ron Brown, missions coach for the Western District Office in Calgary, Alberta, and former Canadian Regional Developer for Africa (1998-2006).
Learn More
Read a more about the Lausanne Congress.
Join the global commitment to impact the world for Christ. Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries.
There were no tricks for the children who attended Kapahulu Bible Church’s (KBC) alternative to Halloween in Honolulu. Kids were treated to games, balloons, and the gospel message at the church’s annual Light up the Night Halloween event. “We see close to 500 people because this is seen as a safe neighborhood,” says Pastor Jim Stern.
Nearly 40 church members participated in the outreach to build friendships with local children and their parents. “Its good when people can realize church is a safe and a fun place,” says church member Dave Sakoda. “It can break the stereotype that everyone has of the church. It’s a great opportunity to reach out to the community.”
Light up the Night is one of several KBC Waikiki area outreaches, which includes Common Grace, a mentoring program in which the church partners with public schools to give needed assistance to non-English speaking elementary students. Pastor Stern and his wife, Anna, who served as Alliance international workers in Hong Kong for 12 years before moving to Hawaii, use their ability to speak Cantonese to bridge the gap not only with the students but also with their parents and teachers. “As trust with the children and their parents builds, new doors open up for us to show the love of Jesus,” the pastor says.
Providing fun, entertaining activities as a substitute to the traditional door-to-door solicitation for sweets gives KBC believers an opportunity to share the love of Jesus as they open their hearts to the children in a safe environment with no cost to the parents. “This is a way to bless the community, and it’s all free,” says Natalie Poon, church member and Campus Crusade for Christ intern. “[Church member] Auntie Donna shares the gospel through her balloon animals, and the kids get a yellow magnet with the gospel message.”
Other activities included a duck race, pumpkin toss, and bean bag toss with free snow cones for everyone as the high school youth group helped the children through the maze of amusements. “And with plenty of candy for all, their ‘sweet tooth’ was satisfied,” says church member Steven Phillips. “It’s great to have our congregation work together to give kids an alternative Halloween celebration, knowing we are impacting lives for Jesus as we shine His light into a dark night.”
Learn More
For more information about Kapahulu Bible Church, contact Pastor Stern at kb.church@hawaiiantel.net.
Read what other U.S. Alliance churches are doing to impact their communities for Christ.
October 29, 2010
By Jake Tillett, RN
Serving at Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children, Mali, West Africa
Jake volunteered his medical skills at Koutiala Hospital for a year in pursuit of his goal to become a full-time medical missionary with The Alliance. He achieved that goal in July 2010. The following is an adaptation of the feature story Jake recently included in his prayer letter, On Earth, As It Is in Heaven.
”Please Lord, don’t let him be dead,” I whispered as I hung up the phone.
I tried to reprimand myself for thinking so tragically. But this time of the year tragedy is in the air, and sometimes it is catchy. (In September and October during peak malaria season, a large number of critically ill patients come to us. Some of them die.)
Bad News?
I was in the operating room-doing I-don’t-remember-what-when I received the phone call. It was from one of the pediatric nurses who told me that Daouda’s dad was there to see me. I worried that his visit could only mean bad news, since the family is quite poor, and they live a good distance away.
Daouda is a 9-year-old patient who came to us last year. His face and neck were burned a few years ago, resulting in scarring that pulled his lips all the way down to his collar bone.
Since then, we have performed several surgeries on Daouda with the help of many visiting surgeons. Though the scarring is still evident, he now has good movement in his neck, mouth, and face. He no longer has to wear a ski mask to cover the deformities.
King of the Ward
During his last hospitalization, Daouda really grew attached to our staff workers and was having the time of his life playing with everyone who had a minute to just hang out. (Our workers call him the “King of Pediatrics.”)
In early September, Saskia (a Dutch physician), Lazar (a Malian pediatric nurse), and I traveled to Daouda’s village to visit with him and his family. He seemed to be doing really well.
So after hanging up from the call, I started walking toward pediatrics to find his father, hoping that Daouda hadn’t succumbed to malaria after all this.
But as I approached, I was happy to see Daouda peek around from behind his dad. I greeted them and then took them to my office to talk. After some small talk, it became clear that his father was there to ask for help for something.
He handed us a letter written in French, which Jessica Schaeffer and I struggled to fully comprehend. It was a request to help send Daouda to school. He had never been allowed to attend school because of his deformity, but the family wanted him to start this year.
$20 Fulfills a Dream
After pulling in another Malian pediatrics nurse (a mom who knows about Malian schools), we figured out that the financial request totaled a little less than $20 to cover Daouda’s schooling for a year, all of his supplies, and even his transportation to and from the village.
We were able to pool our resources and even purchased his supplies that day, sending him on his way with notebooks, pencils, chalk, and a chalkboard-all stuffed in a backpack designed to look like a puppy dog. He skipped away so happy that day. And I . . . well . . . I felt like a million bucks.
I tell this story not to pat myself on the back (you’d have to be a scrooge of the first order to NOT have given $20 to send this kid to school), but rather to tell you that I’m so privileged to be here. There are days when the busyness and the challenges of this place cloud my perception of that privilege, but there are moments of clarity that make my heart sing.
I want to thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support. You are truly a part of this ministry, and I hope you can celebrate in joy with me over the moments of privilege I experience serving here.
What You Can Do
Donate to Great Commission Ministries-partner with dedicated field workers, like Jake, who are Jesus’ hands and feet to those desperate to experience His kindness and saving grace.
Learn More
Read about Koutiala Hospital online.
Dig deeper into the subject of malaria. Read “1,000,000 . . . and One“-an article by Koutiala Hospital pediatrician, Brett MacLean-in the March 2010 issue of alife online.
Check out how you can become an Alliance missionary apprentice.
September 30, 2010
By John Soper
Jesus’ primary mission was, in His own words, “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). It is clear from His parting words to the disciples that His intent is for us to be just as concerned with this activity as He was. The writers of the Gospels have captured Jesus’ urgency in different words, but it is evident that He expects believers to continue seeking the lost and bringing them into the Kingdom.
Since seeking (and finding!) the lost is what Christians are called to do, it is rather painful to realize that the Church has often either forgotten or simply chosen to ignore its primary mandate. In some periods of history, evangelism and mission have been prominent, but at other times the Church has paid little or no attention to the command of Christ. As we approach the second decade of the twenty-first century, it seems to me that the concern of most American Christians for reaching the lost is once again waning. Contributions to missions are dropping both in terms of real dollars and percentage of total church income, and some churches give little or nothing to world missions or local evangelism. Even where the vision for evangelism and missions is prominent, personal involvement is too often limited to the giving of expendable income. The spirit of sacrifice that so marked the early days of the C&MA is, for the most part, now conspicuous by its absence.
Christians seem to have adopted the spirit of the directive posted in many shopping malls and public spaces: “No Proselytizing!” Perhaps it is time for us to be reminded of what it means to say that men, women and children without Christ are “lost.”
First, we must understand that people without Christ are already lost. More than once I have postponed sharing the good news with friends and neighbors by accepting the lie that “It’s not the right time. I can do it later. They will be OK for now.” That kind of reasoning, though quite common, flies in the face of everything the Bible teaches. John 3:18 tells us that everyone outside of Christ stands under the condemnation of God, and Paul in a most graphic description says that these people are “without hope and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12).
The French philosopher Albert Camus once said: “This is what frightens me the most. Mankind has come to live without meaning and man cannot live without meaning.” A few weeks ago, one of the 100 wealthiest men in the world chose to kill himself by stepping in front of a train. I might have rationalized: “He is OK for now,” but he was lost. One of the world’s richest men, but he was without hope and without God.
Next, we must remember that those without Christ, whether they are primitive tribesmen or urbane Westerners, are equally enslaved to the power of sin. Paul, writing to the Roman Christians, reminds them that before they came to Christ they were “slaves to sin” (6:17) without the ability or will to act in any way contrary to their sin nature. One of mankind’s greatest desires is for freedom, but ironically, apart from Christ, we are only free to act in accordance with a nature that is bound to sin. Jesus said: “. . . the truth shall set you free.” Is it not our responsibility to do everything in our power to give to men and women the only message that can truly set them free?
Finally, being lost means spending all of eternity without Christ in a place of constant torment—a place the Bible calls “hell.” Though many today, including some well-known evangelical theologians, seek to disavow the traditional concept of hell, the fact remains that we believe in such a place because the Bible says it exists, and Jesus Himself spoke more frequently about hell and its horrible reality than He did about heaven! I would certainly prefer a world-view that did not include a place of judgment and eternal torment, but I am not at liberty to create my own universe. Jesus spoke of a final judgment and taught that those who did not follow Him would be doomed to an “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46).
Evangelism and mission are our priorities because men and women without Christ are lost, and God wants them to be found!
John Soper has been a church planter, missionary educator and district superintendent and is now serving as Vice-President of Church Ministries for the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
By Julie Stutler, serving in Dominican Republic
About 280 teens and young adults from all over the Dominican Republic (DR), as well as a few from New York, attended the Dominican Alliance national youth camp at the end of August 2010. The event was held in a small country town and featured four days of fellowship, music, sports, fun, and spiritual challenge.
As an Alliance international worker in the DR for more than 22 years, I have had the privilege of participating in many youth camps over the years. They are always great times of high-energy fun and spiritual growth, but this year’s event saw a movement of God unlike any I have ever seen in all my years of ministry. It was a weekend of amazing miracles!
A Unique Ministry
The youth ministries in the Dominican Republic are unique. There are no paid youth workers or staff in our churches. The entire national youth ministry is led by young adults, the majority in their early 20s. Of those who formed part of the ministry teams at the camp, the number of people over 30 could be counted on one hand.
The Dominican Alliance youth leaders are young people totally sold out to Christ. They are humble and mature. Many attend university while working to help their families, yet they sacrifice their time and personal finances to be very involved with ministries in their churches and on a national level. It is a great joy for me to work alongside these youth. I have known many of them since they were small children, and now I have the privilege of serving as part of their team under their leadership.
The young people began preparing for camp many months in advance. The most important elements in the preparation were dedicated sessions of prayer and fasting to ask for God’s direction and presence at the camp. And He answered, working in ways far beyond what we could have asked for or even dreamed.
No Holds Barred
This year’s theme-”Devotion”-emphasized a strong personal relationship with Jesus and encouraged the youth to make a whole-hearted commitment to Him. There were no holds barred as the messages and invitations lovingly challenged the young people to renounce sins like pornography, sexual activity, bitterness, rebellion, and lack of forgiveness. Broken and repentant, teens and young adults made public commitments to live for Christ and to turn away from sin.
Young people would literally line up waiting to talk to leaders who would counsel and pray with them. Those of us who were counseling spent large amounts of time talking and praying with youth who were honest, open, and broken-desiring to be all that God wanted them to be.
“Huge numbers of youth were transformed and confronted by the Lord concerning issues of importance in their lives,” said one leader. There were also at least eight youth who made first-time decisions to give their lives to Christ.
“Jesus Was Enough!”
In past years, the camp tradition always included a talent show, concerts, and a bonfire. This year, the leaders made a controversial decision not to include those elements. On the final night of the camp, there was such an amazing outpouring of the Holy Spirit; hours after the message was over, young people continued to pour out their hearts to the Lord. A spirit of repentance later turned into a longing to be filled with the Holy Spirit in new and powerful ways. This time concluded with an incredibly joyous celebration of singing that lasted until after 1 a.m. At one point someone shouted, “This is the best concert ever!”
Larry Mayrina, one of the youth leaders, said, “It was a different camp; this year there was no talent show because we surrendered all our talents to the Lord. This year there was no concert with artists, because the concert was the voices of all the young people intensely worshiping the Lord. There was no physical fire, but the fire of the Holy Spirit was our spiritual bonfire that Saturday night. JESUS WAS ENOUGH!”
There were even financial miracles. Due to lower attendance than anticipated, the amount of money paid by the campers didn’t cover the expenses. The youth leaders were concerned. Someone suggested that they take an offering on Sunday morning, but most doubted that an offering could even come close to meeting the need. The majority of the youth are students with very limited income.
This was a real opportunity to trust God, and more evidence of His hand on the lives of these youth was seen on Sunday morning. Never in the history of the Dominican Alliance youth camps has an offering that large been received at the last day of camp with less than 300 campers. It was clear that total surrender to Christ even included these young people’s finances.
All for Jesus
On the last morning of camp, I had the opportunity to briefly address the youth. As I looked out at the group of young people, my heart exploded with joy. I wondered if this was what it was like in those tremendous gatherings in the early days of the C&MA more than 100 years ago. I joked with the youth that even though I was older than they were, I wasn’t around when A. B. Simpson and others had gathered to seek a deep and profound walk with Christ-but I was seeing in these young people what I imagine was experienced in the beginning days of this great movement called The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
This new generation of Dominican youth is living “all for Jesus.” Their heart’s desire is to be fully devoted to Christ and to take His message to the world. I think this may be the generation that brings back the King.
Thank you for praying! Continue to pray that God will help these youth to grow and to continue in this deep spirit of devotion to Christ.
What You Can Do
When you give to the Great Commission Fund, you partner with Alliance field workers, like Julie, in making fully devoted followers of Jesus.
Learn More
Check out our work in Dominican Republic.
August 30, 2010
“The woman was suicidal,” says Guaren Long, administrative director and treasurer for Hillside (Alliance) Community Church in Wrightwood, California. “Honestly, counseling someone with such hopelessness was out of my realm, but I survived cancer 20 years ago and understood what it meant to be at a low point. I was not threatened by Mary’s* words and boldly shared my hope in Jesus.”
Approximately 700 people attend the Alliance church in Wrightwood, a close-knit community nestled in southern California’s San Gabriel Mountains. Two neighboring towns, Phelan and Piñon Hills, create the basis for the church’s original name-Tri-Community Alliance Church, established in 1982 and pastored by Terry Morrow since 1995. Mary, a Phelan resident, is one of many people who are finding Jesus through Hillside’s inclusive outreaches.
Through Christmas events, sports camps, and ministries to women, children, and homeless people, Hillside is making a Kingdom impact in the tri-community. “Some of our outreaches are spontaneous,” Guaren says. “When we see a need in the community, we try to fill it. Mary was here because her daughter had been invited by a friend to a mid-week kids’ program. Instead of driving back and forth to pick up her daughter, Mary decided to wait. The other mothers participated in a Bible study, but Mary was hesitant to join them.
“‘Do I have to stay here?’ she asked me. She looked like she’d had a pretty rough life, and I saw this as an opportunity to share Christ. When I invited her to talk with me in another room, Mary opened up about her desire to end her life. We talked for an hour. She began coming to church, accepted Jesus as her Savior, and I’m still discipling her. It’s been a long, hard road, but Mary has seen God work in her life.”
Lighting the Way
With church growth came the need for expansion, and the Alliance Development Fund (ADF) is playing a key role in Hillside’s building project. With a loan from ADF, a new sanctuary is under construction. Currently, there are two services in the church, with a “chapel/coffeehouse” that broadcasts the service into another room to about 50 people. “It’s a safe place for visitors who aren’t so sure they are ready for the whole church thing,” says Guaren. “But they get the same music and message. It’s a good spot for people to check us out; some just prefer a more casual environment.”
The building campaign also includes a soccer/baseball field that “will be open to the community,” Guaren says, “using it as an opportunity to draw more families. We also open the church to groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Alanon, and Weight Watchers, providing a place to meet free of charge.
“As Hillside Community Church grows into a multi-ministry center, it will be a shining light in the community, bringing the hope of Jesus to lost and hurting people.”
*name changed
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