December 27, 2011
The following is an adapted excerpt from reports by Jill and Alan Kropp, who are partnering with Jane and Harry Landaw in reaching out to Japanese impacted by the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor leak.
We have great news! Last month we asked you to pray that God would provide us with a strategically located building to launch a new ministry initiative in the tsunami-hit disaster area of northern Japan. Through your prayers and the tireless efforts of our field colleagues, Harry and Jane Landaw, God has provided such a place. With the financial backing of CAMA (Compassion and Mercy Associates), we purchased a house in the city of Ishinomaki, one of the hardest-hit areas, where 46 percent of the city was inundated with water.
The earthquake literally shifted the city southeastward, and the ground sank as much as three feet in some places. More than 3,000 lives were lost. The previous owner of the home we purchased said that in the immediate neighborhood alone, 12 people had died. Some, even after hearing the tsunami sirens, went home to retrieve personal belongings, only to be washed out to sea.
Elderly people who had lived in the area all their lives underestimated the reach of the tsunami. They, too, perished. There are many more horror stories. To say that the needs are great is an understatement; but now, through this center, we have a unique opportunity to help the hurting. Our plans are to start a ministry that will serve the needs of the whole person, body and soul. Many in the region are still [emotionally traumatized by] the chaos, destruction, and death of the triple disaster. They are distraught, yearning for rest, hope, and peace. It is our desire to launch a ministry center that, by God’s grace, will eventually evolve into a sustainable, local church that will continue to serve this city.
“The people’s hearts are open!” said a Japanese pastor who is ministering inside the disaster zone. Please pray for continued receptivity to Jesus in the Tohoku region.
What You Can Do
Please join us in praying for this new work in Ishinomaki. Pray that God will give us favor with local contractors and community officials whom we seek to work alongside. Pray that we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit so we will know how best to serve and encourage the people of Ishinomaki.
Pray, too, for Alliance workers around the world.
Learn More
Read about God’s miraculous provision for Jane and Harry Landaw, church-planting team coordinators in the disaster area.
December 22, 2011
By Alliance international workers
Our three children, ages 6 to 11, attend a gated national school in the country where we serve. We try to include our boys in ministry as much as possible, and they have opened doors to reach people with the message of Jesus. Two Christmases ago, we invited the teachers from their school to a Christmas party in our home. A few faculty members came, and among them was the assistant principal.
Our boys met them at the door and then took them around the house, pointing out the various decorations and explaining their meaning. They showed them the Nativity scene and told the story of Jesus’ birth; they explained how we use the Advent candles.
Having previously thought that Christmas was about Santa Claus, the assistant principal was enthralled. He came to us later that evening, saying, “Wow—I did not know Christmas had so much meaning. Our kids in school don’t know that this is what Christmas is all about. Would you put this presentation on a DVD for me?” After more dialogue, we discovered that he needed it in 36 hours and intended to show it to the entire student body and faculty on Christmas Day!
So our boys worked with their tutor to script this Christmas presentation for the entire school, narrating the DVD in the national language. It was played the following year as well. We can’t get into the gated school, but God made a way for the students to hear about Jesus through our children.
What You Can Do
Pray for Alliance workers around the world.
Partner with Alliance workers to share the light of Christ—Immanuel—with those living in spiritual darkness. Be Light—give to the Great Commission Christmas offering!
*Look for the upcoming January 15 issue of alife, which includes stories about the impact of children’s ministries.
December 20, 2011
By Dave Bill, serving in the Republic of the Congo
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: . . . the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Marivia, 18, is a baby. That is, he’s a brand new Jesus follower. He’s also our neighbor here in Ollombo, Congo, whom we’ve been privileged to witness God transform.
“Before I received Christ,” he explains, “I used to steal money from my mother’s purse so I could go to the movies. If she didn’t give me the money, I’d fight with her. I also used to get into street fights easily.”
Our national colleague, Celestin, has the gift of evangelism, and soon after he joined us here in Ollombo, he began talking to Marivia (pronounced “Mar-e-vee-ah”) about the Lord.
“Celestin’s presentation to me of God’s Word helped me to realize that even if I die, my spirit will be with Christ,” Marivia recalls. “After I accepted Christ, I was really ashamed of how I used to act.”
Soon after his conversion, Marivia began taking discipleship classes from my wife, Teresa. “She helped me become firm in my faith and to resist the world and my old life,” says the 18-year-old, noting that the “weapons of our warfare” (Ephesians 6:10–18) assist him to avoid temptation.
New Beginnings
After his conversion, Marivia also began taking literacy classes from Teresa. (Talk about starting a new life—not only spiritually, but educationally as well!) “I never liked going to school,” he admits. “Even though I somehow made it to sixth grade, I never could read or write.”
It’s possible to stay in school here even if you can’t read or write, because a classroom sometimes holds more than 100 students—and just one teacher. This is the educational system in rural Congo, where a school room is a dirt shack!
Humility Equals Growth
Just the other day, Marivia announced that he was going to use most of the meager funds he has collected doing odd jobs for us and enroll in a private school where he can better learn to read and write. Imagine—an 18-year-old entering primary school!
While I was writing this article, Marivia arrived back from his first day at school, excited to talk about what he had learned.
“I’m excited about learning again!” he exclaims. “I now realize that it’s not a very easy future without the ability to read and write.”
We know it takes being humble like a child to enter the Kingdom of God, but I’m reminded by Marivia’s journey that to progress in the Christian life, we need to remain humble. That’s how God gives us grace to grow not only spiritually, but in every way!
What You Can Do
Praise God for Marivia’s new life in Christ; pray for his continued spiritual and educational progress. Join in praying for Alliance workers around the world.
Donate to the Great Commission Fund—partner in Living the Call together with Alliance workers like the Bills.
Learn more about our work in Congo.
“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.
December 16, 2011
By Jeremy Fields, serving with Compassion and Mercy Associates in Mongolia
The following is an adapted excerpt from the Fieldses’ December update.
I visited my son’s sixth grade Bible class the other day to give a symposium on the relative similarity between stable conditions in the ancient Middle East and modern day Central Asia. We concluded that stables are, in fact, quite dark, cramped, cold, and filthy.
If we were to design our own nativity set today, we decided that Joseph would be frantically wrestling cows away from the manger (a contraption made up of 2x4s and old tires). The shepherd would be busy scooping up after his cute sheep, the fancy wise man would be rubbing his head after bumping it on the low ceiling, and Mary would be calming the baby Jesus with one hand—holding her nose with the other.
Jesus’ List
I couldn’t help but contrast that scene with the glorious throne room of God. And I began to imagine what Jesus’ Christmas List must have looked like—not a list of things he wanted, but things He would give up to enter this world: angelic surround-sound, a 3-D panorama vision of the Universe, premium preventative health care, omniscience . . .
These thoughts inspired our family to start a new “Christmas List.” We chose things that we might have to give up if we were to follow the example of the One who “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). The kids pretty much put down everything they enjoy that they’d have to give up in order for the world to share in Christmas, including:
- Our house (and most, if not all, of its plumbing )
- Toys
- Pets (we can get bigger, smellier ones!)
- Books, music, and even our language
- Friends and family
- Comfort and security
We have spent a great deal of thought as a family about what would be on our Christmas list, and it will probably be our “best” Christmas ever. Strangely, giving up most of the things on this list for Jesus has actually magnified our joy! Could it be that this is the essence of Christmas?
So what could you give up this next year in order to share Christmas with an unreached people group that has NEVER heard of Christmas or celebrated it before?
As you gather under the star (which points to the King) or the angel (which proclaims the Savior) on your Christmas tree, would you take a moment with your family to reflect on what Jesus gave up in order to share Christmas with us? Then simply ask Him what He would have you put on His Christmas list so that others can join us in celebrating Him in the coming year.
What You Can Do
For your list, consider praying for Alliance workers worldwide to experience God’s peace, comfort, and joy—the spirit of Christmas all year round.
December 15, 2011
By Jessica Schaeffer, RN, serving at Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children, Mali, West Africa
The following is an adapted excerpt from Jessica’s recent update.
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”) [Matthew 1:23].
In the challenges of these past months, I’ve often reminded myself, “Jesus is with me right now.” What a gift to know that He will never leave me or forsake me. I am not alone because of Immanuel, God with us. And what a joy it is to see others come to know the Gift, to enjoy the presence of Jesus in their lives.
God with Salif
Salif came to our hospital a year ago looking for help. The teenager had been in a moped accident two years previously and broken the bone in his thigh (femur). He hadn’t received proper care, so a piece of bone was sticking through his skin and chronically infected. Salif spent a lot of time watching Christian films during his hospital stay.
Ever since his discharge from the hospital last spring, he has come to church with me. Just recently, God answered our prayers: Salif decided to follow Christ!
A few days ago he visited me, discouraged because his father continues to verbally persecute him for having become a Christian and has threatened to kick him out. After missing school since his accident, Salif was finally back in school, until a few weeks ago when his father pulled him out . . . apparently a consequence of his profession of faith in Jesus.
As I talked with Salif, I kept reminding him that even in the difficult things he is facing, he is never alone—God is with him, and at any moment, we can cry out to Him for help.
Pray for Salif, that he will grow in his faith, and that He will know God’s presence with him, even in the midst of rejection and persecution from his family.
It is a joy to see others find Jesus and experience God’s presence with them always. Thanks for your important part in helping people to know and experience Immanuel. May you know His love and presence today—and every day.
What You Can Do
Pray for Alliance workers the world over. “Although life has been rich and full over these past months,” Jessica wrote this fall, “I’ve also been fairly overwhelmed with my workload. Sometimes the pressure is great, and I feel ready to despair. But my hope is set on Jesus, who I know will continue to help me through your prayers.”
Partner with Alliance workers like Jessica to share the light of Christ—Immanuel—with those living in spiritual darkness. Be Light—give to the Great Commission Christmas offering!
December 9, 2011
Over the 2011 Thanksgiving Weekend, a fire truck—previously used by the New York City Fire Department—was transported to a New Jersey port to begin its ocean journey to Africa via cargo ship. Its mission: to serve the C&MA’s Bongolo Hospital and the surrounding community of Lebamba. The fire truck is scheduled to arrive in Gabon in early 2012.
“What a blessing this fire truck will be, not only for our hospital, but [also] for the local Gabonese!” exclaimed Dr. Keir Thelander, the hospital’s medical director. “Not long ago there was a fire in a nearby village; bystanders just watched as unsuccessful attempts were made to put the fire out with buckets of water—a fire truck could easily have put it out in minutes.”
Hospital Fire Spurs Action
After witnessing a fire that had greatly damaged Bongolo Hospital’s warehouse in 2009, Dave and Diann Conquest (parents of Keir’s wife, Joanna), returned home to Pittsford, N.Y., where they commenced an exhaustive search for a fire truck on eBay®. After placing a bid, the couple purchased the 1975 Mack CF600 Pumper 6-Cylinder vehicle for $3,175!
Since July 2010, the Conquests have helped to raise more than $20,000 to cover the cost for necessary repairs, supplies, and shipping the truck to Africa. Contributions have come in from the community, including local fire departments, and beyond.
The 158-bed Bongolo Hospital is more than 200 miles from the nearest fire station. In addition to its busy surgery, maternity/pediatrics, and outpatient departments, the hospital has a nursing school, a dental clinic, and an eye surgery clinic. As of November 11, a reported 1,111 people had received Jesus as Savior through the hospital’s ministry in 2011.
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund. Partner with Alliance workers like the Thelanders to share the light of Christ with those living in spiritual darkness.
Learn more about Bongolo Hospital’s powerful witness in Gabon.
Watch a YouTube video about the fire truck’s journey to Africa, including an interview with the Conquests. Note: Clicking on this URL will take you off of the C&MA Web site.
December 6, 2011
By Ed and Sue Danneker, serving in Thailand
The floods that have ravaged Thailand for the last several months are finally starting to abate. The waters have been in and around Bangkok for more than a month and are quite putrid. It became common to see hundreds of cars parked along elevated highways to escape the floods. People barricaded their homes and businesses with sandbags or cinder block walls in an almost futile attempt to keep the waters out.
Praise God; many areas are finally drying out, and clean-up has begun. However, some communities, especially in north Bangkok, still have a lot of water in their homes. The waters continue to slowly be drained into the sea. We are very thankful that the flood waters never reached Mahachai. It is good to see the stores once again at almost full stock. Pray for those who are still suffering and for the extensive clean-up and repairs that need to happen.
A Flood of Teens
After the regular mid-year school break in October, the schools were closed for an additional three or four weeks because of the floods. But since Mahachai was dry, there were a lot of kids with a lot of time on their hands. So the group of teenagers who have been coming to our church to learn guitar, keyboard, and practice their band started dropping in almost every day. And the teenagers invited their friends to come to church and “hang out.” It stretched Pastor Somkit and his wife, Suda, who live on the third floor of the church’s store front building, but they embraced the young people with open arms. The teens are getting so comfortable at church that they even prepare meals together in the church kitchen.
Pastor Somkit and Suda have been able to disciple the new believers: Ploy, Gick, and Pet, all in ninth grade. The kids finally started school on November 21. Several of them still stop by the church after school to hang out for a while before heading home. Please pray for each of these precious teenagers, that each one will come to saving faith in Christ. About six of them come to church each Sunday.
The youth group came over to our house on Saturday, December 3, for the regular weekly outreach time. They were treated to Sue’s “famous” homemade pizza. Pray that the good news of Jesus will penetrate open and receptive hearts.
What You Can Do
Praise God that the flood waters have receded and for the new ministry opportunities among teens. Pray that the new believers will grow strong in their faith. And pray for Alliance workers worldwide.
Donate to the Great Commission Fund. In doing so, you partner with workers like Ed and Sue to share the Light of Christ with people young and old.
December 5, 2011
By Laura and Jeter Livingston, serving at West Africa Alliance Theological Seminary (FATEAC), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
The following is an adapted excerpt of a recent update from the Livingstons that describes FATEAC’s state of ministry since failed presidential elections took place in Côte d’Ivoire one year ago.
One year ago last week presidential elections were held that set off months of violence in Côte d’Ivoire that culminated in civil war, which left hundreds dead and tens of thousands emotionally traumatized. On that one-year anniversary, we celebrated the official opening of the new school year with great thanksgiving!
Many Reasons for Gratitude
Our joy was compounded at this event because we were blessed to have a recovering Isaac Keita (FATEAC’s dean who has undergone cancer surgery) welcome us to the worship service. Former church President Andre Kouadio preached the Word clearly, in spite of his age and ongoing battle with diabetes.
In surveying the students attending this event—faithful church leaders representing 12 countries and 20-plus denominations—we were thankful to God for giving us the privilege of being a part of this ministry. And we were thankful for you and your part in enabling this work through your prayers and giving.
Trauma Healing Update
Speaking of ministry . . . Laura has just finished writing a standardized curriculum for use in the Trauma Healing Seminars as well as a program for training facilitators. This training is sponsored by ECGAP (The Church, Healing Community/Peacemaker)—a partnership between FATEAC and Action Internationale De Developpement Integral (AIDI), an Ivoirian nongovernmental organization focused on the development of women and children. Opportunities to meet deep needs through this partnership are endless.
On the first trip (July 2011) to take the message of healing and reconciliation to Duekoue—a town in western Côte d’Ivoire where the worst war atrocities took place—the idea was born to create a booklet that could be given to those whom we have counseled. Lynell Zogbo (The Bible Society) compiled the text, and Marianne Sommer (SIM) supplied the illustrations.
“My God, You Are the Light in My Night” helps the emotionally traumatized work through their grief as they interact with David’s Psalms of lamentations. The booklet is at the printer this week, and we plan to sell it at cost or, as funds become available, give it away to those still in the refugee camps here.
Last year at this time, we were daily battling fear and wondering what the future held. How good it is to look back and see that God never took His good hand off of us!
What You Can Do
Praise God for peace in Côte d’Ivoire after months of war. Please pray for peaceful legislative elections in December and for Isaac Keita’s complete healing. Pray also for Alliance workers worldwide.
Donate to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers like the Livingstons to share the good news of God’s healing grace, provision, and reconciliation with the hurting and the lost.
November 30, 2011
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.
Facebook
Twitter
Forums
RSS
Podcasts
Newsletters