November 18, 2009
In the Alliance we believe that the Great Commission is worth living and dying for. We also believe that our workers who have committed their lives to this cause should be free to devote themselves fully to the task of reaching lost people and making disciples. That’s why the Great Commission Fund (GCF) was established. When the U.S. Alliance family gives to the GCF, it ensures that international worker expenses—including allowances, housing, transportation, medical benefits, children’s education, and ministry tools—are all provided. This frees our workers to focus on building vital relationships that bring people to Christ.
November 17, 2009
UPDATE: November 17, 2009
In an e-mail received this morning from Haniki Theron , we have received wonderful news about Pieter.
Pieter went out early this morning for a CT scan, came back for his breakfast, and then to physiotherapy. And would you know, they found another pain. They thought he had a heart attack when they turned him
around, all of a sudden a stabbing pain went through the lower part of his left rib. I think it is probably another cracked bone. The doctor said she will check the x-rays to see if it’s serious or not. May not be serious, she has not come in yet.
The physiotherapy really helps a lot. He is completely without pain after a session. I forgot to say that he had a really good night last night. Slept for five hours without waking up. On his left side, hugging a big pillow. The rest of the night he typed all the e-mails in his head he needs to send out, and I had to do the real typing
throughout the day.
Dr. Yot came to inform me that Pieter’s head (CT scan) is perfect!!! Will heal without any problems. Even the blood on the brain is gone. He confirmed that Pieter will be discharged on Thursday, and if it wasn’t for the physio, we could actually go back next week. We will hopefully see someone tomorrow to find out how long he still needs to stay for that.
I have just made a reservation for Thursday to Saturday night in the residence next to the hospital. It will be easy for Pieter to come back for at least those three days. We plan on going back to the guesthouse from early next week.
UPDATE: November 5, 2009
In an e-mail received this morning from Steve Strong, we have received good news.
It is 9:17 PM, Nov. 5, in Bangkok, Thailand.
Richard Herring does not require surgery but must stay in the hospital for another 5 days for bed rest. He does have a fractured hip. He will then require up to two months of physical therapy.
Pieter Theron, team leader from Mongolia, is in Bumrungrad hospital and in ICU still. His wife and a friend are there with him tonight. They have a guest room provided by the hospital.
He has a ruptured disc or fractured vertebrae in his neck, fractured shoulders, fractured scull, and fractured wrist. They may have to do surgery on him on Sunday. Please pray for any remaining blood in his head to drain or dissolve without incident. He has an excellent team of nurses around him and a neuro surgeon who is watching over him. His mind is sharp and he is alert but in pain.
Thanks for your continued prayers for them both. Our RLT meetings have continued without Richard and Peter and will conclude tomorrow. It has been a heavy last couple of days for all of us.
Please continue to pray for the recovery and healing of Richard and Pieter.
ORIGINAL: (posted November 4, 2009)
I received word this morning that Richard Herring (regional director) and Pieter Theron (Mongolian field director) were injured in a bizarre accident on Wednesday afternoon (Thailand time). Participants of the Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Bangkok attended an elephant show as an outing for the team. While the team was taking pictures, an elephant grabbed Pieter and Richard and threw them about 10 feet into the air. Pieter has a fractured skull and is in critical condition; Richard sustained a broken hip and possible other injuries less serious than Pieter’s.
Please put out a call to prayer for Pieter and Richard in your circle of influence. Additionally, pray for all the participants at the Regional Conference as they respond to the needs of the families of our injured colleagues. I expect, but am not sure, that the final days of the conference will be cancelled. As we get more information, we will communicate with you.
Below is a more detailed account of the accident from Brent and Lisa Liberda, Alliance workers in Mongolia.
Praying with you for Pieter and Richard,
Gary
Members of the RLT (regional leadership team) were on their one free afternoon outing to an elephant and crocodile zoo near the Rose Gardens. We all went to the crocodile show and later attended the elephant show. Everyone was sitting in the grandstands as the elephants performed in a field in front of us.
At the end of the show, the park staff brought out bananas, and about 10 elephants lined up at the fence where people could feed the elephants and take pictures in front of them. After most of the crowd was beginning to leave, some of us from the RLT started to feed the elephants and take pictures. Richard and Pieter were getting their picture taken in front of one of the biggest elephants when suddenly the elephant with his trunk threw them both about 10 feet up into the air. Richard landed on the cement, and Pieter fell on his head. It was very serious. A number of us started administering first aid and praying. There wasn’t even a first aid box in the entire park, so we used our shirts and other cloths we could find for compresses and pillows and kept the two men immobile. Both were conscious. Some Christians from other countries who had been there stayed and prayed at a distance. It took about 30 minutes for the first of two ambulances to come, which seemed like an eternity. Two or three from the RLT group went with the ambulances to the hospital.
The two men are currently in a hospital outside the city and will be transferred at 10 p.m. tonight to Vitchayut as the traffic is too bad now. Word from the people at the hospital is that Richard is stable and has a fractured hip. Pieter is in ICU with a fractured skull and is bleeding internally near the brain. He may also have fractured shoulders. The hospital is working on getting a neurosurgeon to the hospital to assess the situation so that Vitchayut will be ready to receive him. The latest news, which is good, is that Pieter’s vital signs are stable and the internal bleeding is minimal.
Please pray for God’s healing touch in the lives of these two men. Pray especially for Pieter, that God would stop the internal bleeding and that he would be able to receive the help he needs in the shortest amount of time. Pray for his wife, Haniki, as she is at the hospital with him and several others. Dr. Benedict in Colorado has been notified of the situation.
Many thanks for your prayers,
David Strong
Thank you for praying for this situation with us!
Brent and Lisa
P.S.
This just in! As we were preparing to send this e-mail we received the following news. Peter does not need brain surgery. He has some blood on the brain but not enough to require surgery. He has a fractured skull, both shoulders seem to be fractured, and a broken wrist. He is in ICU and will be closely monitored. His internal organs appear to be good and his vital signs appear to be good. He is in the care of good doctors and in one of the nation’s best hospitals. Praise be to God. Please thank all who have prayed and are praying.
November 13, 2009
Alliance churches are breaking the mold of the traditional church plant. Frustration with budget crunches, dwindling congregations, and decreased giving with little left for outreach has caused many Alliance pastors to rethink the way they do church.
“Trying to get people to come to church just doesn’t work like it used to,” said one Alliance pastor recently. “There’s a general consensus, especially among younger people, that churches are filled with hypocrites who demand money and perfection but don’t practice what they preach; the Bible is an ancient document and there is no evidence of God’s power among so-called Christians.”
In order to build bridges of trust that will bear the weight of truth, some Alliance churches are moving beyond the four walls of traditional church buildings into their communities, demonstrating the love of their Servant King through projects that benefit their neighbors. The fact that nothing is asked in return has captured the attention of city officials as well as local media in some cases.
Freely Give
Pastor Rick Gates has led his Crossroads Church congregation in Perry, Iowa, out of the sanctuary to shine the light of Christ during a Week of Service in their community. Church members have completed 40 projects in four years. Local TV news shows have reported the “free help” that Crossroads provided for the community in June.
“Our culture today knows nothing of the church except that it expects people to give money and attend services for no meaningful or relevant purpose,” says Rick. “The church is not connected to their daily lives and does not make sense to them. Jesus talks a lot about being servants . . . as we serve, people slowly begin to see Jesus.”
Benefitting Neighbors
“Most church plants take 30 or more people and move them,” say Pastor Scott Klaudt of Downtown Alliance Church, who established a coffeehouse in downtown Missoula, Montana, in order to meet plenty of people. “We didn’t want to just shift a bunch of Christians around, which may work for some, but it’s not what I wanted to do.”
The coffeehouse venue provides lunches, catering mostly to professionals in search of quality noontime respite, and hosts open-mike night, jazz concerts highlighting local musicians, and benefit fund-raisers for neighbors. “We recently hosted a benefit concert for a youngster who suffers from a seizure disorder,” says Scott.
God’s Property!
In Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Bob and Sue Havenor and a handful of people, none of whom are in professional ministry, have reclaimed for God an area where an Alliance church once stood. They have taken jobs within their community in order to build relationships and prayer walk. Bob is getting to know a lot of men through his work at an auto parts store.
“We didn’t plant an organization where people with needs must go to a church,” says Bob. “We are the Church that has a mandate to go to the people with needs. This is the essence of incarnational ministry; as John 1:14 says in The Message, ‘God became a man and moved into the neighborhood.’”
Bob’s team began systematically prayer walking every street in a 1.5 square-mile target area. “We started at a strategic location that is, first, an easy place to find on a busy central street,” he says. “Second, and far more important, is what this property once was. This was the site of the Fort Wayne Gospel Temple, a leading Alliance church in the middle half of the last century.”
Outside the Box
ServantChurch in Mission, Kansas, is “committed to doing church simply so that we can simply serve,” says Pastor Doug Burford, who grew weary of buildings, bulletins, budgets, and board meetings, as well as struggling to get busy professionals to meet for prayer, Bible study, and service.
Since its inception, ServantChurch has participated in several projects, including the construction of nanny quarters for a family in which the mother has terminal cancer and the installation of windows to winterize the residence of “urban missionaries” in Kansas City. “ServantChurch is intentionally without a building so that its members are free to worship where they serve,” says Doug.
As the history of the Church bears witness, there are times, like the Reformation, when the Church has to “reset” the course after straying off course. “It has been said that Martin Luther reset the theology of the Church,” Doug says. “This ‘new reformation’ is one that [just may] reset the form of the Church.”
What You Can Do
Praise God for His guidance and provision for Alliance workers who are willing to take faith-filled risks to share the gospel.
Pray that God will bless these four churches with a bountiful harvest.
.
November 9, 2009
Manhattan-the heart of New York City and home to Wall Street and America’s cultural and intellectual elite-is also home to the Alliance’s Nyack College Manhattan Campus, where believers are being equipped to take Christ into the culture all over the world.
“It is a gift to understand the times and a revelation to know what we ought to do,” says Michael Scales, president of Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, New York. In spite of the current tough economic times that have hit the city hard, Scales and Nyack College leaders are trusting God’s call to take on the Goliath challenge of a capital campaign for a permanent Manhattan campus.
President Scales has designated November 11 as “A Day of Prayer and Fasting for the Miracle in Manhattan.” The $70-$100 million project will indeed take a miracle. “It is impossible for us to come up with the resources [for this campaign],” says Scales. “But not for our God.”
With a student body of 1,300 from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds in rented spaces, and a growing enrollment, the Alliance college has become the most urban and diverse Christian institution of higher education in the world today. “This university will become a hub of Christian scholarship and espouse community development,” says Scales. “It will become a lighthouse for this city.”
“The Lord is calling on us to leave a legacy of grand scale,” Scales says. “The time is now-the investment is eternal.”
Learn More
Go to Alliance Events link to read more about Nyack College’s prayer for a miracle in Manhattan.
November 4, 2009
“He is the God of the impossible. He is going to use the children of the African diaspora to go back home and reach those in the ‘motherland’ with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” wrote Rev. Terrence Nichols, president of the C&MA Association of African-American Churches, in the February 2008 issue of alife.
Rev. Nichols connected deeply with the Senegalese during an Alliance missions trip to the West African nation two years ago. An emotional tour of Senegal’s Goree Island-”the island with the door of no return”-the last stop for most West Africans forced into the global slave trade, solidified his and his team’s resolve to return to Senegal with fellow African-American believers from the United States.
A Vision Fulfilled
Bridge Senegal 2009 is the fruition of that dream. Through a partnership between the C&MA’s African-American Association, Short-Term Missions Office, and 16 Alliance missionaries and Senegalese church leaders, Alliance African-American community members are taking Christ’s love to the people of Senegal, November 5-15.
Nichols, pastor of New Hope Church Community in Vallejo, California, and an Alliance board member, is co-leading the trip with Donna Baptiste, a former Alliance missionary to Mali, evangelist for the Alliance Metropolitan District, and president of Donna Baptiste Ministries.
“For more than 10 years,” she says, “I prayed that one day, as in the days of A. B. Simpson, there would be a groundswell of African-American missionaries serving in the C&MA.”
Trip Details
During the first portion of the trip, Bridge Senegal 2009 team members will learn the history of African Americans in C&MA missions. During the second phase of the 16-day outreach, team participants will minister side-by-side with Alliance international workers and Senegalese church leaders. Community ministry will include training seminars with the local church, evangelism, and outreach to the homeless, imprisoned, and infirm.
Pastor Nichols will share his reflections about Bridge Senegal 2009 in the February 2010 issue of alife.
Learn More
Read Pastor Nichols’ article “No Language But Love” in the February 2008 online issue of alife.
Check out the Short-Term Missions Office Web site.
October 22, 2009
Gabon’s first-ever medical air transport program is about to take-off-on the wings of a Cessna 207.
Pilot Steve Straw, who serves with Air Calvary, ordered the pre-owned, single-engine aircraft this summer. It will provide air service for Alliance-run Bongolo Hospital in the West African nation, thanks to a partnership between Air Calvary, Bongolo Hospital, and The Alliance Chretienne au Gabon ( the national Alliance church in Gabon).
Following months of painstaking rebuilding, the eight-seat aircraft will begin its transatlantic journey to the West African nation toward the end of November. Straw is an ordained C&MA pastor and his wife is the director of a Libreville-based guest house.
October 24 Commissioning Ceremony
“To start the airplane’s service off on the right foot,” said Straw, “we’re holding a Commissioning Ceremony and Open House at CXY Aviation, Capital City Airport, in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, October 24, from 1 to 3 p.m.”
In his open invitation to the landmark event, Straw exclaimed: “We hope that you can make plans to be at the commissioning service as the aircraft makes a stop on its way to Africa. Come climb behind the controls, take pictures, meet other supporters, buy a T-shirt, and pray the airplane on its way!”
Special thanks, he concluded, go to York Alliance Church for facilitating the commissioning ceremony and to CXY Aviation for hosting the October 24 event.
Fit for Service
Outfitting the aircraft for its new venture has been a labor of love. Work teams in Arkansas and Oklahoma stripped the plane down to its frame before installing more than $20,000 in avionics equipment, as well as a new engine and propeller that were given by an anonymous donor. A new paint job provided the finishing touch.
Plenty of luggage room, a storage compartment just behind the engine, and a cargo pod under the airplane further complement the plane’s commissioning to Gabon for its noble service.
Learn More
Read more about our current work in Gabon at Bongolo Hospital.
See a slideshow Steve Straw compiled, which chronicles the months of work required to outfit the Cessna 207 for its new mission. Note: Clicking on this link will take you off of the C&MA Web site.
What You Can Do
In your prayers, give thanks to God for this first-ever air ambulance service to the Gabonese people. Pray also that the aircraft will have a safe flight and for the brand new air ambulance program’s success.
Because of the Great Commission Fund, Alliance workers are able to provide life-giving care to many who are lost in Gabon and around the world. Please consider giving a donation today.
October 13, 2009
The following report comes from a field worker on the ground in Indonesia. It was originally dated October 6, 2009.
Pariaman and Sicincin are two communities that were hit hard. Almost every house either heavily damaged or completely destroyed. The communities are primarily family based with about 30 heads of families in a area. No power or public water source. Well water is fine. While some wells sustained damage or were filled with falling debris, most are functioning.
Death count is still not dependable. Govt is saying 550, however two major landslides may have claimed hundreds of victims. Also victims from the Chinese community are being buried without any report to the government.
The government is saying that over 30,000 homes have heavy damage, most cannot be repaired. We have decided to purchase and put together tool packets so that people can salvage usable materials from their houses. Tool packet contents are as follows: hammer, shovel, saw, file to sharpen saw, hoe, mallet, 3 kilos assorted nails, crowbar, pliers and two pair gloves. Initial purchase is 50 packets which we’ll distribute Tuesday afternoon. If this is received well by the community, we anticipate a purchase of 200 more tool packets.
We anticipate the arrival of a number of national workers that will help with cleaning of destruction debris and tool packet distribution. Adequate housing in the city of Padang has been secured. For the village area we’ve purchased tents and a small gen-set.
October 9, 2009
The following is an adaptation of Jessica Schaeffer’s recent newsletter to her supporters.
On Monday, Oct. 5, the 5,000th baby was delivered at Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children, less than three and a half years since our May 2006 opening here in Mali!
What a privilege it is to make a difference in the lives of many moms and babies at this hospital, in a country rated by the organization Save the Children to be one of the worst in the world to be a mother or child.
Preventing Double Tragedies
Recent research shows that more than two million babies and mothers die worldwide each year as a result of complications during childbirth. Each death is a double tragedy, since nearly all of these deaths could be prevented.
Koutiala Hospital has daily opportunities to prevent these double tragedies. And as we provide good medical care, we have open doors into the hearts and lives of people who need Jesus. One example is Nana.
My friend Nana (a Tired Mom)
Last fall Nana delivered triplets at her home in Koutiala with the help of her teenage daughters. She hadn’t received any prenatal care, so didn’t know she was having triplets. Maybe since she’d already had three sets of twins, having more than one baby wasn’t a big shock?
Her triplets were quite small, about three pounds each. One of Nana’s friends told her she should bring them to our hospital to be checked (we have a growing reputation as the place to bring premature babies). So a few days after their birth, Nana arrived here with her triplets and spent the next six weeks at our hospital.
The family just barely manages to get by on the money her husband makes. (He travels to nearby towns on big market days to sell flip-flops.) So when the time came for the three babies to be discharged, one of my missionary colleagues covered the $200 bill. Nana and her husband sent their oldest son, 15, to work in another town in order try to earn a little money to help the family pay the bill.
Malian Family Struggles
In many ways, Nana and her family are a typical Malian family. They have a lot of children (with a few more multiple births than usual, although multiple births are more common in West Africa). A few of their kids died before reaching age five; meanwhile, about one in four Malian children die before this age.
In January 2009, a couple of months after the triplets-”Sara,” “Bintu,” and “Miriam”-were discharged from the hospital, Sara died. Realizing how sick her baby was, Nana was taking her to a nearby health clinic when the infant expired.
Survival
I was very upset when I learned this, but when I visited Nana a week or so later, I was surprised at how accepting she was of the loss of another child. Like many Malians, life for Nana is about survival, and she must keep on going to care for the rest of her family. She was just as warm and gracious as always.
Nana doesn’t yet know Jesus as her Savior. I’ve had opportunities to share the good news with her in my fairly functional, although elementary Bambara, and I’ve also given her a family Bible. She doesn’t know how to read (less than 30 percent of Malians older than age 15 are literate). But one of Nana’s older kids said they would read it to her.
Would you pray with me for Nana and her family? She is a dear friend, and she also represents so many other Malians whom I have grown to love, and whom God loves infinitely. He desires that they find life in His Son.
Thank you for praying for our hospital as we participate in what God is doing in Mali. Thanks, too, for your gifts to the Great Commission Fund, which supports me in my work.
What You Can Do
Please also pray for . . .
- The many patients who have heard the good news at Koutiala Hospital, that they will understand Jesus’ great love for them and give their lives to Him.
- My Malian and missionary colleagues who are working long hours with many difficult and sad cases during malaria season. Pray that God will protect them physically, spiritually, and emotionally from the attacks of Satan.
Last week the National Association of Evangelicals, in which The Christian and Missionary Alliance has long maintained membership, adopted a resolution in support of comprehensive reform in our nation’s immigration laws. It has erroneously been reported on the internet that this resolution calls for amnesty for illegal aliens and that, as a member of the NAE, The Christian and Missionary Alliance is doing the same. This report is untrue. The NAE Resolution does not call for amnesty. It does suggest that an equitable means should be sought to enable persons to earn legal residency. (You may read the entire text of the resolution at http://www.nae.net/resolutions/347-immigration-2009).
The C&MA is a leader in the evangelical community in ministering to immigrant populations in the United States. More than one third of our churches are found within immigrant populations, and almost 40% of our constituents live in these communities. Alliance churches throughout the nation are called upon to proclaim the gospel to everyone. In obedience to the Great Commission, we must minister to people without regard to their legal status. God’s Word enjoins believers to treat all persons with equal dignity and respect, and to care for those in need regardless of their national origin or ethnicity.
At the same time, we also recognize our biblical responsibility to live in submission to the civil authorities which govern us. The Christian and Missionary Alliance does not knowingly grant an official worker license to any person who does not have an appropriate visa which permits him/her to be employed as a religious worker in the U.S.. Alliance churches commonly include a large number of people who are not formal members of the church. But, most Alliance churches are also legally constituted as non-profit corporations in the state where they are found. Thus, our policy does not permit persons who are residing in the United States illegally to be received knowingly into the formal membership of the church, since such action may compromise the congregation’s ability to continue its ministry and to serve the spiritual needs of the larger community.
We recognize the responsibility of government to control its borders and protect its citizens. We also understand that the issue of illegal immigration into the United States is both a complicated and volatile political issue on which sincere believers may disagree. However, we believe that the responsibility God has given to The Christian and Missionary Alliance is to proclaim the forgiveness of God in Christ’s redeeming work, so that every man, woman, and child may be given an opportunity to respond to His grace.
October 7, 2009
By an Alliance worker, serving in Guinea
Greetings from Conakry, Guinea! Thank you all for praying for us during these uncertain times.
Alliance Workers Safe
We have sensed God’s provision of safety for each of our families over the past several days here in Guinea. All Alliance international workers are safe, and many are getting back to some aspects of their ministries, for which we praise the Lord.
The situation could change quickly, but we trust the Lord for His will to be done here as we move ahead, one day at a time.
While things have been relatively calm in the capital city of Conakry, meetings continue between Guinea’s government officials and the international community to determine the next steps in resolving current issues of political instability.
Mediation Aiding Process
With help from a neighboring country’s president who is serving as a mediator, the process of resolving the instability is moving forward. We are not sure that a solution is quick to be found, but we are guardedly hopeful that if current leaders are willing to consider the options suggested to them, things could head in the right direction for Guinea.
It is not clear when these talks will be finished. In fact, next week’s meetings will play a big role in the direction Guinea takes in the coming weeks and months.
Please Pray For . . .
- Guineans who are suffering from direct or indirect results of the violence that took place September 28.
- The Holy Spirit’s softening of hardened hearts as He seeks to convict these hearts of sin.
- Openness to the gospel and open expressions of love by believers of all nationalities at this crucial, needy time.
- Solutions to the current closed schools as parents determine what they need to do to educate their children during this school year.
Finally, praise the Lord for the safety of our international workers. And pray as well as for our field leadership to make wise ministry decisions in determining the course of action in Guinea that is needed in the weeks and months ahead.
Learn More
Read about how God is at work in Guinea despite the steep challenges in this West African nation, one of the poorest in the world.
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