May 2, 2008
Alliance church presidents and leaders from nearly 50 nations attended the Quadrennial Assembly of the Alliance World Fellowship (AWF), held in Santiago, Chile, for the purpose of engaging all C&MA national churches as equal partners in God’s Kingdom. Peter Nanfelt, former president of the U.S. C&MA, was elected North America representative during the April gathering. A highlight of the event featured an official welcome from the president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet. Arie Verduyn, president of AWF, described the government recognition as a “breakthrough for evangelicals” in a country that has been strongly influenced by Catholicism.
Many of the churches represented at the assembly are now sending their own missionaries to other countries. Of the 1,500 C&MA cross-cultural workers serving in the nations of the world, 400 are from non-North American churches. “Dr. Simpson’s vision for the unreached people of the world continues to become reality, and we remain fully committed to the goal of ‘bringing back the King,'” said U.S. C&MA President Gary Benedict.
The Alliance World Fellowship was founded in 1975 with the goal of uniting national Alliance churches in a global network for missions. The mission of AWF is to facilitate cooperation among its member churches as they work for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.