cmalliance.ca: Fall 2015

Leader Development

Fall/Winter 2015 The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 1

A MOMENT WITH DAVE

ARISE, LEAD ON Dr. John C. Maxwell reminds us: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” During my pastoral internship, I learned this truth in an experience never to be forgotten. I was the lone pastor in a rural community; following a day of shearing sheep, I was asked if I rode horses.

To save face, I gave an enthusiastic “Yes!” The last time I had ridden a horse was at Safeway for twenty-five cents. I was led to a black stallion and hoisted on top of the massive beast. I immediately learned two lessons about horses.

First, a horse has one speed when it is headed home – an allout gallop. Second, it is an exhilarating ride when you are in sync with the horse. If you are out of sync with the horse, you will experience great pain.

I prayed for deliverance and pulled the reigns with all my might.

As the horse came to a stop, I flew off the saddle and wound up wrapped around the horse’s neck.

This experience has become a powerful metaphor of leadership, which can be exhilarating or excruciating. The key is to faithfully arise each day and hold on.

In this edition of cmAlliance.ca, we are exploring all aspects of leadership. You will be inspired by the work of Gary and Sharon Howell in their role of training youth leaders in Africa. Lee Beach will stretch your thinking with an article about ancient leadership in exile. Our new director of leader development, Ryan Graham, explains how to engage a whole new generation of leaders.

Open these pages with expectation. These stories will inspire you to arise and lead on!

Blessings, Dave Hearn, President

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cmAlliance.ca magazine is the award-winning publication of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (C&MA). The Alliance family is a mosaic of ages, cultures, and perspectives. The purpose of the magazine is to inspire and motivate everyone to live on mission.

Founder A.B. Simpson President David Hearn Director of Communications Carol Roycroft Assistant Director Denise Lodge Associate Editor Gladys Thompson Copy Editor Katie McNamara Web Coordinator Matthew Caldwell All articles are copyrighted by The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada except where indicated. We grant reproduction permission for up to 1,000 copies for use in a local church or classroom. Reprints must include a credit line indicating cmAlliance.ca as the source and the date of the publication.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ Submissions For Writer’s Guidelines and our Advertising Policy, please go to cmacan.org/magazine Disclaimer cmAlliance.ca does not endorse every opinion or event reported or every product advertised. cmAlliance.ca does not endorse any advertiser nor does it take responsibility for the accuracy of any claims made in the advertisements.

To subscribe or for more information: cmAlliance.ca The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada 30 Carrier Dr, Ste 100 Toronto ON M9W 5T7 Phone: (416) 674-7878 ext. 202 Email: magazine@cmacan.org Canada Post Agreement No. 4006-4689 ISSN: 1918-4646 ISSN: 1918-4654 (online)

Contents F E AT U R E S 9

Expanding Influence Training leaders for every facet of life

27

9

Passion for Adventure Reaching the 300 million youth with Christ’s love

48

Floods of Hope One man’s journey from heroin to healing

PLUS 7

27

Renewing and Refocusing

16

Sonny’s Story

18

You Can’t Download That

20

An Hour a Day

25

Cultivating Hope

32

It’s Not About Me

34

Abundance of Youth

36

The Rain in Spain

40

Going Global

42

Taking a Pivotal Step

47

Breaking Shackles

52

Choosing Unity

D E PA RT M E N T S

48

1

A Moment with Dave • Arise, Ride On

4

Readers Write

5

On Mission Together

14

Reflections • The Ripple Effect

22

Perspectives • Called to Serve

43

Resources • Alliance-Generated Resources

44

Impressions • A Ministry of Presence

54

FYI • Open Heart, Open Bible, Open Hands

These articles are also available online at cmacan.org/stories.

Add your comments or join the conversation on Facebook.com/ CMAllianceinCanada and on Twitter.

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 3

READERS WRITE

Comments are taken from letters submitted to the magazine team as well as from Twitter, Facebook, and cmacan.org/ stories. Messages may be edited for space, clarity, and style. To submit a comment, email magazine@cmacan.org or write to cmAlliance.ca, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, 30 Carrier Dr., Ste. 100, Toronto ON M9W 5T7

Why wouldn’t God speak to us…

The deeper life and world mission

I just finished reading the article, “Quieting the heart, and hearing the Spirit.”

It is good to receive the “Alliance” magazine.

Everybody knows the Alliance is very good at missions. In our Membership Class, we teach about the Alliance’s two core values: the deeper life and world mission. As in his book Of God and Men, Dr. A. W. Tozer emphasized the deeper life before world mission. A previous president, Dr. Arnold Cook, also stressed the importance of deeper life.

I have recently been asking myself, “Why wouldn’t God speak to us, and show His power as He did to the early church?” Mission without power! Programs without passion! And worship without intimacy! I applaud you for taking this mandate! How we need this renewal in view of the coming onslaught of our enemy Satan working to destroy Christ’s Church!

— Henry Dyck Appreciates vision expressed When I was growing up Red Deer, Alta., the HEARING God’s in C&MA was not a sleepy denomination. Our AYF was the largest youth group in the city. Most of us walked the aisle after being inspired by the touring World Missions choir from CBC. Many of us went on to attend CBC in Regina. I have not been associated with the denomination for many years but am thankful for my C&MA roots. I appreciate your vision as expressed in this post.

— Anna McDanie

I am glad to see the article “Hearing God’s Voice” by our President David Hearn and also the article “The Power of Stillness” by Dr. A.B. Simpson.

— Peter Lam

FEATURE

Voice God is speaking. Not God spoke, but God is speaking. He is by his nature continuously articulate. He fills the world with his speaking Voice…whoever will listen will hear the speaking (from) Heaven.

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

David Hearn, President of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada

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Spring 2015

Down-to-earth, practical articles At Rexdale yesterday I noticed the brand new Spring issue of the magazine...I’ve read a few articles so far, and they have been so down-toearth, practical and really show what God is up to...

— M. Scorgie More comments from readers: • • •

Towards a closer walk with Jesus I love the direction that your president is attempting to take the Alliance church in Canada, towards a closer walk with Jesus. Your articles reflect this pursuit. I would be honoured to receive a subscription to your magazine.

— L. Kringle 4 | cmAlliance.ca FALL 2015

• • •

Love the magazine!

It is a very well-presented magazine, and I enjoy the articles.

I very much enjoy and love to read the magazine. Thanks.

I usually read the whole magazine.

Why are you guys so awesome!?

The magazine is excellent. I always look forward to receiving it and when it arrives, I read right through it. Thank you.

ON MISSION TOGETHER

Praise and prayer items from around the world

By Carol Roycroft Caribbean Sun

Photo courtesy Curtis Doell

Linda Doell – Costa Rica Copper Canyon is home to the Tarahumara tribe, one of the least-reached communities that we work with. Thanks to all of the donations from the C&MA Women’s Ministries, we have received over $80,000 (after the exchange rate) for the construction of the women’s shelter and clinic.

Building is going to take several months because chipping away blocks by axe and by hand is hard labour. Great discussions were held with the Mexican engineers who are partnering with this project, and they will be complementing the design with the plans that are already made. This shelter and clinic is going to be the task for the next international work project, held between October 10-24. •

C and T – Creative Access Country Our ministry involves running a business school that teaches students how to develop financial and spiritual profit. God has blessed our efforts in getting this centre off the ground in tremendous ways, and we are very grateful.

A few students have had difficulties in getting their businesses running, but the majority has had great success.

One man has developed his own little chicken farm. He has the hens to lay the eggs, an incubator to hatch the chicks, and then various stations for them as they grow. He also slaughters them and sells the whole chickens. He only had to put up a sign at his house for a week, and clients have come straight to him since then! He is producing forty to fifty chickens per week and has been nominated for a state award for excellence.

We are currently training our second year of students.

We hope to produce more leadership so that we can teach more courses. We have seen tremendous spiritual fruit in the lives of the students.

Many have testified to the

powerful impact the courses and the daily devotional materials have had in their lives. We are deeply convinced that this is the key to lasting transformation. •

Desert Sand

Chantelle McIver – Niger, West Africa During the meningitis epidemic in Niger, our team undertook a vaccination campaign under the oversight of Dr. Ace Cheung, another international worker from the C&MA in Canada. There was such a serious shortage of vaccinations in the country that we sometimes had to turn people away.

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 5

But praise God that we were able to offer approximately 250 vaccinations to the community! One fun gift we had just received from Canada was a bag full of beautiful, knit teddy bears. They were perfect to give to all the little children after getting their needles, and they made many teary faces turn into smiles! I love how God plans for even the little details and comforts! •

Silk Road K and C – Creative Access Country Honesty is one of six of our company values. We have these values posted on the walls all over our office. It’s our hope to not only model them, but to see our employees embrace them; however, we dream of them embracing Jesus. Lynne*, a co-worker who resigned, said, “I am completely in awe of your faith. I will continue to tell people in my new job of how Jesus healed me.” Sure enough, we got a call from a friend of Lynne’s. We dream of a movement of new believers who share Christ boldly with their co-workers and families. We dream of Bible studies springing up, led by nationals, and multiplying as former employees like Lynne continue to share the Good News wherever they go. • *Name changed to protect identity

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Asian Spice Albert and Elaine Lu – Taiwan Thank you to all those who prayed for our Kids’ Camp in July. The team from South Gate Chinese Alliance Church Calgary worked hard in preparing crafts, sports, and biblical teaching for the 40+ students. The theme of the camp was “When I Met You.” As the week progressed, it was our hope that the children, many of whom come from broken and separated families, would come to know Christ as their Saviour through the care and love of the camp workers.

We praise God for the many important bridges built to families as well as community members. Please pray with us as we follow up on these connections. •

Sea to Sea Sandie Wong – Tenth Church, East Vancouver My teen years were the worst and the loneliest. I continue to struggle with self-esteem, but now I know that I am not alone—that Jesus stands with me. Because of what I experienced, I felt particularly called to work with teens. God took me to China, the last place I wanted to be, as I had struggled with and rejected my Asian identity. This led me to go to school and become a special education

assistant to work with kids living with disabilities. Today, I work in a predominantly Asian school. I know God has led me here because of my personal understanding of living on the edge of two cultures: trying to fit within one culture while pleasing the expectations of the other. I get opportunities to pray for kids. I am now so thankful for my journey! •

The Kairos Course Canada Praise God for over 50 Kairos Alumni who attended the first reunion dinner held in June in Alberta. The first Canadian Kairos Course was held in 2010 and has grown to over 700 graduates.

More churches now are requesting to join in this Kairos movement and are willing to host the course in their venues.

May God continue to bless His church by transforming His people to reach the nations for Christ. •

Renewing and Refocusing Your voice counts in reshaping the magazine

Our magazine, cmAlliance.ca, is a big part of our C&MA world. It connects us with local, national, and international ministries, and it plays a key role in telling the story of what God is doing in our midst.

We are trying to make our magazine more informative, cost efficient, and accessible.

During the re-envisioning process, the Communications team felt that our magazine’s name didn’t express who we are or what we want to be.

We gathered a number of names and although some stood out, there was no clear winner to us.

Ultimately, this is your magazine, and we need your help in renaming it.

We would like you to review the names provided here and consider other names that resonate with you, and then vote at surveymonkey.com/r/magazine-name, or cut out the form provided and mail your vote back to us in the enclosed envelope. Please cast your vote no later than November 30, 2015.

We appreciate your opinion and look forward to your help.

As you flip through the pages of this magazine, we hope that you like the new look and feel.

---------------------------------------------------

By / Carol Roycroft

What do you think our magazine should be named? 

Advance



Aflame



Alliance Connect



Apostolos



Empowered



Faithful



Focused



Prepared



I would like to suggest:

_______________________________________________ _______ (please print)

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 7

We want you to sense a connection with other readers across Canada as well as with our international workers. We hope that you feel informed and challenged by what you read.

Your comments from our recent survey helped to shape and inform our redesigning process. Our magazine team met and used your input to decide what to keep, change, and remove. By bringing some of the production of the magazine in-house and considering alternate delivery methods, we have been able to significantly reduce costs, helping to maximize the reach of the Gospel.

We hope that you’ll be inspired when you read stories about what God is doing around the world, discover spiritual insights and perspectives, and explore resources for guidance.

Here are a few of the changes you may notice: • • • • • •

A new tagline – On Mission. Everyone. Everywhere. All the time.

A clean and crisp layout for easier reading Key prayer and praise items from around the globe A new section on Alliance history from our archivist, Sandy Ayer Online articles with additional resources that you can comment on and share Our subscriptions continue to be free, but we now offer the option to sign up to receive issues in print, online, or both. You can use the enclosed self-addressed, postage paid envelope if you would like to change your subscription, or send an email to magazine@cmacan.org

Whether you’ve been reading cmAlliance.ca magazine since it began in Fall 2008, or this is your first issue, we endeavour to serve you with every story.

Let your friends know about the magazine, and contact us anytime at magazine@cmacan.org.

Carol Roycroft is Director of Communications of the C&MA in Canada

Your magazine team. Left to right: Matthew Caldwell, Milly Fernandes, Carol Roycroft, Katie McNamara, Gladys Thompson. Not pictured: Denise Lodge

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expanding influence Training leaders for every facet of life By / Terry Young

Ambrose is a community that inspires your learning and your faith. Where you prepare for career success and for a life of generous service. Where you are challenged academically and able to grow spiritually. Where you acquire the theoretical knowledge, practical skills and moral wisdom to lead in every facet of life.

Photos courtesy Ambrose University and Daniel Yu Photography

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A number of years ago, Reggie McNeal, author of A Work of Heart, made an attempt to frame a model of leadership and leader development that honours a biblical portrayal of pastoral leadership, including the challenges of an increasingly postmodern world.

“The English program not only prepared me for any vocation where thought and communication are necessary, but it also provided me with an education that produced character, inspires spiritual growth, and captured my imagination.”

– Bethany Royall, English Literature graduate

Such a leader will bear resemblance to the leadership of the first-century church and hold the following characteristics: • • •

•

•

• “The Ambrose community encourages and challenges me to become more of the person God created me to be, while equipping me with the skills and understanding I need to grow and succeed.” – Kevin Borst, Worship Arts

“We have an opportunity to equip students, entrepreneurs and organizations to do business well by producing goods and services that enrich others’ lives. In addition to this noble purpose, we can envision businesses and entrepreneurs who lead by fulfilling and meeting social purposes as they act justly and love mercy.” – Randy Poon, Anthem Magazine, Spring 2014, p. 29 10 | cmAlliance.ca FALL 2015

Visionary – Willing to give one’s life in pursuit of a compelling vision.

Missional – The practice of intentional ministries that further Kingdom expansion.

Empowering – Understanding that the strategic way to leverage ministry efforts is to empower others to minister.

Team-Oriented and Producing – Practicing and reproducing a leadership that is plural in its essence and expression.

Entrepreneurial – Knowing how to connect the Gospel with the culture and how to call people out in order to send them back in.

Kingdom Conscious – Joining ranks with other believers to put the Christian faith into action in communities.

This portrayal certainly prompts the question of how to shape the apostolic leader for the churches of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. It is also a portrayal deserving a dedicated quest.

Ambrose University is striving to answer this question and be the kind of place where such a quest can be fully engaged.

Our Purpose Ambrose University is a faith-inspired learning environment dedicated to preparing men and women for wise, joyful, and redemptive engagement in the church and society through excellent education. This preparation is taking place in the study of arts, science, and theology alongside the professional disciplines of business, education, and training for Christian ministry.

The Wider Picture In the 2014-2015 term, there were close to 300 students enrolled in our School of Ministry and Seminary training. In our Arts program and Professional Studies, we had close to 600 students enrolled and pursuing their training for mission in the world along the lines of education, business, behavioral science, biology, music, history, and English

Pray for Ambrose •

Our Education program has been at full capacity and is anticipating expansion in the coming year to extend the reach of this program in the training of future teachers. Our Biology and Behavioral Science Programs are also on a strong growth path, calling for new lab space and careful, long-range planning to accommodate more students in both areas of study.

School of Ministry and Seminary Our Seminary (graduate level training) and School of Ministry (undergraduate level training) provide a rich environment for the shaping of Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, and Missionfocused leaders and pastors of C&MA churches throughout Canada.

To this end, our Seminary is pursuing four leader development objectives: cultivate hearts after God, foster vocational clarity and effectiveness, nurture theological depth and breadth, and inspire redemptive engagement in the world.

In our School of Ministry, our objectives are to shape Christian thinkers as devoted disciples, faithful interpreters, and servant leaders prepared to serve the Church and the world.

•

•

President Gordon Smith and the board of directors need wisdom as they plan for the long-range future of Ambrose. Pray for them in their leadership role – for direction, unity, and great faith.

These are days of financial challenge for places of higher learning throughout Canada. Pray that God’s provision for Ambrose will be evident through His people for this coming year.

Seek God for His deep work in the class of 2015-2016. If you know an Ambrose student or students, begin now to pray for them by name and for their year to be marked by deep growth of heart, mind, and body.

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On March 13-15, over 600 high school students descended on the Ambrose Campus for our Annual Legacy Youth Conference. Ambrose alumnus Chris Throness, from our Coquitlam Alliance Church immersed students in the amazing joy that God offers in Christ. Chris’ heart for these days was simply this, “If students can ‘taste and see that the Lord is good’, they won’t settle for anything less.”

As evidence of our strong partnership with the Alliance, we have seen 547 students graduate from Ambrose who are presently serving as licensed workers in Alliance ministry in Canada and internationally.

Chinese Seminary Presence The Chinese School of Theology is dedicated to providing quality theological education for the following purposes: to raise up pastors for Canadian churches, to equip Chinese international workers for global ministries, and to provide top quality degree programs for the Chinese churches in mainland China and the rest of the world.

Business Program The Business Administration Program at Ambrose is developing future innovators by emphasizing our commitment to reflect Christ in the arena of business. Our desire is to serve and equip students through a four-year degree, but also to provide community businesses with values-based knowledge that will lead to improved decision making, sustainable solutions, and positive community impact.

Future Development Ambrose is currently engaged in a master plan process as we anticipate campus development to meet a growing student body and expanding influence as a university. The master plan is seeking to discern the best options and timing for an expanded liberal arts and ministry training space, athletic facilities, and a chapel as a campus focal point for the future. • Rev. Dr. Terry Young is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Ambrose University

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AMBROSE ALUMNI NOW SERVING AS LICENSED WORKERS

32 319 262

TYPES OF GRADUATES CERTIFICATES AND DIPLOMAS BACHELORS DEGREE MASTERS DEGREE

7 100

DOCTRATE DEGREE ATTENDED AT LEAST ONE YEAR

DECADES OF GRADUATION

3

16

52 140 164 171 77

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010-2015

CURRENT POSITIONS Senior Pastors Assistant Pastors National Ministry Centre District OfямБces Ambrose University

170 237 17 18 16

On Loan Chaplains Ministers-at-Large Global Ministries Unassigned

37 18 31 142 34

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REFLECTIONS

The ripple effect A legacy that reverberates throughout the Alliance

Roaring laughter was often heard coming from Dr. Cramer’s classroom.

He infused his teaching with humour. I remember his delight when, on Reformation Day, students paraded slowly into class with hoodies over their heads, looking suspiciously like monks.

From 1979-84, Dr. Cramer served as Professor of Church History and Old Testament at Canadian Theological Seminary (CTS). He is lovingly remembered as an outstanding teacher and for his wit, his humour, his mastery of his discipline, and his deep care for students. He had an unusual gift of helping us who studied with him “live into” history, of making the heroes of the faith come alive among us.

Pure Dedication His students also recall that he slept in his office four nights a week and then, come Friday afternoon, drove four hours south from Regina to Scobie, Montana, to spend the weekend with his wife, Josie, and their daughters, Ramona and Evangeline.

He burned the midnight oil most evenings; the light in his office was usually still on when students left the library at closing time. Few of us fully understood the sacrifice the Cramer family made during the school term.

Touching the Future Every Christmas, Dr. Cramer sent a handwritten letter to seminary graduates living abroad – for whom he prayed, and of whom he was so intensely proud.

Dr. Cramer not only taught effortlessly and without notes, but also demonstrated insightful care for his students and an ability to see beyond the moment to future possibilities.

For example, he once urged Gordon T. Smith, now President of Ambrose University, to switch his registration for Canadian Church History from “audit” to “credit,” even though Gordon did not need the credits to graduate. Dr. Cramer thought that he just might need those credits later in life, a prophetic insight that proved correct when Gordon applied for doctoral studies some years later.

Goodbye, Friend This spring, we received news of the passing of Dr. Albert Emery Cramer, known to some of his students as “Doc.” His brilliant mind was finally released from the ravages of Alzheimer’s on March 14, 2015.

Dr. Cramer will be missed, but the investment that he made in his students at CTS continues to be his impacting legacy for the Alliance family. • Dr. Miriam Charter is Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies and Intercultural Studies Area Convenor at Ambrose University

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Dr. L. Cramer at the Canadian Theological College Building Dedication • Photo courtesy C&MA Archives

By / Miriam Charter

university degrees ministry training USABLE SERVANTS The servant theme in the Scriptures is a predominant one – culminating in the Suffering Servant in the Old Testament and in Jesus Christ in the New. Thus our theme for the year—“Usable Servants”—is a practical one but also deeply theological. It is rooted in the plan and purpose of God—the sending of the Divine Servant. His obedience and sacrifice is to be emulated and embodied in us, the servants of the Lord.

The history of Christianity is replete with living examples of servanthood. Some were missionaries; others were pastors. Some were evangelists; others were political leaders. It was not the title or uniform that counted—it was the attitude and resultant action that initialed the pages of heroic history. For some, it meant arduous decades of leadership; for others, it was tortuous death at the stake. For some, there were years of academic study; for others, treks across distant deserts or through wilderness and jungle. For the Son of Man came to serve—and so do His followers.

seminary education www.ambrose.edu 150 Ambrose Circle SW Calgary, Alberta 403.410.2900

Whether CTC graduates are missionaries in Kinshasa or pastors in Kingston, preaching the Gospel in Tokyo or Toronto, ministering in a jungle village or a prairie town, we trust that each one will be a “usable servant.” • Dr. Albert Cramer, Vice-President / Dean of Canadian Theological College, 1981 yearbook

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Sonny’s story One question that changed his life By / Jean (John) Martin

When I give tours of the Institut Biblique VIE (IBVIE) campus, I love to tell stories of servant-students who have walked these halls; stories about true happiness or blessedness, inspired by the Bible verse hanging on my office wall: “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do” (James 1:25).

Sonny Perron’s story is one that I love to tell. Raised in the forest-filled Abitibi region of Quebec, a seven-hour drive north of Montreal, Sonny never heard the Gospel until the age of sixteen, when a street evangelist came up to him and his friends and offered them ten dollars to answer a single question, “What exactly is the Bible’s Good News?”

After explaining to them what it was, the evangelist asked Sonny and his friends who among them would like to have a personal relationship with God. Inside his heart, Sonny said, “Yes,” and God came and changed his life from the inside out.

A year after that, he moved to Gatineau to begin a three-year program in building engineering.

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Professor Martin Martin leading leading a class • Photo Professor Photo courtesy courtesyIBVIE

Professor Martin leading a class Photo courtesy IBVIE

behind in Gatineau and moved to Montreal to advance to full-time theological studies with our Mennonite Brethren partner school, École de Théolgie Évangélique de Montréal (ETEM).

All the while, Sonny continued with IBVIE in Gatineau.

Sonny became ETEM-IBVIE’s first Alliance Bachelor of Theology graduate, and he did so with amazing marks!

He soon followed a friend to the local Alliance church, where he became a model disciple and servant of the Lord, quickly exercising leadership influence among other young people who knew Christ or would soon come to know Him. After college, he registered for his first IBVIE Bible course held in his local church building.

Sonny was hooked. First by God, then by church, and now by theological education.

His IBVIE training taught him how to look intently into the Word of God and find great happiness and blessedness. His answer to the call of God to enter pastoral ministry was one that I had not heard of in Quebec for over a decade.

Sonny soon realized that the limited, tencourse, thirty-credit minor offered by IBVIE at the rate of only two classes per semester would not cut it for him if he was to be obedient to the call of God. He left his sweetheart, future wife Elsa,

Today, Sonny, along with his wife, daughter of International Workers Martin and Nadia Angers in Venezuela, pastors at the C&MA Église Oasis in Montreal. He is an associate and youth pastor as well as community minister in this highly multicultural and impoverished parish.

Sonny is also our IBVIE-ETEM life coordinator.

He meets every week with students who are under thirty years of age for Bible study, prayer, and one-on-one time to discuss everything under the sun with these vibrant and passionate young leaders.

I often walk past him and a small group of students discussing some contemporary theological or missiological issue.

Sonny is involved in many other areas of ministry but has yet another dream that he wishes will become reality: teaching at IBVIEETEM. Who knows, perhaps one day Sonny will engage his students in the question, “What exactly is the Bible’s Good News?” • Rev. Jean Martin is director of IBVIE and Academic Dean of ETEMIBVIE, a unique Evangelical partnership for university-level theological education in Quebec. Check out the IBVIE website at etem-ibvie.ca

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You Can’t Download That Experience of a lifetime By / Katherine Gibson

One of the greatest problems currently facing the North American church is the lack of Millennial engagement. Millennials have increasingly become less plugged into the local church.

Partnering with both Hope University and Ambrose University, interns will gain fifteen university level credits that are transferrable.

This portion of the interns’ education is completely subsidized by the church body.

Pastor George Brodie has created a year-long internship at Chilliwack Alliance Church, giving two Millennials per year the opportunity to immerse themselves in biblical studies and gain practical ministry experience.

Having the church fund the interns’ education was key to making them feel valued and took away potential barriers of cost.

The intent behind the internship was to bolster biblical knowledge within the context of the local church.

“Church is sometimes difficult and not very attractive. People come with their issues and problems, and so I wanted [the interns] to not do this in a vacuum,” notes Brodie.

“I wanted them to see how all this knowledge and input plays out on a practical level within ministry. I wanted them to love the church by the time they were done—to love ministry—but have their eyes open to what it looks like.”

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“Looking at young adults today, a lot of them graduate with a big student loan debt, and so if interns…wanted to continue on, I wanted them to have a spring board that saved them some dollars and saved them some time,” he explains.

“We wanted the young adults to realize that they were valued by the church as well.”

Beyond academics, the internship also requires students to go on a mission trip, shadow different pastors at the church, and work in various ministries.

For past intern Mikeila Bellevance, getting the opportunity to shadow and serve helped her better understand how essential every member is to the health and success of the overall church.

Intern Laura Lizé at Chilliwack Alliance Church Photo courtesy Katherine Gibson

George Brodie with interns from 2014 Photo courtesy Chilliwack Alliance Church

“I got to see how the [church] works together in different ways that I didn’t see before,” she notes. “There are people in this church that have certain gifts that nobody even notices, and we wouldn’t function right without them.”

Bellevance’s ministry engagement during her internship was underscored by a deeper understanding of Scripture, built into her through her coursework.

“There are so many Christians out there that say they’re Christians, but they don’t know anything about what they believe. It’s so important to know what you believe, to be immersed in the Bible, and to be immersed in Jesus,” she notes. “I’m just way more confident in my faith now… because now I know what He says.”

One graduate has gone on to become a pastor, and two others have entered into church leadership roles.

Engaging in different ministries was also impactful for the pastors whom the interns shadowed.

This intentional investing into the future generation is especially important in the fastpaced, ever isolating world of technology.

For Worship Pastor Greg Zacharias, being surrounded by “fresh” perspectives and the enthusiasm of the interns made engaging with the next generation of church leaders a rewarding experience.

Brodie concludes that church experience is becoming a commodity, which is causing Millennials to think that they don’t need to go to church. “Because I can listen to Hillsong and download Tim Keller, I don’t need to go to church…but opportunities to serve one another and love one another practically—you can’t download that.” •

“I enjoy the enthusiasm, energy, and freshness that spending time with young adults can bring,” explains Zacharias. “More than ever, I am interested in the Lord using this next generation of leaders for His purposes.”

Laura Lizé is entering the internship with the desire to seek out where God wants to place her within the church community.

“I’m hoping to take away…a better understanding of myself and where God wants me, to have better biblical knowledge, a foundation in the Alliance Church, and to find my gifts that God has blessed me with,” Lizé explains. “I’m also excited to be involved in the church more and to make connections with others in the church.”

Katherine Gibson, a freelance journalist, attends the young adults ministry at Chilliwack Alliance Church in BC and is pursuing graduate studies in Divinity

Have you ever thought of going global, of living on mission overseas?

Visit cmacan.org/go-global

The Chilliwack Alliance internship builds into the future generation of the Church.

...internship builds into the future generation of the Church. #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 19

An Hour a Day A mentoring program for university students By / Gladys Thompson

Nestled between Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, Cambodia is known for the genocide of its people at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Corruption levels in Cambodia are nearly the highest in the world. Despite the AIDS epidemic as well as cholera, typhoid and malaria, the population has bounced back to more than fifteen million, most of whom are Theravada Buddhists.

It is in this small country where David and Patti Ens have been faithfully ministering for the Lord.

David accepted Christ as his personal Saviour at a young age; he finally made Christ his Lord following several years of rebellion.

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His parents, C&MA International Workers Norman and Marie Ens, served in France from 1978 to 1991, working with thousands of Cambodian refugees who came in the late 1970s to start a new life. David served as the business agent for the mission at that time.

Patti was a refugee from Cambodia to France.

Her parents were Buddhist, but when she heard of the creator God in the refugee camp, she believed. She later made Jesus her Lord and Saviour.

David and Patti met in Paris in 1983 and married several years later.

They became international workers with the C&MA in France, taking over the pastoral duties for a fledgling Cambodian church. They worked closely with the Cambodian, Vietnamese and Hmong churches, identifying future leaders and encouraging them towards Bible school. Patti also produced a phonetic song book for young people who could not read the Cambodian language.

In January 2001, David and Patti were redeployed to Cambodia where they were assigned to Tum Nup Tuk church to help identify and train leaders. Patti worked with the women’s group leaders, taught adult Sunday school, and was part of the evangelism and hospital visitation teams.

Understanding that today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders, the Enses wanted to see young people following Jesus and influencing Cambodia for Christ.

Since 2010, David and Patti have been based in Phnom Penh, working in a leadership development program primarily with young adults from various churches who go to the capital to attend university.

This ministry was originally the vision of a young Cambodian man who was a leader in a local church. It was birthed about 13 years ago and various international workers from Canada and other countries have had the opportunity to impact young leaders and dorm residents through it.

David and Patti began directing two dorms that house the students, so that they would not be forced to live in the dangerous and dirty slum areas. These dorms provided a safe, quiet place where they could live and study.

Applicants were screened and signed an agreement consenting to be trained an hour a day in leadership, theology, discipleship and evangelism. These students invited classmates to Christian outreach events and helped with English Camps, helping to raise funds for the dorm.

More promising students were mentored and became dorm leaders after three years. David adds, “The current leaders were just scared kids when we started, and now they lead confidently and show good potential for when their tenure is over.”

Sean was one of the young men David mentored. He recently left his position as dorm leader at the end of his three-year tenure and moved back to his home in the country. There, he started a school to teach local young people.

He now teaches students who sit at the desks he built in his barn. He also shares Christ and holds worship services. Following his first Christmas there, he reported that twelve adults and twenty-three children accepted Christ as their Saviour.

Pray for Sean and other young people who have been part of this program. Pray that they will continue to take advantage of opportunities to share their faith.

David and Patti have helped lay a solid foundation that will bear fruit for years to come.

“Offering hope to someone who has nothing is thrilling. Introducing someone who fears evil spirits to Jesus Christ is exhilarating,” says David. The potential for this dorm ministry and the impact it could have for Christ in Cambodia is massive.

Gladys Thompson is Communications Coordinator of the C&MA in Canada and Associate Editor of cmAlliance.ca magazine

David and Patti have helped lay a solid foundation that will bear fruit for years to come.

If you are challenged to financially support this ministry, please give to the “Work of David and Patti Ens” to help provide resources needed to finish out this year’s commitment to the current student residents. Or you can give to the “Phnom Penh Project” for ongoing projects that will continue to impact leadership development ministries both now and in the future.

Visit cmacan.org/give

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 21

PERSPECTIVES

Ryan Graham, Director of Leadership Development Photo courtesy Westlife Church

Called to Serve Eager to learn An interview with Ryan Graham

One of the four initiatives introduced by President David Hearn is to identify, equip, and unleash faith-filled, Spirit-empowered, fearless men and women on mission for God. To reach the remaining 6,000 least-reached people groups, we will need to unleash a whole new army of courageous leaders.

One of the four initiatives introduced by President David Hearn is to identify, equip, and unleash faith-filled, Spirit-empowered, fearless men and women on mission for God. To reach the remaining 6,000 least-reached people groups, we will need to unleash a whole new army of courageous leaders.

Gladys Thompson, associate editor of cmAlliance.ca, interviewed Rev. Ryan Graham, 22 | cmAlliance.ca FALL 2015

who was recently appointed as the director of leader development. cmA: What are some of the highlights you have found and what are some of the challenges we face regarding leader development in the C&MA? RG: Having only been in this new role a few months, there is still much to learn and see around the C&MA family.

While there is significant need to create new environments for the next generation of leaders, there are many serving across our country and globally that have both a passion and vision to engage the emerging generations.

We have many brilliant and fantastic people in the Alliance; however, that is not to say we don’t have many challenges ahead of us. A large majority of our licensed workers are over the age of fifty-five.

With so many headed towards retirement over the next fifteen years, we currently have nowhere near the number of workers needed to fill our existing churches, let alone new churchplants and other new ventures.

…we currently have nowhere near the number of workers needed to fill our existing churches…

The call must go out over and over again, and the emerging generations need to know that life in vocational ministry is amazing; in fact, there is nothing like it. cmA: Your role has two main focuses; one addresses the need to engage emerging generations, identifying new leaders to rebuild the pipeline of workers needed in the coming years. The second is the identification and deployment of apostolic leaders. What types of plans are currently being discussed and/or implemented to address these challenges at the national, regional, and district levels?

RG: Engaging Millennials and emerging generations is such an exciting opportunity.

There are many questions surrounding the inability to capture their attention. The trend of these generations leaving our churches and not returning is real.

There was a time when our youth and young adults gathered regularly for multiple district and national events. It was often at those events where the call to ministry was given and responded to.

This is not to say we need to go back to where we were twenty years ago, but rather ask the questions: “What is next? What could those environments be today?”

We are in the early stages of launching a Canadian ministry that specializes in creating missional engagement targeting our emerging generations.

This ministry will include sites in major cities in all Five “S” regions. These sites will create opportunities for teens and young adults to experience missional engagement, and discipleship by hosting interns and apprentices.

It will create many of those environments we have lost over the years. These are exciting days, and there is so much more to come as we launch this global effort.

We also have a Leader Development Task Team made up of many national leaders.

This team is working on both developing and highlighting great ideas and environments that are already happening within our C&MA family for our current licensed workers.

I believe we are entering a time where our focus on leader development will shift from skill development to the soul care of our leaders.

There are countless recourses focused on skill development, yet our greatest need is leaders who are Christ-centred, Spirit-empowered, and Mission-focused. cmA: We are hearing a lot about the identification of apostolic leaders; what do you see happening in the years to come?

RG: The apostolic gift has only come back on our radar in the past five years. It’s fantastic that we are rediscovering we need every part: apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors, teachers, and shepherds.

The apostle is easier to identify than most may think. They build, create, innovate, and start.

True apostolic ministries will be launched and built, and partnerships will be created.

I wonder if much of the pressure we face today to find leaders is a result of removing many of these environments.

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 23

cmA: Is there a plan to help local churches be intentional in identifying and equipping emerging leaders for service in their local church and community and/or for international ministry?

RG: During my last two years at Westlife Church in Calgary, we watched a young professional leave a great job and financial security to respond to the clear calling of God on his life. It was all the work of the Holy Spirit, but I wasn’t really paying attention as a pastor.

Your Leader Development Team Ryan Graham Errol Rempel Richard Enns Ruth-Anne Gilbertson

This has fallen off our radar. With the pressures and pace of the local church, many of us lose sight of our role in identifying, calling, and equipping emerging leaders, not just for lay leadership in our churches but for vocational ministry.

So let me take this opportunity to ask the readers: When was the last time you sat with someone in your church and told him or her, “I think God has set you apart for ministry?”

Are we regularly asking the Holy Spirit, “Who have you called? Who have you put under my leadership that needs to be directed into vocational ministry?

When was the last time you sat with someone in your church and told him or her, “I think God has set you apart for ministry?” cmA: Is there anything else you would like to add?

RG: I wonder what would happen if all of those placed in leadership seriously developed those placed in our care or on our teams.

We long to see the day where God is moving powerfully, and we have a pipeline in the C&MA filled with emerging leaders who are relentlessly focused on Jesus, completely surrendered and filled with the Holy Spirit, and passionately committed to the mission.

Rev. Ryan Graham is Director of Leader Development for the C&MA in Canada

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Notice of Meeting

cultivating

hope ENCOURAGING THE CHURCH By / Lee Beach

Napoleon Bonaparte is reported to have said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” As the Church in Canada learns how to carry out its ministry from a place of increasing social marginalization, one of the primary functions of leadership is to instill a bountiful hope that sustains faith and inspires new initiatives that maintains God’s ongoing mission in the midst of cultural exile.

The history of God’s people as depicted in the Bible is one of marginalization and exile. Keeping hope alive was a constant challenge for the prophets and apostles of both testaments. Thankfully, Christian leaders can draw from their examples.

The experience of exile was difficult for Israel, and it called for bold leadership that required, as Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann calls it, “prophetic imagination.”

Leading with prophetic imagination will mean that we must cast an audacious vision that refuses to allow the Church to be shaped by external circumstances.

An example of this kind of leadership can be found in Isaiah 43:8-12.

In the context of the Babylonian captivity, the prophet reminds Israel that they are still Yahweh’s “witnesses” (v. 10).

The children of Israel are called to stand as witnesses to their God and declare Him as the true God. This, in the light of Israel’s military defeat and exile to Babylon, goes directly against the popular consensus. Surely Israel’s God cannot be as great as Babylon’s god since He has not been able to provide victory for them; however, Isaiah reminds Israel that God predicted their exile.

Isaiah’s prophetic word reminds Israel that their God is still in control despite the reality of their circumstances, and they are called to faithfully stand as Yahweh’s witnesses.

Instilling this kind of vision is an act of prophetic imagination that is crucial to contemporary leadership.

For people in our congregations, hopelessness can take root as a result of the marginalized position that the church finds itself in. The ways of Western materialism, pluralism, political correctness, and agnosticism seem to have won the day. #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 25

The work of leadership in post-Christendom times is to proclaim a message of hope that reminds the Church that God is still in control, the Gospel is still good news, and we are still called to proclaim it even if it runs contrary to the prevailing cultural consensus.

The same kind of prophetic imagination continues in Nehemiah 1. Nehemiah’s sadness for Jerusalem’s disrepair is detected by the Persian king. He tells the king about the conditions in Jerusalem and asks the king to allow him to go back to the city and rebuild its walls (2:1-3).

The king grants his request and also provides military protection and materials for the construction project (2:4-8).

Thus, the walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt with Persian government funding, and the children of Israel receive fresh encouragement for their journey.

Nehemiah is an agent of prophetic imagination in that he imagines a better future and initiates faith-sustaining action.

Isaiah and Nehemiah offered a vision through word and deed that stirred hope in their people by stretching them to imagine who God is and what He could do.

Contemporary Christian leadership must continue this tradition by offering a similar kind of imaginative vision to the Church – one that refuses to be overcome by the surrounding circumstances that often speak of decline and demise.

A prophetic imagination will offer a vision of something different, an alternative future.

Prophetic imagination is an indispensable tool for postChristendom leadership because it is our imagination that enables us to see beyond the system that has shaped our experience.

...it is our imagination that enables us to see beyond the system that has shaped our experience.

Imagination, expressed through both word and tangible action, offers hope to see that something other than the status quo is possible. It is at the core of leading the Church in Canada today.

Dr. Lee Beach is Assistant Professor of Christian Ministry at McMaster Divinity College (Hamilton, ON) and Minister-at-Large in the Central Canadian District. This article is adapted from his book, The Church in Exile: Living in Hope After Christendom (InterVarsity Press, 2015)

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We do nothing until we pray.

You are invited to sign up for Prayer in Motion, a 24-hour prayer event taking place for six months across Canada.

Starting in the Maritimes in January 2016 and moving westward across our nation, we will cover our leaders, global work, future decisions, and each other with prayer.

Come pray for 24 consecutive hours for 1, 3, or 7 days. Resources are available at prayer-in-motion. ca.

This wave of prayer will crescendo in the Canadian Pacific District, in June 2016, the same month when General Assembly 2016 will gather in Vancouver, B.C. May 31 – June 4, 2016.

Visit prayer-in-motion.ca to register as a host church or as an individual. See you at General Assembly 2016.

Passion for

adventure

Reaching 300 million youth with Christ’s love By / Rich Brown

Our desire is to link Latin American youth to God through leadership training and orphanage work. Inca Link does both of these through various ministries.

We have provided meals for people who were in the most extreme poverty; had we not fed them, they would have died that week. We also assisted a youth leader earn his master’s degree. Both of these situations are reaching the 300 million youth in Latin America.

Inca Link was launched in March 2006 because God gave us a passion to use our backgrounds, our lives, our contacts, and everything about us to reach the youth of Latin America.

Inca Link’s ministries include orphanages, garbage dump ministries, a pregnancy centre, activity camps, outreach programs, and leadership training.

Read on to discover the four ways in which Inca Link reaches out:

He lifts the poor from the dirt and the hungry from the garbage dump, and sets them among princes!

(Psalm 113:7-8 TLB)

#LiveOnMission #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca cmAlliance.ca || 27 27

EVANGELISM & DISCIPLESHIP —

We encourage leaders to reach and disciple youth throughout the continent. We have a sports discipleship program for those who want to know more about God.

G I Cumbre Alta

Cumbre Alta

V E —

Elim Garbage Dump

TRAINING LEADERS —

We host events and seminaries all over the continent to train leaders to reach youth. My book on making short-term missions have long-term impact will soon be published.

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Elim Garbage Dump

CONNECTING PEOPLE —

This involves our short-term missions and internship ministries. We bring people from North America to connect with our ministries in South America.

To financially support this ministry, please see the envelope in this magazine and write “Inca Link” in the memo. If you want your support to go to the Casa Elizabeth Pregnancy Centre, write that also in the memo. If you want your support to go to the sports ministry, write “Cumbre Alta”.

Elim Garbage Dump

Elim Garbage Dump

Casa Elizabeth

COMPASSION MINISTRIES —

We have orphanages, teen pregnancy centres, day care centres to take children out of the garbage dumps, and much more.

Mana Daycare

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 29

Inca Link flips these ministries upside down.

The compassion ministries attract the shortterm teams and interns, who provide resources to train the leaders to do evangelism and discipleship.

Linked to an Adventure

One of Inca Link’s major ministries is the Casa Elizabeth Pregnancy Centre.

Sarah arrived at the centre after being raped by a family member. She arrived broken, torn apart, and with no hope. She wanted her baby to die.

Our staff took Sarah in and treated her like family. They showered her with love that she had never experienced before.

She became a follower of Jesus during her stay, and she also fell in love with her baby boy.

She has since been baptized, dedicated her baby, and married a Christian man.

Sarah says, “I know now what true love is. The love of Jesus changes us so we can show love to others.”

Please pray as we are in transition with the pregnancy centre. We need two couples; one who will live with the girls and serve as a good Christian family, and the other to raise awareness and funds and be in charge of running the girls’ schedules.

Pray for the sports ministry. We have everything in place but are lacking a field. We have won several tournaments but could do much better with a field of our own.

Short-term missions team visits a senior’s residence Photo courtesy Dave Anderson

Two years ago, Dave and Charlene Anderson from Foothills Alliance Church in Calgary, Alta. took their family on a missions trip, visiting Inca Link. “I wanted to stretch myself and my relationship with God,” says Dave.

“We moved outside our comfort zone.”

They enjoyed it so much, they recently returned from their second trip.

Rev. Rich Brown and his wife Elisa are international workers serving with youth leaders in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia

The team was given a number of options for their visit. They let God lead and became involved in various ministries in Porto Viejo. They did some building, painting, and weeding in a garden, but the highest impact was the garbage dump ministry – meeting the people who live and work there.

“Learning about the different cultures and way of life impacted everyone on the trip,” Dave adds.

Visit incalink.org for videos showing the various ministries of Inca Link and a gallery of photos. Read what some Canadians who visited these ministries have to say about it.

Their team of thirteen was made up of various family units; everyone had a family member with them. “The change in the lives of the teens was amazing,” Dave says, “It was an experience they will share from this point on.”

Pray also for the orphanage that just opened in Trujillo, Peru. The Central Canadian District youth have partnered with us for many years to make this orphanage a haven for kids at risk.

To find out more about Inca Link and what we do please visit incalink.org.•

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#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 31

It’s Not About Me A place where lives are changed By / Ric Cyr

Worship at Eagle Bay Camp Photos courtesy Eagle Bay Camp

When people ask me what I do at camp, one of the first things that comes to mind is that we lead people to experience Jesus; that is what Eagle Bay Camp is all about. Our camp motto is, “a place where lives are changed,” which perfectly describes the camp and what we do in leadership training.

If being able to lead people to Jesus is the heart of the Gospel, then leadership is everything.

Leadership is critical in leading others to grow spiritually, find and use their gifts, and find great community with other believers.

Leadership is everything we do at camp; in fact, many individuals who lead in church and missionary circles found their first encounter with Christ in a camp setting.

Eagle Bay Camp’s leadership program motto is, “It’s not about me.” That simply means serving Christ is not about self, but all about Jesus.

The program trains up to eighty-four students each summer. Three levels of leadership training are offered: Servant Leadership Program (SLP), 32 | cmAlliance.ca FALL 2015

Leader in Training (LIT 1), and Leader in Training 2 (LIT 2). SLP is a two-week program for students aged 14-15, and LIT is a four-week summer program for students aged 15-18.

We believe that by developing passionate and humble leaders, we are not only building up the future of Eagle Bay, but also the communities and places where we live.

We are constantly hearing from local churches, businesses, and schools that the young people who pass through our leadership training programs are setting a high bar in integrity, leadership, and service.

Our camp started its leadership program with a handful of students twenty years ago. The desire was to train Christian leaders for both camp and local church ministries. We never anticipated it would grow to such an extent over the years.

It is exciting to be able to say that we have seen close to 100 students become full-time pastors, worship leaders, missionaries, or enter work in other Christian para-church ministries. Many

others are serving their local churches as elders, teachers, and lay-workers.

But camp work isn’t always an easy victory with instant, positive results; some of the challenges we have faced over the years have been working with students from very difficult homes and families. We sometimes experience opposition from parents and family when their children decide to follow Christ and join our program.

I often say to people who visit camp that I have the best job in the world. I have the privilege to watch lives touched by the Gospel of Christ and then find their place in the body of Christ. There is nothing more satisfying than that. • Rev. Ric Cyr, a licensed worker with the C&MA, is Director of Eagle Bay Camp in Eagle Bay, BC

LIT Changed Everything

....we have seen close to 100 students become full-time pastors, worship leaders, missionaries, or enter work in other Christian para-church ministries.

“As a Leader-in-Training (LIT), I got to meet some of the weirdest yet most rad people, and I was able to spend one amazing month with these folks. Prior to LIT 1, I was super shy, didn’t know many people, and God seemed unknown and mysterious to me. Boy, I had no clue what I was getting myself into.

Becoming an LIT changed everything. After a month of learning about Christ, cleaning toilets, washing dishes, and singing campfire songs, I came back a different person. I learned that it’s all right to be yourself and to be open with others because those are the moments where God helps us grow most and achieve even greater things through Him. In addition, I learned so much about who I am as an individual and as a follower of Jesus.”

Vanessa Major LIT 1 - 2013 LIT 2 - 2014 #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 33

Abundance of Youth The Spirit is flowing in Africa By / Gary and Sharon Howell

The Congo River is the deepest river in the world, flowing at more than 1.25 million cubic feet of water per second, which is enough to fill thirteen Olympic-size swimming pools. In its course, it flows through many African nations.

This river flows between Kinshasa, the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Brazzaville, the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. These are two of the major cities where we focus our ministry. The third major centre is Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.

Inspired by Jesus When I, Gary, was a youth pastor in Beaverlodge, Alberta, I had the opportunity to take the Sonlife training at Canadian Bible College. I was impacted by Jesus’ ministry strategy, which can be summed up as “win, build, equip, and multiply.”

I saw that I could follow Christ’s strategy with any number of people, no matter their culture.

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We continued to lead with these same principles when we moved to Africa.

In 1999, we learned that Sonlife was offering training in youth ministry in South Africa, so we went to follow the vision of multiplication training. From this, J-life Africa was started, a movement that is having a great impact on the continent.

When we first went for the training in South Africa, we had no idea of the relationships that we would build and how God would allow us to be a part of a larger youth movement that is now working in over twenty African countries. These youth will help the Church continue to impact future generations.

A Continent of Youth We primarily work in Brazzaville, where the average age is seventeen. Across the river in Kinshasa, the average age is sixteen; these numbers are typical throughout Africa.

In comparison, Canada.com reports that the median age of Canada is 41; Nunavut is the youngest of all territories and provinces, with an average age of 24.

Many songs and hymns have been written about the Spirit of the Living God flowing like a river. As we continue to train youth leaders in Africa, our prayer is that the spiritual lives of the youth will run deep, and that the message of Christ’s love will flow quickly and freely throughout Africa, as deep and as free as the Congo River.

When we visited local churches, we noted that many of the people were under twenty-five years of age; many of these youth were not discipled and would disengage from the faith during their university years.

Our task is not to intentionally reach and disciple these young people; instead, our ministry is to coach and mentor leaders, who can then create disciple-making movements in their local churches.

Bethel Alliance Church in Brazzaville was one of the first places where we coached young leaders. God is still at work there, and we are so thankful to see a strong group of young men and women continue to make disciples.

In Yaoundé, Cameroon, we work with Florence and her husband Leo, who are leading I-Care, another movement that is equipping young leaders to make disciples. They are also trying to create disciplemaking movements among the youth of neighbouring countries.

Redeeming a Robbery These trips to Yaoundé are not always easy. One time, I walked up the street to buy some bread. Three men came up on a motorcycle and attacked me, forced me to the ground, and threatened those

Rev. Gary and Sharon Howell are international workers assigned to church ministries in the Republic of Congo

around with a knife. They took off with only my money and wallet. Thankfully, I was not seriously injured.

When we went to the training sessions, the young leaders started to ask questions as to what happened. Later on, a young lady came forward and shared her story about being physically attacked and robbed by a group of men in a taxi.

She had never told her story to anyone, and this was an opportunity for her to share.

Throughout the week, others came forward to tell their stories. God used this occasion to open a door for them to talk about what had transpired in their lives. For many, it was the first time that they shared their story, which helped in their own healing process.

On another occasion, working through past experiences enabled the Holy Spirit to do a great work, shaping many young leaders in Cameroon for a future to which God was calling them.

Do you have a passion for seeing youth discipled?

You can help by giving to the Howell’s approved special: Desert Sand – General – J-life Youth Ministry Africa at cmacan.org/ give

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 35

The Rain in Spain Changing the landscape by growing spiritual greenery By / Katie McNamara

Ernie praying over Juan and Patty Zuñiga • Photo courtesy Ernie Klassen

Spain is known for its vivacious culture, bright colours, and its affinity for bulls. What may not be known about Spain is that its population is only one per cent evangelical.* Spain was closed to the Gospel during the reign of Francisco Franco from 1936 to 1975, during which the only recognized church was the Catholic Church.

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When Spain’s doors opened to the Gospel after Franco’s death, The Christian and Missionary Alliance wasted no time. International workers were sent to Spain in 1978 and made small progress until the 2000s, when an influx of immigrants arrived from Latin America.

Not finding churches in their neighbourhoods, the Latin Americans started their own churches.

Photo courtesy Unsplash.com

Most people gathered with others from their country of origin and kept their own traditions and worship styles.

As a result, the Church in Spain is now split into two cultures: Latin American and Spanish.

This is where Ernie and Marilyn Klassen enter the scene.

The Klassens are veteran international workers, having served in Peru from 1980 to 2004, and Mexico for a year. After pastoring at Quinte Alliance in Belleville, Ont from 2006 to 2013, they felt God calling them to Spain, where they have been ever since.

Their ministry involves teaching and raising Spanish church leaders at INFORMA: Institute of Ministerial Formation of the Alliance.

Ernie teaches while Marilyn champions the administrative duties.

The goal of INFORMA is to unite the Church in Spain, to unify the two cultures in Christ by raising Spanish church leaders to shepherd the national church.

Jose Zapata, Juan Zuñiga (current president of the Alliance church in Spain), and field director Raymond Ebbett saw that pastors and leaders needed training so the work could grow and multiply.

These three leaders recognized that they could not be content to grow their churches by gathering Christian immigrants, but God had sent Christian immigrants to Spain to reach the country by training national leaders.

INFORMA is based in two cities, Barcelona and Madrid, and is providing a much-needed leadership pool.

Six out of ten of the first graduating class in Madrid are Spaniards. Two of these men are now leading in President Zuñiga’s church, who has stepped aside to let them lead.

Two of the graduating class in Barcelona are also Spaniards.

Another vision is to reach young people as they leave high school. The vision is to not only prepare pastors and church leaders for the next generation, but to establish Spain as a sending nation to places such as North Africa.

INFORMA’s campus in Madrid has recently moved into a new facility that has two offices and two classrooms. Having a central location will give more credibility among other Alliance churches, which have seen the school as the project of only one or two churches and not the Alliance as a whole.

The start-up costs for this campus have been high, and it is uncertain what the monthly costs will be once the heat is turned on this fall. A monthly subsidy for those costs will be a blessing to the Klassens’ ministry and to the students.

The Klassens are also trying to keep fees as low as possible, but many of the students are now in full-time ministry in small churches, meaning that they don’t earn enough to pay for their schooling.

Interested donors can provide a monthly scholarship for students, which is €70 (approximately $98) per month for nine months of the year.

The Klassens request prayer for spiritual greening, for holy rain to fall on Spain. This is a spiritually dry country with very little interest in God because of past religious abuses.

Only by separating God from religion and showing them His love will they see the difference between faith and religion. Rain showers are starting, and the greening will happen. Now is the time for Spain! • *Joshuaproject.net Katie McNamara is Copy Editor/Copywriter of the C&MA in Canada

Another vision is to reach young people as they leave high school. #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 37

A quick glance at life in Spain

T

he Spanish tourism industry is one of the largest in the world, bringing billions of euros into the Spanish economy. Regional dances, music, and soccer are popular in Spain.

Barcelona is the second-most densely populated city in the world, where only the very wealthy can afford a family home. Apartment buildings line the streets.

Madrid has impressive buildings and water fountains with numerous parks and worldclass museums.

Deep scars resulting from the Spanish Inquisition remain. For hundreds of years, believers were jailed, fired from their jobs, expelled from schools, and sometimes murdered. They had to meet secretly to worship, making it too risky, at times, to even sing.* In 1978, Spaniards were given religious freedom, yet spiritual apathy is one of the greatest challenges to spreading the Gospel.

Thousands of villas have no evangelical church and twenty per cent of the population have considered themselves agnostic. About 11% of the 53 people groups are not yet reached with the Gospel.

Churches often cannot afford to rent a meeting place or support a full-time pastor.

Most gatherings take place in house churches or smaller groups.

The first Alliance workers entered Spain in 1978, beginning in Barcelona. The work was difficult; by the turn of the century, there were three small churches with barely 200 people.

However, in 2000, thousands of Latin American immigrants arrived. God opened new doors, and the Spanish and immigrant congregations have experienced growth. By 2010 there were sixteen congregations and over 1,400 people meeting on Sundays.

The Marriage Encounter ministry became significant in Madrid, helping many troubled married couples find new friendships and opportunities to worship.

Today, Spanish lay leaders are being trained and are beginning to lead several Bible study groups. * The Alliance World, Summer 2000

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HELP PROJECT INFORMA SPAIN

What is the cost of discipleship for you? You can contribute towards much-needed scholarships in order to raise leaders who will reach out to their own country and beyond at cmacan.org/give. The Klassen’s work special is Project INFORMA - Spain.

or so many pastors “running on empty” seems to be the inescapable norm. As pastors, the demands to produce fresh sermons week after week; to equip and to lead in visionary ways; to counsel wisely and keep up with the endless other responsibilities that end up on our plates can drain us in all ways – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Why does this happen when we follow and serve the Source of all fullness, a generous God who desires to fill us to overflowing? If any of this rings true for you, we invite you to the REFRESH Conference 2016.

.....................................

F

PASTORS & LEADERS CONFERENCE 2016 Come for a time of renewal and refreshing. Learn how to develop the rhythms and practices needed to help you maintain spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health as a pastor.

LOCATION:

LIVING HOPE ALLIANCE CHURCH 3900 Arcola Ave. E. | Regina | SK | S4N 7L2

TICKETS:

$269 early bird (November 1 - March 16) Regular pricing $299 (March 17 - May 17) Groups of 3-10: $240 Groups of 11 or more: $200

MAY 17-19 • 2016

.........................................................................

WWW.REFRESHPASTORS.COM

PHONE:

306.543.8233

EMAIL:

info@refreshpastors.com

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 39

Going Global Becoming an international worker By / Ruth-Anne Gilbertson

“If God has called me, why can’t I just get on a plane and go serve?”

Alliance is through a two-year Global Ministries Apprenticeship Program.

Looking at the life of Paul, there is a clear and compelling call in Acts 9. Interestingly, at least seven years passed between Paul’s conversion and the beginning of his first missionary journey (Acts 13).

An apprentice is involved in ministry under the guidance, support, and supervision of a ministry mentor in a cross-cultural context either within or outside of Canada. These workers test the waters of missions and, if nothing else, they stretch their faith during their service.

Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that the God who designed us has a unique purpose for us: to make a difference for His kingdom.

We need to take inventory and discover who God made us to be. From there, we begin to equip our needs.

Jesus knew Scripture well and was able to respond to questions. We should also have a solid foundation of Scripture and hone skills in sharing our faith and discipling.

It is also very important that we learn how to think and live outside our culture. Like Jesus, we need to look for ways to be involved with people who are not from our own background.

We may have a particular culture or group dear to our hearts, but we need to discern which place or people group we feel called to serve.

Developing a love for, learning a language, and understanding another culture takes time.

One way that cross-cultural international workers (IWs) are being developed in the

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One of the final steps of an IW’s development journey is Pre-Departure Orientation. This is a twelve day live-in program designed to prepare workers as they transition to a whole new culture.

Do you sense God’s call on your life? Discern what He is placing in your heart as you discover who you are in Him, and then boldly follow His purpose for your life. Bold leaders are obedient followers of God. • Ruth-Anne Gilbertson is Director of Converge of the C&MA in Canada, responsible for the recruitment and development of international workers

Beneficial Courses To help you discern where you are called, consider taking these courses.

• Preparation and understanding of different cultures and missions: Kairos • Required by all C&MA workers: Alliance History and Thought (Ambrose University ambrose.edu)

Candidates and international workers at the 2015 Pre-Departure Orientation, along with their leaders. Those with their backs turned will be heading to (Creative Access Countries). Photo courtesy Richard Enns

Testimonies Past, present, and future international workers Katie Bowler returned from a two-year apprenticeship in Guinea and Niger in June 2014. She writes, “It was a huge blessing to have the chance to experience what missions is like while having people walk alongside me.

I’m glad that it is a two year program because I managed to go through the culture shock and come out on the other side, where love for the people and culture outweighs the frustrations.”

Heather Hahn, an international worker in Mexico, began as an apprentice. She explains about her experience: “The apprenticeship program was a critical catalyst in my discipleship journey. I walked alongside IWs during this time, who let me watch them lead, lead with them, and then lead

alone. These mentors gave me opportunities that I did not deserve but were a great investment into my life…and for that, I am very grateful.”

K&G attended Pre-Departure Orientation in June 2015. This is what they wrote after that experience: “Our time was amazing…speakers addressed the different challenges and changes we will be facing as we head overseas. We spent every morning putting new spiritual disciplines into practice.

A few days were dedicated to learning more about the deeper life and discerning the Holy Spirit….In the presence of loving fellowship, we confessed sins, renounced lies, broke down walls, and defeated giants.” •

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 41

Taking a Pivotal Step Preserving our missions heritage for future generations By / Edwin Tsang

Reaching the world through international students, engaging in missions, helping the poor, as well as personal and corporate preparation for short-term missions were five of the English workshops given at the recent Joint Missions Conference (JMC), which brings together all Chinese of the Alliance Churches in Canada.

Several of the workshops were also held in Cantonese and Mandarin.

Dr. A.B. Simpson, founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, upheld missions as the backbone of the movement, building up the life and character of Christ-followers with the Fourfold Gospel.

last conference, held at Ambrose University in Calgary, represented a pivotal step in rallying Western Canadian churches towards missions through teaching, testimonies, field reports, and workshops.

With an average of 630 attending our evening worship sessions, this Vancouver conference cannot be compared to any conferences in Ontario in attendance and size, but we thank the Lord for blessing participants with passion. We rejoice that six people committed their lives to full-time ministry at this event.

With this in mind, and with the full support of the Canadian Chinese Alliance Churches Association (CCACA), this year’s JMC was held in Vancouver for the very first time, bringing together keynote preachers and international workers sent by our Canadian Chinese Alliance churches.

During the conference, held July 8-11, participants were challenged by the preaching on missions; having received teaching, they returned to their churches filled with enthusiasm to re-ignite the flame. For this very reason, four years from now, by faith all Chinese Alliance churches in Western Canada will once again host the next JMC to preserve our tradition for future generations! •

Historically, JMC has been held in St. Catharines, Ontario every four years, but the

Rev. Edwin Tsang was Chair of the 2015 Joint Missions Conference Committee

Vancouver downtown skyline

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RESOURCES

Alliance - Generated Resources

The Church in Exile: Living in Hope after Christendom

Twice as Tight

Across the Deep

by Kendall and Tamara Schmitke

by Erin E.M. Hatton

Historically, the people of God have been a people of exile and diaspora; however, for many centuries in the Western world, the Church lived with the sense of being at home in the world, enjoying considerable power and influence. That age of Christendom is now over, and the Church faces a new cultural reality. Drawing from a close engagement with Old and New Testament texts, The Church in Exile offers a biblical and practical theology for the Church in a post-Christian Age. Ultimately, the book offers a hopeful response to the challenges of ministry in today’s world.

This beautifully illustrated children’s book fills a missing space in adoption literature. It is meant for any adopted child who has asked, “Why did my parents give me up?” and for adoptive parents and counsellors who have sought ways to answer this heartbreaking question. Twice as Tight recognizes the heroism and sacrifice it takes to entrust a stranger with caring for your child, and it affirms that these children are valued and loved by both the parents who placed them for adoption and the families who welcomed them into their lives. This book is an invaluable resource for the adoption community.

When anti-Anglican sentiment is considered treason, can Scottish Presbyterian minister John Mackilligen hold to his promise, even if it means losing everything? Will his descendants follow his faith example in centuries to come?

Lee Beach is Assistant Professor of Christian Ministry at McMaster Divinity College (Hamilton, Ont.) and Minister-at Large in the Central Canadian District

Kendall and Tamara both grew up in the Alliance, and have served as Alliance pastors since 1998. Kendall is currently ministering at Church Without Walls, Owen Sound, ON

Erin E.M. Hatton, is a member of Vox Alliance Church in Barrie, Ont. Across the Deep garnered The Word Award for best historical fiction for 2014. Check out an interview with her at cmacan.org/stories/writing-with-thespirit

Available in paperback from your local Christian bookstore. Also available in paperback or an ebook online at amazon.com, ivpress.com, goodreads.com

Available from your Christian bookstore or online through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, Chapters.Indigo.ca, or greatcanadianauthors.com

Available from your Christian bookstore or online through amazon.com, christianbook. com, barnesandnoble.com, and Chapters.

Indigo.ca

by Lee Beach

Across the Deep is a fictionalized portrayal of the real lives and struggles of historical figures at times when their faith in God affected everything. Hatton drew from the legacy of her own family tree, reimagining the lives of three of her ancestors and sharing their life-defining trials.

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 43

IMPESSIONS

A Ministry of Presence Love your neighbour...

By / Tammy Arseneau

People gravitate to the excitement of my husband, who can be loud, boisterous, and the life of the party. I’m calm, organized, stable, and keep everyone out of the emergency room. We were always seen as a two-for-one in church ministry; we did everything together.

That all changed in 2010 when, after serving for twenty-seven years in the Canadian Armed

Photo courtesy Greg Kolz, Wikimedia Commons.

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Forces, my husband qualified as a military chaplain within the C&MA in Canada. While he gained an official role on-base in ministry, my ministry role became “officially” non-existent.

I went to my knees in prayer, certain that God had called us both to ministry. I couldn’t believe that I was to just sit back and do absolutely nothing.

The key function of the military chaplain is to serve in a “ministry of presence.” In my struggle to find my specific role, God showed me that my “ministry of presence” was to be with military spouses and their families.

It’s really about doing life together.

First, God opened a door for me to work with the women of the chapel. The women were great at serving the community, but they lacked spiritual direction. It took baby steps to gain their trust, but with prayer and my testimony, I slowly introduced them to Jesus.

They wanted more, so I hosted a Bible study on getting deeper into the Word. It was so exciting to see the group grow in their faith, ask questions, pray, and get into their Bibles. I loved building into the women and working alongside them to support the base families.

Each woman had something that she excelled in, so I encouraged them to use these skills to share with the rest of the group. Investing in their lives to discover where their gifts lay took a lot of time, but it was worth it.

of duty for six months each. Many times, I wondered if he would be able to return home to us safely. I now use the experiences that I have gained to support other families going through various separations.

My role changed once again when we moved to an army base in Quebec, our third move in four years.

The language and culture of Quebec has presented some challenges, but it has given me a unique way of connecting with a very specific group of military spouses: Anglophones. Most of these women are new to marriage, military, parenting, and are posted to a base where they don’t know the language.

Many of these women are completely closed off to any mention of faith, but I am seeing some of those walls come down as I continue to build into their lives.

My ministry of presence involves looking for opportunities to reach out to these women, whether it is through social media, taking care of children, or opening my home for coffee and conversation.

One woman felt that she didn’t have anything to contribute, but after visiting her home, I was struck by her amazing gift of design. In turn, she was able to use this gift for Vacation Bible School and remodelling Sunday school rooms.

It’s really about doing life together.

Living great distances from extended family can make holidays quite difficult and lonely. We often invited other military families to join us for holiday meals; unfortunately, national security does not stop on holidays, so many, including my husband, had to work on Christmas Day.

If you have people in your congregations who are members of the military, reach out to them and include them; pray for them. Adopt them as part of your family during holiday seasons or for a Sunday afternoon meal. Even something as small as a phone call, or helping with snow removal, when their spouse is away can help.

To alleviate this separation, I organized “Home for a Day” at the chapel for base families to share a meal on December 25.

We worked together to prepare the meal.

There were games and crafts for the kids, and many adults played board games throughout the day. We hosted a dozen families and many single members, who would otherwise have spent Christmas alone. We sang carols, shared the Christmas story, and felt a new sense of community.

Military families are proud to serve their country, and many proudly serve in your congregations.

God has placed me in this unique ministry to military families who live on-base, and I will continue to look for ways to serve Him. • Tammy Arseneau is married to a C&MA Chaplain and reaches out to military families living on a base in Quebec

The last 24 years, my husband has been away for various career courses, training exercises, natural disasters, as well as two separate tours #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 45

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“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Breaking Shackles 2015-16 Women’s Ministries Project By / Rhona Hathaway

“I was just a person who needed help, who needed love, who needed everything she lost, and drugs took it away from me – took my heart, took my soul, took my brain, took my strength.”

This is what many men and women describe when they find themselves in bondage to drugs and alcohol.

While Serbia has moved beyond the crisis of the 1980s and 90s, the scars of those troubled times remain. In a country where 0.7 per cent* of people are evangelical Christians, the effects of hopelessness and drug abuse are clearly evident.

There are few addiction treatment centres in Serbia, and those that exist are very expensive and hold very low success rates.

Danny and Vera Kuranji are international workers with the C&MA in Canada and are living in their homeland of Serbia. They long to see men and women freed from the addiction of drugs and find the hope that can only come through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

With the success of a men’s rehab centre behind them, the Women’s Ministries of the C&MA is partnering with them to raise $150,000

to open and run a woman’s drug rehab centre in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.

Won’t you join us to see health, hope, and a future restored to Serbian women through a personal relationship with Jesus? *Joshuaproject.net Rhona Hathaway is National Director of Women’s Ministries and Coordinator of the Women’s Ministries Project of the C&MA in Canada

Sofia came on March 23. Shaking, desperate, addicted to heroin over 15 years. Her husband called us as the last solution for their family.

He could not watch his wife killing herself and having their little boy exposed to all that was going on in the home. For his third birthday, he received a mother whose additions were instantly removed. For someone who has never heard about Jesus, this truly was and continues to be the amazing proof that He indeed is real and alive! • Danny and Vera Kuranji are international workers serving in Serbia.

They minister to terminally ill people through hospice care and to young men at a rehabilitation centre

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 47

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Providing flood relief in Serbia • Photo courtesy Joanne Beach

Floods of Hope One man’s journey from heroin to healing By / Joanne Beach

For the people of Serbia, it has been a difficult journey through civil unrest, war, economic uncertainty, refugee camps, and NATO bombings. The scars of those troubled times remain, causing drug abuse to rise at an alarming rate.

Many families in Serbia witness loved ones struggling with addictions, leading to broken dreams and relationships. On a recent visit to Serbia, I had the opportunity to meet dozens of people who are experiencing healing and renewed hope. One young man’s journey touched me deeply.

Rock Bottom For ten years, Veljko was known as a heroin addict who had cut all ties with his family and friends. He testifies, “[I was] broken, lonely, depressed, without a single desire to even change. My family wanted nothing to do with me…I did not care for them. There was no limit to the pain I could cause others, for I had only one thing in mind twenty-four hours a day: how to get the daily dose that kept increasing.”

Veljko discovered the Rainbow Rehab Centre, a ministry started by International Workers Danny and Vera Kuranji in 2008. In the two years he spent in the recovery program, his hopelessness was replaced with faith.

“Today, I am 100 per cent a different person thanks to Jesus Christ, who is my Saviour. He took the desire for drugs away from me and gave me a new heart, hope, and destiny. Words cannot explain how grateful I am.”

...his hopelessness was replaced with faith.

Prodigal Son Returns Shortly after Veljko graduated from the program in May 2014, floods swept throughout the city of Obrenovac, destroying thousands of homes. This was Veljko’s hometown; his family’s home was ruined.

Leadership training and service to the community had been a key part of the rehabilitation program, so he was well-prepared to take on the leadership role of a relief team that responded immediately. This team worked tirelessly to distribute material aid and assist cleaning homes.

People who had known Veljko could not believe he was the same young man. As they witnessed this compassionate service and listened to the team members’ stories of transformation, a spiritual hunger was unleashed.

In Veljko’s words, “I am back in Obrenovac with the team from the rehab centre, helping those who suffered greatly, giving food, clothes, furniture, and words of hope. People know me there; they know who I was and cannot believe who I am today. God is using ex-drug addicts to help people and tell them about Jesus.”

Veljko’s father rejoices, “My chest is too small for the huge heart that I have inside. I gave up hope that Veljko would ever change. I am now so proud of my son and grateful to God for all that is happening in Obrenovac.”

Jesus in Obrenovac A weekly Bible study began in Obrenovac in February 2015. I had the privilege of attending this gathering in its fourth week. The Lord led me to share the stories of the lost sheep, coin, and son from Luke 15. I highlighted the fact that Jesus searches for individuals, including each person in that room. #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 49

One woman stood at the end and asked, “I understand that I need to ask Jesus to forgive my sin and live for him, but when and how can I do that?”

Immediately, Veljko’s father stood up and added, “All I know is that Jesus has transformed my son, so there must be something to this Jesus!”

Several in the room that night have since committed their lives to following Jesus, including Veljko’s father! What a privilege to witness the birth of a church right before my eyes!

People may have given up on him, but God didn’t.

There’s Hope for Everyone Veljko’s life once seemed hopeless. People may have given up on him, but God didn’t.

When God called Danny and Vera to go and share Jesus’ love in Serbia, he knew that their deep compassion for individuals was desperately needed.

Over the years, their church and its ministries have seen many people like Veljko healed and

For all those who donated to the Global Emergency Relief Fund (GERF) – thank you! Your gifts have allowed Alliance workers and Allianceaffiliated organizations to enter disaster zones, such as Serbia and Nepal, and bring the peace of Christ in the midst of turmoil by providing food, warmth, and shelter.

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renewed with a fresh purpose of bringing hope to the hopeless.

I believe that God, in his sovereignty, directed Veljko’s steps back to Obrenovac. His life is evidence of God’s transforming power and this has been instrumental in establishing a new faith community.

Danny and Vera’s model of leadership makes me realize how prone we are to write off people who are in a place of hopelessness.

Challenge yourself and ask, “Am I willing to meet people where they are and walk with them as they journey to wholeness? Is my faith deep enough to believe that Jesus will heal, renew, and use them to lead?”

May Veljko’s story inspire us all! • Joanne Beach is Director of Justice and Compassion of the C&MA in Canada

“Am I willing to meet people where they are and walk with them as they journey to wholeness?”

Danny and Vera Kuranji, second and third from the left, with men from the rehab centre in Serbia Photo courtesy Joanne Beach

Worship gathering • Photo courtesy Joanne Beach

#LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 51

Choosing Unity An open letter from a concerned student By / Rebekah Hagan

Dear Church, You have been in my life for twenty-two years.

As a child, I ran rampant through your halls as only a tyrannical pastor’s toddler could.

As a teenager, I sang on your worship teams, stumbled my way through piano lessons in your sanctuary, and made countless PowerPoints for Sunday mornings.

As a young adult, I have had incredible opportunities to lead worship from your stage and preach the Gospel from your pulpit.

I love you.

I hear rumours of a split.

People are angry; people are hurt; people are confused.

Words like “feminism,” “complementarianism,” and “egalitarianism” are at the centre of continuous, unresolved conflicts. Lines have been drawn; sides have been taken.

I have heard stories of disagreements at General Assembly and whispers of churches threatening to leave the denomination.

Photo courtesy Rebekah Hagan

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There seems to be a dark cloud looming over The Christian and Missionary Alliance. We’re all fixated on it,

wondering what it will do and where it will go.

That cloud has a name, “women in ministry.”

As a strong, single, independent woman who has struggled through four years of classes at Ambrose University, I could tell you what side I’m on in a passionate plea from my generation. I could try to change the minds of the other side, but as the human condition would have it, we are bad at listening to other opinions when we believe we are right.

Stating my argument, no matter how wellwritten or passionate, is no longer helpful in this situation. Too many people have already made their own pleas for change, whether well-written or not.

Instead of asking you to pick a side, I’m asking you to choose to stick together. Please do not become another example of “bad Christians” in a society that is already disillusioned with us. I have more faith in us than that.

We do not have to prove to our detractors that they are right about us, that we devour our own in a crusade to be “theologically correct.”

In truth, both sides have clear, logical arguments that use Scripture. Whether or not you agree with the other side does not change the fact that they have put in just as much thought and biblical exegesis into their argument as you have.

As a church, it is important that the way we view women is in light of Scripture. I am not asking us to forsake that, and I’m not trying to say that this whole issue is insignificant.

But the moment we let the discussion divide us into camps and turn our backs on each other is the moment when the issue of women in ministry becomes more important than the reason we were gathered in the first place: Jesus.

Taking sides against each other takes the focus off of Christ more than being on the “wrong” side of this argument ever could.

Taking sides against each other takes the focus off of Christ.

I don’t want a Church that is more broken than it already is. And I don’t think you do either.

So Church, my plea to you is this: please don’t let this issue be a reason for divorce. Choose unity despite differences of opinion.

Lord willing (and I believe He is), we can do this.

To you, my brothers and sisters, I leave Ephesians 4:1-5. Read it more than once; let it soak in.

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:1-5 ESV).

Did you read it? Or did you skip it because it’s a block quote? Even if you did read it, please read it again.

I hope and I pray that we can stick together and survive this storm. I am committed to fight for this Church. • Are you?

Love, Bekah Rebekah Hagan is an Ambrose student whose home church is Lake Windermere Alliance Church in Invermere, Alberta

I would love to preach every Sunday. I love to preach and teach and write and sing, all things that senior pastors do. But I would rather preach occasionally as an associate pastor to a congregation that is whole than regularly as the senior pastor to a church that is broken and scarred from this war that may tear us apart. #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 53

FYI

Open Heart, Open Bible, Open Hands A culture of discernment By / Gladys Thompson

As we prepare for General Assembly 2016, we’re looking for a new way of doing business. In some contexts, outcomes made during business sessions can be influenced by those with great debating skills or those who use their position or power. In the end, discussions can become heated and feeings can be hurt.

What if, as a community of believers, we gathered and took time to truly discern God’s will for the matters at hand through prayer and Scripture for any motion brought forward during business sessions?

Three foundational principles for this kind of discernment process are: 1. entering into prayerful listening in shaping our decisions and renewing our lives; 2. engaging in practices that help us stay open to the presence of Christ, so that we can determine God’s will together; and 3. ordering our lives in such a way that we become increasingly abandoned to God rather than driven by egos, selfish motives, or personal perspectives.

So the question becomes, “How do we hear or know the mind of Christ, and how do we do this in a corporate or large group setting such as an elders board or at General Assembly?”

Jesus set the example for us by habitually withdrawing to a quiet place to seek the Father’s will. In this way, He was able to speak only what the Father taught Him. There are several Scripture references that provide a framework for us, including Acts 15. As a group, it means having an open heart, open Bible, and open hand as we listen to what God has to say.

It means being open to trust the work of the Holy Spirit in others as much as we trust His work within us. It is seeking to find unity on what is best for the community, even though we may disagree on the particulars of the issue at hand.

Please pray as the leadership team works through this process and establishes a new culture of discernment for General Assembly. • Gladys Thompson is Communications Coordinator of the C&MA in Canada and Associate Editor of cmAlliance.ca

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On mission. All the time.

Everyone. Everywhere.

GERF

Two funds.

Ongoing needs.

One motivation: We’ve been sent.

GAF

See the centre envelope to give now.

Visit cmacan.org/give for stories. #LiveOnMission cmAlliance.ca | 55

Come read and share stories, opinions, and comments, and participate in shaping the C&MA

cmacan.org/stories facebook.com/CMAllianceinCanada twitter.com/CMAinCanada

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