Spring/Summer 2016
Extraordinary
A Moment with Dave
Mission-focused Mosaic
I
was dreading the upcoming appointment. An older couple had invited me for coffee and wanted to talk about a pressing concern.
In my mind, I rehearsed conversations about loud music, shallow preaching, and too much change. I prepared my responses, checked my attitude, and entered the coffee shop. Within minutes, I was invited into an inspiring conversation. This energetic, 70-year-old couple shared that their church had a median age of 65, yet God had called them to start an after-school program for the children in their community. The program now had over 30 children and was making such a positive impact on the community that the parents asked them to start a youth club for teens on Friday nights. What concerned them was whether there were any youth pastors who could mentor them in how to work with teens. They were mobilized and on mission! We live in a time of unprecedented opportunity to reach lost people for Jesus. Ministries need to be initiated by spirit-empowered men and women. Churches need to be planted among least-reached people around the globe, multiplying disciples for the Kingdom of God. The articles you are about to read in this issue of Alliance Connection will open your eyes to the movement of the Holy Spirit in ordinary people who are completely surrendered to Jesus. Marcus Verbrugge will invite you to change your neighbourhood through passionate prayer-walking, and you will read about significant changes in international work. Sandy Ayer will transport you into the past with a stirring historical piece about the Gospel Car.
On mission. Everyone. Everywhere. All the time.
Alliance Connection magazine is a 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 of Communications Denise Lodge Editor and Graphic Design 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. Permission is given for up to 1,000 photocopies for use in a local church or classroom. Reprints must include the credit line indicating Alliance Connection 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 Alliance Connection does not endorse every opinion or event reported or every product advertised. Alliance Connection does not endorse any advertiser nor does it take responsibility for the accuracy of any claims made in the advertisements.
In all these articles there is one common theme, each story is unique, yet everyone is on mission for the same cause. Together, we go to declare the Good News to least-reached people groups.
To subscribe or for more information, contact: Alliance Connection 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
Prepare to have your heart beat a little faster as you are invited into stories of people empowered to expand God’s Kingdom.
Canada Post Agreement No. 40064689 ISSN 2369-9469 ISSN 2369-9477 (online)
Dave Hearn, President
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Alliance Connection - Spring 2016
The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada
Contents F E AT U R E S
10
10
Extraordinary
38
Creating a World of Welcome
50
Retired, Not Expired
50
On mission at home
Resources and ministry needs of older adults
P LU S 8
38
On mission to mobilize and multiply
Making the Connection
17
Small Church, Big Dreams
21
Single by Choice
22
Multiplying the Legacy
26
Ministry in the Shadows
30
Building Churches Around the World
32
Reaching Out to First Nations People
36
The Shift
44
Opening the Door
46
Tuesday Dinner Blessings
55
Past and Present
D E PA R T M E N T S 2
A Moment with Dave • Mission-focused Mosaic
4
Readers Write
6
On Mission Together
14
Silk Road Region • International Church Boom
16
Asian Spice Region • The Migrants’ Plight
19
Caribbean Sun Region • Overflowing with Hope
24
Desert Sand Region • The Ultimate Internship
28
Sea to Sea Region • Starting Something New
34
Perspectives • Living Out Simpson’s Legacy
42
Reflections • The Gospel Car
48
Prayer • What is Prayer-Walking?
56
Impressions • Spirit-Infused Leadership
58
Now You Know • Anticipating Assembly
These articles are also available online at cmacan.org/stories. Add your comments or join the conversation on Facebook.com/ CMAllianceinCanada and on Twitter at #liveonmission.
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CANADA
Readers Write Comments are taken from letters, 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: Alliance Connection, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, 30 Carrier Dr, Ste 100, Toronto ON M9W 5T7
Keeps getting better
Great work, great links
The magazine keeps getting better all the time. I appreciate the articles about our work across the globe.
We received your letter today with the link to THE RAIN IN SPAIN. Great work, and great links at the end of the article. I just finished forwarding this link to our prayer partners. Thanks for making our work of effective communication so much easier. Well done!
I was especially impressed with the letter from Rebekah Hagan regarding our church unity…I hope we can heed this young woman’s advice and stick together thru [sic] this issue. –Violet T. Confused by Caption I was confused when I read the description of Rev. Dr. Terry Young as Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology with the photo shown below…it looked like the photo is related to programs for the Chinese churches in mainland China. –Agnes S.
I would like to comment on your desire to change the title of the magazine. I responded to the survey online but it did not provide for comment. With due respect, I found all the suggested titles missed the mark. The majority reflect desirable attributes of a Christian, but not a message of a magazine. What would be wrong with "Arise!" the theme of that issue? By the way, I like the new tagline. –John M. Alliance Connection - Spring 2016
Excellent Edition I received my copy of cmAlliance.ca in the mail. It is an excellent edition…Of all the articles in this edition, by far the ones I appreciated the most is Open Heart, Open Bible, Open Hands: A Culture of Discernment. It was excellent, and I pray that your model will become part of the DNA of assemblies moving forward. I also love Rebekah Hagan’s letter Choosing Unity…Rebekah brings so much wisdom and insight for a young woman! Thank you for your excellent work!
Suggested titles missed the mark
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–Ernie K
–Melodie B. Thank you! Just to say thank you for the new layout in the magazine. It is great – so easy to read with the larger font and the non-shiny pages. –Linda G
Choosing Unity
Too good to give up
Thank you, Rebekah, for challenging us all to focus on Jesus and on unity and service. You're a gifted leader and I pray that you would have unlimited opportunities to serve God with all your gifts.
I really look forward to receiving the cmAlliance.ca magazine. I find it to be a terrific blessing and encouragement in my Christian faith and only wish I could receive them more often.
Blessings.
Unfortunately I did not see the request to vote for a new name in the most recent edition until it was too late, but I am sure that whatever the new name is the magazine will continue to challenge and inspire. This magazine is too good to give up.
–Patricia L. Unsettling state of affairs Hidden on the last pages of this issue is the most distressing admission of her unsettling state of affairs: The call by Ms. Hagan is a genuine and well informed cry for godly unity. On the next page is a very concerned call and prayer for an orderly 2016 General Assembly. Informed sources and evidence point to our denomination’s slide into error St. Paul warned against in his day. Our root cause is the same: Denying the infallibility of the Scriptures... Unity cannot co-exist with Large Tent differences... The Alliance is in mortal danger by re-interpreting, rationalizing Scriptures to suit our times at the expense of all the Church ever knew and believed. –Klaus S.
Wrong province I am not surprised to read an article by Rebekah Hagan. She is our pastor’s daughter and a much beloved daughter of the entire congregation. I am surprised that you don’t know where Lake Windermere Alliance Church is though! ...(which) resides in British Colombia not Alberta. –Wendy B. Correction: The Ripple Effect – Please note that Dr. Cramer served as Professor of Church History and Old Testament at Canadian Theological Seminary from 1971-84, not from 1979-84 as indicated.
I attended a church in another denomination that had an excellent magazine until the late 1990’s. In an effort to be more relevant the magazine’s content and focus was changed, and it lost its spiritual vitality. I still receive a copy of that magazine from time to time and it has never recovered from that redesign. So, please change the name of cmAlliance.ca if you feel the need (I don’t), but don’t change the quality of the message or the content. Thank you for being a blessing, –Name withheld Bravo Sonny! Bravo Sonny! Congrats Sonny! To God be all the glory! I’m encouraged to read these comments from our dear former (still young) professor, Jean Martin. We did have a wonderful time together! –Michel S. May God bless you and strengthen you until Christ returns! –Antoine K. It feels good to choose God’s best for our dear Sonny –Alain
cmacan.org/magazine
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Courtesy: Chantelle McIver
On Mission Together
A huge landmark for the ministry amongst the Tuareg people in Niger has been reached. After 30 years of faithful work, the entire New Testament is now printed and available in the Tamasheq language. There are just under two million people in this dialect group, most within Niger and stretching into Mali and Libya and Algeria.
Sea to Sea Region Paramount Drive Alliance Church; Stoney Creek, Ontario Part of our values as a church family include showing compassion, discipleship, and service. We want to disciple our kids to become compassionate servers, so we had families put together chemo care kits. These kits provided the opportunity for kids to learn about the process of chemotherapy that other children have to endure. At the same time, the children undergoing chemotherapy at McMaster Children’s Hospital were able to receive these wonderful gifts and experience the love and generosity of Jesus Christ. The kits help manage side effects from chemotherapy and provide much-needed distractions for kids and their families during a stressful time. 6
Alliance Connection - Spring 2016
Families were encouraged to shop together and bring in the items to the church for a packaging party. Ten families participated in the event, and everyone enjoyed the opportunity to help out.
Caribbean Sun Region Rick and Susan Kilbrai, Mexico City C3 is a new endeavor that reaches out to people in the park on Saturdays. We set up a tent where we worship in music, in testimony, and in a short sermon. We specifically called out for prayer to stop the forecasted rain on the day we were holding our second C3 meeting. The day came, and it seemed that disaster was predicted for our morning! The tent that was supposed to be ready for 9:00 a.m. wasn’t ready until 1:30 p.m., a half-hour
after the event was supposed to start. The rain started out as a sprinkling, but it only got stronger; however, many people came out and we made key connections. At the end of the service, the rain fell so hard no one wanted to leave; we were able to talk to more people. It’s interesting how God uses events and circumstances for His glory. Thanks for your prayers! Curtis and Linda Doell Linda Doell met Yorleni’s children, Ashley and Gustavo, at the La Lidia Kid’s Saturday group. Through love and friendship, Yorleni, her husband, and her sister all came to Christ (see cmacan.org/stories/ one-family-at-a-time). Recently, Gustavo had an accident, spilling hot oil all over his body. He underwent a successful eight-hour surgery. Please pray for Gustavo’s healing, and that his family will be covered in God’s comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).
Desert Sand Region
Silk Road Region
Lisa Rohrick, Niger
A New Ministry Focus
Two more Fulani believers were baptized. “Grandpa” has been a believer for a year, and was hesitant to be baptized until recently. But once he decided, there was no turning back. He was so eager to be baptized, it took some convincing to get him to wait for the others to come!
Please pray for an international worker (IW) who is changing his ministry focus to a new people group in a different country. For the approximate 30 million people in this group, there are only four or five IWs who can speak their language.
Afterwards, he said with grateful wonder, “Everything bad I’ve ever done has been wiped away! Jesus has given me new life!” Please pray for Grandpa, who has encountered great opposition. Ask God to protect him from the Enemy, to solidify his faith, and give him the courage to stand up for what he believes. Pray also for his wife’s salvation. Chantelle McIver, Niger Almanate, a girl in our gradlevel sewing program, decided to drop out. She has a severely disabled younger brother and no other siblings to help carry the workload. She works long hours caring for her brother. She has turned down marriage proposals and is now past the age most Tuareg young women get married. She longs to keep learning and growing as a seamstress and in business skills. Please pray as we talk with her and her family and try to find appropriate ways to help at this time.
The God You May Not Know Ordinary people leading extraordinary lives cmacan.org/books
That means there’s only one IW for every 6 million of these people. The labourers really are few. Pray for him as he visits this country for a few months to make connections.
Asian Spice Region Lorne and Kathy-Lu White, Taiwan We have expanded the children’s library at the church. We are also planning a system for children to borrow the books. Please pray that this will be a positive step in helping them to learn more Bible stories and come to faith in Christ. We are also excited that one of the schools where we tell Bible stories has asked Kathy-Lu to record the stories so students can hear them repeatedly. It will give the children an opportunity to both listen to a native speaker of English and to learn the details of the stories. Please pray for us as we work on the logistics of how to best accomplish this. •
100 years of the Canadian Alliance on mission
Making the Connection A mosaic of readers on mission By Gladys Thompson
T
he votes are in, and the winner is…
Thank you to all who took part in our voter survey to find a new name for our magazine. The vast majority of you liked Alliance Connection, and we like it too. It defines what we do – make connections •
with God and His will for us;
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between our president and the message God has given him for the Alliance family;
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among the mosaic of people in our congregations;
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with various cultures among which we serve;
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between the large and smaller churches as well as church plants across Canada;
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between our Canadian congregations and the ministry of our international workers;
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between our Alliance family and partner organizations;
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between those who have great ideas and those who are looking for them; and
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between those who have resources and those who need them.
As a part of our new look, you will notice we are introducing icons right across our various communications material. For example, represents “Resources” whether you see it in our magazine, in one of our brochures, or on our website. Thanks for being part of our magazine ministry. Let’s connect! If you like what you see, please tell others about us, and don’t forget to drop us a line
He would launch a new kind of magazine, one devoted wholly to the cause of world missions, a digest of missionary news...a challenge to the churches, and a call. from Wingspread by A.W. Tozer, about our founder A.B. Simpson about it too. And if you disagree with something in our magazine, let us know about that as well. You can reach us at magazine@cmacan.org or write to us at: Alliance Connection, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, Ste. 100 30 Carrier Dr, Toronto ON M9W 5T7. • Gladys Thompson, Communications Coordinator at The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada’s National Ministry Centre, is Editor of Alliance Connection
cmacan.org/magazine We currently have more than 6,800 individuals who receive our magazine by mail, and our churches receive nearly 13,000 copies to hand out to members of their congregations.
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Alliance Connection - Spring 2016
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
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WWW.REFRESHPASTORS.COM
PHONE:
306.543.8233
EMAIL:
info@refreshpastors.com
cmacan.org/magazine
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Extraordinary On mission to mobilize and multiply By Gladys Thompson
H
e splashes paint onto a huge canvas while dancing to music. If others tried it, they would make a mess, but he creates a beautiful piece of art. David Garibaldi, a performance painter, says he has a vision of what he wants to create and uses each splash of paint to bring it to life, and the audience loves it. It’s really quite extraordinary! If he can do so much with so little, just imagine what God, our Creator, can do. Mike Linnen, Director of Seamless Link, suggests there are three elements required for us to be extraordinary in our mission for God: vision, action, and impact. Vision The Great Commission, God’s vision, tells us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Our founder, A.B. Simpson, incorporated that commission into the fiber of the C&MA. It is the dream of the C&MA in Canada that each of our churches would participate in a growth initiative once every five years; to see an increase
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Alliance Connection - Spring 2016
“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18, KJ21) in self-multiplying, discipling communities across our Five “S” regions. There are so many changes going on in our world today, but God has determined these unique times for us. We have unprecedented opportunities to go and make disciples. It’s really quite extraordinary! Action It’s one thing to learn about being mission-focused, but another thing to do it. Being active in missions is core to who we are. But action means nothing unless completed in love (see 1 Corinthians 13). We hear so often of least-reached people groups around the world, but “least-reached” does not always mean those in other nations. It also includes the most neglected peoples right here at home—social, generational, ethnic, economic, cultural, geographic. Francis Pearson, District Superintendent of the St. Lawrence District, says that Quebec is one of the hardest places to get a response to the Gospel message. There is a more homogenous culture in
…nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God (Isaiah 55:5) the rural areas, and a pluralistic culture in Montreal. Many believe that no religion is the authority on absolute truth, and misunderstandings and conflicts can arise. As chair of the Multiplication and Mobilization Team, Francis reminds us, “Our country has always been a welcoming place where suffering, endangered individuals of the world find hope and new opportunities. Immigration is a major part of our growth in Canada, and Jesus commissioned us to bring hope, light, and restoration to those around us.” For the past three years, Alliance Justice and Compassion has been sponsoring refugees under the C&MA in Canada’s Sponsorship Agreement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Since September 2015, we have been partnering with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Associated Gospel, and Fellowship Baptists on sponsorships. There are now over 150 churches involved in sponsoring refugees. For more information, go to cmacan.org/refugee-sponsorship. T.V. Thomas, our multicultural consultant, is helping churches learn more about New Canadians. He reminds us that “Agape love builds bridges with individuals and cultures.” We need to know a group from their perspective, not our own.
How to fulfill God’s mission Acts 1:8 shows how Jesus intends to establish His Church and then see it radiate outwards in dynamic evangelism starting locally (Jerusalem) and then actively and strategically moving outwards into other spheres represented by Judea, Samaria, and other parts of the earth. A balanced missional church is evangelistically active both locally and globally. We want to be actively engaging the least-reached in our immediate locale, then working towards partnerships in the community, cities, and country, and then sending international workers to the neediest of places overseas. If we are going to be able to send new workers to hard places to evangelize and disciple, we need a training ground where they are actively engaged in Canada, learning skills and honing their God-given gifts.
Following Kairos training, and having experienced living in a different culture themselves, our Chinese congregations have started cross-cultural ministries. The Canadian Chinese Alliance Churches Association currently has 87 churches and five new church plants. Recently, an associate director was hired to help them focus on church planting. Scarborough Alliance in Ontario did an assessment of their neighbourhood, and planted many of the other Chinese churches in the area. Each month, Richmond Chinese Alliance sends out a short-term team to a reserve in the interior of B.C., and Chinese churches in Toronto and Ottawa are also starting cmacan.org/magazine
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Love New Canadians This ministry was started by Rick and Patti Love to equip churches to serve New Canadians in their neighbourhoods. Since launching in September 2014, they have worked with 23 churches in five provinces. They encourage developing a three-stage ministry pathway: 1. Settlement classes and events: meet the needs of immigrants in your neighbourhood (e.g., ESL conversation class, employment class, citizenship class, parties). Three values: be welcoming, respectful, and interactive. 2. Bridges classes: studying English language, Canadian culture, and Christian faith. A gentle and non-threatening introduction to the life and teaching of Jesus. Using the gospels as a lens to understand the lives of our New Canadian friends. 3. Spiritual classes: to help immigrants new to, or close to, faith in Jesus (e.g., ESL Bible studies, Alpha, baptism classes). Patti is Pastor of Intercultural Ministries at Foothills Alliance Church in Calgary. She served alongside her husband with the C&MA Philippine mission from 1994-2005.
lovenewcanadians.ca
Out of 31 churches in Montreal, two-thirds are ethnic. First Nations ministry through short-term missions.
considered to be the leastreached in this nation.
When asked what he saw as the biggest challenges to reaching least-reached people groups globally, Brem Frentz, Vice President of Global Ministries, responded, “These are the more resistant people; they have been under the most severe influence of the power of evil. They are driven by fear and idolatry. These people are our priority!
A new couple has been sent in an educational leadership role to direct a very influential school ministering to the families of international workers from all over Central Asia.
God has called the C&MA to be a pioneering movement to the least-reached. Our calling and message is to pray and to work among the most neglected in order to bring Jesus’ message of hope.”
Another couple was sent to a small Asian nation, still under Communist/Marxist leadership, into a very needy situation to minister to social needs and rescue individuals lost in various patterns of brokenness.
“A further challenge,” he adds, “is the affluence of sending nations which have become comfortable with a self-centred life and numb to the reality that much of the world lives in desperation every minute of their lives. Our theology must be driven by love and by a knowledge that the world is lost without Christ.”
A team has come together in Phuket, Thailand, where they have established an international church and are developing partnerships to rescue children from abuse and sex-trafficking as well as working among the Muslim peoples there.
He reports that six new couples have been deployed to Spain, where the population of evangelical believers is less than 2%. We continue sending to Venezuela, to see a house-church movement emerge in key cities. Our latest couple is working with the Han and Cantonese Chinese,
2,001,000,000 individuals live in 5,235 people groups with few, if any, believers.
Excitement is growing regarding the advancement of Envision Canada, which is actively developing sites both here and overseas where Alliance pastors and lay people can engage in dynamic evangelism, compassionate ministries, and development of new ventures. In addition, we are seeing spiritual growth in our
congregations across Canada, with the National Discipleship Team continuing to support the vision of every Alliance church having a disciple-making process in place and every licensed worker in a disciple-making relationship. If you are going to General Assembly, consider signing up for their discipleship seminar. A list of resources, disciplemaking plans, and programs are available at transformcma.ca/ resources/discipleship-pathways. Impact We’re hearing stories about individuals and churches doing extraordinary things to reach people for Christ. Churches are working together to plant new churches; new partnerships are forming with other denominations and organizations; new efforts are also being made to reach our First Nations peoples. There are many great things happening; you can read about them at cmacan.org/stories. Brem Frentz tells us that one fifth of our 220 international workers are Chinese. Most minister to Diaspora Chinese in other countries, but now many new Chinese candidates go
to other hard-to-reach ethnic people groups.
Definitions
We are seeing international churches in many of the large cities across the eastern hemisphere as well as Europe and North Africa. God is doing a new thing in places where, humanly speaking, it was thought to be impossible!
•
Unreached People Groups (UPG) – are defined by distinct language, culture, and/ or identity where there is no access to the Gospel and no internal adherence or expression of Christian faith.
Conclusion
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Least Reached People Groups (LRPG) – are defined by distinct language, culture, and/ or identity where less than 2% are evangelical in faith and less than 5% have any expression of Christian faith.
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Unengaged Unreached People Groups (UUPG) – are defined by distinct language, culture, and/ or identity among which there is no adherence or expression of Christian faith. Also, no one is engaging for the express purpose of providing this people group access to the Gospel.
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Most-Neglected People – are those groups that may include individuals from any category (from the spiritual perspective of insufficient access to the Gospel message of Jesus), but tends to be used more broadly to identify neglect beyond the spiritual to also include the social, physical, political, and economic marginalization of people.
We are called to be: On mission. Everyone. Everywhere. All the time. Our amazing God has chosen ordinary people like you and me to be His partners in mission. He has given us the vision, provided the power, and now it’s up to us to focus on those who do not know Him. When we are Christ-centred, Spirit-empowered, and Missionfocused, He takes every splash of testimony, prayer, donation, sermon preached, and person sent, and uses them to reach others with His love. It’s really quite extraordinary! Gladys Thompson, Communications Coordinator at the C&MA’s National Ministry Centre, is Editor of Alliance Connection
Only .01% of the 11.5 million Uyghur population is evangelical. The Uyghur people group is one of only 55 officially recognized minorities in China.
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Silk Road Region
International Church Boom A movement that could play a major role in the Great Commission By Warren Reeve and Ken Driedger
O
ne in eight people on earth live away from home. Either internally displaced or in a foreign country, people are moving like never before in history. With these large numbers of Christ followers on the move, and most nations wanting to prove to the global market that they offer freedom of religion, we are seeing international churches popping up in places of which we previously only dreamed. God has clearly shifted the global church landscape. Twentyfive years ago, the international church was an irrelevant, unconnected group of fat-cat expats. Today, international churches are missional and making Great Commission impact. Looking through the lens of international churches, we see a new wave of God’s missional activity igniting in His world that is beyond our previous hopes and dreams. God is using international churches to reach the global Diaspora and then sending peoples from around the world back into their native countries to reach the unreached there.
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Lawn Lights Lawn lights are used to show the way or display the beauty of a well-groomed garden. Once upon a time electric lawn lights lit up gardens. They were connected via an electrical cord buried beneath the surface of the earth. Those days are long gone! Now individual solar-powered lights accomplish the same thing without a central control station. Mini solar panels draw energy from the sun to light the way; this is energy efficient, more effective, and without the overhead and trouble of a switch connected to costly electric power. International churches are like solar-powered lawn lights. While independent, they draw
strength from the same source. The international church lights the way to Jesus and displays the power of God in the beauty of His garden. The international church is divinely positioned in the centre of the Diaspora intersection where multiculturalism, pluralism, and urbanization simultaneously collide and coexist. That crossroads is where God gathers the scattered to reach globetrotters with the Good News. People are moving towards God through the crossroads of travel when they are introduced to the international church. God is moving people out of earthly, temporal homes both internally and internationally,
10/40 Window The 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude and includes the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. More than two-thirds of the world’s population (4.83 billion people) live here in 68 nations. About 62 per cent of the individuals in the 10/40 Window live in an unreached people group. Source: Joshua Project
International churches are like solar-powered lawn lights. While independent, they draw strength from the same source. and is drawing them into an eternal heavenly home. Instead of people colliding in confusion at the intersection of travel, the international church can help people co-exist in Christ. International Churches International churches are those churches around the world that primarily serve people of various nationalities – expatriates/people of the global Diaspora/foreign passport holders – and church backgrounds living outside their home countries. They function in a language (mostly English) not normally spoken in the host country. Usually, there is a significant proportion of the church who have English as a second
language. They can be found in nearly all major cities, especially where English is not the main language. There are well over a thousand international churches across the globe. They come in all sorts of colours, shapes, and backgrounds. They often have different demographics and emphases. They are small, medium, large, and extra-large. They are found in developed, developing, and limited-access nations. Many of them have a unique status with previously unreachable countries wanting to show they comply with the United Nations Declaration of Freedom of Religion. Many places are granting them official status where we have previously not seen churches and all our workers have had to use other
means of entry and, in most cases, highly constrained work patterns trying to spread the Good News. They provide a safe landing place for scattered peoples who, for many reasons, find themselves in spots typically inhospitable to Christians. In so doing, they have a safe platform from which to reach other peoples of the Diaspora. International churches are a movement that God has started, with a largely unrecognized and untapped potential to play a major role in the Great Commission. • Dr. Warren Reeve is Founder of the Missional International Church Network. Rev. Dr. Ken Driedger is Executive Director, MICN
The Missional International Church Network (MICN): • • • • •
is a team of volunteers who see the phenomenal potential to leverage the growing wave of international churches, particularly in the 10/40 window, to reach the final unreached and leastreached people groups. aims to enable multicultural international churches to be active participants in God’s mission in the diverse and transient contexts in which they live and serve. has over 300 subscribers in more than 50 countries, primarily in the 10/40 window, committed to networking for missional impact. is working in partnership with The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada and other organizations to enter the opportunity God is raising up with international churches, particularly in the 10/40 window. has a passion for all churches to engage in the whole mission of God for the whole earth through intentionally living on mission in cultural contexts. micn.org Funding for the MICN is a strategic investment in the missions agenda of the C&MA. If you would like to donate, please go to cmacan.org/spring-2016, or use the enclosed envelope, and designate your giving to the Missional International Church Network.
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Asian Spice Region
The Migrants’ Plight Ministering to people on the move NLC has become a place of refuge and safety for many.
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astoring an international church can be likened to standing by the side of a constantly moving river of people, ministering to them from the time they move into your area of influence until they “float” past and move on to a new home. People are constantly moving into and out of your city, and the joys and challenges of this ministry are unique and exciting. After twenty-three years of ministry in Canada, we began our international church adventure seven years ago when we received a clear call to our church in Southeast Asia. As the only international church in our setting, we draw people from many nations, cultures, religious traditions, and denominations who move to our city for schooling, business, and ministry reasons. Two years into our time here, we began to notice the many non-Western foreign workers who were working in construction, cleaning, and service industries. Through building relationships with them, we learned of their harrowing journeys as they fled life-threatening conditions in their home countries. Though they hope for safety in this new country, their experiences often involve human trafficking, extortion, and mistreatment. God spoke clearly to me in 2012 about the migrants’ plight, and the Nations Learning Centre (NLC) was born in 2013 as a ministry to migrant workers. Each week, we spend time teaching English and basic computer skills as well as sharing Bible stories in their own heart languages. The
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Recently, two young Hindu men from Myanmar chose to follow Christ after being part of the NLC for one year. They are now being discipled and have begun telling the stories of Jesus to their co-workers, a first step in building disciples who will make disciples within their own communities. Though they have both been terribly mistreated and have appalling work conditions, they now know the Lord Jesus and are serving Him in their work camps. When we arrived, we expected to pastor an international church; what we didn’t know was that God would also break our hearts with the plight of migrant workers, asylum seekers, and victims of human trafficking. We count it a privilege to live where we do, to work within the international church setting, and to be involved with so many migrant workers and refugees. • Bob and his wife, Karin, have been serving as international workers in the Asian Spice region for the past seven years
Thanks to your generosity, these international workers are able to minister in the Asian Spice region. The Global Advance Fund (GAF) sends workers to places where least-reached people groups live and it maintains their ministries. You can give to this fund online at cmacan.org/spring-2016, or use the enclosed envelope, and mark your donation, “Bob and Karin Work Special.”
Small Church Big Dreams Taking steps on an adventure with God By Lorilee Jespersen
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A relationship began to develop between l’Église ACM de Matane, a tiny congregation on the edge of the Gaspé Peninsula, and international workers Don and Betty Orr when Rev. Michael Gagnon made a post-Assembly trip to Poland following General Assembly 2010. Murielle Neiderer, passionate champion of missions, then took on the role of fostering this budding relationship through intentional communication. Her ongoing efforts turned into a Seamless Link Agreement in June 2015. Prayer and communication, essential to the spirit of Seamless Links, were already in place in this relationship. One major step of faith that the small church needed to work through was their financial commitment to the Orrs. The elders decided to bring back the concept of the faith promise as a way to help the congregation make a financial contribution to the Global Advance Fund (GAF) and to the Orrs’ work special. This was a big step of faith for such a small congregation, but one they believe God will honour. It is not only Matane that has blessed the Orrs, but Don and Betty have participated in the church
Courtesy: Don Orr
oes being a small church keep one from dreaming big and joining God in adventures across the ocean? Murielle Neiderer of Matane, Quebec, would say, “No way!”
Baptism that took place in Poland
life of Matane even though it is far from their church home in Chilliwack, B.C. The Orrs are committed to visiting the church regularly on their way to and from Poland and are looking for ways to have people from this congregation be involved in their ministry in Warsaw. Last year, ties were strengthened as Pastor Gagnon brought the Kairos course to the international church in Warsaw with the vision of seeing Kairos launched in Polish in the next two years. This relationship is further strengthened through the partnership of Chilliwack Alliance Church, which not only has a Seamless Link Agreement with the Orrs, but has become involved with the work of the churches of the Lower St. Lawrence, Matane and Rimouski, which share Pastor Gagnon. Teams from each church, two opposite ends of the country, have visited each other in order to cmacan.org/magazine
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Courtesy: Michael Gagnon
A Bond between Churches
Members of the congregation in Matane meet with Don and Betty Orr
learn from one another and to work alongside each other to build God’s Kingdom in these two very different cultures in Canada. Lord willing, this spring, a small team of young adults from both B.C. and Quebec will join the Orrs in Poland to participate in the ministry there. Don and Betty know that this is an investment back into the Canadian church as well, strengthening the discipleship process of young leaders from the congregations of their Seamless Link partnerships. Murielle sums up partnership in this way, “The real goal is that God wants us to participate in His glory. It doesn’t matter if we are small or large in number, but we know that we can make a difference! God has opened the eyes of our heart and we want to obey.” • Lorilee Jespersen is the Seamless Link Adviser for the St. Lawrence District
For small churches far from major urban centres, isolation can have a disconnecting effect. This has several negative results that can be toxic for the progress of the work of Christ both in the lives of the believers and in their ability to impact their communities. Over the space of several months in 2014, we experienced the transformational power of personal contact with believers from Chilliwack Alliance. Our apprentice pastor spent six weeks there, which helped our people discover that there are sister churches across Canada. As a direct result of David Pearson’s sojourn to Chilliwack, we had a team of young adults accompanied by two pastors from the church visit us. What a blessing for our congregations. Then our congregations welcomed Don and Betty Orr, who also hail from Chilliwack Alliance Church. To cement these feelings, both the motorcycle and bicycle Love in Motion groups who were hosted in Rimouski had contingents from Chilliwack Alliance Church. Last spring, it was our turn to make the journey to Chilliwack with the support of the rest of the congregation in Rimouski. Their experience in B.C. brought delight and blessings to the rest of us.
Courtesy: Don Orr
Through this church-to-church relationship, the gates of isolationism have been torn off their hinges. The change is tangible. Rev. Michael Gagnon
Don and Betty Orr, international workers in Poland
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Courtesy: Victor Chin
Caribbean Sun Region
Overflowing with Hope Restoring lives in the park By Victor and Betty Chin
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)
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n the shadow of Mexico City’s historic centre is Parque Artes Graficas. This park is the ministry base for the Metro Church Project in an area called Colonia Doctores. Here, you can find four historic fountains. Neighbours will tell you that these fountains have not worked since the 1985 earthquake. The aim of the Metro Church Project is to plant churches in proximity to subway stations that serve specific communities. This park is a focal point for the community, and a Saturday children’s arts and crafts ministry is used to build relationships with families.
Weekly prayer walks around the vicinity have been in place since May 2014, led by Jonathan and Claudia, a local Mexican couple. After six months of ministering in this area, women’s and men’s Bible study groups were formed in various homes. As well, a small group of four families have been meeting on Sundays to worship and fellowship together at a home. There has been a visible change to the upkeep and cleanliness of the park. The fountains are cmacan.org/magazine
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we continue to build relationships with families and with local leaders becoming functional again, and it was a wonderful sight to see them all working at the same time this past December. Is this the new hope? Can the restoration of the fountains bring hope into this community? The flow of water holds great significance in the Christian faith: from Jacob’s well, to the crossings of the Red Sea and the Jordan River, to the rocks of Marah. Here are some of God’s stories: Berta and her young son visited our Saturday children’s ministry in the park in November 2014 and shared her brokenness and financial hardship with us. She had no family here and her husband, Roberto, had unstable, casual jobs. God allowed us to nurture this young family through some very difficult times and used shortterm teams to bless them by replacing broken window panes in their home. Today, Berta and
Roberto are growing in their faith, and they place their future hope in Christ. Javier, a taxi driver, came to the park on the insistence of his wife and daughter to meet us for his approval. He shared his frustrations of not being able to let go of his worries. Through a weekly Bible study, he is learning to place his security and trust in Christ. Ibrain is a youth that jumped on the chance to practise English, while his peers looked on with anxiety. He then joined the English class we offer in partnership with the youth program at the park. The community’s hope lies in these youth, and this project is working to encourage them to choose the right paths. These are just some glimpses of what God is doing in the community. Please pray for God’s mercy and grace as we continue to build relationships with families and with local leaders. Pray that God will point us to the right people to disciple and hopefully to form a core group for the church plant. It is also our desire that Jonathan and Claudia will continue to share the message of hope and be able to disciple those who want to follow Christ. • Victor and Betty Chin are international workers based in Mexico City, Mexico
Courtesy: Victor Chin
If you would like to support this ministry, please go to cmacan.org/spring-2016, or use the enclosed envelope and mark your donation for the Mexico City Metro Church project. Craft and English workshop in the park
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Single by Choice Surrendering all areas of life to Christ By Marie-Andrée Gagnon
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to the legitimate desire to get married or have children? On the contrary!
Unfortunately, after only nine months, I became ill and had to be sent home to Canada.
But I name and shame the obsession with marriage and childbearing. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not accusing anybody here. I am simply standing up for people who are single by choice.
was mobilized in the Spirit from the start of my Christian life. Having agreed to a two-year commitment in the Caribbean and Latin America, I joined the crew of the Logos, one of two missionary ships belonging to Operation Mobilization.
During my short time on the ship, I noticed the social pressures that youth unconsciously exert upon one another. A young man first greeted me by saying, “Welcome aboard the Operation Matrimony ship!” This obvious reference to the TV program The Love Boat put me on the defensive as a single woman by choice. Then I met my team leader for the first time, who walked me through the rules onboard, mainly about courtship. We were not allowed to get romantically involved with anyone during our first year on the Logos. I told her I was happy about this rule, as I was still crying over the Muslim man I had left to follow Christ. It didn’t take me long to understand that the few single women who wanted to remain single were rather ill-perceived. This is where I say, “Stop!” I want to let young Christians know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being single and without children. Am I opposed to marriage or
Singles are not abnormal people because they don’t feel called to get married or start a family. If the gift of singleness were not from God, would it be specifically mentioned in the Bible? (See 1 Corinthians 7) So do Christian singles by choice have no other solution but to follow in the steps of the Houston woman who married herself? The best solution for them is to acknowledge the gift of singleness and teach those who bear down on them to do likewise. I paid a high price for yielding to this kind of pressure and ended up feeling completely abnormal for not wanting to get married. With Christ’s blessing, single Christians by choice are free to serve Him without having to bear the pressures, the fixations, and the contempt they receive from some of their brothers and sisters. Single leaders, rise up and proclaim this legitimate freedom! • Marie-Andrée Gagnon is a published author and professional translator who provides translations for the C&MA in Canada
...there is absolutely nothing wrong with being single and without children
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Multiplying the Legacy
By Celine Ibsen
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Miriam Charter teaching a class at Ambrose University
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tudents arrive at university with this germinal sense of God’s call, and I get to nurture it,” says Ambrose Professor of Intercultural Studies Miriam Charter. “That’s the best part of my job.” In 2012, Miriam was already well-established as director of the PhD Educational Studies department at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, but she was drawn to the Intercultural Studies program at Ambrose because of her deep-rooted connection with The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (C&MA). “I came back to Ambrose because I wanted to invest my life back in the denomination that invested in me,” she says. Miriam was born into a family with a multigenerational background in missions. As a young adult, her calling was nurtured and affirmed at Foothills Alliance Church in Calgary, where Lead Pastor Gordon Fowler and his wife, Eleanor, took Miriam under their wing. “They understood that for churches to flourish the younger generation needs to be commissioned, to hear from the leadership that they are needed.” Miriam left her career as a French teacher in Calgary to complete her M.Div. at Canadian
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Courtesy: Ambrose University
Investing in and nurturing the next generation
Theological Seminary in Regina, SK. Four years later, she was on her way to Eastern Europe to teach Greek in an underground seminary behind the Iron Curtain. But upon her arrival, that plan was challenged. “The evangelical church in Eastern Europe, at the time, was very patriarchal,” Miriam explains. “I remember sitting in the smoky backroom of a church in Bucharest, where most of the pastors had risked their lives to get to the meeting, only to be told that because I was a woman I couldn’t teach them Greek, so I thought for a minute and asked, ‘What if I teach the seminary curriculum to your wives?’” At first they were reluctant, but after hearing how Miriam’s own calling grew out of what her family taught her, pastors began raising their hands to affirm they would let her disciple their wives. Miriam drew an illustration of 2 Timothy 2:2 for them: “…and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.” (2 Timothy 2:2, NRSV). Miriam established a generational grid as she began to disciple those ten pastors’ wives in Bucharest. She told them, “Everything I teach you, you have to gather a second generation of women
Everything I teach you...teach it to them. And they in turn will teach the next generation. and teach it to them. And they in turn will teach the next generation.” “The 2 Timothy 2:2 model is what Christ did. He could have tried to disciple huge crowds, but He chose twelve and taught them so that they would be able teach the multitudes,” says Miriam.
each successive generation at Ambrose that they are needed, called, and commissioned to spread the Gospel of Christ. • Celine Ibsen is a graduate of Ambrose University and the daughter and granddaughter of Alliance international workers who served in the Asian Spice Region
By 2010, the fruits of the women’s ministry in Eastern Europe had multiplied exponentially. At a conference held in Romania to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ministry, organizers had to select attendees from among 2,000 women.
“When I attended the conference, women whom I had never met introduced themselves to me and said things like, ‘My name is Maria, and I’m one of your great-great grandchildren’ or ‘I’m from the fourth generation,’” Miriam recalls. “They spoke the language of generations.”
Courtesy: National Ministry Centr e
Meanwhile, pastors throughout Eastern Europe were saying that the women’s ministry is the model for how they do discipleship.
Miriam on mission in Russia
At Ambrose, Miriam shares this philosophy of generational ministry with her students.
Courtesy: Miriam
“I have students from Business to Biology, English to Behavioural Science, asking questions about how their discipline could be used to get the Gospel to the unreached peoples of our world. They want to follow Christ’s calling for their lives, just like the students pursuing ministry degrees.”
Charter
Students who are drawn to discover their role in the Great Commission often major in Intercultural Studies. For Miriam, one of the joys of teaching in an interdisciplinary context is extending the invitation to participate in the cycle of discipleship beyond her own program.
by Miriam, her elyn Charter, ba Norman and Ev n in 1950, while d Vernon. Take siblings Ruth an r the new Mao unist China unde living in Comm rmission to leave d waiting for pe government an me until 1952. co ission didn’t China. That perm
Miriam is committed to carrying on the legacy she has experienced within the C&MA by teaching cmacan.org/magazine
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Desert Sand Region
The Ultimate Internship The next step in the journey By Joze Reverente
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braham Maslow once said, "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
This adage teaches us that we need to have appropriate tools for different situations. Providing culturally-appropriate tools is one of the main purposes of the WAVE Program. WAVE stands for West Africa Vision Expedition; it was developed by long-time international workers (IWs) Rev. Daniel and Melodie Ibsen in order to mentor and train the emerging IWs. The WAVE Program welcomed its first apprentices in Guinea in July 2010. Since then, there have been sixteen interns, apprentices, and international workers who have participated in WAVE in Guinea and Niger. The WAVE Program is for people who have sensed a vocational call in their lives for
cross-cultural, overseas ministry and want to take the next steps of discernment and preparation. Participants enter into either a one-year internship or a two-year apprenticeship. During the first year of both tracks, the primary focus is on learning the language and culture, as well as participating in relevant ministries. During the second year of the apprenticeship track, the focus is on ministry with the guidance of a coach working among the same people group. In addition to learning the language and culture of a particular people group during the first year, participants hear stories from other IWs. They also learn about the ministries of other organizations. Participants attend seminars and build intentional friendships with nationals, while living out a Christian testimony in the community, demonstrating the love and life of Jesus through word and deed.
If you have a heart to see the next generation mobilized and mentored for mission, please go to cmacan.org/spring-2016, or use the envelope enclosed, and give to the Guinea - West Africa Vision Expeditions (WAVE) project, where funds go toward scholarship, projects, and training materials. 24
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To learn more about the WAVE Program in Guinea or Niger, or if you would consider partnering with us in prayer, please send us an email at waveguinea@gmail. com or waveniger@gmail.com. At the heart of all of these experiences, the two couples that comprise the WAVE Team—Daniel and Melodie Ibsen and Joze and Jocelyn Reverente— are committed to praying for, walking with, and mentoring the WAVE participants along this chapter of their journey. Just as the Apostle Paul's ministry was about proclaiming the Good News of Christ in unreached places and mentoring leaders, the Ibsens and the Reverentes also have a heart for cross-cultural ministry and mentoring. WAVE is not only about equipping, nor is it only about personal growth for each participant, it is also about giving the lost, dark, and dying world the opportunity to hear about and experience the love of God through the manifold expressions of Jesus in each wave of Christian witness in their midst. •
Living the Ministry Guinea ripped my heart open for people. Not only did I learn about culture, language, and ministry, I also learned about faith, joy, and love in hard times and about being ministered to by the people I had been sent to serve. Doing full-time ministry with high school students in Canada, I often find myself referring back to things that I learned in Guinea. Cross-cultural ministry has made me a better minister. Janna Ehrenholz
Growing Through Suffering My experience as a WAVE apprentice taught me a valuable lesson about suffering, leading, and growing that I wouldn’t have learned in Canada. A national friend in Niger, who has suffered more than I could ever imagine, said to me, “Staying put is too easy. I need to suffer more for God.” I learned that in hardships, we grow by discovering our true character and depending more on God. Now that I’m back and comfortable in Canada, I don’t want to forget what I learned in Africa.
Joze Reverente and his wife, Jocelyn, are international workers involved in church ministries in Guinea
Katie Bowler
July 2-7 July 10-16 July 24-30
Riding to Bring Hope Raising awareness and funds for projects targeting poverty, youth violence, family breakdown, and challenges for newcomers to Canada.
Courtesy: Encompass Partnerships
Ministry in the Shadows Going to the ends of our cities By Harv Matchullis
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n The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy exclaims, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
You could say the same thing about Canada. In the past few decades, we have undergone massive demographic, moral, religious, and economic changes. How is your church doing in this new Canada? I want to call you and your church to •
rethink the use of your buildings (whether owned or rented); and
•
re-orient your ministry posture toward the least-reached in your own communities.
Encompass Partnerships is not a church, but we are living out a way of ministry that churches can adopt. The Christian and Missionary Alliance excels at sending international workers to the least-reached, yet in our own Canadian cities, and in the very shadow of the Christian community, are those who are still least-reached. A tangible expression of the Gospel is not being lived out among them. Think of your own city or community. How is the Gospel being expressed among the sexually exploited, the johns, marginalized youth, wealthy elite, gang culture, artists, the homeless, immigrants, those of different sexual orientations, etc.? Jesus’ desire and promise is that His Good News will be preached to the whole world, yet 26
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Partner pastors at the Encompass Grand Opening 2014
unbelievably, we still need to go to the ends of our cities! To do this, it will take the same skills, gifts, and tactics that the Alliance has used to take the Gospel to cultures around the world. I propose that local churches become mission-bases. The spiritual gift of evangelism is already active in churches, agencies, and startup ministries. Encompass Partnerships is a charity under the C&MA umbrella. We are a hub of Gospel advancement to the least-reached of Calgary and hope to inspire this in other cities. Why Partner? The unique thing about partnerships is their ability to leverage relationships, knowledge, competencies, gifts, and resources to accomplish something that is greater than the sum of the parts. Whether it’s sharing a building, learning in common community, or collaborating on a project, partnership makes for greater effectiveness and stewardship of ministry resources. Partnering provides an increased reach and influence that changes lives: •
The New Canadian Friendship Centre formerly operated out of their own facility. Now they operate from Encompass and Rockyview Alliance Church. This expands their reach and impact, but also connects Rockyview and our four resident congregations more intimately with New Canadians.
•
•
We’ve recently connected with an independent Pakistani missionary to Canada and have developed a partnership with Rockpointe Church to help him develop his ministry to Muslims in Calgary. The Pregnancy Care Centre has found new opportunities for their mentoring and teaching programs with two other Encompass partners, and as a result has expanded their impact to aboriginal youth and workers in the sex industry.
Here are some questions to ponder over that might inspire a re-orientation of your church’s ministry posture: •
How much of your facility sits empty during the week?
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What will it take to maximize use of the facility that God owns and entrusts to you?
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How will ministry change if you accepted the entire city/community as your responsibility?
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Who around you is unreached with the Gospel? What will it take to find out?
The mission of Encompass Partnerships is to challenge local churches to change their approach to ministry and the use of their facility so that they become centres in partnership with their communities. •
Courtesy: Encompass Partnerships
Rev. Harvey Matchullis is serving as Executive Director/ Partnership Facilitator of Encompass Partnerships harv@encompasspartnerships.org
Planning team for the second generation youth group comprised of youth from all four partner churches
Partnerships Our ten partners currently are: •
Four Alliance churches who meet at Encompass under a captivating mission: “Collaborating partners committed to reaching New Canadians and next generation youth, to develop transcultural disciples who transform Canada and the world.”
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Anchored Warriors ministers to Aboriginal youth on local reserves as well as in the urban setting of Calgary.
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Cooperative ESL Ministries is an interdenominational ministry focused on providing ESL and cross-cultural awareness to churches.
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Christ Heals in Low Lights develops relationships with call girls and escorts.
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SIM’s Western Canadian representative partners with us to recruit and deploy people as urban missionaries
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Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre operates two days a week from our facility.
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The New Canadian Friendship Centre, an initiative of Centre Street Church Calgary, operates from our facility and that of Rockyview Alliance to provide settlement services to New Canadians.
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Learn more about Encompass Partnerships at encompasspartnerships.org
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Thoughts and practices for partnering with New Canadian Churches— encompasspartnerships.org/resources/ partnering-to-reach-new-canadians
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Financially support this ministry at encompasspartnerships.org/donate cmacan.org/magazine
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Courtesy: Jack Ninaber
Sea to Sea Region
Celebrating a baptism at Church at The Manor in Guelph
Starting Something New The multiplication of churches and congregations By David Enns
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ome projects intimidate me! Baseboards incomplete, a deck should be redone, shingles need replacing. A major reason for my delay is I don’t know where to start. The second reason may be a lack of competency. Once I get started, surprisingly, especially to friends and family, I can accomplish a few tasks. I actually laid hardwood throughout my upstairs. True, I did have help with one important piece. A friend came by and correctly laid down the initial row that allowed me to build off of it. He helped me get started. For some, mobilization comes easy. They are quick to engage in multiplicative activity with endless
energy and enthusiasm. But for most, starting something new is intimidating. To start a new church seems daunting and destined to fail. Some will say we have too many churches and most lifetime church attenders can recite a list of failed attempts. But new is invigorating. It is the place of discovery where creativity abounds. What does a new church look like amongst the condo communities in downtown Toronto, our country’s largest city? What does it look like in Middle Musquodoboit in the beautiful Musquodoboit Valley in Nova Scotia? New is where leadership gets a start and lessons are learned.
For more New Venture stories and partnership opportunities visit seatosea.net For more information on Church at The Manor, see Finding Christ at The Manor, cmAlliance.ca, Fall 2014, pp 30-31 28
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[Jesus] said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43) The New The New is unknown and untried. The New could lead to success or to discouragement. It is intentionally engaging a new Spanish Church in Toronto with a homeless shelter. It is pulling together a network of churches to share funds to start new churches in Georgian Bay. But even in the worst case scenarios, leaders are developed, people are baptized, and lessons are learned. The New is vulnerable. An idea shared is the holy moment where words capture prayers and passions. It is a senior pastor sharing his vision with a board, who may or may not be interested. It is a conviction that moves us back to Montreal or into Flemingdon Park, a multicultural community in Toronto. The New needs people who embrace collaboration. Done are the days when we valued our independence. To be New in these contexts will take a collaborative effort beyond our faculties and our preferences, where preferences are surrendered and vision unites. New Ventures I have had the incredible privilege to be a part of over 50 New Ventures in Eastern Canada over the past five years. This is more of a statement of God’s incredible grace and a network of remarkable leaders and local churches than anything I did. A New Venture is a faith community that has the permission and potential to be a local church. Here are the stories of how two such New Ventures began.
The first was a conversation with a youth and young adult pastor, Raja Stone. We were at a gas station Starbucks at the corner of Erb and Erbsville, in Kitchener, Ont. The conviction was a new church in downtown Waterloo, a new faith community in the heart of the city, meeting in an old movie theatre. There was a strong core group, with ministry passion, making a dynamic team. The need was for partners to share in this vision. We followed up on this conversation and, in a beautiful Kingdom move, a church in Kitchener shared finances. A district came along as a partner, and an agreement was drafted to start a New Venture – Uptown Community Church. The second was a conversation with Jack and Sharon Ninaber, who began a ministry to people who are associated with The Manor, a strip club in Guelph, Ont. Hmm. Tough to know how to support this vision. As Jack and Sharon shared their vision, you could see the conviction and passion. Soon, partners joined. A Baptist church in the community committed to pay the facility costs; Crossings, an Alliance church in the neighbouring town of Acton, took on The Manor as an extension of their church. An agreement was put in place to support this New Venture and allow for the vision and church to emerge. The New needs people who pick up a hammer, people who lay the initial row, and make small steps towards implementation. The New needs vision trips, prayer evenings, interviews, town halls, moving into a new community, apprenticing, and partnering with an existing church. Pick up a hammer and lay a row, then begin to build. Begin a conversation, share an idea. • Rev. David Enns is Director of New Ventures / Networking for the Eastern Canadian District
As of February 15, 2016, the C&MA in Canada has: 435 Member Churches 2 Affiliated Churches 93 Congregations/sites, which are part of the 435 churches 35 New Ventures cmacan.org/magazine
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Building Churches Around the World International workers in church ministry
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OU can help fulfill the global vision of the C&MA by supporting our international workers (IWs) serving in church ministry. Pray that the churches where they serve will be healthy Great Commission churches that win people for the Lord, build believers, equip workers, multiply leaders, and send out those called by God to minister full-time. An average of 61% of our fully-funded IWs are involved in church-planting.
Caribbean Sun Region - Anne Louie
Desert Sand Region Anne Stephens
Anne Louie was born in Hong Kong and accepted Jesus as her Saviour when she was in junior high. She moved to Toronto, Ontario, in 1992. Anne previously served as an international worker in Amsterdam, from 2006 to 2012. Because her visa was not renewed, she left the Netherlands. When she visited the Chinese congregation in El Salvador in 2013, she sensed God calling her to serve His people in this country. In El Salvador, Anne is involved in church-planting among the Chinese Diaspora. Her main activities include discipleship, leadership, and evangelism.
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Fully-funded IWs involved in church-planting, by region: Caribbean Sun Region = 88% Desert Sand Region = 61% Silk Road Region = 63% Asian Spice Region = 44% Here are representatives from each region.
Anne Stephens grew up in Red Deer, Alberta, and accepted Jesus as her Saviour at thirteen years of age. Being part of the Alliance Youth Corps started God's leading in her life. After receiving training, Anne traveled to Kinkonzi, Democratic Republic of Congo, where she worked in a hospital for sixteen years and taught in a nursing school. Anne then moved to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and worked on the leadership development of pastors and evangelists. Two years later, she went to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where she is now involved in leadership development and discipleship.
Asian Spice Region - Albert and Elaine Lu Albert and Elaine Lu met at seminary in California. Due to differing missional passions, they felt that God was leading them in separate ways until they attended the Lausanne Forum for World Evangelization in 2004. They then married, served as international worker apprentices, and then lived in Canada until God called them overseas. The Lus are church-planting in rural Taiwan. They work mainly in evangelizing and discipling the working-class people. Most of the Taiwanese working-class are polytheistic, with beliefs coming from Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and ancestral worship traditions; less than one per cent are considered Christian.
Silk Road Region Gus and Annie Fung
Gus and Annie were both born in Hong Kong and met in Eugene, Oregon. They have three children, David, Philip, and Sarah Anne. The Fungs’ heard the call on their lives in 1983 and responded in 2011. They serve in England, where much of the society has become secular and materialistic. Gus pastors a church in London as a base to reach Europe, discipling leaders to eventually become a missional church. They seek opportunities to proclaim God's love among immigrants and refugees, among the poor and the oppressed, in supporting them and in directing them to God's saving grace.
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Reaching Out to First Nations People The need to do more is greater than ever By Ron Goerzen
I
attended the Truth and Reconciliation Commission meeting in Edmonton in the spring of 2014 to listen and learn and came away with a growing awareness of the challenges facing the First Nations people of Canada.
around their communities. Prairie Alliance Church in Portage la Prairie, Man. has recently added a First Nations staff member. They have a vision, as a church, to reflect their community, which is 30 per cent First Nations people.
God is at work in significant ways in the First Nations churches of the Canadian Midwest District (CMD). They are located in Winnipeg, Man. and in Prince Albert, Montreal Lake First Nation, Moosomin First Nation, and Deschambault Lake First Nation, all in Saskatchewan.
We have seen the valuable role that partnerships with non-Alliance organizations play, particularly in the churches in Moosomin and Montreal Lake. At Moosomin, tent-making pastor, Tyrone Bird, has partnered with the CMD, Territorial Drive Alliance Church in North Battleford, Sask., and InterAct ministries. The CMD and numerous individuals are in partnership with “Gospel for Samaria” to support the work of Pastor Cliff Bird at Montreal Lake.
In addition, we have two churches which, while not official “First Nations” ministries, are ministering primarily to First Nations people. These are Good News Chapel in Regina, Sask. and New Life Community Church in Red Lake, Ont. Many other churches in the CMD have ministries with the First Nations people who live in and 32
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Last fall, 53 people were baptized in Moosomin, and this past summer three students from Briercrest College and Seminary did internships working with the young people of Montreal Lake, holding events at which many learned about the
Courtesy: Ron Goerzen
Bernadette, Kirby and Kobe James
Christian faith, committing their lives to Christ. God is most certainly at work! A Key Element
The Aboriginal Population Is Young
Pastor Odie Tancongco and the Saskatoon New Life Community Fellowship (SNLCF) have been developing relationships with First Nations leaders. Tancongco talks of a time when nothing they did to reach out to First Nations people had lasting effect. But then, after hearing Keith Klippenstein and Jonah Sawatzky of Territorial Drive Alliance Church tell the story last June of the partnership between North Battleford and Moosomin, things changed. According to Tancongco, he and his leadership team “learned a key element that would unlock doors for us – that is, working alongside the First Nations leaders that God is raising up instead of doing our own thing.”
Aboriginal children aged 14 and under made up 28 per cent of the total Aboriginal population and 7 per cent of all children in Canada. Non-Aboriginal children aged 14 and under represented 16.5 per cent of the total non-Aboriginal population.
As they applied this principle, God directed them to walk alongside Tyrone at Moosomin Native Fellowship, Biz Nicotine of Church in the Hood (Nicotine Street Ministry), and Skyler Moses Whitefish who is planting a church in Mosquito/Grizzly Bear’s Head/Lean Man Reserve. A conversation with Whitefish led to an invitation to partner with him for a three-day outreach. They offered to help by providing support through their youth and adult worship teams.
they could no longer meet in a house. The church invited them to use their facility at no cost.
Another First Nations leader who God has brought into the life of SNLCF is Pastor Lawrence Pelly. He started a house church in Saskatoon a few months ago that grew to the point where
Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey
District Superintendent Al Fedorak, Larry Wilson (Director of the First Nations Alliance Churches of Canada), and I had the honour of interviewing and extending “official worker” credentials to Paul Ballantyne and Kirby James. Both are First Nations men in their 50s who recently graduated from Bible college. Paul is starting a church at Deschambault Lake and Kirby is the new pastor of the New Life Church in Prince Albert. Trailview Alliance in Swift Current and Prince Albert Alliance Church are partnering with New Life Indian Alliance Church in Prince Albert. Their financial support is part of the reason Pastor Kirby will be able to minister full-time.
Courtesy: Ron Goerzen
Many churches in our district are seizing opportunities to reach out to our First Nations people. My encouragement to anyone who is interested in this type of ministry is to do what Pastor Tancongco did—just start getting to know some First Nations people who live near you and take the time to listen. •
l-r: Al Fedorak, Paul Ballantyne, Larry Wilson, Ron Goerzen
Rev. Ron Goerzen is Director of Church Initiatives in the Canadian Midwest District of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada
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Perspectives
Living Out Simpson’s Legacy Welcoming the uprooted and hopeless By Sadiri Joy Tira
M
igration is a global phenomenon that has recently spiked due to regional instability, natural disasters, and limited opportunities for advancement. There are also, however, voluntary causes of migration, such as educational advancement, long-term tourism, and career deployments.
Canada Welcomed Me
According to the United Nations, there were close to 232 million international migrants in 2015. Migration is so pervasive that the International Organization for Migration has dubbed 2015 “The Year of the Migrant.”
I replied, “Oh sure, please be seated.” Then I asked, "Sir, where is your homeland?"
The global concern over migration has long been rooted in The Christian and Missionary Alliance’s (C&MA) heritage. 34
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On a cold, dark morning in December, a distinguished looking gentleman paused next to me at a McDonald’s and asked, "May I sit here so I can have a better view of the TV? I want to know what is going on in my homeland."
He replied, "Canada is my adopted homeland. I became a naturalized Canadian last week. My roots are from Burundi. I left my country when people started killing each other.” He pointed at the news, "Look at what is happening in Syria.
The same thing happened in my country, but nobody helped us. Our blood flowed like a river! I am thankful that Canada welcomed me.” C&MA Communities as Hospice The day before I met this man, the government announced that a total of 25,000 Syrian refugees were scheduled to arrive within the first quarter of 2016. Regardless of our own individual political stances, our country has committed to host 25,000 humans from Syria, who are made in the image of God. It is my hope that the C&MA churches in Canada will be hospices to the uprooted and scattered.
A.B. Simpson: Forerunner Missionary-Pastor If A.B. Simpson were alive today, how would he respond to the influx of migrants? Historically, ministry to "foreigners" has been integral to the ministry of the C&MA. When Simpson ministered in New York City from 1879-1881, America received thousands of immigrants. At a time when it was “unfashionable” to interact with impoverished foreigners, Simpson was compelled to reach "the neglected peoples of the world…." Simpson ultimately resigned from his local parish to launch a missions movement that gave birth to what is now the C&MA. He understood the theological issues, the cultural and political dynamics of his time, and the results of demographic realities in his country. His missiology was relevant and his missions strategy updated. Before Simpson thought to reach “the regions beyond,” he observed the people around him. Proceeding with Simpson’s Legacy In Edmonton, Beulah Alliance Church incorporates a Spanish-speaking congregation, an Arabicspeaking congregation, and a Tagalog-speaking community.
Then there is Crosspoint Church, a daughter church of Beulah Alliance in Edmonton’s north side, which is intentional in its multiculturalism. Some of the ways Crosspoint does this is by organizing family activities such as community meals, 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, and sponsoring Kid’s Kapers, a children’s summer camp that is culturally sensitive and connective. Chartrand shares, “We offer halal snacks for the kids and… teach from the Old Testament. Because of this, we have a number of…families who have sent their kids and we have seen ethnic and religious diversity.” How can C&MA churches proceed with Simpson’s legacy of reaching out to migrants1? •
•
Recognize and respond to missional opportunities to migrants. Bear countercultural witness to the love of Christ in deed and word
by obeying the biblical commands to love the stranger, defend the cause of the foreigner, visit the prisoner, and practice hospitality. •
Discern the hand of God, listen and learn from immigrant congregations, and initiate efforts to reach all sections of Canada with the Gospel.
Let us do missions wherever God moves people. Every person, from anywhere and everywhere outside the Kingdom, is our priority. • Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira is the C&MA’s Global Ministries Diasporas Specialist, Sr. Associate for Diasporas for the Lausanne Movement, and co-editor with Tetsanauo Yamamori, Scattered and Gathered: A Global Compendium of Diaspora Missiology 1. These steps are taken from the Lausanne Movement’s Cape Town Commitment IIC.5 “Love reaches out to scattered peoples”. lausanne.org/content/ctc/ ctcommitment#p2-3
In 2014, Canada approved 23,286 refugee claimants from these ten countries: Iraq Iran Somalia Afghanistan Pakistan
2,890 1,400 1,320 1,005 770
Eritrea Congo Syria Ethiopia China
1,725 1,340 1,290 770 715
cic.gc.ca/english/resources/statistics/facts2014/index.asp
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The Shift Tracking the Church in a changing society By Patricia Paddey
C
anada has changed, and the Church in Canada has changed alongside it.
That is as it should be; while the Christian message does not change, believers live out the Gospel in response to the ever-shifting needs of their neighbours. Recently, journalist Karen Stiller and I had the privilege of devoting the better part of a year to unearthing and exploring the scope of missional ministry taking place in this country. We were commissioned to research and write a book for World Vision Canada that would bear witness to—and provide a snapshot of—the Canadian Church in the second decade of the twenty-first century. It was an encouraging project to work on for two believers who love the Church. Shifting Stats Shaking the Church: 40 Canadian Churches Respond presents the statistical evidence for the changes our society is undergoing, together with stories of churches large and small (representing twenty-five denominations) from every province and territory.
Some of the most obvious changes in this country have occurred in: the ethnic, cultural, and religious composition of the population; the structure of Canadian families; the needs of youth; the ways people use their time and finances; and finally, the enormous differences in our everyday lives brought about by new technologies. In spite of the challenges and struggles (and there are many), the Church is truly breathing shalom throughout this nation so that, as author Michael Frost has noted, “We might bring reconciliation and joy, peace and justice to a broken world yearning for redemption.” How? For many churches, it begins with getting to know their neighbours, a process that involves asking questions and listening carefully to both the answers and for the Holy Spirit’s direction in crafting appropriate responses. Canadian churches are also embracing the fact that they don’t have to go it alone. Partnerships are often there for the making, with other churches, with parachurch organizations, or even with government agencies.
60%
Canada is home to over
of household debt held by under 45 year olds
200 ethnicities Citizenship and Immigration Canada
StatsCan
MULTI-ETHNICITIES FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS
1,550 Million
people had a Facebook account in Nov. 2015 stasta.com
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CANADIANS IN DEBT RELIGIOUS ATTENDANCE
RESIDENCE O YOUTH
Higher
8.9 Millio
religious attendance among immigrants to Canada Pew Research Center
youth under co-reside with grandparen StatsCan
Calgary’s First Alliance Church, for example, launched an Adoption and Foster Care Ministry in 2011 in response to the needs of families inside and outside of the congregation, and they’ve since connected with and cared for more than sixty adoptive families. Taking their biblical support from the idea of defending the cause of orphans, as expressed in Isaiah 1:17, organizers say it’s all about bringing hope and friendship to families who are hungry for both. They offer a monthly playgroup and parent training courses (through “Empowered to Connect Parent Training”). Caring and cultivating community are two things the Church has specialized in from the beginning. That congregations from coast-to-coast continue to find innovative ways to share the Gospel today— in word and in deed—is not only good news for the Church, it’s also good news for Canada. • Patricia Paddey is freelance journalist and long-time member of Sheridan Park Alliance Church in Mississauga, ON
Shifting Stats Shaking the Church: 40 Churches Respond by Patricia Paddey and Karen Stiller; published by World Vision Canada, 2015
university degrees ministry training seminary education www.ambrose.edu 150 Ambrose Circle SW Calgary, Alberta 403.410.2900
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Creating a World of Welcome On mission at home By Mark Chapman
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S
yrian refugees are in the news, but Canadian churches have been developing relationships with immigrants long before this current crisis. The recent needs of Syrian refugees and the ongoing diversification of Canadian society have brought concerns to the attention of churches across Canada. A recent project in the Role of Churches in Immigrant Settlement and Integration study aims to help meet this need. The good news is that most churches already have the resources they need to make a difference. Canadian churches are happy to have immigrants come to their churches, but they sometimes know little about how to help immigrants establish themselves in Canada or in the church. The Role of Churches study identifies some factors that contribute to churches meeting this need. These include having a vision for working with immigrants, finding leaders, recognizing the ways churches respond, and the relational skills churches already have.
90+ Sources The Role of Churches in Immigrant Settlement and Integration intends to better equip church groups across Canada to help immigrants and refugees settle and integrate into Canadian society. The project focused on research; key informant interviews with eighteen national denominational, interdenominational, and nondenominational leaders; and a literature review of over ninety sources. Local partners conducted focus groups and congregational case studies in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Moncton, and Shediac, September 2013 to August 2014. The website canadianimmigrant.ca has an entire section devoted to the variable Canadian climate. Anyone interested in understanding the immigrant family experience of winter should check it out.
A church’s intentional vision for working with immigrants contributes to their effectiveness. Intentionality starts in many different places, such as •
understanding the biblical mandate to serve the stranger and to be hospitable;
•
a desire to grow and revitalize one’s church;
•
a shared experience of immigrating;
•
awareness of changing demographics; and
•
friendships with immigrants.
Vision rises out of the circumstances of each individual church and directs how each church allocates its time and resources. To implement a vision, churches need people who step in to lead. Some are in paid positions, but most are lay people with a heart for newcomers.
Research Reports •
Role of Churches in Immigrant Settlement and Integration research reports communitybasedresearch.ca/Page/View/ Churches_and_Immigrants_Reports
•
An interdenominational Guide to Action communitybasedresearch.ca/Page/View/ Guide_to_Action
•
Welcoming Church research reports communitybasedresearch.ca/Page/View/ Churches_Responding_to_the_Immig
•
Beyond the Welcome resource toolkit communitybasedresearch.ca/resources/587/ BTW_Resource_Toolkit.pdf
•
UReach Toronto, connecting people to impact multicultural communities ureachtoronto.com
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Leadership needs to reflect the diversity of those who are being served, and those leaders need training in intercultural competence. On any given weekend, an estimated 300,000 people across Canada participate in the kind of church that draws 1,000 or more in weekly attendance. That's about 1 of 8 people who went to a Protestant church. Even in cities where sizable portions of the population check "no religion" on their household surveys, these predominantly evangelical congregations are growing, reaching out, and focused on serving children and youth.
Leaving Egypt “Some people would say that the Bible is a book of migrants… For example, Adam and Eve who were forced to migrate because of their disobedience and then their son was also forced to leave because of a crime that he committed, but there was also instruction from different people in the Bible to move - Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mary and Joseph had to leave Egypt. All of our work is grounded on those stories and theological groundings, so that’s the motivation to be faithful, to be faithful to do what is asked from us.” Quote from the research
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Churches are sometimes overwhelmed by what needs to be done. Few churches are equipped to walk immigrants through the details of settlement, and they don’t have to be. Most churches focus on one particular area of need according to the gifting in their congregation. Examples include English classes, services in the immigrants’ languages, accompanying people to appointments, food banks, potluck dinners, pairing established families with immigrant families, and feeding international students. Churches also form partnerships with other organizations (e.g., other churches, government agencies) that meet the needs that are beyond their capacity. A common theme is relationships. This is a strength of churches. They meet a need rarely met by formal immigrant services. Immigrants want people who care about them and who listen to them, people who will befriend them and have them into their homes for meals. Churches already know how to do this. What can churches do to help immigrants settle and integrate into Canadian society? They can pay attention to the people around them, they can act according to their gifting, and they can love immigrants to the best of their ability. A participant described working with newcomers as a way of “living life together,” to create “a world of welcome.” All Canadian churches have what they need to serve immigrants, they just need to invite all Canadian residents into living life together. • Dr. Mark Chapman is Assistant Professor of Research Methods and Assistant Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Tyndale Seminary (Toronto, ON); he serves as Lead Research Consultant for the Tyndale Intercultural Ministry Centre and has an active role as a lay leader at Hazelglen Alliance Church in Kitchener-Waterloo This article is adapted from the research reports coming out of The Role of Churches in Immigrant Settlement and Integration project
Check out Canada’s Mosaic of Immigrant Communities at the10and3.com/ mapping-canadas-mosaic-of-immigrant-communities
Denominations’ Current Resourcing of Immigrant and Refugee Ministry Areas Denominations indicated to which of these ministry areas they allocated resources (via staffing, finances, and dedicated programs) at the national or regional level. Source: National Survey Report
Contributing financial or in-kind resources to other groups that serve immigrants /refugees in Canada
1 9 7
Dedicated Programs
5
Providing sanctuary for refugee claimants
Financial Resources
3
N = 29
Staff Resources
4
7
Sponsoring immigrants/ refugees to come to Canada
9 14
5
Holding evangelistic activities specifically for immigrants
5
9
3
Advocating for systemic change
6 11
4 4
Providing community development programs
7
4
Providing personal development programs
5 8
5
Meeting immediate settlement/relief needs
11 9
6
Providing support for immigrant congregations
18 15
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
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Reflections
The Gospel Car Bringing the love of Jesus to the toughest town in the country By Sandy Ayer
Reaching the towns required a different approach from evangelizing homesteaders chassis and to convince a local body man to build the van— both on the promise that they would be paid in a month, the time it would take to build the superstructure. Woodward’s faith was rewarded: he had the full amount in hand by the deadline and enough left over to buy gas and to pay for other preliminary expenses.
B
y 1920, hundreds of thousands of immigrants had begun homesteading on the Canadian Prairies. Like most Christian groups, the Canadian District of The Christian and Missionary Alliance (yes, the entire country was a single district back then) began to look for ways to reach these largely unchurched multitudes. By early 1922, A. W. Roffe, superintendent of the Canadian District, and J. H. Woodward, pastor of the future Beulah Tabernacle, had come up with an innovative strategy for doing outreach on a shoestring budget. They called their Edmonton-based initiative the Great West Mission.
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Reaching the towns required a different approach from evangelizing homesteaders, so Roffe and Woodward decided to follow the lead of the Anglican Church and The Salvation Army and invest in a “Gospel Car.” The car was a custom-made panel van constructed on a Model A Ford truck chassis. It had sleeping accommodations for two, an organ, a pull-out platform for the preacher, and storage space for evangelistic literature. It cost $1,060.00, about twice the average annual wage at the time. Woodward had no money, but he managed to talk the local Ford dealer into supplying the
The Gospel Car was delivered in July 1924 and immediately turned over to two Nyack students, Gordon Skitch (22) and Ed Cross (24), who planned to make a 2,000 kilometre circuit into Saskatchewan and back that summer.
Skitch and Cross happened to arrive in Gwynne on mail train day, which was also the main shopping day, so the town was full of people from the surrounding area. According to Woodward’s memoirs, “They parked the Car near the depot and a couple of the stores, and thought it would be a good opportunity now to see what [it] could accomplish. They pulled out the platform, they took out the organ, and Skitch with his nice loud voice [and, one might add, George Clooney good looks] started to sing, and the people came around to see what it was all about.” Instead of running them out of town, the people invited them to hold meetings in the dance hall, so Skitch and Cross abandoned
All photos courtesy: C&MA Archives
Their first stop was Gwynne, Alberta (about eighty kilometres southeast of Edmonton), which a visiting missionary called “the toughest town in the country.” It was run, according to Woodward, by bootleggers. These bootleggers had twice before resisted attempts to evangelize the town, and both times they had run the preacher out of town.
fifty people were baptized in the local river, including some converted bootleggers their travel plans and stayed in town another six weeks. After a month, they called on Woodward to conduct a baptismal service; over fifty people were baptized in the local river, including some converted bootleggers, while a crowd of about 200 looked on from the banks above. More people were converted during that service, so a second baptismal service had to be held. Even the owner of the pool hall came under conviction, but he was reluctant to convert since it would have meant giving up his livelihood.
The Great West Mission prospered until the Great Depression struck, at which point the Board of Managers of the C&MA instructed Woodward, by then the district superintendent of the newly-organized Western Canadian District, to shut down the Mission. The Gospel Car continued to operate, though. It played a leading role in the planting of a church in Denzil, Saskatchewan, and was still making evangelistic forays in Winnipeg, Manitoba, well into the 1930s. • Sandy Ayer is the Director of Library Services, Ambrose University and C&MA Archivist
The Great West Bible Institute At its 1924 conference, the Canadian District of the C&MA voted to establish Canadian Bible Institute in Toronto to train workers for Canada. That same year, Beulah Tabernacle in Edmonton began to offer “Alliance Bible Classes.” These classes quickly developed into Great West Bible Institute. Both institutes opened in 1924 and lasted until 1929, when the C&MA’s Board of Managers decided to bolster falling mission revenues by closing all of the Alliance’s smaller training schools.
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Art therapy at The Journey
The journey from strangers to friends By Kimberly Ferland
W
e are called, as the Church, to be evidence of the Kingdom of Heaven.
What does living out Kingdom values really mean? Are we really called to share with the poor? Are we really meant to invite people into our homes, to practice hospitality? What does going beyond the letter of the law and seeing everyone as our neighbour look like in real life? For me, it happens every three months in a home in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, when my parents, Rudy and Louise Froese, who have attended Sherwood Park Alliance Church for twenty-five years, host The Journey. “If you ever think of a way we can share our house, let me know.”
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This was a simple statement made during a discussion regarding sexually exploited and vulnerable women at a Defend Dignity event. This placed my parents on a path that is a testimony to what living out Kingdom values really means. The Journey is a weekend retreat for women. The schedule and activities are typical of many women’s retreats. There is food, pampering, goodie bags, and discussions of God and life. Journey guests come from a variety of backgrounds but have one thing in common; they all have experienced violence, and many have experienced sexual exploitation. There are women in every stage of recovery from addiction, and some may be only a few hours sober when they arrive.
Courtesy: Kimberly Ferland
Opening the Door
Rudy and Louise recognized the gift they could give by sharing their home. Each of the guests brings her own trauma and pain. Each one is a stranger invited to experience community and friendship. They are all strangers; this is not an insignificant statement. There are many people who may be thinking, “That doesn’t seem very safe, or wise.” But this is the key to understanding the true beauty of The Journey and the community offered there.
1-800-917-SAVE
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Rudy and Louise could have saved sharing their house for another opportunity. They could have partnered with a local church or a retreat centre. They could have offered money or their time to organize a retreat instead of hosting in their home. The Kingdom of Heaven is upside down compared to our culture, where we are encouraged to think of things as “mine.” Rudy and Louise recognized the gift they could give by sharing their home. The goal of each Journey is the same: to reveal how much God truly loves each guest. God’s Kingdom comes to this home every three months, when women who are invisible in our mainstream communities are welcomed as trusted friends. • Kimberly Ferland lives in Edmonton where she and her husband, Chris, work to bring the Kingdom through their mechanic shop, Good News Auto
• Your Christian Missionary Alliance Alliance package package Your Christian and&Missionary saved me $340 on my auto and $206 on my saved me $340 on my auto and $206 on my house. -Kathy house. - Kathy • My savings was over $1,648 on your Program.
My savings were over $1,648 on your Program. Thanks much. -C&MA Employee Thanks so so much. - C&MA Employee
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Experiencing prayer time at The Journey
Photos courtesy: Alicia Perez
Tuesday Dinner Blessings It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood
Alicia and Ryan Perez
By Alicia Perez
M
y husband and I live in a 45-unit low-rise condo building in East Vancouver. Since purchasing our first home two years ago, we’ve felt a greater sense of care and belonging for a certain place and people. We’re part of an Alliance church community that seeks to love God and our neighbours, and who meet together in missional community groups. Our posture is to B.L.E.S.S.:
B egin in prayer L isten to God and our neighbours E at together S erve S hare the Good News of Jesus Together with our small dog, Cindy, and the encouragement of our missional community, we’ve purposed to know and be known by the people in our building and neighbourhood, and to share our home and lives with others. This has meant that our 890 square foot home is too much for two people, so we’ve welcomed a couple from Brazil to be our roommates. They have 46
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come to Vancouver to study and work. They hope to immigrate permanently in a number of years. To these newcomers, we’ve become ambassadors of our city and culture, and better yet, we’ve become ambassadors of Christ. While preparing dinner together on one occasion, our roommates told us about a workshop on Canadian culture they had attended that day. They shared with us how surprised they were to learn that Vancouver is a lonely city, that few people know their neighbours, and that it can be difficult to make friends. They told us they stated at the workshop that their experience had been very different, that neighbours regularly come to their (our) home and that they had been embraced by friends and a community. We were encouraged to hear that this posture of hospitality and friendship had shaped their Canadian experience, and we shared with them that we had learned to live this way from Jesus.
We are a family of churches in Canada that desires to see Jesus established in all of our neighbourhoods. – David Hearn, cmAlliance.ca, Fall 2014 We decided for a season that our weekly missional community would meet exclusively at our home so that our roommates would feel welcome to eat with us and to participate in our conversations. We now call these events Tuesday Dinners. When I arrive home from work each Tuesday, our roommates have already set the table for the guests. They’ve told us many times that they appreciate how kind our friends are to them and how interested our friends have been in learning about their lives. One Tuesday, we asked these questions to each other: When have you felt close to God or, for those unfamiliar with that language, when have you felt encouraged? And, when have you felt far from God, discouraged, or disappointed? A number of us shared, and when we came to one roommate, we asked if he would like to share.
He related about his relationship with his sister. He was deeply hurt by her indifference towards him and his wife in a time of need. We thanked him for being vulnerable. He told us that though this experience had been so painful, he felt assured that he and his wife made the right decision in coming to Canada. Although it was my intention to B.L.E.S.S. this couple with my home, it has become a blessing for me to see my roommates flourish in their new country and culture. Our community group has become all the richer because of their presence. Please pray that they will receive the ultimate blessing, Jesus’ salvation. • Freelance writer Alicia Perez and her husband, Ryan, adore their community, creation, and the city; they attend Tenth Avenue Church – East Van Campus
Prayer
What is Prayer-Walking? Taking the first steps in bringing the presence of God to our communities By Marcus Verbrugge
W
e all learn to walk when we are very young. Walking has some serious benefits. When you walk, you see the things that you don’t notice when you whiz by in a car or on a bicycle. It’s easy to stop along the way and engage in a conversation; you can even talk while you walk. Most importantly, you can grow the Kingdom of God as you walk.
This is the very definition of prayer-walking, and covering your community in prayer is the first obvious step in any mission to reach those beyond ourselves.
What does walking have to do with mission? Simply walking is a very far cry from mission. Walking by itself is not of eternal benefit, unless you walk with Jesus.
Matthew 4:18-20 records, “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”
To walk and talk with Jesus is not something that’s too difficult to do, but something interesting happens when we do these 48
things at the same time. You notice what is going on around you. You notice who is living in the community, the businesses, and the people and their needs. Most importantly, you start talking to Jesus about them.
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Simon and Andrew knew nothing of life with Christ when Christ called them to walk with Him. Walking with Jesus is where their journey to becoming fishers of men started. Start out by walking and speaking to Him about what you see. Pray God’s peace over the community. Pray that those you pass by will meet mature Christfollowers by God’s providential circumstance; pray that their eyes will be opened, their bondage to ungodly habits broken, and that they will be released from their enslavement to sin. You can pray that God will have mercy on the community, that though they have not honoured Him as their King,
you can grow the Kingdom of God as you walk His mercy would triumph over judgment by the blood of Christ. You can pray that the Gospel will be preached to all who live in the community, and that they might receive the Gospel with joy. Pray that praise to Christ will ring out in the streets, and that every street will be a lighthouse of prayer and every home a witness for Christ. You can prayer-walk and be fully engaged in the mission of God. You can do that no matter the community, because the prayers of God’s people cross cultural boundaries and linguistic barriers. You can build self-discipline to prayer-walk with tools like prayerwalking.ca, so that you can join a sponsored community or ask your small group to chip in and sponsor yours. Then you can see what the other is doing and watch as the prayer canopy is erected over your own town, your own Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). What are the results? In my Jerusalem, I used the city’s crime statistics to see the impact. The crime rates dropped from thirty-five incidents the first month, to twenty-eight the next, to nineteen the month after that!
The area of my town with the highest percentage of low-income housing and known drug use almost fell off the crime map! There were two salvations at the outreach ministry I serve in, up from zero the whole year before. We saw ministers from three different denominations united in praying together as they walked, crying out to God for our neighbourhood. That’s a measure of unity I don’t think my community has ever seen, and we’re just getting started. Ed Silvoso wrote, “For far too long, we have left control of the spiritual climate in our cities in the hands of the devil.” What if you prayer-walked every street in your community for a year? What if every congregant did a prayer-walk just once a month for just one hour? God answers prayer, He specifically told us to ask for His Kingdom to come. He walked with His disciples then, lives in us now, and is absolutely passionate about reaching lost people and restoring broken communities. Praise the Lord! • Marcus Verbrugge is the Seamless Link Advisor for the Central Canadian District
prayerwalking.ca - read about prayer-walking; map your walks, find resources and watch prayer change lives
Needed: Prayers of faithful believers to reach out to God on behalf of General Assembly and the Alliance family. The time you spend praying will directly affect the people, plans, and outcomes of Assembly.
allianceassembly.com/prayer
Yes, there is work in Christ's vineyard for old bodies. It is the eleventh hour, and yet He will let us work. What grace is this! Surely every old man ought to jump at this invitation! After men are advanced in years nobody wants them as servants; they go from shop to shop, and employers look at their gray hairs and shake their heads. But Jesus will engage old people and give them good wages, too! This is mercy indeed. Lord, help the aged to enlist in Thy service without an hour's delay.
retired not expired Resources and ministry needs of older adults By Gladys Thompson 50
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(Faith's Checkbook, Daily Entry C. H. Spurgeon, May 8)
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t the age of 58, David Lewis was preparing to retire from 32 years of teaching secondary special education and began to question how he might be able to best use his “Golden Years.” He put the question to the Lord through extensive prayer and meditation and kept getting the answer “pastor.” David felt God obviously had the wrong person, and like Moses, tried to ignore Him. But having conceded defeat, he went to his Pastor of Evangelism at Rexdale Alliance in Toronto to see what he thought. What David didn’t know was that this pastor had been praying for help, as he was buried in his workload and there were no funds to hire anyone. He was looking for a miracle. When David told him what the Lord was instructing him to do and that he was willing to do this at no cost to the church, since his pension was sufficient, he got his confirmation that prayers are answered, sometimes in an unconventional manner. David began his new career with a one-year internship. Once that was successfully completed, he took the Study by Extension for All Nations (SEAN) course used by the Alliance to train pastors in different parts of the world. For six years, David worked in the capacity of Assistant Pastor of Evangelism and still maintains that role. However, in January 2014 the Lord provided a new challenge. David was thrown for a loop when asked to take over the extensive variety of ministries, such as a food bank, hair-cutting day, clothing closet, etc. to reach out to the less fortunate in their neighbourhood. David asked the Lord for advice on where this ministry should go and what He wanted done with it.
Excellence in Retirement Wayne Kerr ‘retired’ two years ago. Today, at 71, he and his wife Betty are involved in pastoral care at Rexdale Alliance in Toronto, leading the senior group, participating in the leadership of Love in Motion, coaching seven pastors preparing for ordination and prayer partners for seven youth leaders. They also recently began a ministry called the Power Team to provide excellence for licensed workers in their retirement years. Why the name Power Team? Wayne says, “We have experienced the power of God working in our lives and ministry over decades. We have seen His power transform lives, heal broken relationships and build strong churches in all of the Five “S” regions. We have experienced His power in salvation and minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe we can be the greatest cheerleaders and support for the next generation.” This Power Team has been forming and growing over the last couple of years in Eastern Canada, with the hope it will become a national movement driven by local champions in the district offices. The Kerrs send quarterly newsletters, provide counsel, and encourage members to serve the Alliance family as prayer partners for peers or
Courtesy: Dave Lewis
In response, and with the support and blessing of the elders and staff, they have launched a church operating under the auspices of Rexdale Alliance. It has been experiencing all the growing pains and challenges of any new church and is experiencing a grass roots revival from a group of people who many would not have thought possible, since it was led by a senior who at this stage in life is often put out to pasture and certainly not called to pastor. Dave Lewis conducting baptism
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younger pastors and international workers starting out in ministry; to be a coach or mentor; to pray for their district superintendent; to pulpit supply; to serve as interim pastors, teach seminars and model their giftedness. The Eastern Canadian District has invited members to be part of accreditation interviews, become mentors for those coming up to ordination, and intercessors for new churchplants.
Power Team
Wayne adds, “I’m retired, not expired. We are delighted to discover that most are in active service: full-time, part-time, volunteering their time, serving in their church or leading Bible studies in their neighbourhood.” Twice a year, the Power Team gathers for support and interaction. Some of the things they have discussed are:
The Power Team is a volunteer movement, formed to meet the needs of our retired/retiring pastors and international workers.
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How to have our identity in Christ and not in our ministry
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How to be a Christian and not be in charge
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How to be the next generation’s greatest cheerleaders
Its vision is to see every person who has been licensed by the Alliance (pastors, international workers, educators) have a fruitful and fulfilling retirement.
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Challenges facing those entering retirement / re-assignment
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Challenges now being faced in retirement
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The joys of retirement
P roviding O ur W orkers
Change is the Word of the Day Members face the same things as anyone else in retirement: •
E xcellence in R etirement For further information, contact:
One of the hardest things to face is the potential loss of prestige and identity. If I’m not a pastor, or teacher, or executive, etc. who am I? Some face an internal conflict on deciding when and where to retire and what they will do in retirement. They would like someone to walk alongside them through this season of adjustment, providing support and encouragement.
Wayne and Betty Kerr powerteam@easterndistrict.ca
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Lifestyle changes – Most enjoy having less pressure and more freedom to schedule things they like to do, with one person saying, “It’s a whole new life!” Another enjoys seeing her husband more relaxed. They enjoy having more time to read, remember past experiences, develop new interests and relationships, and even sleep in!
Financial changes – One of the main challenges retirees face has to do with their finances and whether or not there will be enough to live on. They are now personally responsible for their own medical and dental bills and have fewer resources to fall back on.
L to R – Ron Moffatt, Verna Abma, Janie Sanderson, Dorrene and Peter Sloan. This team of seniors have faithfully helped the National Ministry Centre prepare church and special mailings over the past number of years. We honour them as they work as ‘unto the Lord’ while stuffing envelopes.
Especially for our international workers coming back to Canada to retire, there are many questions as to government benefits. They need to become familiar with Canadian prices and products. They know God will supply their needs, but realize they need to be good stewards. •
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Health changes – The older people get, the more they lose their eyesight, hearing and health. This means investing time in sustaining their physical well-being in order to continue serving the Lord and others in their senior years. Social changes – There is more time to spend with one’s spouse, family, and close friends. This is especially true of international workers who have lived across the world for many years. Some enjoy the freedom of visiting other churches, and some have experienced a lack of encouragement and support, particularly from their church family. Some churches have fellowship groups for couples, but not singles. Often there is a culture shock, especially for international workers. People and technology have moved on without them.
When removed from ministry or international work, these older adults often lose their network of friends. They’re no longer in the loop with colleagues on a professional basis, unable to attend retreats or other gatherings they used to enjoy. Some have no sense of belonging, they feel devalued, with one person feeling past the ‘best-before’ date. Even most insurance companies state you’re less valuable the day you turn 65. The need to be useful is an underlying value and we see many older adults making extraordinary contributions as they embrace new opportunities in volunteer positions or a second career. For many of them, this is the time they can finally do what they most love doing. In a 2007 study conducted by Towers Perrin, 565 Canadian workers were asked why they would work in retirement. Forty-five per cent said it was for extra money and forty-two per cent said it was to stay mentally active. Staying busy keeps retirees in the mainstream of life. Also in 2007, Mark Freedman, CEO of Civic Ventures in the USA noted that Baby Boomers want to work at something meaningful. “They are searching for a calling in the second half of life.” cmacan.org/magazine
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This work may not pay as much, but, he adds, an encore career swaps “income for impact.” Some people would train for this new career while others would use the skills and experience gained in their first career. Called to Serve This is a time when many reflect back on their lives and, in particular, their service to God and ask, “What am I being called to do now?” “What can I do with the skills and gifts God has given me?” In Courage & Calling, Gordon Smith, president of Ambrose University, suggests that “seniors have two primary responsibilities – two fundamental ways to make a difference; sharing wisdom and giving blessing.” He adds that seniors long to be heard and appreciated, but that will only happen if they have something to say that is helpful, insightful and illuminating. This means being transparent in sharing what they have learned along the way, rather than expecting others to listen just because of the senior’s past role. Older adults who bless, or affirm others, have a great influence on the next generation. Some
Finishers Project – finishers.org provides information about opportunities in local and global ministries, with coaching and individualized information. 54
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have a tendency to put them down as not being as committed and not maintaining the same values. They grow bitter, angry, and cynical. However, those that bless grow old with grace and joy, having a great influence on the younger generation. Seniors who minister with a servant’s heart will keep fresh spiritually, be part of a prayer group, stay current in both church and community affairs, will volunteer in areas of interest, avoid a critical spirit, and avoid being stuck in resisting change. Win/Win Situation Within our congregations, are there retired people who are mature Christians, possessing gifts such as leadership or teaching? Would they be willing to serve with low pay or without pay? Are we overlooking untapped resources merely because a person has gray hair? David Lewis sums up his ministry, “Working for the Lord is nowhere near as tiring and frustrating as working for the board of education. My church is wonderfully flexible and understanding concerning my ‘retirement’ years so my wife and I flee the winter and spend a month in Florida. I’m loving my job, my retirement, and am helping out my church by alleviating financial and personnel burdens.” Isn’t this a win/win situation? • Gladys Thompson, Communications Coordinator at The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada’s National Ministry Centre, is Editor of Alliance Connection
Past and Present 5 ways missions has changed
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For every individual who goes, hundreds are also called to give and to pray to make that going possible.
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1 2 3
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aving grown up in South America with missionary parents, and now having spent several years in the Silk Road region, I have seen five significant changes to the face of missions since my parents’ day.
Today’s workers must meet visa requirements related to their work and must seek ways to integrate Kingdom-building into that work, whether that be in the business world or in compassion work.
1. Identity: In the past, the words “missionary” and “church planter” were not only job descriptions, but also enough to receive a religious visa in most countries.
5. Response: As we go to the ends of the earth, we are seeking the least-reached to see response in hostile environments with deeply resistant groups. My father can recount experiences of thousands coming to Christ during his time in Peru. He was bringing in the sheaves, but we feel like we are jackhammering the concrete to get to the soil to see seeds planted.
The current reality for most of our international workers (IWs) is that receiving a visa requires a professional job. Teachers, dentists, IT specialists, and business people are all redefining what it looks like to live in the most challenging of places. 2. Globalization: The world is getting smaller. When my parents left Canada more than fifty years ago, they shipped their belongings in barrels. Mail was of the snail variety, and phone calls to family were nonexistent. Now, IWs have the blessing and the curse of being extremely connected. This is great for keeping in touch with supporters and family and keeping up with news, but it can sometimes be a hindrance to being wholly present in the adopted culture. 3. Teams: The reality for missionaries in the twentieth century was working in large groups, with the goal of planting churches. Today’s paradigm also focuses on church-planting; however, teams are smaller and often work with other organizations to reach the same goal. 4. Schedule: Missionaries of previous generations had large blocks of time dedicated solely to the goal of church-planting. Discipleship, prayer meetings, and leadership training filled their schedule.
There are always those who break up the soil, those who plant and water the seeds, and those who reap the harvest. My dad and I found ourselves on different ends of that cycle. Looking at these five aspects, external elements of missions differ from generations past; however, the heart of missions remains the same. Mankind is desperately and hopelessly lost (Ephesians 2:1-5). We are commanded to go and tell (Matthew 28:16-20) by incarnational living among different cultures (Romans 10:14-17). For every individual who goes, hundreds are also called to give and to pray to make that going possible. While much has changed, the commandment to be senders and goers, and their interdependence, has not changed in the least. God loved the world my parents were sent into and He equally longs to redeem our current war-torn, fractious reality using ordinary people like you and me. • This international worker has served alongside his wife in the Silk Road Region since 2004
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Impressions Lorne and Peggy Fredlund
Courtesy: Lorne Fredlund
Spirit-Infused Leadership Discerning the voice of God in the boardroom By Denise Lodge
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hair of the Board of Directors of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada. What image comes to mind? A foreboding, authoritative businessperson? Lorne Fredlund doesn’t reflect the ominous, unapproachable image that his title might bring to mind. He is passionate about God’s mission and His Church. Chair of the Board is not Lorne’s first role in The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (C&MA). He has served on various Elders Boards in Alliance churches for the past 35 years, and then in 1986, he, along with three other families, was asked by the Western Canadian District to start
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a church in NW Calgary. Now called RockPointe Church, God led this congregation under the pastoral leadership of Brent Trask to grow from an attendance of 99 to more than 3,000 people, who now call it their church home. Since Lorne left his role as Executive Pastor of RockPointe in 2016, he has since taken on the volunteer role of Director of Global Initiatives at the church. Clearly passionate about mission, Lorne has served on the Board of Directors (BOD) of the C&MA for the last six years. He had served on District Executive Committees for 14 years. He says that the BOD members “are great leaders, passionate about
the Kingdom and very dedicated to seeking God and making right decisions… It has been a privilege to work with each of them.” When asked about his role as Chair, Lorne’s first response is, “It was not a role I wanted to assume.” He was happy to be at the table, to learn, to have input, and to engage in great strategies and vision-casting. “As Chair, in my mind, the responsibilities change to asking questions such as: Are we listening to the Spirit well? Is everyone having the opportunity to speak about what God is saying through their lens on an issue? Are we coming to a consensus on the way forward? Is
…we have had a renewed focus in dedicating space, time, and heart to make the Holy Spirit central in our walk. there good order in the room? Are there both generative discussion and effective decision-making?” Lorne sees an ever-increasing deep desire in the hearts of the BOD members, President Dave Hearn, and other C&MA leaders to listen to God’s voice and the Spirit’s prompting about direction. He perceives a desire to not just listen to pro-con arguments on every strategy, but to discern the voice of God. Part of this discerning is to pray with surrender, to pray "help me to open my hands and heart to a spirit of indifference so that YOUR will may be my sole pursuit." What’s happening? Lorne praises God for the wonderful things happening in the Alliance family these
days, “Led by our president, we have had a renewed focus in dedicating space, time, and heart to make the Holy Spirit central in our walk. “More men and women are choosing to enter full-time ministry as international workers (IWs) going to serve in hard places. We saw 24 new workers go out last year and we are sending IWs to least-reached people groups; this has God’s favour. “Starting in 2012, we are again seeing the trend line of attendance and engagement increase in our Canadian churches.” When asked about his hope for the Alliance family, Lorne responds, “By God's grace and for His glory, I hope for continued visionary leadership, especially in dependency on the Holy Spirit
and long obedience in reaching least-reached people groups. “I pray for denominational unity around the irreducible core of our Statement of Faith. There are so many areas of theology where we can disagree; I hope that in the end, we are about the foundations of fundamental faith and about how we move God’s mission forward in the race to zero in on unreached people groups. “Finally, I hope for increased intentionality in all of our churches to understand God's mission to be missional in all of life and in establishing worshipping communities in every possible way.” • Denise Lodge is Assistant Director of Communications of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada
Notice of Meeting The General Assembly of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada will convene May 31 to June 4, 2016 at the First Alliance Church, Calgary, Alberta, to conduct the business of the corporation. Churches may send accredited delegates to General Assembly in keeping with the provisions of the General Bylaws. Others who are interested in the ministry of the C&MA are welcome to attend. cmacan.org/magazine
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Now You Know
Anticipating Assembly An experience like no other By Carol Roycroft
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s we prepare for General Assembly, my thoughts go back to the Assembly held two years ago. I had just started working for the C&MA and that gathering was my introduction to the Alliance. President Dave Hearn introduced the theme as “Breathe: Presence and Power”, speaking from Ezekiel 37 on the Valley of Dry Bones, daring us to expect God’s supernatural intervention and His Spirit-reviving presence.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. (Isaiah 60:1-4)
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I know I left more than one evening service with tears in my eyes as I sensed the moving of God’s Spirit. And I wasn’t the only one. As I read through the feedback from delegates, I saw comments like, “Greatly touched, greatly moved…”, “What I like about this Assembly is the reconciliation that has taken place here…”, “I just came out of a practical seminar”, “… exciting to hear about the moving of God”, “incredible experience, like no other.” These are just some of the testimonies
Alliance Connection - Spring 2016
of delegates and intercessors who attended. The worship team created the space for us to centre our hearts and minds on Christ. There were stories after stories of God at work across all of our Five “S” regions. We praised God as international workers, church planters, and others were commissioned for service. As I sit in planning meetings for Assembly 2016, I anticipate that the same sense of the Presence of God will continue. This is the one time when the whole mosaic of the C&MA in Canada comes together; it’s a time to re-calibrate. We come out of our own individual silos to find the adventure we’re all a part of. Assembly 2014 was about needing the breath of God to bring us life and animation. Assembly 2016 will continue along that theme, taken from Ezekiel where the vast army is together in
passion, vision, power, and strength. I’m looking forward to a time of awe and wonder of what God is doing. We will hear more “God at Work” stories; there will be Soul Lounges set up for inspiration, interaction, and quiet meditation; intercessors will be praying for us. Yes, it’s also a time for conducting the various business matters of this denomination, a time when we will talk about where we’ve been, and what are hopes are for the future of the Alliance, but even there we are trying to look at things from a different perspective—God’s perspective. We are purposefully choosing to create an atmosphere where we listen more and talk less. I’m looking forward to it! I hope you are too, and I hope to see you there! • Carol Roycroft is the Director of Communications of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada
May 31 to June 4, 2016
General Assembly will be more than an event.
Location:
It will be an experience.
First Alliance Church 12345 40 St SE Calgary AB
Assembly is the one time when the whole community comes together and we breathe the same air; for a period of time, we re-calibrate. We come out of our individual silos and ask, “What is the adventure that we’re called to be a part of?” We’re not just putting in time; we’re doing something in community that’s revolutionary.
Special Speakers
Assembly Newsletter
Dessert Reception
Delegates
Business/Discernment
Registration
Volunteers
Election of President
Seminars
Intercessors
Livestreaming
Commissioning
Sponsor a Pastor
Soul Lounge
Fellowship
Prayer in Motion
Pre-Assembly Seminars
Communion
Worship-filled Evenings
Inspiration
God’s Presence
On mission. Everyone. Everywhere. All the time.
Pray for all aspects leading up to, during, and after this event
For more information, go to allianceassembly. com
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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