ALLIANCELIFE VOLUME 156 | No. 06 | NOV/DEC 2021THE MAGAZINE OF THEALLIANCE SINCE 1882 ULTIMATE HEALING Witnessing the Lord transform hearts and bodies pg. 10 HARVEST TIME IN CAMBODIA Church planting in lockdown pg. 18 GATHERING THE SCATTERED Creating community for the diaspora pg. 16
GUEST EDITORIAL VOLUME 156 | No. 06
Julie HannahHannahDaubéAderPackard
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ALLIANCE LIFE , 8595 Explorer Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. When requesting a change of address, please give both the old and new addresses. Direct all correspondence and changes of address to ALLIANCE LIFE 8595 Explorer Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. Toll free: (877) 284 3262; email: alliancelife@cmalliance.org. Website:
A GENEROSITY MOVEMENT
In my role, I’ve heard people say, “All you care about is how much money people give.” While that’s not true at the core, I do care about how much we give financially because no one is getting rich off this money—this is not a business we are building. Rather, every dollar giv en goes to advancing the mission of Christ we are called to fulfill. Every dollar means another worker gets to share the gospel, plant a church, or hand some food to someone in need. How we give our money reflects our vision and passion for our lives and our hearts.
Julie Connon
Emmy Duddles
committed to world missions, stressing the fullness of Christ in personal experience, building the Church, and preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. ALLIANCELIFE carries on the tradition of 139 years of publishing stories of God at work through Alliance people in the United States and throughout the www.alliancelife.orgworld.
Tim Meier Vice President for Development
Peter Burgo
Graphic Designer
Caylie Smith
Look, we have other options. We could use the money God has entrust ed to us to advance our own wealth, our own legacies. But I’m inspired to be in The Alliance where magnanimity and big-hearted kindness con tinue to see the gospel of Jesus advance all over the globe. Thank you for being a part of this generosity movement!
ALLIANCELIFE
Managing Editor
Circulation Fulfillment
© ALLIANCELIFE ALLIANCE LIFE is published by The Christian and Missionary Alliance, 8595 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. Member, Evangelical Press Association and Associated Church Press. Printed in the U.S.A.
Thewww.alliancelife.org.Allianceis
cover: Photo by Jordan Christopher. Despite restrictions, hundreds have come to Christ in Cambodia since March 2020 and the national church is growing rapidly.
Julie Daubé
E ditor in Chief
Open-handedness is more than simply about money—seeing loved ones serve in dangerous places for the cause of Christ is at least one ex ample of this concept. However, it’s true—a key indicator of our devotion to God is the way we hold on to or give away our finances. In the West, our possessions and achieving a certain lifestyle have become part of our deeply held values. While not available to everyone, the promise of that “dream” impacts many.
In The Alliance we are a deeper life and missions movement. The vital ity from the Spirit is inextricable from our heart for people all over the globe who need to hear about the life-changing power of Jesus. In fact, we would say that without Jesus’ power, there is no mission! These principles are core to being an Alliance person.
In the Kingdom we have counter-cultural values that upend our allegiance to the physical and turn our eyes to the spiritual—that which truly lasts. We’re not perfect by any means, but I’m happy to report that in The Alliance, this legacy of generosity continues! Last year, amid much uncertainty, the Alli ance family helped give the most money to our missions efforts ever given in a single day, month, or year! In addition, our churches give more to missions by percentage than any other evangelical denomination. This is extraordi nary and continues to reflect those edgy, risky, just-throw-that-ring-in-thebasket people who got this thing moving in the first place.
Founder A. B. Simpson
Staff Writers/Editors
You know what else we are? A generosity movement! From the begin ning of our history, people have reoriented their priorities around those of Jesus and have been willing to let go of possessions, finances, and se curity to see the Kingdom advance in and through them. Maybe you’ve heard stories of people dropping wedding rings and jewelry in offering baskets to send one more missionary. Those stories are true!
Assistant Editor
ULTIMATE HEALING Witnessing the Lord transform hearts and bodies by Hannah Ader | pg. 10
HARVEST TIME IN CAMBODIA Church planting in lockdown by Julie Daubé | pg. 18
32
Personnel
FREE VERSE
10 Acts 1:8
LESSONS FROM A NOMAD Living through unexpected transition by an Alliance international worker serving in Eastern Asia | pg. 26 Family
OUR LIFE Snapshots from around The Alliance | pg. 42
ADVOCACY FOR THE FOREIGNER Caring for the legal needs of immigrants by Jessica Weaver | pg. 12
GIVING TO MISSIONS Joining God in His grand adventure by Richard Noble | pg. 4
FOUNDATIONS All Grit and Backbone Adapted by Alliance Life staff | pg. 44
ALLIANCE FAMILY NEWS changes, obituaries, and classified ads | pg. 33
Quotes from the Kingdom | pg. 6
YOU BROUGHT US JESUS A glimpse into the lives of our workers compiled by Alliance Life staff | pg. 22
04 Christ Centered
GATHERING THE SCATTERED Creating community for the diaspora by Hannah Packard | pg. 16
THE TOZER ANTHOLOGY Compiled by Harry Verploegh | pg. 7
02PlusEDITORIAL 08 INFOCUS 14 THE PEOPLE WE SERVE 28 YOUR GENEROSITY IN ACTION 31 INFOCUS NOV/DEC2021 CONTENTS22181622 26
PRAYER IS PRIMARY Prayer requests from Alliance workers around the world | pg. 32
ALLIANCELIFE 4 NOV/DEC 2021
• Proverbs 3:9–10; 11:28; 13:7–8, 11; 22:7, 16; 23:4-5; 28:8, 20–22
• Matthew 6:19–34
Throughout Scripture we are invited to trust God and expected to steward the resources He has given
G
us. This includes wisely investing our finances in His Kingdom operations. Before reading any further, take a moment to look up the following passages of Scripture. Resist the temptation to note merely the references, and take time to get a truly panoramic view of what God has to say about money, wealth, and stewardship.
1. HONOR GOD WITH OUR MONEY AND WEALTH
GIVING TO MISSIONS
by Richard Noble
rowing up, my brother and I were taught the importance of properly managing our money and possessions by our parents—a message that was consistently reinforced in the churches we attend ed. We were encouraged to give the first 10 percent of whatever we earned to the church and to consid er giving a little bit more to the work of missions so that God’s work around the world would be properly funded. From the very beginning, we were instilled with the importance of stewarding our possessions and investing in God’s work in this world.
PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP
As God’s people, we are expected to show our love for Him entirely—heart, soul, mind, strength—putting Him first
I continue this practice today, and it’s something my wife and I have tried to impart to our children as well, believ ing that taking part in God’s mission is both a privilege and a responsibility. Living this way, it is important for us to have a heart and vision for reaching the world for Christ. God is in control, and His purposes are always accomplished, but He still uses us in partnership with Him to see that the world is told about the arrival of God’s Kingdom in the Person of Jesus.
• 1 Timothy 6:3–10
The principles of financial stewardship taught in these passages and many more throughout Scripture are to honor God with our money, to keep Him and His Kingdom as our top priority, to begin with the tithe, and to be faithful and generous.
Joining God in His grand adventure
• Luke 16:1–13
• 2 Corinthians 8:1–9
2. KEEP GOD AND HIS KINGDOM THE TOP PRIORITY
in everything, including all our resources. This happens when we give thanks to God and trust Him to supply our needs, when we faithfully steward our money and other resources, and when we generously invest in His work and His Kingdom.
NOV/DEC 2021 5 ALLIANCELIFE ReindelStephaniebyPhotography
Recognizing the power and influence of money in our world, we are instructed in Scripture to trust and pursue God rather than our accumulated wealth and personal gain. In fact, we are told repeatedly that we cannot love both God and money. It’s important for us to examine our checkbooks, bank state ments, and credit card bills to see where our allegiances appear to be, for therein lie ourAspriorities.Christfollowers, our heart attitudes and motiva tions, along with our actions, should reflect a deep love for God, as well as a firm commitment to His eternal Kingdom and its concerns above all else rather than the temporary things of this world. Among other things, this involves pursuing god liness with contentment as we trust God to provide for us (1 Timothy 6:6). In the ongoing rivalry between eternal treasure and earthly wealth, the eternal must prevail.
In trying to discern where to direct our giving and how much to give, it is imperative that we pray about it before, during, and after. This is an act of trust as we ask God to help us steward His money well and mul tiply what is given for the sake of His Kingdom.
3. BEGIN WITH THE TITHE
These biblical principles further indicate that each of us is a steward of the resources that God has entrusted to our care. Good stewards are faithful, wise, financial ly responsible people who effectively and strategically manage what God has given them, using those things for His purposes rather than for personal gain. All of this directly impacts the mission of God in this world.
4. BE FAITHFUL AND GENEROUS
WHY GIVE TO THE WORK OF MISSIONS?
“God still uses us in PersonKingdomarrivalisthatwithpartnershipHimtoseetheworldtoldabouttheofGod’sintheofJesus.”
Isn’t it enough to give to my local church and to their local ministry efforts? There are two simple yet deeply profound answers to this important question. First, as stewards of God’s resources, we are expected to invest in His Kingdom work in every part of the world, not just our own backyard. Second, as Acts 1:8 reminds us, we are to engage in Christ’s mission locally, regionally, andLivingglobally.inobedience to Jesus includes funding His work here, there, and everywhere. As local churches, we get to be financial partners with Him throughout the world as we support the people, projects, and churches through which He is working.
Richard Noble is a missions mobilization special ist at Allegheny Center Alliance Church in Pitts burgh, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his wife, Amy. He also serves as adjunct faculty at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, and Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
God blesses us so that we can then bless others. It is better for us to give than receive, and we have a unique opportunity to partner financially with what God is doing around the world! May we take every opportunity to fully invest ourselves in this work, as we encourage others to join God in His grand adventure.
Although the tithe is a good guiding principle, it is really only a starting point. God’s Word encourages us to go further. The important thing to remember here is to give back a portion of what is already His to begin with (He does own everything, after all) and to give the first-fruits of our earnings to the local church. We should also consider giving to the work of mis sions or other ministry initiatives beyond our tithe to the local church.
When expressing our love for God with our wealth, how much money should we set aside for Kingdom work? The answer often depends on the books you are read ing and the preachers and teachers you are listening to. Over the years, I have taught that people should start with the literal tithe described in Scripture—which is 10 percent of every paycheck—then increase from there as the Lord blesses with more financial resources.
God blesses us so that we can then bless others.
As we respond to God’s grace in our lives, we start to be come more generous people who regularly, sacrificially, and cheerfully give of our wealth. This generosity begins and ends with God. His goodness becomes our goodness, which we defer and deflect back to Him. This means in vesting in the people, places, and projects where He is at work and directs us to give.
J
I am breathing out my sickness, Thou hast borne its burden too; I am breathing in Thy healing, Ever promised, ever new.
by A. B. Simpson
I am breathing out my longings In Thy listening, loving ear; I am breathing in Thy answers, Stilling every doubt and fear.
BREATHING OUT BREATHINGAND IN
I am breathing out my sorrow On Thy kind and gentle breast; Breathing in Thy joy and comfort, Breathing in Thy peace and rest.
I am breathing every moment, Drawing all my life from Thee; Breath by breath I live upon Thee, Every moment breathe in me.
Breathing out my sinful nature, Thou hast borne it all for me: Breathing in Thy cleansing fullness, Finding all my life in Thee.
ALLIANCELIFE 6 NOV/DEC 2021
Originally published in Millennial Chimes, 1894
esus, breathe Thy Spirit on me, Teach me how to breathe Thee in; Help me pour into Thy bosom All my life of self and sin.
I am breathing out my own life That I may be filled with Thine, Letting go my strength and weakness, Breathing in Thy strength divine.
“In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
The testimony of the true follower of Christ might well be something like this: the world’s pleasures and the world’s treasures henceforth have no appeal for me. I reckon myself crucified to the world and the world crucified to me. But the multitudes that were so dear to Christ shall not be less dear to me. If I cannot prevent their moral suicide, I shall at least baptize them with my human tears. I want no blessing that I cannot share. I seek no spirituality that I must win at the cost of forgetting that men and women are lost and without hope.
If in spite of all I can do they will sin against light and bring upon themselves the displeasure of a holy God, then I must not let them go their sad way unwept. I scorn a happiness that I must purchase with ignorance. I reject a heaven that I must enter by shutting my eyes to the sufferings of my fellowmen. I choose a broken heart rather than any happiness that ignores the tragedy of human life and human death. Though I, through the grace of God in Christ, no longer lie under Adam’s sin, I would still feel a bond of compassion for all of Adam’s tragic race, and I am determined that I shall go down to the grave or up into God’s heaven mourning for the lost and the perishing.
Compiled by Harry Verploegh
HENRI NOUWEN
According to the Bible we have because we ask, or we have not because we ask not.
—from The Set of the Sail and The Next Chapter After the Last. Originally published in The Alliance Witness, November 11, 1987
Hold everything in your hands lightly; otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.”
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER
CORRIE TEN BOOM
“God’s Kingdom is the place of abundance where every generous act overflows its original bounds and becomes part of the unbounded grace of God at work in the world.”
LILIAS TROTTER
THE TOZER ANTHOLOG Y
The spiritual essence of a true church cannot be reproduced anywhere but in a company of renewed and inwardly united believers.
FREE VERSE
“A flower that stops short at its flowering misses its purpose. We were created for more than our own spiritual matureddevelopment,reproduction,development;notmereisthegoalofbeing—reproduction in other lives.”
In the Domincan Republic, a building is being constructed to house short-term missions teams that will support longterm projects like education in multiple trades and businesses for plastic recy cling, furniture making, and fish farming. Alliance workers have been ministering to the construction workers building this new space, and a few have already ac cepted Christ as their Savior.
inFocus
Photo by Stephanie Reindel
tunity for not only physical healing but healing of more of our layers—all for His glory.
ealing is often tangible; it’s evidence that some thing miraculous has taken place—that the good has displaced the bad. It’s a hope many are on their knees to see fulfilled and a miracle that most long to wit ness. For some, though, healing is one of the sole reasons the gospel is embraced.
H
In a hospital, there is undeniable hope that healing is a common occurrence. However, Anthony,* one of the international workers who serves in the hospital, finds that the subject of healing can be tricky, especially if you’re in medicine—often it’s hard to balance believing in the power of science to heal while also trusting that the Lord is the ultimate Healer.
Ania suffers from epilepsy, and while tending to a fire, she had a seizure, fell into the flame, and was severely burned. There was not even enough good skin available to do a graft—a procedure that takes healthy skin to cover unhealthy skin so it heals faster. After a year and a half of treatment, her progress suddenly stalled—her remaining wounds would not heal.
Anthony and his team were terribly frustrated. Af ter taking another look, they felt like there was finally enough healthy skin to do a graft. There was an incred
Where we might look at an illness or a handicap and long for physical healing, the Lord might see an oppor
ULTIMATE HEALING
This photo: Nurses and doctors at an Alliance hospital in West Africa focus on holistic care, bringing physical and spiritual healing to all in need
A POOR PROGNOSIS
“When we talk about healing, we’re not always talking about a cure,” Anthony says. “A cure is the complete eradication of disease. Yes, there’s a physical element to healing, but there’s also a social, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspect of healing.”
“And I think God is actually more interested in healing all those layers,” says Anthony. “And He knows far better than we do what that looks like.”
The international workers at the hospital, including Anthony, had to leave West Africa in May due to safety issues. Along with uprooting their lives from the place they called home—the place where the Lord called them—they also had to leave their patients and their faith family and develop a plan for long-term housing for some. Ania* was one of them.
by Hannah Ader
ALLIANCELIFE 10 NOV/DEC 2021
Witnessing the Lord transform hearts and bodies
In West Africa, where a C&MA hospital has been up and running for the last 15 years, Alliance international workers are working hard to heal physical bodies while spreading the good news that will restore hearts and souls.
Sometimessaying:weask,
The Lord healed Ania’s burned skin, and while she stayed at the hospital, He also healed her heart. For more than a year and a half, Ania was in so much pain that it was difficult for her to attend the hospital chapel services. Now, she regularly attends chapel, praising the Lord.
“In these kinds of cases, yes, we did a surgical intervention, but was it the surgery that healed or was it God?” asks Anthony.
“We don’t even know what to say, so you have to give credit to God because either way He just moved in the natural and allowed our feeble attempts to actually succeed, or maybe He just decided, ‘Hey, I’m going to take care of this.’
“Either way, Ania is a different person. Either way, she got to see God move on her behalf.”
ible sense of hope the first few days after her surgery. Ania’s skin seemed to be healing properly.
“I think God is after the healing of all those layers in that person’s life,” says Anthony. “And while we want a cure, He wants that healing.”
As the weeks after her skin graft surgery slowly trudged on, not much was changing. Healing was still far off. Af ter two weeks, there was little sign that some of the skin was coming back. But by week three, shortly before the Alliance team was leaving the country, Ania’s wounds suddenly started healing.
“Wow God—you moved in such a key way,” Anthony says. “She’s a different person because of it. She feels the tangible love of God in that.”
“Lord, how long can we continue pouring this treatment into this per son?” And then all of a sudden it works. And I think that extravagant investment was exactly the point. I think God wanted them to know that they were worth it.
But suddenly, as quickly as the hope came, it dimin ished. The graft was failing, and Ania’s skin looked worse and worse. It was almost as if Ania had just come to the hospital. She needed a miracle.
Healing of the physical body often brings challenges, so much so that we, from our limited human perspectives, can’t possibly see how anything will work. Anthony explains this,
Jesus sometimes invites us into someone else’s story, into someone else’s healing. He invites us there not be cause He needs us but because He wants us to be there alongside Him. Healing has power, but the true power is in the Healer, and the Healer heals all wounds.
A DEEPER HEALING
“We thought, ‘Oh Lord, thank You. This is amazing. She’s going to be healed. She can go home before we leave. This is going to be wonderful,’” Anthony remembers.
I think God wanted them to know that He was willing to call people from all over and bring them even into a place that was very hard—bring us from America into a place where people were under threat, under risk, so that they would know the extravagant love He has for them because that’s part of their healing.
NOV/DEC 2021 11 ALLIANCELIFE BergeijkvanEwienbyPhotography
“This is miraculous,” Anthony remembers thinking. “This is totally different than what we thought was going toAnia’shappen.”burns had marred her body so badly that she was able to walk only while using a walker—she could do no more. A few weeks after her surgery, however, she was walking free ly, moving in ways that she had been unable to move for more than two years. Healing was present.
Healing has power, but the true power is in the Healer, and the Healer heals all wounds.
A MIRACLE IN THE MAKING
The Lord brought healing to Ania’s life, but the real heal ing she needed ran much deeper than just her burns. Even in the years prior to her accident, Ania had been neglected by her husband, suffered from seizures, and was hardly supported by her family. She needed Jesus more than she knew, more than just physically.
When you come from that kind of neglect ed background where your husband doesn’t love you and is not willing to actually get you the medical treatment that you need, and God brings you into a hospital for two years where people are taking care of you, and it doesn’t seem like anything’s working, and then all of a sudden in that instant He gives you better—what a tes timony that God’s love doesn’t let you down; it doesn’t fail you like your family has failed you.
Hannah Ader is the content writer for the Alliance National Office. She has been living in Lexington, Kentucky, while pursuing a masters of theological studies at Asbury Theological Seminary.*Names changed
Ultimate healing comes from the love of the Father, from His miraculous, zealous love and hope that speak to us through His whispers.
Daniel and Marsha initially applied for a fiancé visa, but financial limitations from Marsha’s teaching income caused them to miss their paperwork deadline. They were devastated but decided to get married in October 2019 and started a marriage-based petition.
hen Marsha walked down a dusty road in West Africa to her wedding, she wasn’t worried about getting dirt on her white dress.
Caring for the legal needs of immigrants
For help with this process, Marsha and Daniel partnered with Christian Immigration Advocacy Center (CIAC) as their legal representatives. CIAC was started at Allegheny Center Alliance Church (ACAC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl vania, by Glenn Hanna, then the missions pastor, who wanted to address the growing needs of refugees and im migrants in the community. Pastor Hanna learned that the
But Marsha and her husband, Daniel, didn’t know the journey ahead would keep them apart for years as they waited for the agonizingly slow immigration process in the United States to reunite them.
by Jessica Weaver
“We had really high hopes about CIAC because we had heard such wonderful things,” Marsha says. “From the beginning, I knew you guys could help us. The first time I met with you, I knew I belonged here. At the end of our first meeting, we prayed together, and I was so encour aged. I could tell you believed in our story.”
CIAC’s vision is to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ by loving refugees and immigrants and enabling churches to welcome their sojourner neighbors. While CIAC staff meet with clients to discuss complicated legal issues, their mission for each interaction is to show Jesus’ love.
Marsha, from Pittsburgh, met Daniel online, and the two prayed together about whether they should start a relationship. After a year, Marsha traveled to Nigeria to meet him. “When I saw him at the airport, I knew this is where God wanted me to be,” Marsha says.
DESTINY HELPERS
CIAC provides a variety of services, including natural ization and family-based petitions and green cards. They hope to obtain funding in the near future to add more
overwhelming gap in the community was for compassion ate, high-quality, and affordable help with immigration law.
In 2013, a group of volunteers began offering limit ed pro bono legal aid while beginning the long process of becoming a nonprofit and receiving accreditation through the Department of Justice. This accreditation, which they received in May 2018, allows non-attorneys to be trained to provide legal aid, represent clients in cases, and submit applications, specifically for low-in come immigrants and refugees.
During the past three years, CIAC has served more than 500 clients from 40 countries.
ADVOCACY FOR THE FOREIGNER
W
For Marsha, a social worker and mother of two, CIAC was a “destiny helper sent by God.”
“I was marrying the love of my life,” Marsha says. “It was simple and beautiful.”
ALLIANCELIFE 12 NOV/DEC 2021
“I have been helping immigrants since 2015 in Ken tucky and joined CIAC more than a year ago with the desire to not only provide legal help but to do so with a compassionate heart,” says Rogerio. “I want to help our clients seeking not only a U.S. citizenship but also a heavenly citizenship. I can sympathize with them; I have been in their shoes since I am myself an immigrant.”
WALKING IN FAITH
Daniel still lives in West Africa as the couple waits for the U.S. government to process their marriage-based paperwork for Daniel to come to the United States. An already expen sive and arduously long process was slowed down even fur
Opposite: Immigrants and refugees from all over the world are receiving the legal help they need from CIAC to unite their families, escape dangerous situations, and legally live in the United States.
Above: Jessica Weaver (left) and others at CIAC are working hard to provide afforable care to immigrants and refugees.
Interim Executive Director Rogerio Torres, an immi grant from Brazil, recently moved from Kentucky to Pittsburgh to work full time with CIAC. This summer, he worked with a woman who had married a U.S. citizen who began to abuse her shortly after their marriage. She was at risk of losing her status to remain in the United States, so Rogerio walked alongside her in the stress ful and emotional process of filing paperwork to stay. Through Zoom meetings and phone calls, Rogerio was able to gather the woman’s information and documents despite COVID restrictions.
Rogerio is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, allowing him to service the needs of those from Latin and South America. However, CIAC spends about $5,000 a year to cover the cost of translation into other languages, in cluding Bhutanese, Nepali, Arabic, and Swahili. Other legal costs include document translation and postage, as the immigration office requires paper copies of all ap plications. Those costs are covered by donations.
NOV/DEC 2021 13 ALLIANCELIFE EgbertLizbyPhotography
“At ACAC, we saw the launch of CIAC as a significant way to love those least served in our own community while also advancing the cause of missions to unreached peoples,” Blaine says. “And by housing the CIAC offic es in the same general area as our ministry offices, our whole staff regularly comes into contact with refugee and immigrant families who live near the church. What a blessing it is to know that, for many of these families, their visit to CIAC marks the first time they have ever set foot in a Christian church.”
Rogerio is also an ordained C&MA pastor and sees his dual roles in his job as God’s way of filling a practical need while giving an opportunity to pray for clients to accept the love of Jesus.
For Blaine Workman, executive pastor at ACAC, the close proximity to CIAC within the church building is an asset to the church and to CIAC.
For many CIAC clients, like Marsha and Daniel, the wait for a decision on their applications can be challenging and discouraging. The average processing time for a green card application is about 18 months, and it costs about $1,300. In addition, immigrants must apply for travel documents, work permits, and other authoriza tions. CIAC’s legal representatives are available for sup port and prayer throughout the extensive process.
When COVID-19 closed offices, CIAC pivoted to a virtual legal ministry and continued to serve clients remotely; and since immigration law is federal, CIAC is able to provide legal services to cli ents in any state. This has allowed them to serve a larger group of the more than 40 million people in the United States who were born in another country.
While specializing in legal work, CIAC strives to go above and beyond in assisting cli ents to navigate the systems and language of their new home. This can involve calling a city government office to advocate for a photo ID or submitting paperwork to an embassy for replacement birth certificates. CIAC also connects clients with trauma-informed medical provid ers and counseling services.
services including asylum and removal/ deportation representation—which is not currently available in the Pittsburgh area. A private attorney can charge thou sands of dollars for representation, so CIAC raises support from donors and foundations to keep legal fees low, with the goal of becoming pro bono.
A COMPASSIONATE HEART
CIAC also desires to provide churches with the knowl edge and wisdom to show Jesus’ heart to the immigrants and refugees in their congregations and communities, regardless of race, religion, or nationality.
“With Daniel and me, it has truly been a faith walk,” she says. “The entire time, God has been with us. He has provided. He has provided destiny helpers like CIAC. He opened so many doors, and that has built our faith and our relationship.”
*Name changed
We arrived in Western Europe after a very hard journey, but my homeland is forever in my blood, though it feels so far away.
My name is Rabia*. My family and I wandered through Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco on planes, boats, taxis, buses, and on foot, fleeing our home in the Middle East.
THE PEOPLE WE SERVE
Jessica Weaver graduated with a journalism degree but was led by God to use her skills in the so cial work field and has worked with the homeless and addicts. She now serves with the Christian Immigration Advocacy Center providing legal aid to immigrants and refugees.
It’s not because we want to flee. We had no choice. There is war in our homeland. There is danger, death, persecution, sadness, grief, fear . . . We had to get out and say goodbye to our country, our cul ture, our family.
A dilapidated apartment building that was slated for demolition became our “home.” About 200 refugees from our hometown also live there. It be came a piece of home, though it will never be the same. The newspapers reported that our neighbor hood is a breeding ground to recruit young men to be terrorists. I am scared for our husbands, for our sons. This is why we left home.
ShortDaronbyPhoto
Daniel and Marsha have still found ways to do ministry together from more than 4,000 miles away. Daniel works at a church in Gambia, assisting pastors and using his own money to buy supplies for the church. Marsha and Daniel worked together to raise money to buy chairs for the church. When Daniel didn’t have a truck to transport the newly purchased chairs, he carried them himself a few at a time over several days. Daniel hopes to use his teaching degree to start a ministry in the United States to work with foster children, with the desire to share Christ with people. Marsha has started a Go FundMe fundraiser to help support the local community and for Daniel’s living expenses while he waits to immigrate.
“There is a unique call on my husband’s life and the strength of his relationship with God,” Marsha says. “I want to be a part of that story. My faith is not how much I tithe or show up at church or feed the poor; it is because I have a close and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Marsha said she wants others to learn from her journey to draw closer to God.
If you would like to support ministries to refugees like Rabia, consider praying and giving to the Great Commission Fund.
“The easy thing would have been to give up after five years of waiting,” Mar sha says. “I know God wants us together to do ministry. Daniel covers me spir itually and prays for me often. This is more than a visa.”
But The Alliance has come alongside to help us. These volunteers have provided things we need to live: food, clothes, school supplies, toys, applianc es, rugs, mattresses, and even diapers and sanitary napkins for the women. They share their faith with us and have become like sisters and friends.
ther by the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed embassies around the world for months and created years-long backlogs for visa appointments. As of August 2021, Daniel is approved to immigrate but is waiting on a visa interview at the embassy.
NOV/DEC 2021 15 ALLIANCELIFE PREPARE TO GROW • PREPARE TO LEAD • PREPARE TO SERVE ALLIANCE.EDU PUERTO RICO URBANIZACIÓN787.274.1142 ROOSEVELT CALLE JOSÉ CANALS #458 OFICINA 301 SAN JUAN, PR 00918 NEW YORK CITY 2646-378-6101WASHINGTON STREET NEW YORK, NY 10004 ALLIANCE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OFFERS THE FOLLOWING DEGREES 100% ONLINE. MASTER OF ARTS IN BIBLICAL STUDIES MASTER OF ARTS IN BIBLICAL LITERATURE: NEW TESTAMENT MASTER OF ARTS IN BIBLICAL LITERATURE: OLD TESTAMENT MASTER OF DIVINITY IN THEOLOGY AND MISSIONS C&MA workers and constituents are eligible for a scholarship equal to 50% of tuition. Apply today and join our supportive online community. 15 OF NYACK’S 50 PROGRAMS ARE FULLY ONLINE. STUDY FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!
ALLIANCELIFE 16 NOV/DEC 2021
Since September 2020, several people have come to know the Lord at the house church. Over the past year, every time COVID restrictions have lifted where they live, Simon and Lydia have been able to baptize someone!
“This is what keeps us awake at night,” Simon explains. “How are we going to engage these people? How are we going to take advantage of the freedom that’s in Europe to share Christ and make sure they’re understanding the gospel and that they have an opportunity to respond
and be gathered together?’”
Creating community for the diaspora
GATHERINGTHESCATTERED
Above: Many immigrants and refugees in Europe feel isolated and lonely, so Alliance international workers have stepped in to bring them into true Christ-centered community.
THE WORK AMONG THE SCATTERED Simon and Lydia work among many others like Naima— the diaspora of 50 million immigrants and refugees who have come to Europe from North Africa and the Middle East. They minister primarily to Arabic speakers and those who follow the majority religion of their regions. Because many of these immigrants and refugees come from closed countries, they often have never had an op portunity to hear the gospel.
THE POWER OF JESUS IN COMMUNITY
The
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the feelings of isolation and loneliness have been compounded for many, especially those who are already far from home. When Simon and Lydia began their house church during the pandemic, they were surprised to see how much hunger and vulnerability was present, even from their very first gathering. God planted the seeds and brought it all together, and He continues to nurture it.
The house church has become an important part of Simon and Lydia’s ministry. Over the past several years, they have discovered a unique challenge that arises for these immigrants and refugees, like Naima, who choose to follow Jesus—they will often return to their former religion if they cannot find a genuine, Christ-centered community. Discipleship and gathering are essential to the sustainability of their new faith in Christ.
by Hannah Packard
So, when Lydia reached out to her about attending and helping prepare food for the house church, Naima reluctantly agreed, thinking, I’ll go this once. Then my ob ligation will be done, and I can let go.
first time Naima* came to Simon and Lydia’s house church, she told them she had decided to re turn to her former religion. Though Naima had chosen to follow Jesus years before, things became difficult. Doubts crept into her mind, and without being integrated into a church, Naima struggled with profound loneliness.
Despite Naima’s initial doubts and hesitancy about attend ing the house church, she went. Lydia told me the story:
*Names changed
Joining us in prayer that more refu gees and immigrants will experience and receive Christ’s love for them and that the Lord of the harvest will contin ue to send out laborers into His har vest field (see Matthew 9:37–38).
Hannah Packard is the digital content writer for the National Of fice. She recently earned her mas ter’s of divinity from Asbury Theo logical Seminary and is pleased to serve the Lord through storytelling.
ReindelStephaniebyPhotography
Giving to the Great Commission Fund, which supports workers like Simon and Lydia and their ministries. Scan the QR on the left to give now!
Consideringengaged:inprayer
er them to Himself. “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26–27). This is Simon and Lydia’s prayer, that the people they serve would seek God, reach out for Him, and find Him. Once they meet Jesus, it’s genuine community that helps them grow. As Simon shared with me, genuine community doesn’t mean just meeting for an hour once a week—it’s ex tended times of relational connection; it’s walking out life together in a new family. Simon says,
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Our vision is gathering the scattered around Je sus. It has always been the gathering of people who have been scattered, but gathering around Jesus, it’s a new family. That’s the beauty of this— people have lost their families and communi ties. They’re coming and finding a new family to be a part of.
As followers of Jesus, we have been commissioned to go and make disciples in all the world, and discipleship neces sitates community. The need for genuine community—for belonging—isn’t exclusive to the diaspora of immigrants and refugees in Europe, however—that need is everywhere around us. In an age of global connection, there are millions of people who find themselves profoundly disconnected from genuine community.
For many immigrants and refugees, receptivity to the gos pel heightens in difficult and unfamiliar surroundings. God uses the scattering of people across the world to gath
For people like me who have grown up in an individualistic culture, it can be easy to underestimate the fact that God made us to function and flourish together. He made us to be a body, comprised of individual parts that make up a greater whole. It’s easy for me to think I can operate and thrive alone, but what hand or foot can survive when it is cut off from the body? I am thankful for stories like Naima’s and the work of those like Simon and Lydia, which remind me that Jesus is close to those who are weary and burdened (see Matthew 11:28), and we serve the God who sets the lonely in fami lies (see Psalm 68:6).
whether the
In a conversation after a house church meet ing, she said, like Peter after his denial of Christ, “I’m so sorry that I ever turned my back on Jesus, and I’m in now, whatever the Lord asks of me. I even think that He may want me to be a mis sionary.” In a period of five weeks, she went from turning back to her old religion to saying she thinks the Lord is calling her to be a missionary. This is the power of Jesus in community. She’s now invited more people into the house church than any other person there!
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
The minute Naima stepped in, she met others who have gone on a similar journey, who have struggled with similar questions—people she can relate to. The very first meal that we had around the table, they talked about the dreams and experiences they’ve had in coming to Jesus. As she started sharing hers, I think it confirmed to her that it was a genuine experience. Week after week, she would come with questions, ex pressing her doubts, and the group welcomed her and prayed for her. It’s been beautiful.
Alliance international workers like Simon and Lyd ia are serving among the diaspora all throughout Europe, engaging primarily with immigrants and refugees from North Africa and the Middle East. However, the need is still great. Here are three ways for you to get
Lord might be calling you to go and serve as an international worker.
by Julie Daubé
Soeuth and Syna Lao, who fled Cambodia as refugees and later returned to their homeland as Alliance inter national workers, have seen firsthand the wonders God has done. After serving in Poipet—Cambodia’s “Wild
While this is reason to rejoice, Christians in Cam bodia today number only 2 percent of the population. “Churches are continually growing, but 49 out of 50 Cambodians don’t know Christ,” said Alliance inter national worker David Manfred, who recently served as field director. Nonetheless, God has been at work in incredible ways. During the past year, The Alliance in Cambodia saw a significant church-planting boom with 20 fellowships started. With a total of 200 churches in the KEC, this represents a 10 percent growth in the num ber of Alliance church groups since COVID-19 started.
When
ALLIANCELIFE 18 NOV/DEC 2021
HARVEST TIME IN CAMBODIA
Alliance missionaries arrived in Cambodia in 1923, they were the first long-term Protestant workers there. They were evacuated in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took over. By the end of 1979, 80 percent of Cambodian believers had been martyred. Yet God did not forget the beleaguered nation. 1993 marked the rebirth of the C&MA national church in Cambodia with the organization of the Khmer Evangelical Church (KEC) with 15 churches. From the 2,000 believers who survived the Killing Fields, the Evangelical Church in Cambodia has since grown to more than 200,000 members.
Church planting in lockdown
Believers: 300,000 countrywide (2% of the population)
Church Planting: 20 new churches planted since COVID began; 10 planted by the Laos
TAKING THE GREAT COMMISSION LITERALLY
Ethnic Groups: 42, of which 30 are unreached, Khmer being the largest ethnic group
Alliance Church Network: Over 200 Alliance fellowships countrywide with 10% growth in recent years
West”—the Laos are now ministering in Anlong Veng, where Pol Pot died and where many of his followers re side. Long considered Cambodia’s spiritually dark area, this province is now seeing a spiritual harvest that is nothing short of miraculous.
COVID: Half of all Christian missionaries departed due to the pandemic; The Alliance remained and saw an unprecedented harvest.
NOV/DEC 2021 19 ALLIANCELIFE TeamVideoAlliancebyPhoto
“Allpartners.ourstudents have the same spiritual DNA,” says Syna. “They begin each day by asking, ‘Jesus, who do
you want me to see today?’” They take every opportu nity to share the gospel, whether riding home from class, at the gas pump—anywhere. “Whatever they learn from us, they pass on to others. They take the Great Commis sion literally; they go and tell everyone they meet. They take God’s Word at face value, and He does amazing things. Every time our students pray, you can feel it in theOneatmosphere.”womanhad been chronically ill and bed-ridden for years. Her believing family members told her, “Our God is so powerful—why not give Him a try?” Immedi ately after they prayed for her, she was able to stretch her leg. A week later, she was walking. As a result of her miraculous healing, all nine of her adult children came to the Lord. Another woman was miraculously healed
THE CHURCH IN CAMBODIA
When Soeuth and Syna arrived in Anlong Veng in 2017, five house churches existed. At this writing, a total of 21 house churches have been established. All the fellow ships planted there since 2017 were started by students in the Laos’ discipleship classes and those of their min istry
This photo: Despite the thousands of believers who were martyred in the 1970s, the church in Cambodia has rebounded from 2,000 members to more than 300,000.
by Syna Lao
Lang added, “Last week, a child of about two years old was brought to us for prayer. This little guy was crying nonstop because of painful ab scesses, sores, and wounds all over his body. We counted, and there were 24 wounds in all! At his mother’s request, we prayed for the boy’s healing that Tuesday night. On Friday when we returned, his body was completely clean! We searched and searched, but not one fresh or old wound was found!” Those who saw the healing were im pressed by the power of God.
After COVID hit, the Laos canceled their weekly disci pleship class in compliance with safety protocols. Their students were at a loss. “Teacher, what will we do? We committed this day to God, and now we cannot study.” The Laos told them to go and share all they had learned
In May 2021, as the Laos were preparing to leave Cam bodia for home assignment, it was an emotional time. They
with their neighbors. The students did so, bringing bags of rice to each household as the Laos have often done. In a country where most people live hand-to-mouth, such generosity speaks volumes to the transforming work of the gospel. Once when the Laos surprised a family of new believers with a gift of rice, they burst into tears; they had been running out of food and had just prayed for God’s provision.
For generations, the people of Pume Thmey vil lage had lived under Satan’s bondage, practicing voodoo and black magic. When offended, vil lagers would seek revenge on their enemies by hiring local witch doctors to cast spells on them. Walking through the streets in surrounding areas, one could easily sense the presence of evil. Resi dents were suspicious of strangers, and fear was written all over their faces. A few villagers confid ed in hushed tones to Christian visitors, “Every household in the entire village has lost one or more family members to witchcraft.” These state ments were confirmed by the many young wid ows and orphans throughout the village.
WITCHCRAFT VILLAGE
raculously healed through his prayers—including some who had been blinded after spells were cast on them—villagers began flocking to Lang’s cramped house for Bible studies.
As more people kept coming, Lang became over whelmed. In tears, he shared in class about the urgent needs and asked for help. After earnest prayers, God answered and sent Po, the son of Pastor Dy—one of our ministry partners—and his wife, Sony, to help Lang. Since then, Po has been leading a team of five emerging leaders to help teach Bible studies and lead prayer services in Pume Thmey twice weekly. As the meetings con tinue, God does amazing things in this village every week. “The place is always packed with at least 35–40 children and adults,” Po reported.
ALLIANCELIFE 20 NOV/DEC 2021 ChristopherJordanbyPhoto
In March 2021, despite COVID restrictions, the hope of Jesus Christ reached this village. Lang, a timid student in my Abundant Life class who is from Pume Thmey, courageously chose to bring the light of the gospel into his village. Using our lessons and his extensive notes, he shared the good news with everyone he met. At first, the vil lagers were hesitant to accept Lang’s persistent invitations. But upon seeing several people mi
The March/April 2021 issue of Alliance Life reported that 1,158 people prayed to receive Jesus from March 2020–December 31, 2020, and a total of nine new vil lage house churches were planted. As of July 2021, a tenth house church was birthed. All 10 congregations have been started since COVID-19 began.
GENEROSITY SPEAKS VOLUMES
after being prayed for, and 19 of her immediate fami ly members received Jesus as their Savior through her testimony. A common biblical practice among those whom the Laos and their partners have been discipling is to bind the works of the devil—including the many Buddhist shrines dotting the countryside. “Our students’ most famous line is, ‘I bind you in the name of Jesus.’ Even three-year-old children do this because they hear their parents and grandparents saying it.”
Without the generosity of Alliance people, the Laos’ work would not be possible. Your gifts to the Great Commission Fund are making an eternal difference in the lives of those who would otherwise have no hope for a future in this world, let alone the promise of heaven. Soeuth and Syna, along with other Alliance global teams, also rely on people who give to specific needs. One ex ample is a water-filter project in Cambodia for which the “Our Mission” ministry of Willard (Ohio) Alliance Church has been raising funds. Upon receiving the fil ters, local village leaders distribute them to needy fam ilies and invite them to listen to the good news. Over whelmed by the kindness of believers, recipients have been spreading the word throughout their communities, saying, “The Jesus people love us so much that they gave us this water filter! Come listen to them!”
Even while the Laos were waiting in Phnom Penh to de part for the United States, local church leaders in Cam bodia were calling the couple daily to report that more people had prayed to receive Jesus. As of July 2021, a
Our God surely has a way of making something good out of the mess of this world.
total of 68 people had invited Jesus into their hearts in the last few weeks. The Laos said, “In our 26 years of ministry, we were never so excited and have never seen so many miracles. There is still intense opposition, and Satan doesn’t want us here—but God is working. Minis tering in this area is like the icing on the cake.”
Above: In the last year, more than a thousand people have surrendered their lives to Christ in Cambodian villages and many have been baptized.
ICING ON THE CAKE
As the Laos fellowshipped with local believers, their relatives and friends also joined the worship ser vices. “At the end of each meeting, at least three to five new people prayed to receive Jesus!” Soeuth and Syna re port. “After we had visited only four villages, 37 people prayed to receive Jesus in one week! Then, on May 28, while visiting Rohaal village, where seven new people were added to the Kingdom, we re ceived the following invitation from one believer: ‘Please go and share this wonderful news with my family. They live in another village. Please go. It is not too far. You came all this way here to visit us, so why not go just a lit tle farther?’” The Laos drove the 27 kilometers on bumpy roads. “Upon our arrival at the new village, more than 50 people were already waiting for us!”
NOV/DEC 2021 21 ALLIANCELIFE
Julie Daubé is the assistant editor for Alliance Life and serves on the Communications Storytelling Team at the C&MA National Office. She and her hus band, Alex, are relocating to Columbus, Ohio, at the end of the year.
Responding to their desperate spiritual hunger, Soeuth shared an evangelistic message with the receptive au dience. At the end of the service, 23 adults and teens and 17 children prayed to receive Jesus. “This marked the birth of another house church. Thmal Dach village (the lit eral translation means ‘Broken Road’) became the tenth house church planted in this region since the beginning of the COVID-19 pan demic. Our God surely has a way of making something good out of the mess of this world.”
THE JESUS PEOPLE
traveled to remote villages where local Alliance house churches have been planted, saying their goodbyes and introducing believers to key church leaders. “Some of the new believers thought we were abandon ing them and said, ‘I just joined the family of God, and now you are leav ing me!’ Repeatedly, we assured them of God’s protection over their lives. Many asked us, ‘Before you go, can you share the gospel with my family?’”
right)(bottomHemphillRickandright),(topTeamVideoAlliance(left),BergeijkvanEwienbyPhotos
ALLIANCELIFE 22 NOV/DEC 2021
A glimpse into the lives of our workers
USBROUGHTYOUJESUS
Each summer, Alliance international workers re turn to the States to worship together and prepare for their home assignments. As they gather that week, they share stories of their work among lost, suffering, and overlooked peoples in some of the world’s most spiritually desolate places. Below are some of these stories.
Africans are natural-born storytellers, so for the last few years we’ve been telling Bible sto ries and training African believers to tell them as well. One day we did a Bible story training in a rural Bible school. The church where we trained them was lopsided, with one side full of women and the other with only a few rows of men. The women were so timid, and they hardly said anything with men in the room.
—by an Alliance international worker serving in West Africa
TIMIDITY TURNED TO CONFIDENCE
Compiled by Alliance Life staff
Bible storying is effective. Even in their timid nature and lack of schooling, these women have learned to tell Bible stories with confidence and have led people to the Lord.
We were teaching them simple stories—Je sus calming the storm, healing the bleeding woman—and we had a time to share testimo nies. One of the young student pastors said, “I know this is a good thing to learn because last year my wife had this training, and she started telling Bible stories to people who visited our home. I thought it was silly and told her to stop telling Bible stories because they just needed to learn doctrine and read their Bibles. But she continued to tell the stories and led two men in our village to the Lord.”
To support these and other Alliance workers in their ministries, please consider a gift to the Alliance Year-End Offering using the back-cover insert.
—by an Alliance international worker serving in north and central Asia
I will never forget Daniel’s face just beaming with the joy of that new love in Christ. We have the opportunity to see lots more people who need the love of Jesus.
Let me tell you two stories from our first term. The first day started like any other. I went about my morning routine and got on the bus. About half way to school, I saw a line of fire up ahead. The bus stopped. The next thing I knew armed men with assault rifles were banging on the bus, shooting in the air. The bus driver turned around as quickly as he could, rushing back home.
BEAMING WITH JOY
We go because we see the seeds of the gospel moving forward, not just in our city but in our own family. We are followers of Christ to the ends of the earth—and with our very lives if necessary. So we will go back to our field with the bravery, faith, and courage that can come only from the Holy Spirit.
What great stories! I wish they were mine. Those are the stories of my four-year-old daughter.
BRAVERY FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT
People ask us why we return to a place where we face danger, where our home was destroyed in an explosion, where we have threats against our lives, where we face opposition to a new church plant.
—by an Alliance international worker serving in the Middle East
Right before COVID-19, we had the opportunity to be at a birthday party for a young mother, Karla*. After we had cake and sang, Karla’s husband, Daniel, asked, “Would you please share blessings with my wife?” All the believ ers around the room spoke blessings over Karla, and she started crying. “Don’t worry,” Daniel said. “She’s not crying because she’s sad—she’s crying out of happiness because you brought us Jesus, and it’s made all the difference in her life.”
A few months later, two weeks before Christmas, 15 students were sitting on our living room floor. One of them stood up and said, “Can you tell us what happens at Christmas?” There I sat in front of a bunch of kids, reading them the Christmas story and telling them about Jesus and His birth.
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DIVINE ENCOUNTER
I was literally shaking from fear. But I walked up to this group of men and asked, “Can I pray for him?”
I was running down one side of the river near our home in the early morning when I saw a group of young men circled around another man who was writhing on the ground. My first reaction as a woman in the dark was to move to the other side of the river. But God was saying, “Go and pray for that guy.”
His friends agreed, so my heart still racing, I got down on the ground and put my hand on his shoulder. I prayed a very simple prayer—“In Jesus’ name, be gone.” And the man just dropped, totally limp. All the young men circled around him were stunned and said, “Thank you so much.” Still shaking, I said, “This had absolutely nothing to do with me. There is someone who we both know in our faiths called Jesus and He is the One who heals, and if you ever have anything that you need to come and talk about, we live just down this road.”
Coming out of lockdown, Prima was spiritually hungry. She had been given a Bible, but no one had ever told her how to pray, how to hear God’s voice, how to experience freedom from sin, or how to forgive. I met Prima at the international church in our city, and we started meeting regularly on the phone and in person. She applied everything I told her and started telling her friends about how they could experience freedom if they forgave the people in their lives who had wronged them.
BACKYARD BAPTISM
We invited Prima to a home group in our house, where she met another believer from her home country and city for the first time. Knowing a sister in Christ from her home city reas sured Prima that God cared about her.
—by an Alliance international worker serving in France
While Prima, an immigrant from North Africa, was in graduate school in England, she heard the gospel for the first time and immediately raised her hand to receive Christ. Shortly after, Pri ma found herself in my city in France, never having been disci pled, while the world was shutting down with the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020.
We don’t know the end of the story for these young men, but God is doing some amazing things in our region. We just praise God for His healing and how He works through His Word.
—by an Alliance international worker serving in Asia/Pacific
*Names changed
As she heard about baptism that afternoon, Prima decided she wanted her new family in Christ to bear witness to her faith be fore she moved to yet another city. We had the privilege to bap tize her in her backyard in a little purple pool soon after.
To support this year’s offering, scan the QR code to the left or see the insert that was wrapped into the back page of this magazine.
From the birth of our move ment, Alliance people have been drawn to the hard places—where others hav en’t gone. We intentionally seek out the unseen, the forgotten, and the rejected in every community we serve. And God has uniquely empowered, equipped, and positioned us to reach them. This is what sets us apart.
“I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
This Christmas, you can bring more of these dear ones into Christ’s eternal fold by supporting the Alliance Year-End Offering. When you give, you send more workers, plant more churches, disciple more new believers, and provide tangible help and enduring hope to the world’s remaining lost and overlooked.
— ISAIAH 49:6B (ESV) cmalliance.org/yearend John Stumbo VIDEO BLOG tch John tell a story, share a devotional, issue a challenge, or cast C&MA vision. Released on the 12th of each month Recentcmalliance.org/stumboReleases:-video
To learn more or to download resources for your church, visit
by an servinginternationalAllianceworkerinEasternAsia
That day was the beginning of our family living like nomads: two to three days in one bed, two to three weeks in another. We had sold our car the day before the flight and turned in our townhouse keys.
O
n January 29, 2021, we were in San Francisco with 12 suitcases, negative COVID test results, expensive plane tickets, and visas in hand. After sever al months of delay, we were ready to return to our host country in East Asia.
For reasons we will never know, it was not granted, and our wait to return continues even now.
ALLIANCELIFE 26 NOV/DEC 2021
Living through unexpected transition
That day and the days following, I felt anxious, un settled, and angry. That day was not unlike the expe rience of many international workers as we are at the
There was just one problem: our host country had not giv en us the green light to board the plane. We watched as ev eryone else checked their luggage, hoping and asking many to pray that permission would be granted in the final hour.
Jesus invites me to continually surrender as He sur rendered to the Father. I would love to know the times and dates of my life—even for just the coming winter season—then I could plan! If I could plan, then I could feel like I’m in control. But Jesus says it’s not for me to know the times and dates. I am simply to live in the power of the Holy Spirit as a witness of His goodness and grace (see Acts 1:7). Jesus also shows us the full ex tent of His surrender on the eve of His crucifixion when He cries out, “Father, not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
DEPENDING ON THE FATHER
Interestingly, Jesus’ three years of earthly ministry were all lived as a nomad. Jesus proclaimed, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20). Never before had I taken this passage quite so literally.
I also fight against the thought that I am a competent middle-aged adult who should be able to provide these things for my family without the help of others.
A SECURE IDENTITY
Living nomadically means losing my sense of security. There is security in knowing I can take refuge in my own home. There is security in the familiarity of a commu nity that knows you. There is security in knowing the grocery store, the shops, and the roads. Living nomad ically often leaves me feeling untethered and insecure like a tent without pegs easily tossed about by the wind.
How did Jesus live as a nomad? Dependent, surren dered, and secure in His identity. Whether we find our selves unexpectedly transitioning or having lived in the same home for 30 years, may we accept the invitation of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to these fresh pastures of
Our experience begs the question: How do we live well in a life of frequent and unexpected transition?
Jesus’ ministry took Him to over 20 different locations in three years. He spent 40 nights sleeping in a desert: perhaps a few nights in Peter’s home; some nights in Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’ home; a stormy night on a boat; and one excruciating night in the Garden of Geth semane. The rest? Maybe He camped. Maybe He slept on someone’s extra bed mat. We don’t really know.
Jesus invites me into dependence as He Himself modeled it both on others and on His Father. Choosing to be appropriately de pendent on others mirrors the dependence I desire to have on the Father too. He reminds me that He is the vine, and I am a dependent branch. Apart from Him, I can do nothing (see John 15:5).
NOV/DEC 2021 27 ALLIANCELIFE CraneKennethbyIllustration
But Jesus invites me to live securely in Him. Jesus often stated who He was. He refused to be defined by the thoughts of people in His hometown, the disciples, or the religious leaders of the day. Jesus rested securely in His identity as the Father’s Son. I, too, desire to rest securely in my identity as a child of God, dearly loved, called by name, and created with a purpose to do good works prepared in advance (see Ephesians 2:10).
LOSING CONTROL
Living nomadically means losing some sense of my control. Often, we cannot control how
Culturally, I, along with many other Americans, value my independence, my sense of control, and my sense of security. Although early first century small-town Jew ish life was very different from today, I wonder if these same values challenged Jesus? From what we know, He spent almost three decades living in the same small town as a carpenter before entering three years of no madic ministry. Did He, too, in His humanity, feel a loss of independence, control, and security?
Living nomadically means a loss of independence. Accepting hospitality and generosity is often humbling. I am dependent on other people’s food, mattresses, timelines, and expectations for keeping them company. Although I’m incredibly grateful, it can be tiring.
long we can stay in a certain place. I cannot control when governments will issue the appropriate visas for our family to return or if each new community we enter will welcome us or ignore us.
Jesus understands this nomadic life. What could I learn from Him about how to live well in these months ahead? What did it mean to live like Jesus the nomad?
JESUS THE NOMAD
mercy of human governments and their policies more than ever before.
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But just as he had finally gathered enough money to pay for airfare for his family to be reunited, his world fell apart. His wife divorced him, took the travel money he had sent back, and abandoned their two children to the streets.
YOU BRING HOPE TO REFUGEES YOUR GENEROSITY in action
hahid* has always been the kind of person you can’t ignore. From the moment you meet him, his fast-paced American-accented English grabs your at tention. His sharp mind and inquiring eyes draw you in. There is something genuine and intense about him.
We first got to know Shahid through the English lan guage classes our community center offers. Though born and raised in Yemen, he had fled the country’s war and arrived in our city in 2018 with the plan of bring ing his wife and two children soon after. He is college educated and was a successful businessman in Yemen, yet in our country he worked as a gas station attendant, living on next-to-nothing and sending his wages home to keep his family from starving.
While tragic, Shahid’s story is not uncommon among the refugees we serve. Families are torn apart by war, starvation, violence, death, and the loss of everything,
by an Alliance international worker serving in the Middle East
ALLIANCELIFE 28 NOV/DEC 2021
S
CARE FOR THE LEAST OF THESE
including hope. Our country of service has always been a home to refugees, including Palestinians, Iraqis, Somalis, Sudanese, Syrians, and now Yemenis. God has raised up His Church to care for the least of these through outreach programs in every Alliance fellowship—and through the long-term investment of the Alliance international workers you send.
The avenues for our outreach are varied, encompass ing medical, educational, developmental, and holistic ministries. A free medical clinic has addressed urgent needs for more than a decade, with special funding made available for a range of treatments. Preventa tive care is given in the form of coupons to purchase vegetables, as well as a free exercise program. Pregnant and nursing mothers are given loving care by our breast feeding coach, while parents of special needs children find support and guidance in monthly physical therapy sessions. Educational programs are offered for a range of ages, including homework assistance, English literacy, and subsidized English courses. Training in the form of sewing workshops, photo editing classes, and entrepre neur seminars, plus coaching and micro-loans, provide skills to give refugee women a measure of financial se curity and independence.
LOVE THROUGH YOUR GENEROSITY
*Name changed
One day, Shahid arrived at an English class distraught. Desperate to save his children from a war zone, he asked for our help. Thanks to your support, our community center was able to loan him money for his plane tick ets, and he took the harrowing journey to bring his son (age 14) and daughter (age 8) to live with him. However, upon returning, he found that he no longer had a job; that month regional politics resulted in Yemenis being denied work visas.
Ifrah is one of the women who saw a big change in her life through the exercise program. She has been strug gling with infertility for 10 years; a tragic circumstance in the West, but in the Middle East it can ruin a wom an’s life through social rejection and divorce. She spent month after month and all her money trying many treatments with no success. But as she chose to exercise and became motivated to eat well, she was encouraged by losing 15 pounds and saw a return to physical and emotional health. Her polycystic ovarian syndrome is being addressed, she is seeing the power of prayer in her life, and she finally has hope for a family of her own.
Opposite: Alliance international workers are providing holistic care for Yemeni refugees as they recover from war, discrimination, and starvation.
HOPE THROUGH HOLISTIC MINISTRY
Email give@cmalliance.org, or call toll free (866) 443-8262.
Shahid and Ifrah are just a few of the many refugees who have experienced the love of Jesus through the generosity of His Church. With your support, we will con tinue blessing these families through welcome packages for new arrivals, food coupons in partnership with local markets, seasonal distributions, and medical assistance for special needs. We will continue to make progress toward our long-term development goal of helping this community achieve self-sufficiency. Our English literacy, sewing, and photo editing workshops will provide critical skills training and an important sense of empowerment. And as our refugee friends begin to understand their value in Christ, genuine hope blossoms.
The Yemeni Refugee Outreach is one of 26 specific Alliance projects that are on the front line of mission. This Christmas, will you support one or more of these proj ects and pave the way for gospel access where it has never been before?
Home visitations and Bible studies are the capstone of our holistic ministry, as we honor each refugee as a person precious to God and have an opportunity to share His unending love for them. “We are killing each other back in my home country,” another refugee shares. “But we come here, and Christians accept us with love and open arms.”
Request your copy of the 2021-2022 Stra tegic Giving Opportunities Gift Catalog to learn more about these projects. Then pray and consider how God is stirring your heart and passion to join Him in bringing Joy to the World to All the World!
EXTEND CHRIST’S LOVE TO REFUGEES
Yemeni and other Middle Eastern refugee groups are among the most vulnerable populations in Jordan. Refugees like Shahid and Ifrah are excluded from many relief programs and sources of aid, but you can be there for them! You are invited to help provide for their immediate physical needs— opening opportunities for Alliance workers to extend Jesus’ love and bring true hope into their lives. To put your generosity into action, visit cmalliance.org/give; select “a project you love/Find a project;” and type in “Yemeni Refugee Outreach.”
A newly single father, unemployed and grappling with the challenges of raising his daughter with special needs, Shahid has not given up. Instead, he has played a key role in supporting his fellow Yemeni refugees through out the pandemic. Moreover, he finds solace in regularly studying the Bible with Alliance workers and in dreams where a man in shining white clothes urges him to keep seeking the truth.
DELIVER THE GOOD NEWS TO THE UNREACHED THIS CHRISTMAS
NYACK.EDU PUERTO RICO 787 274 1142 URBANIZACIÓN ROOSEVELT CALLE JOSÉ CANALS #458 OFICINA 301 SAN JUAN, PR 00918 NEW YORK CITY 646 378.6101 2 WASHINGTON STREET NEW YORK, NY 10004 TO REACH THE WORLD WE BEGIN IN NEW YORK CITY 15 OF NYACK’S 50 PROGRAMS ARE FULLY ONLINE STUDY FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!
Rick Hemphill of the Alliance Marketing and Communications team prepares to hand out balloons at “Demo Day” in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. The event, which was well attended by the community, featured musical perfor mances, games, food trucks, and words of welcome from President John Stumbo and Reynoldsburg Mayor Joe Begeny—and cul minated with the demolition of the vacant K-mart building to make way for the new U.S. Alliance National Office.
inFocus
Photo by Olivia McCash
During the third wave of COVID-19, 35 families asked the Circle of Hope women’s center—an Alliance out reach in an area with little gospel access—and the church for help with food. Some who received assis tance were from the church family; others were friends of neighbors who had heard about the food distribu tion. Each bag, which included Scripture tracts, could
Pray that God will send patients to Bongolo whom He has prepared to hear the gospel and those we can help the most medically. Pray for success in all our sur geries, for the Spirit to guide our conversations with patients, and for our staff to always act in Christ’s love toward one another and our patients.
Requests from our Alliance family
Suzanne, a 63-year-old widow, was a patient at Bon golo Hospital’s eye clinic. Her husband died after she went blind due to cataracts, and her children aban doned her. Unable to attend church anymore because of her blindness, Suzanne sank into depression and fell away from God. She was living alone in her own personal darkness in a remote village, eating ants in her food because she couldn’t see them. Then Suzanne had cataract surgery at Bongolo. She can now see again, work, and attend church.
PRAYER IS PRIMARY
Pray for Bongolo Hospital staff as they minister to patients with Christ’s compassion.
Praise God for the growth of the South Pointe Church-Planting Project in Guadalajara this past year. In August, 19 people were baptized in a combined service of our two Breath of Life congregations with at least 189 in attendance. Several attendees said yes to Jesus during the service, and another five asked to be bap tized. At this writing, the Purepecha congregation has doubled from 35 to 70. We are also outgrowing the tent we use for evangelistic dinners and combined services.
JAPAN
MEXICO
GABON
*Name changed
—Bob and Cheryl Fugate
“What’s your weakness?” my friend Takahashi* asked me over coffee. He had just confided that he lost his job, and I was empathizing with him. Caught off guard by the personal question, I fumbled to respond. I had no idea what to say, so I prayed desperately. I was reminded of when the Lord taught me to ground my identity in Christ instead of my performance. I shared this with Takahashi, who said my story helped him. He also let me pray for him right there in the coffee shop— which is very rare in Japan.
—Stephen Woerner
—Eric and Wendy Hofman
Your prayers open doors for such conversations. Pray that through our regular activities, our team will deepen our relationships with people like Takahashi and develop new ones—giving us more opportunities to share Christ through what He has done in our lives.
ALLIANCELIFE 32 NOV/DEC 2021
feed a family of four for a week. We are thankful for the support of U.S. Alliance churches and the Alliance World Fellowship, which made this possible. Con tinue to pray for Breath of Life and the Circle of Hope as they minister Christ’s love to those in need.
Private and reserved, Japanese people find it espe cially hard to share emotions and potentially embar rassing information, as image and saving face are highly valued in their culture. There are hundreds of people here who have real struggles. Few have some one in whom they can openly confide, much less a friend who will share biblical truths in response to life’s challenges.
Michael A. and Elissa J. Picconatto and family, in July. The Picconattos are Envision site coordinators and are involved in next-generation leadership development and engaging the artistic community.
CAMBODIA
Seth G. McCoy, senior pastor, Fellowship Alliance Chapel, Medford, N.J.
Bounoeuy and Chanthan Kes, in July. The Keses are involved in leadership development.
Arnold R. and Cheryl R. Solvig, in July. The Solvigs are involved in administration, business management, and discipleship ministries.
Marvin D. and Hayley Pitman and family, in July. The Pitmans are involved in relief and development ministries.
Andrew C. Geffers, interim district superintendent, Alliance New England
Ramiro J. Barragan, associate pastor, Renuevo Church of the C&MA, Woodland, Calif.
Gary A. Burdick, interim pastor, Onamia (Minn.) Alliance Church
Kandi Y. Lay, in July. Kandi is involved in ministries.developmentleadershipanddiscipleship
Thomas R. Flanders, district superintendent, The Alliance Southeast
Stephen W. and Jennie L. Jones and family, in July. The Joneses are site associates for Envision Berlin and are involved in next-generation leadership development.
BOSNIA
NOV/DEC 2021 33 ALLIANCELIFE
Ronald A. Higey, director of pastoral care for Tenn., Ala., and western Fla., The Alliance South
Sandra C. Kang, assignment—directorspecialof Donor Development, Central Pacific District
Nareth May, association president, the CEC (Cambodian) Association
Grant C. Goins, pastor, Richland (Wash.) C&MA Church
Mark D. and Kathleen E. Eikost, in July. The Eikosts are involved in church planting and leadership development.
Myron J. Heckman, interim pastor, New Life Christian Church, Hudson, N.H.
TO THE FIELD
Michael S. Pierce, youth pastor, First Alliance Church, Toledo, Ohio
JAPAN
Tharath Chea, Christian education director, South Pacific Alliance
ALLIANCE FAMILY NEWS
Donald D. and Hazel Schaeffer, in July. The Schaeffers are involved in administration, leadership development, and women’s ministries.
Jeffrey A. and Heather A. Williams, in July. The Williamses are the field director couple and involved in leadership development.
William J. Sagarese, churchplanting pastor, Remnant Church, West Long Branch, N.J.
Nghi and Jessica P. Tran and family, in July. The Trans are involved in language study.
Mary Lu Anthony, Walk in Two Worlds, Shawnee Alliance Church, Lima, Ohio
Douglas R. Anthony, Walk in Two Worlds, Shawnee Alliance Church, Lima, Ohio
James L. Brocious Sr., pastor to seniors, Stuart (Fla.) Alliance Church
Luke W. Spafford, missions resident, Providence Church, Omaha, Neb.
James B. Taylor, pastor, Shelby (Ohio) Alliance Church
Robert Goerzen, senior residence executive, Town and Country Manor, Santa Ana, Calif.
MONGOLIA (CAMA)
From around the block to the ends of the earth
Enrique Miranda, interim pastor, New Hope Alliance Church, Brownsville, Tex.
Aaron and Kelly Winn and family, in August. The Winns are site associates for Envision France.
Keith Neigenfind, district missions mobilizer, South Pacific Alliance
Cassandra L. House, other ministry, Rocky Mountain District Jason Hovde, pastor, Oasis Church, Loxahatchee, Fla.
GERMANY (ENVISION)
GUINEA CONAKRY TEAM
Julian E. Pace, pastor, Central Alliance Church, Mt. Airy, Ga.
FRANCE (ENVISION)
De’Andre S. Ralston, pastor, Hope Chapel of the C&MA, Pine Hill, N.J.
PERSONNEL CHANGES
Robert A. Bergfalk, pastor, Compassion Church, Anoka, Minn.
Mark A. Epperson, part-time institutional chaplain, Central District
Stephen D. Conway, interim pastor, Hood River (Ore.) Alliance Church
Edgar S. Castro, director of Church Planting and Hispanic Ministries, Central Pacific District
Our Everybecreate,uscuriosityshareddrivestothink,do,andbetter.day. On-campus | Online | Graduate crown.edu
Martin R. Berglund, special assignment, Metropolitan District
Kenneth Castor, other ministry, North Central District, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Michael Dolce, transitional pastor, Living Waters Church of the C&MA, Parsippany, N.J.
Zachery Ender, pastor, Church of Thorne Bay (Alaska)
Cheufue Her, pastor, Hmong Menomonie (Wis.) Alliance Church
Benjamin D. Henderson, pastor, LifePointe Church, Louisville, Ky.
Robert J. Harner Jr., pastor, Windham (Ohio) Bible Church
Eric L. Francisco, pastor, King’s Way Alliance Church, Akron, Ohio
Liam M. Wright, pastor of worship arts, North Seattle (Ore.) Church
Meica B. Campbell, church planter, New City Church, Lexington, Ky.
Brett Bodiford, pastor, Crossroads Church Aiken (S.C.)
Samuel D. Boone, family pastor, The Riverside,CommunityGroveChurch,Calif.
Stephen W. Jones, Envision Germany field/missions ministries, North Central District
Chenzong Vue, assistant pastor for youth and student ministries, First Alliance Church, Erie, Pa.
Join the C&MA Family for Your Retirement VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.SHELLPOINT.ORG
Julia M. McDowell, full-time Veterans Administration, C&MA National Office
Nareth May, association president, The CEC (Cambodian) Association
Alex J. Rousseau, church planter, The Gathering Network Church, Lincoln, Neb.
Osvaldo Mata, pastor, Sonoma (Calif.) Alliance Church
Fong Xiong, Hmong American Alliance Church, Maplewood, Minn.
Carrie L. Lyman, non-Alliance assignment with ISI campus staff, Central District
Wesley A. Nevius, African Ministries, Ohio Valley District
Mark A. Samuelson, special assignment, Rocky Mountain District
Harrison (Harry) Owczarek, September 12, 2021, Faith Alliance Church, Sidney, Mont. Harry is the associate pastor of Children, Youth, and Worship . Unparalleled setting. Unparalleled lifestyle.™
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Shell Point is a nonprofit ministry of The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc. ©2021 Shell Point. All rights reserved. SLS-4424-21
Carlos J. Ramirez, assistant pastor, Locust Valley Chapel C&MA, Coopersburg, Pa.
Rudolph P. Sheptock Jr., pastor, Shamokin (Pa.) Alliance Church
Duane A. Stine, associate pastor, Immanuel Mechanicsburg,Church,Pa.
Andre J. Snodgrass, special assignment: interim pastor ministries, Alliance Northwest District
Corinne L. Nevius, African Ministries, Ohio Valley District
Vibol Touch, association vice president, The CEC (Cambodian) Association
ORDINATIONS
Pedro Lopez, pastor, Ebenezer Alliance Church, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Gregory R. Prow, pastor, Williams (Calif.) Neighborhood Church
Leng K Xiong, mission pastor, Green Bay (Wis.) Hmong Alliance Church
Shell Point is located in Fort Myers, Florida, just minutes from the islands of Sanibel and Captiva.
At Shell Point® , you’ll enjoy a fulfilling lifestyle where you can explore, worship, learn, grow and even continue to serve. And with new additions to our campus, like Tribby Arts Center, a sparkling centerpiece for the arts, and the state-of-the-art Larsen Health Center, you can rest on a firm foundation, knowing that your needs will be taken care of – both now and in the future.
Jeremiah J. Lepasana, churchplanting pastor, Metropolitan District
Haoyu Ma, pastor, Cornerstone Church of the Triangle, Apex, N.C.
Silver Spring, Md., Four Corners Ethiopian Church, 33 University Blvd E., 20901
BECAUSE OF YOU
Nhaxiu P. Voung, church planter pastor, Hmong District Neng Yang, international worker in residence, Bridge Community Church, Troy, Mich.
Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Grace en Espanol Church of the C&MA, 7393 Pearl Rd., 44130
Jonathon B. Porterfield, ALME ministry associate, Cape Cod Bible Alliance Church, Brewster, Mass.
Berlin, Md., Fathom Church, 10447 Georgetown Rd., 21811
Timothy A. Ruiz, executive pastor, Cedars Church, Newark, Calif.
Daniel Seo, executive pastor, The New Church of Federal Way (Wash.)
. . . MY CHILD KNOWS GOD’S LOVE
Anchorage, Alaska, Alaska Early Church Ministry, 10601 Spruce View Lp. Apt. 11, 99507
Cleveland, Ohio, Reach City Church, 5318 St. Clair Unit 200, 44103
Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Living Stones Church of the C&MA, 2065 Lee Rd., 44118
Joseph R. Terry, assistant pastor of youth and kids’ ministries, Circle Drive Alliance Church, Sidney, N.Y.
Joshua D. Berry, church-planting assistant, True Life Church of the C&MA, Brick, N.J.
ALLIANCELIFE 36 NOV/DEC 2021
NEW CHURCHES
NEW WORKERS
Frederick, Md., The Table, 7102 Ladd Ln., 21703
STORIES LIKE THIS ARE MADE POSSIBLE WHEN YOU GIVE TO THE ALLIANCE. www.cmalliance.org/algive
Aaron C. Broadus, associate pastor, Renuevo Church of the C&MA, Woodland, Calif.
Zhengsong T. Deng, associate pastor of Mandarin Ministries, Wheaton (Ill.) Chinese Alliance
Justen M. Hyland, pastor of worship, Fairhaven Church Springboro (Ohio) Campus
Wade E. Copland, pastor, Discover Church of the C&MA, Camp Hill, Pa.
Eva Y. Lau, youth director, Grace Chinese Alliance Church, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Matthew E. Zientek, assistant pastor, Living Water Community Church of the C&MA, Bayville, N.J.
Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Grace Arabic Church of the C&MA, 7393 Pearl Rd., 44130
Save the date! LlFE 2o22 July 5 9, 2022 MARRIOTT WORLD CENTER, ORLANDO LIFE Conference is a week-long gathering of thousands of Alliance youth with a focus on Jesus Christ through worship, Scripture, service, and community. For mor e in formation, visit allianceyouth.com/life
Byron O. Dickey, lead pastor, Greenville (Pa.) C&MA Church
Thung S. Lee, associate pastor, First Hmong Alliance Church, Aurora, Ill.
Nestor C. Baron-Lopez, senior pastor, Iglesia New Life, Monroe, Mich.
PlannedInvestmentsLoansGiving 8595 Explorer Dr, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 / Toll Free 833.672.4255 / Fax 719.323.6218 / orchardalliance.org
Do more than just invest. Fund church growth.
This is not an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities of Orchard Alliance (OA). The offering is made solely through and by OA’s Offering Circular, which you should read carefully before making an investment decision. OA’s securities are subject to certain risk factors as described in the Offering Circular. OA’s securities are offered only in states where authorized. OA is a religious, nonprofit organization; therefore, OA’s securities are not bank deposit accounts and are not insured by the FDIC, SIPC or any other governmental agency. Start the conversation. CALL US TOLL FREE 833.672.4255 EMAIL US service@orchardalliance.org
To learn more about how your investments can fund church growth, visit orchardalliance.org/invest
WHEN YOU INVEST WITH ORCHARD ALLIANCE, you do more than earn a return. You fund church growth within The Alliance. For over 60 years, people like you have provided more than $500 million to churches for property acquisition, renovations, and other ways to reach communities for YouChrist.canjoin
them today with as little as $1. Invest with Orchard Alliance and do immeasurably more.
Weon Geun Choe, pastor, Claridge Community Church, Lake Bluff, Ill.
Amy O. Marshall, assistant minister of HarvestDowntown,engagement, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Kenneth H. Furl, The Alliance South
James A. Stumbo, Rocky Mountain District
Svetlana Gidenko, teaching pastor, The Way, Salem, Ore.
Robert S. Boston Jr., Central Pacific Districts
During more than 19 years of C&MA ministry, Jim served as a pastor in Defiance (1968–1970) and Middletown, Ohio (1971–1978), and Troy Mich. (1978–1982). He was also a missionary to West Africa (1985–1989). While there, Jim built Bethel Bible School—a campus consisting of classrooms, dormitories for families, and a chapel—as well as many other
Colleen P. Johnson, elementary ministry Church,ministries,director/children’sAllianceMissionaryMountainLake,Minn.
Rhonda L. Rische, associate pastor, Northside Community Church, Bellingham, Wash.
James (Jim) Martin McCollum Sr. July 23, 1941–December 22, 2019
buildings. In addition, he constructed churches, mission residences, and a maternity hospital. The Bible school was featured in the July/August 2017 issue of Alliance Life.
Michael M. Chung, associate pastor of English ministries, Wheaton (Ill.) Chinese Alliance
David M. Calfee, associate pastor, adult ministries, Gateway Church, Elk River, Minn.
Daniel L. Dainsberg, The Alliance Midwest District
The Hagers semi-retired in Foley, Ala., where Clarence was the associate pastor of Elberta Alliance Church, now Genesis Church in Gulf Shores (1996–2001). For 15 years, Clarence and Rachel were the coordinators of Alliance Marriage Encounter. They were instrumental in expanding this ministry across the United States and even into Côte d’Ivoire, Africa. Clarence taught weekly home Bible studies
Henok D. Yirdaw, lead pastor, Anchor Church, Denver, Colo.
Soontak Park, executive pastor, The Serving Life Church, Ridgefield, N.J.
Min Kyoung Kim, pastor, Alaska (Anchorage) Early Church Ministry Chadwick W. Long, congregational pastor/church planter, Common Place East, Haven, Pa.
RETIRED
Eun Ju Hwang, assistant pastor, Mahanaim Global Mission Church, Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Arbutus I. Barr December 27, 1929–August 23, 2021
She served with the C&MA for 50 years, having been a home missionary for 32 years in the Ozarks, Ark., before moving to the Chicago, Ill., area to work with the Laotian Intercultural Ministries for 18 years. From there Arbutus moved to Akron, Ohio. She retired in Carlisle, Pa.
Jim is survived by his wife; children Sheri, Marcia, James Jr., and Todd; 10 grandchildren; and 2 great grandchildren.
ALLIANCELIFE 38 NOV/DEC 2021
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jim attended Jaffray School of Mission (now Alliance Theological Seminary) and Nyack (N.Y.) College; he received his BA from Asbury University (Wilmore, Ky.). On September 1, 1962, Jim married Mary Elaine Brady.
During 41 years of C&MA ministry, Clarence served senior pastorates in Vassar, Mich. (1955–1959); Fremont, Ohio (1959–1964 and 1991–1995); Nutley, N.J. (1964–1966); Durham, N.C. (1966–1973); Osseo, Minn. (1973–1978); Lombard, Ill. (1978–1985); Keystone Heights, Fla. (1985–1988); and Vestal, N.Y. (1988–1991). He excelled at church construction and nurturing congregations.growingClarence also served on the National Board of Christian Education; on various License, Ordination, and Consecration Councils; in the Theological Education by Extension Program; and as chairman of the Agenda at General Council for 25 years.
Michael W. Bilsza, Central District
Houa N. Moua, Hmong District
D. Joel Wiggins, North Central District
WITH THE LORD
Arbutus was born in Starford, Pa., and attended the Missionary Training Institute (now Nyack College, New York, N.Y.).
James D. Hicks, Central District
Emily R. Karwoski, disciple-making initiator, The Well Community Church, Champaign, Ill.
Sondra D. Hoskins, children and family minister, C&MA Church, Stinnett, Ky.
Andrew Resh, congregational pastor, Citylight Church Delco, Upper Darby, Pa.
Arbutus is survived by siblings Georgene and Karl; and numerous nieces and nephews, including her niece Lori, who helped care for her.
Clarence Edward Hager July 19, 1929–July 10, Born2021 in Rices Landing, Pa., Clarence graduated from St. Paul Bible College (now Crown College, St. Bonifacius, Minn.) and earned an advanced degree in theology from the Missionary Training Institute (now Nyack College, New York, N.Y.). On June 9, 1951, he married Rachel Boyer, with whom he enjoyed 70 years of marriage.
ALLIANCE REDWOODS is seeking Volunteers for our Sonoma Treehouse Adventures (STA) and for our camps and conferences! STA is an extension of our Sonoma Zipline Adventures available to the general TREEHOUSEpublic.HOSTS ~ greet our guests and see to their needs during their entire overnight stay.
May 10, 1939–July 15, 2021
Donna was born in Bouaké, Ivory Coast (West Africa), to George and Mable Stadsklev, who were C&MA missionaries to the Baoulé people. At an early age, she surrendered her life to God and His call to become a missionary. At Nyack (N.Y.) Missionary College (now Nyack College, New York, N.Y.), Donna met Tom Stebbins, the son of C&MA missionaries to Vietnam, who shared her commitment to missions. They married in 1954.
M A Y 1 0 1 9 3 9 J U L Y 1 5 2 0 2 1 A K A T o m m y D o k e T o m a s E T o r o D r T o m P a p a S m u r A a a n S e n s e P o p
More InforMatIon: Contact Tina Karns at tinak@arcg.camp or call 707-874-3507 ext. #113, or visit our websites listed below.
SonomaCanopyTours.com/SonomaTreehouseAdventures ARCG.camp We community!welcomingforwardlooktoyoutoour ARCG_ATS_Vol_Ad_08.30.21.indd
James E. Lee
Born in Charlotte, N.C., James married Jennie on October 3, 1927. He served with the C&MA for 35 years, having worked at the C&MA headquarters in New York City and Nyack, N.Y. (now the Alliance National Office, Columbus, Ohio) (1968–1984). In 1988 James started Forest, Va., Alliance Church, where he was the assistant pastor for many years and served in visitation ministries.
As C&MA missionaries, Tom and Donna served wholeheartedly in Vietnam from 1957 until 1975, when South Vietnam fell to the communists. Their ministry to the Vietnamese continued for the rest of their lives. The couple served in Guam working with the boat people (1975–1976); pastored Kowloon Tong Alliance Church in Hong Kong (1976–1979) and Christ Community Church in Omaha, Neb. (1980–1995); and were involved in Evangelism Explosion (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), where Tom was executive director (1995–2006). In her last days, Donna continued to minister to the Vietnamese and referred to them as “my people” while she lived at an Alliance retirement community (2006–2021).
9/1/21
We are looking for people who are willing to commit as volunteers 24 hours a week for 1-6 months. Our volunteers have a passion for Christian hospitality and facilitate opportunities for guests to “meet the Creator in His Creation” (our mission). Volunteers must have an RV as we can provide a free, full hookup site.
November 18, 1926–August 29, 2021
until just weeks before he passed away at 91. Clarence is survived by his wife; children Sandi, Doug, and Holly; 9 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.
Come Serve Under the Big Trees 1
youth hostel for the children of leprous people, taught Theological Education by Extension, and built a church; in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (1976–1977); and in Zamboanga City and Manila, the Philippines (1980–1985).
Donna was predeceased by her husband; she is survived by children Jennifer, Jeff, and Janice; 9 grandchildren; and 9 great grandchildren.
FRONT DESK HOSTS ~ welcome our visitors, answer phones, sort mail, and serve on our Guest Services team.
Tom also served on special assignment in Japan (1990–1999) and in Africa and Asia (2000–2015) and taught at Seattle (Wash.) Pacific University (1985–1990).
Tom is survived by his wife; children Daniel, Scott, Tamara, and Michael; 11 grandchildren; and 7 great grandchildren.
In Memory of
Thomas N. Wisley
James is survived by his wife; daughters Pat and Jan; 9 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; and 2 great-great grandchildren.
Raised in Dallas, Tex., Tom came to Jesus through a neighborhood Bible club. While he was in the Navy, his mother sent him Elizabeth Elliot’s book Through the Gates of Splendor. Tom’s experience seeing poverty and lostness sharpened his call to ministry. During leave in Oakland, Calif., he dedicated his life to missions at the Port O’ Call ministry of the C&MA church (now Three Crosses in Castro Valley). He enrolled in Simpson College (now Simpson University, Redding, Calif.), where he met Sandra Darlene Bush, a missions-focused coed. They married on July 5, 1963. Tom also attended Alliance Theological Seminary (Nyack, N.Y.) and received his MA and PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary. During 36 years of C&MA ministry, the Wisleys were missionaries in Ubon, Thailand (1963–1975), where they were involved in medical/development work among those with leprosy, established a
NOV/DEC 2021 39 ALLIANCELIFE
Thomas (Tom) Noel Wisley
Donna Stadsklev Stebbins July 31, 1932–June 7, 2021
Born in Lancaster, Ohio, Doloris married Thomas (Tom) Burns on October 23, 1942. She received an associate degree from the Missionary Training Institute (now Nyack College, New York, N.Y.) in 1943 and served with the C&MA for 38 years.
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Roger is survived by his wife; sons Mark and Brad; daughter Kelly; and 9 grandchildren.
Woodland Boulevard, DeLand, Florida 32720 •
Born in Kansas City, Mo., Roger received a BS in business from Indiana University and served in the U.S. Army. He worked at RCA and then owned a real estate and life insurance agency in Indianapolis, Ind. On September 30, 1976, Roger married Barbara (Bobby). Eight years after their marriage, the couple committed their lives to Christ, and Roger was soon called to ministry. He enrolled in Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and received a master’s in evangelism. Roger was a C&MA pastor for 28 years and served concurrently as a police chaplain for 20 years. His first pastorate, a church plant in the inner city of Indianapolis, Ind. (1987−1994), saw more than 200 people come to Christ during Roger’s tenure. He also pastored churches in Plant City (1994−2004) and Sanford, Fla. (2004−2009).
Doloris Burns Bandy Biddulph April 21, 1924–July 17, 2021
Your retirement years are an opportunity for new beginnings— new freedoms, new activities, and new friendships. Enjoy peace of mind, security, and Christian fellowship at Alliance Community. Even Closer to Your Heart
Doloris is survived by children Judie, Stanley, Joanne, and Nansie; 10 grandchildren; and 12 great grandchildren.
A gifted evangelist, Roger launched Hope for America, a ministry of prayer, revival, and evangelism focusing on noontime prayer meetings for the nation, those in authority, and personal revival. He was also the Indiana state chairman for the National Day of Prayer and passed away on the 2020 National Day of Prayer.
At Alliance Community, you can experience a retirement lifestyle designed just for you! Opportunities for fellowship, recreation, arts and hobbies, and engaging activities abound in this Christ-centered community situated in the heart of Central Florida. Service programs, devotional activities, and more encourage residents to develop their spiritual potential and realize the greater rewards of their Christian faith. Plus, Alliance Community’s lifecare program relieves residents of uncertainty surrounding continuing health care. With an ideal location just minutes from historic downtown DeLand, you’ll find great dining, shopping, and cultural events nearby.
Doloris and Tom departed for West Africa in 1945 to serve as missionaries to the Dogon people. After 35 years, the couple returned to the United States to serve in Toccoa Falls (Ga.) College, where Doloris worked for 12 more years after Tom’s death. During that time, she married Julian Bandy. They later retired to Shell Point Retirement Community (Fort Myers, Fla.), where Doloris played an active role in her church and community well into her 90s. Years after Bandy’s demise, she married Burt Biddulp, who predeceased her.
Roger William Thomas January 10, 1942–May 7, 2020
Where Everything is Close to Home... S. 1-800-334-4133
Gordon Frederick Larson
CLASSIFIEDS
The Larsons served as C&MA missionaries and linguists among the Dani People in West Papua, New Guinea (1952–1990). Gordon was involved in expeditions to unreached tribes, analyzing and writing the Moni and western Dani languages, evangelism, helping to establish the indigenous Dani church, and the translation of the Old and New Testaments into the Dani language. After retiring in 1990, he returned many times to see the Bible translation work through to completion. Gordon also became a renowned cultural anthropologist, contributing a detailed ethnographic study on the ritualistic cycle of primitive tribal warfare. He earned his PhD in anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1986.
Jacqueline was born in Opelousas, La. During her 60 years of ministry, she and her husband, C. G., served in numerous states and were missionaries to Vietnam (1959–1969). Later, the couple’s ministries brought them to Charleston, S.C., where they served a pastorate at Grace Alliance Church for 27 years. As a pastor’s wife, Jacqueline supported C. G. in her roles as a secretary, teacher, pianist, and women’s leader. In retirement, she was a member of Calvary Baptist Church (Moncks Corner, S.C.) and enjoyed the senior ladies’ Bible study.
Beautiful Idaho mountain cabin, bedroom/bathroom suite and deck in larger house. Shared living room, kitchen, laundry. 4WD vehicle needed in winter. Located 35 minutes from Boise Airport.
Jacqueline was predeceased by her husband, son George, and daughter Brenda; she is survived by son Daniel (Bert); and 1 grandson.
Gordon was predeceased by his wife; he is survived by children Marlene, Romaine, Daniel, and David; 9 grandchildren; and 24 great grandchildren.
Home Assignment housing available at AM rate, available as of January 2022. Lower level of a home completely yours with two bedrooms, bathroom, office, living space, and yard. Shared kitchen and laundry. Peaceful small town in Wisconsin, 75 minutes from Milwaukee Airport. For more information about housing, please email patricia.an@protonmail.com
“Bad Blood on the border!” Sounds like a clichéd line from an old western melodrama. Regrettably, mission history sometimes seems stranger than fiction. Cousins recounts the journey of two first cousins and second-generation missionaries, William Ekvall Simpson and Robert Brainerd Ekvall, who were raised in the same China/ Tibetan border region. Despite their ardently held doctrinal differences, God brought them together to sow peace and unity among their estranged brethren. Read about the redemptive outcomes only God could have orchestrated. Available on Amazon.
By Joel Malick and Alex Lippert
Home Assignment housing available at AM rate for single or couple with no accompanying children and no cat allergies, available as of January 2022.
January 15, 1925–August 7, 2021
Jacqueline Elizabeth Ingram
NOV/DEC 2021 41 ALLIANCELIFE
February 13, 1931–July 20, 2021
Hoping to have a meaningful, fruitful, adventurous retirement—putting your gifts, passions, and experience to work in service to Christ, your family, and others? afterwork: an honest discussion about the retirement lie and how to live a future worthy of dreams provides a roadmap around the retirement armchair myth. “I found afterwork to guide me to reconsider standardly held beliefs and relook at what I really want to achieve in the future,” notes one reader. “I will refer back to this book (and my notes in the margins!) as I look forward to what is possible.” Available at theafterwork.net or Amazon.
Cousins: Peacemakers on the Tibetan Border | By David Jones
How does a child cope with the loss of a sibling? It’s an unanswerable question, yet this emotional tale will resonate with grieving elementary school-aged children and their parents. In The Land of the Gloer King gives truth to kids wrestling with unspeakable tragedy through the lens of a vulnerable, relatable, and nonthreatening character. They will learn it is OK to be sad and to experience their emotions in a genuine way, leading to growth and healing in an impossibly challenging situation. Available at Amazon.
Born in Jamestown, N.Y., Gordon served in the United States Army Band as a clarinetist during World War II. He met his wife, Peggy O’Neil Bowman, while she was working as a stenographer/secretary at the Pentagon. The couple attended the Missionary Training Institute (now Nyack College, New York, N.Y.); later Gordon graduated from Houghton (N.Y.) College and completed his training at Asbury Theological Seminary in 1951.
In The Land of the Gloer King By Tyler Baldes
afterwork
ALLIANCELIFE 42 NOV/DEC 2021 OUR LIFE
Chaplain (Colonel) Dave Bowlus, an Alliance chap lain, is currently serving as the U.S. Army Special Op erations Command Chaplain. Over the 9/11 weekend, Chaplain Bowlus was with the Fire Department of New York City’s (FDNY) Engine Companies helping conduct a ceremony of remembrance at the Horse Soldier Statue. This statue, officially titled America’s Response Monument, is located at Ground Zero and honors Task Force Dagger, which was part of the Unit ed States’ initial response to the terrorist attack on 9/11. At the ceremony, Chaplain Bowlus led the nearly 150 attendees in prayer and read passages of Scripture to remind them of God’s presence and protection.
On August 1, 2021, Riverside Church in Big Lake, Minnesota, held their annual summer picnic and baptism to cele brate the church’s 90th anniversary. At the time, their congregation was seeing about 75 percent attendance compared to their pre-COVID numbers. They would have been ecstatic if even a few wereHowever,baptized.God moved in incredi ble ways, and with hundreds gathered around a large outdoor pool, 90 people of all ages expressed their newfound faith in Christ and were baptized that day. Soon after, the church saw their largest in-person service since the beginning of COVID, with more than 1,800 in attendance. About 37 people gave their lives to Christ that Sunday. Praise God for the multiplication of His Kingdom. Visit www.cmalliance.org/ stories to watch a video of the baptisms.
Another Alliance chaplain, Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Erik Gramling, was able to meet up with Chaplain Bowlus to spend a meaningful 9/11 in New York City. Chaplain Gramling decided to become a chaplain because of the impact that the attack on 9/11 had on him, making him consider military chaplaincy as the Lord’s calling for his life’s voca tion. We are thankful to Dave and Erik for their service and honor those who have served our nation. Visit www.cmalliance.org/stories to read the full story.
REMEMBERING 9/11
90 BAPTIZED ON CHURCH’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY
NOV/DEC 2021 43 ALLIANCELIFE Start the conversation. CALL US TOLL FREE 833.672.4255 EMAIL US service@orchardalliance.org PlannedInvestmentsLoansGiving WITH 60 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE partnering with Alliance pastors on building and relocation projects, our team can help you avoid costly mistakes that occur in the planning phase. Tap into our expertise today while you’re dreaming about the future. We’ll help you bring your vision to life. 8595 Explorer Dr, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 / Toll Free 833.672.4255 / Fax 719.323.6218 / orchardalliance.org Dreaming about renovating your facility or building a new church? Let’s talk! Call today and let us know what you’re planning. We’ll help you get there.
One Shall Chase a Thousand, by Mabel Francis with Gerald B. Smith, 1993
ALLIANCELIFE THE MAGAZINE OF THEALLIANCE SINCE 1882 8595 EXPLORER DR. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80920 (719) 599 5999 | email: ALLIANCELIFE@CMALLIANCE.ORG
“Why don’t you go to church with me today?” her friend said. Because she was curious, Mitsuko came. Much to her surprise, I was the preacher that day. She listened with great interest, but it took about a year before she re ally understood. When she came to know the truth, she left everything for Christ. Mitsuko felt the call of God to come to our first little ragged postwar school in a shack. She was the first to graduate.
Finally, Mitsuko said to a friend of hers, “Who is that woman who always smiles?”
offering from the churches, but no one dreamed it would be enough. But when the offerings came in, she received more than she needed!
ALL GRIT BACKBONEAND
One day Mitsuko shocked me by saying, “Sensei, God is calling me to Brazil.” I looked at her and thought, Is it possible that God is calling such a slight little creature to so great a task? My next thought was, How can we ever get along without her?
Mitsuko
“A teacher of Christianity?” Mitsuko exclaimed. She had always thought Christianity was the very last thing she wanted to hear about.
Adapted from two sources:
A Brazilian pastor sent this message: “I have longed to do something for these Japanese, but as I cannot speak their language, it has seemed impossible. But if Mitsuko will come, we will receive her with open arms and help both in the work and in her support.” This seemed to be a very precious providence of God.
Watch the newly released video on Mabel’s life and legacy at cmalliance.org/mabelfrancis
I
“Don’t you know?” the friend asked. “She’s a missionary.”
“Our First Missionary,” by Mabel Francis, published in The Harvest, 1959
At the Pastors’ Conference she opened her heart to the pastors, telling them of her burden for the Japanese im migrants in Brazil. It was decided to give her a Christmas
Someone said of Daniel the reason why the lions did not eat him was because he was all grit and backbone. This describes our little missionary. She has an indomita ble faith. We are giving our best, and we believe that is the way we should give.
t was after the war when there was so much discour agement. Every morning I would go out on my bicycle to visit people, and I would bow and smile. Miss Mitsuko Ninomiya was one of the people I would greet each morning. Afterward she told me, “I would say to myself, ‘Who can that be? How can anyone smile when we are in such a mess?’”
After a few months of waiting on God, she finally disclosed her call to the leaders of the Japan Alliance. The difficulties seemed insurmountable. Many said, “This is a wild idea. You will never be able to get enough together even for your fare.” It took about $600 (the equivalent of about $5,600 in 2021) for official permits and transportation alone.
Ninomiya (right), the first Alliance missionary from Japan, with Mabel Francis (left) (Photo courtesy of C&MA Archives)
She is the first Alliance missionary to go out from Ja pan. Her going is stirring the entire Japan Alliance and giving them an urge toward a larger vision. They have ral lied as one man behind her.
