Alliance Life: September/October 2022

VOLUME 157 | No. 06 | SEP/OCT 2022 ALLIANCELIFE THE MAGAZINE OF THEALLIANCE SINCE 1882 IT WITHSTARTSASEED How the faithful few still have meaningful impact pg. 24 AN LIFEINCARNATIONAL Dwelling in the world as Jesus dwelt with us pg. 4 LIFE 2022 Jesus is greater than everything pg. 22PRESENTBE

Cover: Photograph by Davis Evans. Thou sands of students who attended the LIFE Conference participated in service projects all across Orlando to serve these communities with the love of Christ.

Over the past year, the Alliance National Office relocated from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Reynoldsburg, Ohio. The massive endeavor, titled “Project ReImagine,” was not initiated for a mere change of scenery. In fact, it was difficult for many staff to leave behind friends, family, and the sheer, rugged beauty of the scenic Rocky Mountain landscape. But our Alliance leaders recognized the opportunities for our staff to extend Christ’s presence in the richly diverse, greater Columbus community by engaging with nearby businesses, volunteering in local charities and events, serving immigrant populations, and building a long-term, multi-use facility to house not only staff but also retail businesses, an event center, and hospitable gathering spaces to serve the Reynoldsburg and Columbus communities and the broader Alliance family. Project ReImagine, however, is not bound by city limits or architectural blueprints. It’s a reaffirmed commitment to our All of Jesus for All the World vision—in our neighborhoods and the nations.

But being present begs a question of location. From the early begin nings of our movement, Alliance founder A. B. Simpson strategically and prayerfully selected the destinations for those being sent based primarily on one nonnegotiable criterion: where the gospel wasn’t. Today, faithful to the vision that birthed The Alliance 140 years ago, 80 percent of the international workers you send and support serve in areas with little or no gospel presence. And as Christ-abiding Alliance people, we’re all priv ileged to fill the gospel voids where we are.

Whether in a spiritually desolate corner of the world, a sprawling urban center, a suburban community, or a rural one-horse town, Christ invites us to extend His presence to those who have yet to experience His loving embrace. Thank you, Alliance Life readers, for embodying that embrace to those within your reach. Peter Editor-in-ChiefBurgo

LOC ATION, LOC ATION, LOC ATION If you’re an attentive reader of this magazine or a regular attender of an Alliance church, the phrase “Be Present” is likely not new to you. In addi tion to being the theme of this issue, it’s been the focus of the recent Great Commission Day Offering (thanks to all of you who participated—more than $2 million was raised!) as well as the Alliance Missions Emphasis materials recently sent to your local Alliance church.

Founder A. B. Simpson E ditor in C hie F Peter Burgo M anaging e ditor Emmy Duddles g raphi C d esigner Caylie Smith a ssistant e ditor Julie Daubé sta FF Writers / e ditors Julie HannahHannahDaubéCastroPackard e ditorial a ssistant Carola Thompson C irC ulation Ful Fill M ent Julie Connon © ALLIANCE LIFE ALLIANCE LIFE is published by The Christian and Missionary Alliance, One Alliance Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. Member, Evangelical Press Association and Associated Church Press. Printed in the POSTMASTER:USA. Send address changes to ALLIANCE LIFE , One Alliance Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. When requesting a change of address, please give both the old and new addresses. Direct all correspondence and changes of address to ALLIANCE LIFE , One Alliance Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. Toll free: (877) 284-3262; email: alliancelife@cmalliance.org. Website: Thewww.alliancelife.org.Allianceis committed to world missions, stressing the fullness of Christ in personal ex perience, building the Church, and preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. ALLIANCELIFE carries on the tradition of more than 140 years of publishing sto ries of God at work through Alliance people in the United States and throughout the www.alliancelife.orgworld.

Jesus beckons us to be His presence to those around us. The workers you send and support extend His presence by living and serving among the lost and overlooked in some of the most spiritually desolate areas of the world. And those of us who stay behind embody His presence in our communities while sustaining our workers’ presence through our prayers and generosity.

EDITORIAL VOLUME 157 | No. 06 ALLIANCELIFE

04 Christ Centered AN INCARNATIONAL LIFE Dwelling in the world as Jesus dwelt with us by Tim Crouch | pg. 4 FREE VERSE Quotes from the Kingdom | pg. 7 THE TOZER ANTHOLOGY Compiled by Harry Verploegh | pg. 7 CHRIST DWELLS AMONG US—FOR ALL THE WORLD by Hannah Castro | pg. 8 10 Acts 1:8 A GOD-SIZED VISION Creating joy-filled communities for the poor in the Dominican Republic | by Hannah Castro | pg. 12 BE PRESENT Part two Compiled by Alliance Life staff | pg. 16 FAITH IN HOUSE CHURCHES AND GALLERIES Healing the rift between art and the Church | by Mike Picconatto | pg. 18 LIFE 2022 | Jesus is greater than everything | by Alliance Life staff | pg. 22 IT STARTS WITH A SEED How the faithful few still have meaningful impact by an aXcess worker | pg. 24 A SEASON OF RENEWAL Using soul care to develop French church leaders by Celine Bower | pg. 28 32 Family BOARD SUMMARY LETTER by Steven C. Lausell | pg. 34 PRAYER IS PRIMARY Prayer requests from Alliance workers | pg. 35 ALLIANCE FAMILY NEWS Personnel changes, obituaries, and classified ads | pg. 36 OUR LIFE Snapshots from around The Alliance | pg. 46 FOUNDATIONS The Gospel Takes Flight Adapted by Alliance Life staff | pg. 48 02PlusEDITORIAL 10 INFOCUS 15 THE PEOPLE WE SERVE 32SEP/OCTINFOCUS2022 CONTENTS224282412

W e often reflect on the wonder of Jesus’ Incarnation. We marvel that we have been made recipients of the glory of the one and only Son. In Jesus, God en tered humanity in a very real way. He became flesh. He became present among us. But have you ever imagined Jesus’ life as a regular person? As a child, He learned to talk and walk. He by Tim Crouch experienced human emotions and bodily pain. As an adult, He both worked for a living and lived without a paying job for some time. He found His social and re ligious community both meaningful and frustrating. He longed to know God’s will and goodness, sought Him in prayer, and even confessed that sometimes He felt forsaken. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

AN LIFEINCARNATIONAL

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Dwelling in the world as Jesus dwelt with us

CraneKennethbyIllustration

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INCARNATIONAL MINISTRY But being present for Jesus is also a part of the way He sends us to those who may be distant or different from us. In Alliance Missions, we value what we’ve come to call “incarnational ministry”: ministry-by-presence among those who have not yet had someone living out Christ’s presence among them. While technology for spreading information about Jesus is abundant today and God’s Spirit so often works through such media to touch hearts, there isn’t a substitute for a devoted dis ciple who lives out a transformed life among people in ways they’ll understand. A professor of mine from long-gone days when I was in seminary had lived with his family in a remote valley among a tribe of people who had never known a Chris tian. No one in their group could have been a present witness of Jesus. So, as the Father sent Jesus, Jesus sent my professor and his wife, John* and Judy.* When they first arrived, the peo ple welcomed them with a large feast. This couple learned the many facets of the language and culture of these people to whom God had called them, including how to cook and eat as well as their style of music, songs, and sayings. John and Judy translated Scripture about the Lamb of God for people who had never seen sheep, seeking out meaningful elements of the culture of their hosts that would help con vey the meaning of such Scriptural images.

John 20:21 leads us to an important understanding: We may never be more like Jesus than when we are willing to be present for Him among those who’ve not yet had or found the chance to know Him.

The same gospel writer who described Jesus as “becom ing flesh” also record ed Jesus’ own words in John 20:21: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Something about the way Jesus calls and sends us into the world is patterned af ter the manner of God sending Himself to dwell among us. This doesn’t mean that we are able to save like He did through His life and death, though He does ask us to yield our lives and some have lost theirs in fulfill ing the call. And we are not full of glory like He was, ex cept in that He lives within us and is gracious to show His glory in our “earthen vessels.”

But do you realize that the Incarnation was not only the miracle that saved us but also the model for our service?

The demonstratedFather His love through the presence of Jesus.

And now, five years clean, he’s returned to this same neighborhood to bring hope to others. He walks their streets. He knows their names. He invites them into our church for pizza and prays for their needs. He’s created a safe and hospitable atmosphere of worship and the Word that breaks down barriers. And he’s baptized sev eral now as they’ve found hope and freedom in Christ as well. As the Father sent His people onto the streets of this neighborhood for my friend, Jesus has now sent him back to serve others. My friend’s presence here brings the presence of Jesus into this community.

And as people started to believe in Jesus, John and Judy helped them to consider the ways that Jesus’ teach ing challenged cultural norms and to seek culturally meaningful ways to address those challenges and live out allegiance to Him.

A friend of mine used to visit a tough neighborhood near my home to find the drugs he needed. He was swamped in addiction and knew where he could find what he wanted on these tough streets. When he decid ed he had to find a way out, he found it in Jesus because some of God’s people had shown him the way.

PITCH YOUR TENT From the testimony about Jesus in John 1, there are three things we can quickly note about this type of incarna tional presence among people for Jesus’ sake.

LOVE THROUGH PRESENCE

DEMONSTRATING

The different and divine became so much like us. Then He died like we must—His innocent life experi encing the penalty of sin for us all. Hallelujah! Emmanuel! What a Savior!

This is why The Alliance is a sending and supporting missionary movement. While opportunities to spread news of Jesus through various media have exploded in our lifetimes, Jesus still sends His disciples as the Father sent Him. He still desires that people have the opportuni ty for someone who represents Jesus to be meaningfully present in their lives and communities. We are most in step with the Lord of the Harvest when we are willing to be His presence among those around us—and when we send the people He calls to live among those still needing to hear.

Rather the pattern of our sent-ness, which He de scribed “as the Father has sent me,” is simply the idea of being present. The Father demonstrated His love through the presence of Jesus among people in human reality. While some things about love can be conveyed from a distance or through description, love is best known in the presence of the lover. Presence feeds the intimacy of a couple, or of a parent and child, just as it feeds one’s belonging in a place of community.

*Name changed Tim Crouch is the U.S. vice president for Alliance Missions and oversees the ministry of more than 700 Alliance international workers. Tim’s heart is to see gospel access flow from those who have gained it to those who still await it.

First, there is influence in identification with people’s culture and ways. This is really what it means for us to be “present in flesh.” To find ways to live, work, speak, and experience life among people in ways that align with their cultural experiences is the beginning of show ing love in Jesus’ name.

Second, God shows glory through the humility of the one sent. John used the phrase “pitch a tent” or “raise a tabernacle” to illustrate what he meant by Jesus “dwell ing among us.” This reminded his early readers of the tent of glory in the Old Testament where God’s glory met the desert nomads in the dust of their real lives. Jesus emptied Himself of divine privilege and “tented among us.” And we are like “jars of clay” (2 Cor. 4:6-7)–imperfect and earthly but called to demonstrate and share His glory throughThird,serving.wesee that gospel transformation comes through both word and deed. Jesus was present on earth, “full of grace and truth.” He lived out these attributes of our loving God while walking through real communi ties and living out real relationships. His words matched His works and vice versa. And His transforming work in His followers now equips us to do the same when He sends us in His name. Jesus calls each of us to be present for Him among those around us. As you read in the editorial, the workers you send and support extend His presence by living and serv ing among the lost and overlooked in some of the most spiritually desolate areas of the world. And in our shared ministry as an Alliance family, we extend His presence in our communities while sustaining our workers’ presence through our faithful prayers and generosity.

As the Father sent Jesus, He sends us to be present.

The Christian owes it to the world to be supernat urally joyful. In this day of universal apprehension when men’s hearts are failing them for fear of those things that are coming upon the earth, we Chris tians are strategically placed to display a happiness that is not of this world and to exhibit a tranquility that will be a little bit of heaven here below. The people of God ought to be the happiest peo ple in the world. People should be coming to us constantly and asking the source of our joy and de light—redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, our yes terdays behind us, our sin under the blood forever and a day, to be remembered against us no more forever.

God is our Father, Christ is our Brother, the Holy Ghost is our Advocate and Comforter. Our Brother has gone to the Father’s house to prepare a place for us, leaving with us the promise that He will come again! When we give God His place in the Church, when we recognize Christ as Lord high and lifted up, when we give the Holy Spirit His place, there will be joy that doesn’t have to be worked up. It will be joy that springs like a fountain. Jesus said that it should be a fountain, an artesian well, that springs up from within. The fountain of Christian joy flows out from the throne of God, pure, refreshing, and sweet everlastingly.

THE TOZER ANTHOLOG Y

—from The Next Chapter After the Last. Originally published in The Alliance Witness, October 4, 1995. FREE VERSE

For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

—ISAIAH 43:2–3B

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. . . .

—FRANCIS CHAN

—FANNY CROSBY

“All the way, my Savior leads me— cheers each winding path I tread, gives me grace for every trail, feeds me with the living bread. Though my weary steps may falter and my soul athirst may be, gushing from the rock before me, lo, a spring of joy I see.”

compiled by Harry Verploegh

“When believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in their lives is supernatural. The Church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice.”

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And on that night when we first felt a shift in our youreverything,birthbecame our first true glimpse of worshiping— of bowing down before the One we didn’t expect, of the One many could never come to respect. Because out of the ordinary, You came to carry what would be Your demise— Evenus. still, You could never despise who we were, the ones who wanted to keep You quiet, the ones who continuously formed a riot among the nations because of You. We tried to become a silencer of all that we should have been listening to. Oh, but we didn’t even recognize You. by Hannah Castro

We waited. We were lost, but we were hopeful. Never really understanding the meaning of what was foretold, but even still, we were so full— full of longing and of waiting, of persevering through the trials and tribulations that seemed to be captivating our minds and hearts without ever really Butunderstanding.therewasamajesty we were told would be Thecommanding.Messiah—Immanuel—to come and dwell and be among us, and so we waited. We waited for the true King to overtake our oureverything,beingsand our desires, and through every storm and every fire, we longed for You. We never even knew.

CHRIST DWELLS AMONG US— FOR ALL THE WORLD

Voices of LIFE 2022 cmalliance.org/stumbo-video

Oh Jesus, we are so thankful for that which was Your Becauseforetelling.ofthat, we share who You are, what You’ve everywheredone, we can, with everyone that possibly can hear because we know of Your desire to see Your Kingdom come—not simply to inspire the nations but to invite us into Your story.

tch John tell a story, share a devotional, issue challenge, or cast C&MA vision. Released on the 12th of each month

Hannah Castro is a content writer for the Alli ance National Office pursuing a master’s of theo logical studies from Asbury Theological Seminary. She is passionate about cultivating stories in order to glorify the Lord.

Recent Releases: Statement of Faith Update

Even still, You humbled Yourself to meet us here, to become the example of how our shame and guilt and sins can disappear within the essence of Your Truth. Once just a prophecy, You became more than we could ever imagine—in

John Stumbo VIDEO BLOG

as we breathe that out, just as when You came, we will never be the same. We saw You as the Body, as the Son, as the One with whom our victory is won.

And so, for Your glory, we press on, we battle, we share. But Lord, help us not at all stand in Your way or theimpairvision that You have already prepared. But rather, help us know what we need to declare— with our palms wide open and never furled, Jesus, teach us to bring all of You to all the world.

YouYoumodesty,came.livedamong us and taught about Your goodness and glory, and through every story that You framed so that we may come to proclaim Your Youname,walked beside us. You were Holy Flesh, and the threshold of Your glory was too much for our simple minds to digest. You spoke and kneeled and served, all which reminds us of Your personhood. Not to be misunderstood on behalf of the beautiful and boundless love that You poured out, shed; for without, we are nothing. So, we waited. We waited for You, our one true King. For You we give all of our offering because You dwelled, and You brought forth that which we upheld by Your name— Jesus—

So, we no longer have to wait because You are here, and for that we celebrate Your dwelling.

Photo by Olivia McCash

inFocus

Tim and Cleo Undheim, marketplace ministries workers serving with The Alli ance in the Philippines, have been run ning a farm to provide food and jobs to the community they serve. Tim and Cleo have been training people to work in the farm while also sharing the love of Christ and discipling those who have come to know Him. “As we grow vegetables,” says Cleo, “we also want our people to grow in their spiritual lives.”

fter serving overseas with The Alliance for many years in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, Rick and Tammie Romano felt that God was changing their focus for ministry. Because of their entrepreneur ial skills, they decided to serve with marketplace minis tries (mm), a structure within Alliance Missions that uti lizes vocational professionals to disciple those around them. Through mm, the Romanos started Mission 2535 in 2014 with a vision to create sustainable and joy-filled communities in the Dominican Republic that draw peo ple to Jesus and give them the opportunity to learn and experience the gospel. by Hannah Castro

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Wanting to understand the greatest needs of the El Ciabo region of the Dominican Republic, Rick and Tam mie worked with local leaders and churches to identify and help meet four significant needs within the region: clean water, food sustainability, education and job train ing, and dignified health care.

The name, Mission 2535, comes from Matthew 25:35–36: “For I was hungry and you gave me some thing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Creating joy-filled communities for the poor in the Dominican Republic

A GOD-SIZED VISION

A

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His goodness has been the main focus for Mis sion 2535, and it has done so by creating and sustaining several innovative projects on their property, Commu nity of Hope. These projects include a furniture factory, vocational/technical school, medical clinic, rehabilita tion center, and other tangile, need-based initiatives.

The Romanos have found that the kids in their area often get into trouble because they lack direction. Rick and Tammie’s hope is to give these boys focused edu cation and job training through Community of Hope, training and sending them out while working with their families in the process.

Mission 2535 has also been involved in humanitarian ministries with local government partners at orphanages, juvenile detention centers, youth rehabilitation centers, senior homes, homes for people with special needs, and safe spaces for at-risk children—and even the local dump.

Working with and training the entire family is an effective way for Mission 2535 to partner with even more people, sharing the goodness of God through rehabilitation and direction.

Mission 2535 is always looking for partners, interns, and people who love the Lord and feel called to walk alongside their ministry. To learn more about them and to discover the opportunities available, visit mission2535.org

“One thing we’ve realized,” Rick notes, “is that boys who are usually in these centers may be rehabilitated, but if the parents don’t know how to help when they get home, the kids go right back to their ‘before’ behavior.”

PROVIDING HOPE AND DIRECTION

The construction phase of the rehabilitation center has been funded through the generosity of the Alliance family, and the building is set to be completed by the end of 2022. Raising the funds to run the center will begin shortly after, and they are praying that the doors will open in early 2023.

“Every day is different,” Rick reflects. “It really depends on what the current need is. But it’s a great thing that we can love on people and share the gospel with them where they’re at.”

Opening doors for local people to know God and ex perience

“We’ll work with them through drug, alcohol, and behavioral issues; but the whole focus of our youth rehabilitation center will be faith-based,” Rick says. “It’ll be Jesus. We know that He can turn these kids around.”

The Romanos felt their greatest impact would be to open a faith-based youth rehabilitation center. The cen ter will welcome boys ages 9–19 and will provide 6–12 month-long programs, as the boys walk through the rehabilitation process.

The rehabilitation center is the most recent of Mission 2535’s outreaches to provide direction and opportunity to the El Ciabo community in the form of education and job training.

Left: Rick Romano (far left) working with two construction workers as they construct a new building to house the short-term teams who frequently come to help with Mission 2535's many projects.

About 15–20 of the Alliance churches Mission 2535 works with are within a 15-mile radius of Community of Hope. The Romanos feel strongly that their role as international workers involves working alongside the national church.

“We believe that our role here is to equip and allow the locals to lead—to empower the local people to run it,” says Rick. “God gave us this vision for Community of Hope and Mission 2535, but the biggest thing we can do is pass it off to the locals.”

nity of Hope—about 250–300 sets of bedroom furni ture a Pastoryear.Luis brings boys off the street who may be struggling with behavioral issues, drugs, or alcohol. He teaches them and trains them, and they become his workers. The factory is able to bless these boys and their families by giving them jobs and opportunity.

Right: Ten young men have been given a new future at Mission 2535's furniture factory. Below: Mission 2535 is dedicated to serving at-risk youth in their community so they will have a better future and know the love God has for them.

A few years ago, Mission 2535 built a vocational technical school at Community of Hope, offering three classes: English, computer skills, and electricity. The school graduated 300 students the very first year. Since then, the school has added refrigeration, beauty, barber, cooking, pharmacy, and nursing classes. Because Mis sion 2535 believes strongly in working together and not alone, it has often partnered with the government in these programs.

One of the local pastors, Pastor Luis, runs the min istry’s furniture factory, which provides jobs for the community and makes all of the furniture for Commu

PARTNERING WITH THE NATIONAL CHURCH

Rick says: We provide the space and the students, and the gov ernment provides the teachers. We’re planning to add a business section, and that’s where we would bring the gospel into it. We’re partnering with an outside organization from the United States that will train us, and then we will train our local part ners who will share the gospel with the students who come through that program.

Ten of the twenty staff from Community Hope work in the furniture factory. About two years ago, Mission 2535 started having devotionals with their employees on Mondays and Fridays. Rick explains: It’s a way for our pastors to speak into the lives of the people at Community of Hope. One day, one of our pastors shared the gospel, and about four of the guys from the furniture factory prayed to receive Christ. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing. Not only are we providing these guys employment but we are also giving them the opportunity to come to faith in Jesus. The community has been transformed because Pastor Luis was looking for ways to be the Church in his community.

The Romanos believe that everyone in their commu nity needs help, but they have made an effort to let the local churches and pastors determine which ministries Missions 2535 pursues. Rick and Tammie are visitors

My name is Fatima.* My husband and I immigrat ed to Western Europe in search of a better life for our children. Health care in our homeland is not sufficient, and once our children graduate from uni versity, they can’t find jobs. I didn’t want to leave my homeland because most of my family is there, but we needed to do this. In the city we moved to, there are thousands of peo ple from my country. However, in this community, people like to gossip and tear each other down, so I don’t have any close friends. I feel so lonely.

I speak three languages, but I don’t know the local language yet, and I can’t help my children with their schoolwork. One of my children has even been re belling. He left school without telling anyone and is having a hard time adjusting. I want him to succeed and to have a better life than the one we left behind.

I recently started taking language classes at the Alliance language center in my community. I have loved the classes. The workers teach us the lan guage, tell us stories from the Bible, and even pray for us. They care about me and my children. I don’t feel so lonely anymore.

Hannah Castro is a content writer for the Alliance National Office pursuing a master’s of theological studies from Asbury Theological Seminary. She is passionate about cultivating stories in order to glorify the Lord.

*Name changed in the villages, so they depend on the local churches and the pastors to de cide what each community needs most. Whether they’re providing a water filter, a bag of groceries, or an entire house, working alongside the national church is essential to Mission 2535’s ministry.

Because of their partnership with the national church, Mission 2535 has been able to resource seven new church plants in the last six years, help 165 C&MA churches during COVID-19, provide food through a food bank, and build 26 homes for people in the villages who were in des perate need of basic shelter. Community of Hope is a fitting name for the ministry taking place through Mission 2535. By listening to and part nering with the community, it is able to provide sustainable resources, oppor tunities, and a saving gospel presence to the people of the El Ciabo region of the Dominican Republic.

“We have had a tight relationship with the national church,” Rick reflects. “We’ve told them that our role is not to go and do our own thing, but it’s really to say, ‘You give us the marching orders to do what you need.’”

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like rice, and decided to hold a training where we taught 60 familes, 29 of whom were from the local Alliance church, how to rebuild the levee. Now the next time it breaks, they don’t have to wait on the government to fix it. In addition, one of our friends who runs a fertilizer company was able to donate his fertilizer and two of his workers to help the villagers replant their crops. Because of this project, we now have 50 new brothers and sisters in Christ!

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—Chad, an aXcess worker serving with The Alliance in West Africa Because we are present, we were able to walk with the national church network in Colombia through two dev astating floods. In a city where one of these floods oc curred, the government had built a levee 10 years earlier because crops were being destroyed every year due to flooding. But this past year, a hurricane combined with seasonal rain overwhelmed the levee. The entire village was underwater, and everything was destroyed. We were able to respond immediately with basic food,

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Editorial Note: There remain 3.4 billion people—40 percent of the world’s population—who have yet to experience Jesus’ loving embrace. To those still without gospel presence among them, the Alliance workers you send become vital agents of hope—in word and deed—for this life and eternity. Below are just a few more of the life-changing stories our workers have been a part of because your consistent support has kept them present in the forgotten places of the world. Compiled by Alliance Life staff

Because we are present with young men and women who are interested in learning English in West Afri ca, 16 people who practice the majority religion (12 men and 4 women) have started reading the Scrip tures for themselves. Many have stated that it feels safer to do so in English because they don’t have to tell their families they are studying the Bible; instead, they can honestly say they are learning English. One man, Ousmane, has received a Bible and reads it with his wife and daughter even though his friends all tell him that he shouldn’t as a fol lower of the majority religion. Another man, Mouctar, has found a voice, stating, “It wasn’t un til I came to this Alliance center that I learned my opinion is valuable and that I have some thing to offer to others.” He has now finished his MD and is practicing medicine in an effort to alleviate the pain and suffering in his underdevel oped country.

PRESENTBE

—Thom, a CAMA worker serving with The Alliance in Colombia

Part Two

—an aXcess worker serving with The Alliance

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• to prepare more teachers to reach children in our churches and have an effective Christian education program. I am currently training 25–30 teachers in our Lambaré church to teach in our children’s min istry program;

• to teach pedagogy in our Bible Institute called IMAP (Instituto Ministerial Aliancista Paraguayo) and raise up more effective teachers for our churches;

• to do outreach in the community by teaching En glish as a bridge to sharing the Word of God with young people; and

–Donna, an aXcess worker serving with The Alliance in Paraguay Because I am present in this Asian country, I am a con sistent safe person for DP* to talk about life and how he has been hurt by the local church body because of how they interact with his family’s way of life and faith.

*Name changed —an aXcess worker serving with The Alliance in East Asia

Because I am present in Paraguay, God is using me:

Because I am present in this country, when A* confided in me about her stress, especially that she was feeling guilty all day because she may have accidentally eaten egg on her fasting day, I was able to tell her that God looks at her devoted heart, not every mistake she makes. When I made her eggless muffins, she exclaimed, “Look at the price you have to pay to be my friend!” I responded, “This is too small a price, A. You are worth far more.” I wish with all my heart that the Father will use me to reveal to her with what willingness He paid the price to be her friend.

• to encourage and mentor people in their gifts and talents and help guide churches in a positive direc tion toward growth.

Although I am not able to be physically present in East Asia due to COVID-19, I can still be present online with Laura* via videochat. She tells me her story and processes her pain, and I am able to assure her of God’s love and forgiveness.

*Name changed

• to give workshops to children in school to help them confront bullies in a healthy way and to direct their attention to an all-powerful God who loves them and is interested in them;

I hope that one day he will believe once again that there is only one way to the Father and that it is worth it to live this out with like-minded community.

*Name changed —an aXcess worker serving with The Alliance in Asia/Pacific

A new community formed as we created spaces for these art-inspired conversations. The exhibits resonat ed with our community, and Gallery2 was twice named “Gallery of the Month” in an important local magazine. Our guests began to interact with the works we displayed, and artists felt they had the opportunity to communicate ideas that were vital to them. And as people learned we were Christians and that the space was connected with a church, they began to view the church differently.

A MEETING PLACE Before Elissa and I left for home assignment in 2017, we exhibited an artist named Thomas, who highlighted how by Mike Picconatto

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Through the 17 exhibits we held at the gallery, we dis covered that art sparks conversations because art itself communicates. It has a way of bypassing our logical or pre-conceived arguments by connecting directly with our emotions. When the gallery displayed pictures of women in Morocco who shared that the only freedom they have is the color, pattern, and fabric of their cloth ing, we had conversations with neighbors and visitors about the intrinsic value of people created in the image of God.

At another exhibit, we displayed a glass sculpture that represented reunification by a South Korean artist who views Germany’s reunification as a hopeful message for his own land. This opened new ways to talk with guests about conflict and resolution. Art consistently cut through small talk and bridged connections between the artist’s passion and ours.

Healing the rift between art and the Church

uring our first term in Germany about 10 years ago, my wife, Elissa, and I helped an Allianceaffiliated church plant in Berlin establish a ministry center where we started exhibiting art to draw in the community. We stumbled through our first few exhibits and rapidly discovered that displaying art was far more complex than merely hanging pictures on walls. We partnered with a local artist, formed a curation team, and ran a gallery, called Gallery2, in partnership with the church for the next two and a half years.

D

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FAITH IN HOUSE CHURCHES AND GALLERIES

1. Artists felt affirmed as we emphasized art as a means of communication; they finally had a space to bring their emotive responses to God and the world around them.

Thomas started following Christ during the peaceful rev olution in former East Berlin that led to the fall of the Ber lin Wall. As the government oppressed art and music they disagreed with, these artists found their home in the church.

Opposite: Elissa Picconatto standing in front of the Envision Berlin art gallery during one of their first exhibits

Churches would let punk bands perform concerts to pro vide people a safe place to express themselves. When people wanted to plan for peaceful protests against the government, they found harbor in churches. This pattern was repeated not only in Berlin but also in churches across East Germany.

3. Many artists saw nuance in issues that they did not know how to address, which sometimes made them feel like outsiders in their own church communities when they weren’t willing or able to pick a side on complicated issues. Artists often feel lonely and isolated in the churches they call home, and they struggle to find the words to express this feeling. One artist friend of ours shared, “If I could use words, I would be an author. I can’t, so I paint!” Members of our church family are struggling because we do not fully understand their ways of communicating. The church needs to cre ate a space where artists can use their language of creativity and be valued andAsunderstood.Elissaand I pro cessed these themes, we be came more curious about what it would look like to reach out in wepost-Christianpost-modern,Germanyifdeliberatelysoughtthe treffpunkt (meeting place) of art, faith, and culture. Throughout the history of the world and the Church, these three elements have greatly impacted one another. We determined that we would work to create a place where these three strands (art, faith, and culture) could meet.

important these dialogues are as he reflected on his past.

As a long-time pastor who used fall festivals, Motor cycle Sundays, and other means to connect with the community and as an international worker who helped run an art gallery overseas with a similar purpose, I was intrigued by Thomas’s ideas. When I decided to use these ideas on our home as signment in 2017–2018, Elissa and I were struck by how many Christian artists talked with us. Artists ap proached us in almost every church and regularly com municated three messages to us:

FAITH-BASED CULTURE CARE

The Journey church plant now has three house churches and a Bible study that meet weekly with one monthly meeting all together. For Easter, a few other local house churches joined Journey for a total of 65 people repre senting 15 different nations celebrating the Resurrec tion of Jesus together! This gathering included some of our friends from former East Germany, Arabic speak ers from different cultures (some of whom moved to The

Thomas was attracted to the church because it gave room for creativity and space to address cultural issues of the day. He laments that the church no longer consis tently gives fringe artists a voice nor creates a safe space for non-churched people in the community to wrestle with meaningful questions.

2. Because their expression is often image or performance-based, many artists felt like they had no voice in Christian community. If a church pri marily emphasizes the spoken or written word, the communication style of many artists is left out.

understood.valuedartistsaneedschurchtocreatespacewhereareand

Thomas’s rubric for a church’s engagement—assisting artists to have a voice and joining with non-churched people in cultural dialogue on important issues—was one I had never used before. Some of my friends were con cerned that it might not be a biblical rubric. However, the Apostle Paul displayed a remarkable ability to present the gospel using artistic symbols (including statues to idols) and cultural references as well as engaging with contem porary non-churched thinkers and philosophers.

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Elissa and I wrestled with what Makoto Fujimura, an artist, author, and Christian, calls “culture care.” We yearned to create safe places for artists to come to gether, places where people from multiple cultures gather together to discuss, argue, lament, and rejoice in the complicated issues of culture and faith. We wanted to be part of shaping and impacting our com munity for the Kingdom in a way that recognizes and values artistic, cultural, and intercultural expressions. Part of this plan involved creating faith communities that will remain after our ministry in Berlin concludes. When we returned to Berlin, we initiated a house church network called Journey. We had the privilege of welcoming some amazing colleagues onto our aXcess team to work with German and Arabic-speaking people.

Envision Berlin’s creative space exists in the Weißens ee district of Berlin. For the almost 40,000 people who live here, there are only four evangelical churches, in cluding the Journey house-church network. Many of our formerly East German neighbors are atheists, not because they are angry at God, but simply because they don’t see Him as relevant to their lives. Through house churches and gallery spaces, we are en deavoring to become places where everyone has a voice and meaningful dialogue is exchanged. We are striving to be all things to all people, so that by all possible means, we might save some (see 1 Corinthians 9:22).

Berlin during the 2015 refugee movement from Syria), and Ukrainian refugees.

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• developing a deeper-life community through shared patterns of core, Jesus-centered, spiritual disciplines;

You can join this work by praying for us and our colleagues, following Envision Berlin on social media, listening to our podcasts, sup porting the Great Commission Fund, coming on short-term trips and internships, and by giving to the work of Envision Germany. Find us at envisionberlin.com

• engaging artists and creatives from both the U.S. church and our local community;

Left: About 40 people came to Envision Berlin's first art exhibit in June 2022.

• participating in presence-based ministry by being deeply involved in and committed to our local community;

• serving other Alliance and local ministries well by functioning as a ministry hub.

• using applied education principles: being life long learners who apply what we learn and of fering transformative education to people on-site and in our sending churches; and

Elissa and I left our aXcess team to found Envision Ber lin in April 2021 with the hope of reaching more artists in our community and provide opportunities for U.S. artists to use their gifts in ministry. The Envision Berlin team now includes the Jones and Siemens families, who are currently in language school and beginning to engage in local ministry. As we reflected on our experiences in our first term and what we had encountered on home assign ment, we developed Envision Berlin’s core values:

In practice, this has meant building a library of re sources for local partners, producing podcasts that help people explore and apply new ideas, exhibiting local artists in our new gallery space, leading and co-leading house churches, interacting with and honoring our neighborhood’s painful history by developing a Jewish history tour and telling the stories of our historic neigh bors, and Foundingmore.the Envision Berlin nonprofit organiza tion in Germany and sharing our vision of investing in next-generation ministry leaders at the intersection of art, faith, and culture has led to challenging and exciting discussions with our neighbors and other Berliners. We love finding opportunities to be involved in the cul ture of our community and witnessing how different art mediums create welcoming places for people to engage in meaningful ideas. In March 2022, we had more than 100 people stop and listen to the music at our first window concert, where a musician performs inside our gallery behind our large show-windows and the audience gath ers on the street to hear the music over our sound system. More than 40 people also came to the opening of a recent art exhibit in Envision Berlin’s creative space.

On the opening night of our first art exhibit in our new space June 3, 2022, a highly engaged local volun teer stopped by at the invitation of one of our aXcess colleagues. She was fascinated by the art, captivated by the theme, and spoke passionately about what sets hu mans apart from other living things. She told us that a small art gallery had existed across the street from our new space for decades until the elderly artist and gal lerist could no longer manage the necessary work. The neighborhood volunteer was thrilled to see art being shared again on this very same street.

Mike Picconatto and his wife, Elissa, have 26 years of Alliance ministry experience: 6 years in youth min istry, 10 years as a lead pastoral couple in the Mid west, and 10 years in Berlin as international workers with aXcess and now Envision.

APPLY TODAY ALLIANCE.EDU SEMINARY DEGREES TO EQUIP THE CALLED Doctor of Ministry | Master of Professional Studies | Master of Arts in Biblical Literature Master of Divinity | Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies |Master of Arts in Biblical Studies Shaping Leaders to Shape the Future

“The value of Jesus is displayed by Christians when we leverage our privilege to serve others, share ourselves, and suffer and overcome.“

“God has opened my eyes this week. This is a first time in all my life that I’ve fully experienced the Holy Spirit. It has been amazing, and I don’t want to stop.“

ALLIANCELIFE 22 SEP/OCT 2022 LIFE2022

—Emmanuel Cruz, ACM Puerto Rico, leader For more highlights from LIFE 2022, visit cmalliance.org/liferecap

—D. A. Horton, author and assistant professor at California Baptist University

or the last 60 years, LIFE conference has been minis tering to thousands of teens and inspiring them to fol low Jesus into whatever He has planned for them. This year, 4,500 students attended, hundreds gave their lives to Christ for the first time or rededicated themselves to Him, and more than 600 responded to the call to full-time ministry.

—Matt, student SchellEmmaandEvansDavisbyPhotography

“During worship, I looked up into the lights, and I could just feel the presence of Jesus right there, reaching out to me. I burst into tears. The presence of Christ in front of me was so strong, and I felt so loved. I’ve heard it all my life, and I felt like I’ve believed it all my life. But then and there, I truly realized that Jesus is real, Jesus is there, and He’s unconditionally always there for me. All I have to do is accept the hand that He’s reaching out to me.“

XiongRosiebyPhotography

estled in a small coastal city in Senegal, which is rich in a diverse history with a strong identity in African tradition and the majority religion, stands a church. It sits comfortably in one of the poorest, most densely populated neighborhoods of the city, and its building reflects some of its own character—old, unas suming, steadfast.

How the faithful few still have meaningful impact again and again. Some have joined Bible study groups with other seekers or have even come to the point where they say it is all true—yet very few are choosing to follow. While having a meaningful impact, the church re mains small. But these few have still been faithful, and second-generation believers are bravely stepping into their roles and callings within the church or moving on to work in different cities.

IT STARTS WITH A SEED

Hundreds—if not thousands—in the community have heard the good news of Jesus as they have passed through the doors of the church. Suspicion and hostil ity have transformed into open arms and appreciation. Nearly everyone you meet in our city has either been personally impacted or has at least heard positive things about the church. Many have heard the gospel story by an aXcess worker serving with The Alliance in Senegal

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When the church was first planted nearly 30 years ago, the neighbors were suspicious, and at times even hostile, not wanting anything to do with this threat to tradition. However, the few believers who attend the church have spent their lives living out the gospel and meeting felt needs in the community through accessible health care, a holistic ministry for street boys, and quality education for underprivileged girls.

SLOW BUT MEANINGFUL To be considered a member of a particular least-reached people group in Senegal, you have to both speak the lan guage of the people and practice the majority religion. To become a Christian would not only mean their close families may disown and persecute them but also that they would lose their personal identity and place in so ciety. This has a major impact on their lives in a culture where connection to the group brings security—from knowing your daily meals are provided for to receiving quality education and business opportunities. Since there are only a couple hundred believers within this people group in the entire country, our C&MA team

was surprised to find a small church made up of some deep ly grounded believers from this people group when we first came to this city in 2006. We saw the trust they were building with their own people and de cided to work alongside them to encourage them to plant churches instead of starting from scratch on our own.

Life in the village is calm. Large courtyards filled with desert sand meet to make a web as tight-knit as the peo ple who make their home in two-room cement block buildings. Villagers spend the afternoons together in the shade eating around large bowls and sipping tiny cups

Left: An aXcess worker, the author’s husband, (left) standing beside a friend of one of the village chiefs they partner with. Hundreds in the community have heard the good news of Jesus as they ofthroughpassedthedoorsthechurch.

Our team saw how this home-church model looked more like the quickly replicating church-planting movements that we have only heard about around the world, and we got excited. We started praying hard for a shift in mentality, for the start of something new. As restrictions were lifted, the church began meet ing all together again in that old cement block building, and another shift did take place. Moussa,* the pastor of the church, had recently moved to a village in the north and had invited many of his neighbors to join Sunday worship meetings in his home. Moussa announced that though the church typically invited new believers into the existing church, he wanted to continue to meet with and disciple these people in his own home. The commute was just not feasible for most who lived that far away.

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In that moment, we realized we had been think ing too small. For years our team had been working to start something new within the city or within the out lying villages and had been discouraged time and time again: We were unable to buy property in one area; in another village we had a relationship and even an invi tation from the chief to build a church in his community, only to find out the government was about to level the village to build a new airport. Maybe it was time to think further out—where it wouldn’t be feasible to commute to any existing church. Maybe it was time for us to go where the gospel had never been proclaimed.

When COVID-19 hit Senegal, a shift happened in the way we did church, and our small fellowship began to replicate in ways we had only dreamed about before. Instead of meeting together on stiff wooden benches in the small sanctuary, the faithful few were leading small groups in worship in their own neighborhoods.

FURTHER OUT Together with our local church partners, we decided to buy property in another northern village where we didn’t have any relationships yet, let alone an invitation from its chief to build a church. We prayer fully considered how we could walk into a community in a new way and bring the Kingdom into the daily lives of these villagers.

Even hand in hand, the work has been slow. After all, how do you plant new churches when the one that you have is already too small to fully staff existing ministries, let alone accomplish new ministry dreams?

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Oumar decided to keep the radio with the conviction that it was his own decision—not his father’s or ours—to choose what he will believe. As our team has spent many afternoons with his family and a couple other families in the village, all of them, including Mohammed, have only been kind and welcoming to us. We are in the process of finishing a wall around the property, which we hope will one day be filled in the afternoons with young men learning about their Messiah while doing the one thing they love most: soc cer. Though we’re still in the dreaming phase, we are hoping that as the faithful believers step out, this will become an expansion of the church where the King It was time for us to go where the gospel had never proclaimed.been

One day, Oumar’s father, Mohammed, called Amadou and demanded that he take back the radio because Mo hammed did not want his son listening to such things. Amadou respectfully responded, “It was a gift; it is no longer mine to take back. I understand if you do not want your son to listen to it, but I cannot take back a gift that has already been given.”

Many children go to the local school every morn ing and afternoon and attend a religious school on the weekends where they learn from their holy book. When they have free time, they race out to play soccer with their friends in the street. The adults in the commu nity largely work in shifts for near by agricultural companies. Even though there are no markets, very few people leave the village to go into the nearby city because pub lic transportation rarely comes.

Despite previous contact with foreigners and access to Christian media on the radio and television, as far as we know, the gospel has never been proclaimed personally in this community. One young man in the village, Oumar, was one of the first to curiously welcome us. As we made visits out to dream and pray over the proper ty we had acquired, Oumar continued to show up and greet us warmly. One day our local partner, Amadou, gave him a small solar flashlight that was also a radio, pre-programmed with the New Testament read aloud in his language. In the days that followed, Oumar shared that he was enjoying what he had been hearing. His wife had even been listening to it as she cooked and cleaned in his parents’ home where they lived.

of strong, sweet tea; in the evenings they gather around small, dated television sets.

dom of heaven impacts the everyday life of these vil lagers and brings hope. We praise God that though there have been setbacks in this work, we have not encountered hostility like the early church in our city. Pray with us that the Holy Spirit will continue to go before us, softening hearts and breaking through, and that in the everyday moments, the Kingdom of light will be experienced first in us and then in those around us.

*Name changed Opposite: Young boys playing soccer at the Alliance soccer ministry in town. Right: A young woman listening to a flashlight radio like the one Oumar was given. ALLIANCE COUNCIL 2023 | SPOKANE, WASHINGTON | MAY 29 – JUNE 2 Your presence at Alliance Council 2023 is vital to the growth and vitality of our work together. Come expectant of the Spirit’s presence as we gather and seek Him in: • Worship • Healing and Communion • The updating of our Alliance Statement of Faith • Polity on men and women in leadership • The election of new Board members • The Project ReImagine timeline • The commissioning of new international workers • The forward momentum of our All of Jesus for All the World vision Registration opens October 3 WWW.CMALLIANCE.ORG/EVENTS

Using soul care as a pathway to develop French leaders

I

A CULTURE OF REASON French people place a high value on intellect and knowl edge, which is an incredible strength. However, French Christians tend to overvalue this strength and rely less on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This culture of reason has shaped much of the church’s spirituality. It is com mon to have a strong foundational belief in “God the Fa

n the last five years, my husband, Brett, and I were tasked to figure out how to develop leaders in the French context to fill a leadership vacuum that existed among local churches. We asked ourselves, “What is the key to developing spiritual leaders in France? And how can we partner with churches to develop the next gen eration of healthy leaders who will impact this country for the Kingdom?” As a first-world country with an emphasis on knowl edge, they have access to teaching in Bible and theolo gy. We didn’t want to recreate the wheel but identify a missing component to their current training model. We by Celine Bower

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OFSEASONARENEWAL

wanted the Spirit of God to change them from the in side out and for them to delve into a deeper life in Christ, because unless the Lord meets people, transformation doesn’t happen.

SEP/OCT 2022 29 ALLIANCELIFE ther, the Son, and the Holy Bible.” Personal encounters with the work of the Spirit are less encouraged. Another challenge we discovered was that Christians tend to compartmentalize the mind, heart, body, and soul. They prioritize logical change over soul trans formation. When it comes to their spiritual formation, there are significant gaps. As a result, churches have leaders with a wealth of biblical knowledge and skills but limited intimacy with Jesus.

It wasn’t just about a great weekend; it was about liv ing out biblical soul principles together. We wanted to gently disrupt the expectations of the leaders and lead them to spaces of hope where they could see that there was more to their faith and God than they knew. We thought we could muster up about 12 leaders. But time and time again, the Lord affirmed the number 40, which is a significant number for renewal in Scripture. God took the Israelites from Egypt into the Promised Land, which was 40 years of wandering that brought change. God also took Joseph through 40 years of wil derness, which was about transforming his inner world so he could move into the next chapter and impact a whole nation. Even Jesus had 40 days of fasting, show ing us the inner struggles of someone who the Father has set apart to do His work. The number 40 comes up of ten, and it’s usually connected to a season of renewal or of deepening faith. Everyone was asking us, “Where are you going to find 40? A typical church in France only has about 40 peo ple.” We wondered that too, but God provided little by little, calling leaders one by one to sign up. By the signup deadline we landed on 40 leaders. We saw God’s fin gerprint! An additional two showed up at the retreat, so we had a total of 42. By the time our first retreat was over, 40 leaders had responded to our invitation for mentoring. Brett and I wondered, How are we going to do this, just the two of us— in French? Along with another international couple, we were able to mentor all of them. But we faced an unexpected challenge. After six years in France, our French was pretty good. However, when you have to talk about heart issues, it’s a whole new level of vocabulary that we felt unequipped to engage in. There were moments when they spoke so fast that I didn’t understand a word. They were pouring out their souls, and I just couldn’t keep saying, “Excuse me, what did you say again?” However, the Spirit of God met us and met them, even though we often didn’t know what we were saying.

To address this gap, Brett and I sensed the Lord calling us to mentor young French leaders in the formation of the most important parts of their life and leadership— their soul and their intimacy with Jesus. Our approach toward leadership development was unconventional for many French leaders. Leadership development in the French context is often leadership training intended to increase knowledge, obtain needed competencies, and refine ministry skills, all in a short period of time. However,

God met all of us where we were lacking. He was tak ing me through soul care along with these leaders. There was a crisis in my own life that was unfolding during that time, and I was asking these leaders to forgive peo ple; so I had to forgive the people in my life too. We were all walking through that process together. As the leaders revealed their brokenness and were ministered to by the Spirit of God, I was too. We experienced an authentic expression of a trusted community of Christ followers that was being transformed by Him. It’s been a journey of God reminding us that when we step into something bigger and give Him the little we have, we will see His hand at work and His Kingdom advanced in ways we’ve never seen before.

A GENEROUS INVESTMENT Momentum built as the attendees went back to their churches. They were different people and different leaders. Their souls were touched, healed, and reshaped by the Spirit. As a result, they each led out of their re deemed identity anchored in Christ and no longer out of self. Their soul transformation was visible and be came a testimony of Jesus to others. After the first year, some of their lead pastors said, “We don’t know what We wanted

to fromwouldsoleaders’developheartslivingwatersflowthem. SmithCayliebyIllustration

Brett and I didn’t want to train leaders. We wanted to develop leaders’ hearts so living waters would flow from them. Everyone leads from their souls, so the Kingdom key was for these leaders to have healthy ones. DEEPENING FAITH The Lord spoke clearly to us throughout our journey. We partnered with Rob Reimer to launch this min istry, inviting him to host soul care retreats at a small center outside of Paris. Then Brett and I invited whoever was willing to be mentored for six to nine months afterward. We broke them into small groups, going deeper into the soul care principles and intimacy with Jesus. We also had Rob’s books Soul Care and River Dwellers translated into French, which made them useful resources for the leaders.

*Name changed Celine Bower has served with aXcess in the Middle East and Europe since 2004. She recently completely her doctoral studies and serves on the Board of Direc tors. Celine and Brett are currently on home assign ment in the Silicon Valley.

ALLIANCELIFE 30 SEP/OCT 2022 happened in those six months, but our leaders are dif ferent people as a result. Thank you!”

Two elementary school teachers are now using some of the soul care exercises in their classroom at secular schools. In one class of 30, Renee* has her students write down some of their frustrations or areas where they’ve been hurt and put these slips of paper into a basket to release them. Renee tells the children, “If somebody has done wrong to you, even your parents, you need to tell that person and release them of the debt.” She teaches these six- to eight-year-olds how to connect with their emotions, express what they’re happy and sad about, and forgive

Recently,others.Renee came to me and said, “Celine, when I’m having parent-teacher meetings, the parents tell me that their kids are so much happier since being in my class room.” She’s found a creative, tangible way to minister to these kids and ex press the love of God to them and theirWeparents.have seen God do some amaz ing things in the lives of these leaders. However, we realized we still needed to be generous with what God entrusted to us and stew ard it well, regardless of the outcome. When you invest in something, there is an expectation that there will be a return. God has not called us merely to invest in leaders but to be generous and give them all that He has placed in us for their own growth and development. God has also given us the privilege to see some growth and fruit in the lives of these leaders; but there is much more to come that we will most likely not be there to witness. There will be Kingdom return, but it’s up to God to figure out when, where, and how. He entrusted those 40, and eventually others, to us. In turn, we are trusting that as we have generously stewarded our gifts and resources, God will call these leaders, and they will be ready to lead.

That first year was just the beginning. The leaders wanted a second year, but Brett and I wanted this to mul tiply beyond us and the original group. We agreed to do another retreat, but anyone coming for a second time would have to bring their own leaders and commit to mentoring them. We agreed to coach the second-time attendees in the mentor ing process, but all the follow-up would fall to them. We had more than 60 leaders in attendance with about 20 of them from the previous year. Then in the third year, some of their pastors— along with leaders from the French Alli ance church network— expressed their desire toAlongattend.this journey, sev eral of the emerging leaders discovered that God had a spe cific calling on their lives. He was transforming their souls, and now they were discovering the next steps of faith that He was inviting them to take. One couple sensed God calling them to go into biblical counseling, so they quit their jobs and went to a French-speaking seminary in Canada. A medical worker believes that God has called him to bi-vocation al ministry, so he’s using his profession to reach people with the gospel and is pursuing a master’s degree in bib lical studies to better equip himself. Two other individ uals who work in finance discovered that God hasn’t called them to traditional ministry but to creatively in tegrate the gospel into their workplace. One pastor is now stepping into an important posi tion serving with the French Alliance church network. He recently wrote, “I just want you to know that I’m stepping into a bigger role by faith. And I wanted you to know that the investment that you guys made in my wife and me is a big part of me taking this step.”

Stay tuned for more information. is now While seasons change, who we are at our core remains steadfast. Nyack College is now Alliance University, continuing to be a beacon in our city, hope for the lost, and the headquarters for global change — a united front.

Photo by Stephanie Reindel

inFocus

This picture was taken from the back of Mission 2535’s Greenhouse coffee shop, which is providing jobs for locals and a welcoming space for the communi ty to gather. As you read earlier in this issue, Mission 2535 is creating unique opportunities for the locals to encounter Jesus and embody His presence in their community: “As the Father sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).

In Christ’s love, Steven C. Lausell, Corporate Secretary

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As part of the report from Church Ministries, the Committee led the Board through a review of the State ment of Faith sections that will be before Council in 2023 because they were not approved or addressed by Council in 2021.

Terry Smith and John Stumbo gave an update on the input received so far through the National Conversations and described the next steps in this re view and refinement process.

The Alliance has a strong commitment to respond with consistency and biblical integrity to allegations of sexual impropriety by our licensed workers. As part of our effort to strengthen and clarify this process, the Uniform Policy on Discipline, Restoration, and Appeal was amended to include specific references and process changes for allegations of sexual harassment, assault, andFurther,abuse. the Board agreed to contract with a qualified independent outside entity to conduct an audit of its policies, processes, and practices related to allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior by licensed workers.

The Board celebrated the encouraging report present ed by the Committee on Development. The Alliance fam ily continues to generously fund the Great Commission work and respond to the creative and enthusiastic Devel opment and Communications team. God is faithful!

BOARD SUMMARY LETTER June 2022

Robb Childs reported on the progress for Alliance Place. The Board reviewed the latest version of the master site plan design, and Robb shared the selection of Korda Engineering as MEPS engineers, American Structurepoint as civil engineers, and Corna Kokosing as general contractor. While funding has come in well from “early adopters” of this project, we will soon need to engage the broader Alliance family in helping fund this major initiative.

The Committee on Alliance Missions reported that three additional marketplace ministries appointments have been made to serve in Asia and Africa. The total number of international worker appointments in 2022 is now up to 29. Tim Crouch shared a developing strategy for effective gospel ministry in the ever-changing global context. We will continue our work among still unreached ethnolin guistic groups of people in their traditional geographic locations. Meanwhile, we will also include unreached subcultures not defined by geography but rather by shared conditions and values such as those with phys ical disabilities, the chronically poor, and vulnerable children. Finally, we will integrate with the wide diversi ty of workers both within and without the United States to see the Great Commission accomplished. It was excit ing to receive a glimpse of this meaningful vision!

Nyack College President Rajan Mathews gave an indepth and transparent update on the multifaceted ways Nyack has progressed in the effort to bring the school back onto solid fiscal ground. After seeking God’s wis dom and direction during a considerable time of dis cussion and prayer, the Board passed a resolution to guarantee a loan to Nyack from Orchard Alliance so the school can continue its positive trajectory.

Ken Baldes reported that the budget goal will be met for fiscal year 2021–2022, ending on June 30, and the Board adopted a final Great Commission Fund budget for 2022–2023 of $75,600,000.

Dear Co-Laborer for Christ, The Board was delighted to meet at Westgate Chapel in Toledo, Ohio. Rob Zimmermann, lead pastor, host ed the event and led the team in a meaningful time of reflection around the theme “reliant prayer is built on resilient memory.” We reflected on specific moments of God’s faithfulness and spent time in prayer. The Board stopped to pray throughout the two-day meeting. We are grateful for the warm hospitality extended by our brothers and sisters at Westgate Chapel! The following are some highlights from our meeting.

The following individuals were elected as Board offi cers for the next term, June 2022–May 2023: Matthew E. Kelly to another term as Board chairperson, Jennifer K. Ashby as vice chairperson, and Tae S. (Ted) Kang and Scott G. Slocum to the Board Executive Committee.

President John Stumbo closed with his observations on the strong and growing culture in the newly relocated National Office and an exhortation to lift our shields of faith with humility, mutual submission, and courage.

Recently, Ronaldo shared, “Our goal is to reach chil dren who are in extreme poverty, help them to know the love of Jesus, and help them to achieve educa tional success in the future. All of us can reach them if you and I do it together.” We are grateful for those who support this ministry financially and with their prayers. Pray for Rolando and Mati and that God will use Manos de Cristo to draw many children to Himself.

INCA LINK GUATELMALA Inca Link International resources, enables, and empowers our national Inca Link organizations to reach Latin America’s youth with Christ’s irresistible love. Rolando and Mati are the directors of our first Guatemala ministry, Manos de Cristo. This school sponsorship program works to break the cycle of poverty in a poor area of Guatemala City primarily by educating children in Christian schools. The ministry also includes building cement block homes, repair ing houses, teaching English, preaching in area churches, and caring for the sick and widowed.

During one outreach, we brought underwear, socks, and sneakers as well as food to a refugee/migrant ministry center. We met the local staff and a volunteer who works with an evangelical relief agency. We are thankful for the opportunity to encourage the staff and listen to their stories. At the time of this writing, most people in the refugee camps are from Cuba. This was a surprise; it is also an example of people on the move who might not have the chance to hear the gospel in their own country but are traveling to a new place where they can. Pray that many of these immigrants will be introduced to Jesus through these outreaches.

SEP/OCT 2022 35 ALLIANCELIFE

Because we can be present in this West African country, people are able to hear about Jesus. We can also share the truths of God’s Word with those who already believe in Him, including young people. Thousands of them move to our city to take advan tage of the schools and universities. We are thankful to be involved in seminars, retreats, Sunday school classes, and camps that focus on young people. These discipleship opportunities come to us because you sent us and are supporting us. Continue to pray for lasting Kingdom impact from these ministries.

PRAYER IS PRIMARY

Requests from Alliance workers

WEST AFRICA In our various ministries, the words in Romans 10 keep coming to mind: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (vv. 14–16).

Rich and Elisa Brown, Alliance international workers serving with Envision brownr@weareenvision.com

—Esther and Andrew, an aXcess worker couple

BOSNIA Thousands of migrants are making their way through Bosnia-Herzegovina to what they hope will be a better life in Europe. Most are economic migrants, not refu gees. We do not get involved with the politics of the situation but use the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with these weary travelers.

—Mark and Kathy Eikost, an aXcess worker couple Mark prepares to deliver refugee supplies.

ALLIANCE

Richard Harris, pastor, Cornerstone Alliance Church, Roanoke, Ind. Stephen A. Hartley, pastor, The Well, Lilburn, Ga.

D. Larry Wroten, worker on nonAlliance assignment, Mid-Atlantic District

Abel Yang, pastor, Community Alliance Church, Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Fong Yang, pastor, Hmong Oklahoma Alliance of the C&MA, Tulsa, Okla.

Danford P. Guittap, pastor, New Stanton C&MA Church, Hunker, Pa.

From around the block to the ends of the earth TO THE FIELD

Timothy G. Rupp, special assignment, Rocky Mountain District Miguel Serpa, worker on nonAlliance assignment, Mid-Atlantic District Nathan B. Sickler, pastor, Warren (Pa.) C&MA Church Meng Thao, tech support & mobile device specialist, C&MA National Office, Reynoldsburg, Ohio Nathan E. VanProoyen, pastor, Altoona (Pa.) C&MA Church Luis A. Velasquez, pastor, Iglesia ACM de Herndon (Va.)

ALLIANCELIFE 36 SEP/OCT 2022

JAPAN (ENVISION) Brad E. and Julie D. Nelson and family, in May. The Nelsons are Envision site leaders in Japan.

FRANCE Jason S. and Erica N. Linscombe and family, in June. Jason is the IT manager for the Africa, Latin America, and Middle East/Central Asia Regions.

Beth E. Wharton, special assignment, Eastern Pennsylvania District Jonas P. Wharton, associate pastor, York (Pa.) Alliance Church

Christin M. Jacobs, missions intern, Deltona (Fla.) Alliance Church Chungwoo Kim, pastor, The

Alliance South Souang D. Kong, assistant pastor, St. Paul Hmong Alliance Church, Maplewood, Minn.

CAMBODIA David J. and Christine A. Manfred, in June. The Manfreds are involved in leadership development and field administration.

Luis M. Cardona-Collazo, pastor, Iglesia ACyM de Ciales (P.R.)

Jianguang Dong, assistant pastor, Chinese Churches Association

Chad Gouin, associate pastor, River of Life Alliance Church, Grand Junction, Colo.

Zachary C. Monroe, youth director, Lighthouse Alliance Church of C&MA, Little Egg Harbor, N.J.

FAMILY NEWS

Nigel G. Probert, transitional pastor, Living Hope of the C&MA, Des Plaines, Ill.

Sonia V. Williams, outreach,assignment–communityspecialchaplainsTheAllianceSouth

Sara A. Nishimoto, communications director, Cable Road Alliance Church, Lima, Ohio

Richard L. Birr, interim pastor, Grace Community Church C&MA, Grinnell, Iowa Aaron C. Broadus, pastor, Renuevo Church of the C&MA, Woodland, Calif.

Johnson Pang, executive pastor of discipleship, Community Christian Alliance Church, Granada Hills, Calif.

INDONESIA Andrew S. and Lora J. Brake, in June. The Brakes are involved in higher education, church planting, and leadership development.

Joshua J. Eggerson, pastor, The Alliance South Charlotte T. Ellis, assistant director of middle school ministry, Christ Community Church C&MA, Omaha, Neb.

GUINEA (CAMA) Stephen M. and Lori J. Albright and family, in June. The Albrights are involved in CAMA community development ministries and soul care.

Paul Lee, pastor, Victory Alliance Church, Marysville, Calif.

URUGUAY Daniel A. and Victoria M. Greenfield and family, in June. The Greenfields are involved in church planting.

PERSONNEL CHANGES Caleb D. Atkins, pastor, New Beginnings Alliance Church, Madison, Wis.

Jody Hickok, director of student and family ministries, Fairlawn Community Church of C&MA, Cogan Station, Pa.

Hazael L. Morell, pastor, Centro Cristiano de Adoracion, Providence, R.I.

Travis E. Duncan, multiethnic ministry pastor, Palm Coast (Fla.) Bible Church C&MA Kevin D. Fontenot, pastor, North Country Alliance Church, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Samuel Chery, associate pastor of development,ministryWest End Church, Glen Allen, Va. Lucas S. Delgehausen, associate pastor of student ministries, Riverside Church, Sauk Rapids, Minn.

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Skyler S. Henderson, youth pastor, East Hills Alliance Church, Kelso, Wash.

Shell Point is a nonprofit ministry of The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc. ©2021 Shell Point. All rights reserved. SLS-4424-21 ®

Nou Yang, associate pastor, Living Stone Alliance Church, Appleton, Wis.

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NEW WORKERS

Sang Auh, pastor, Church With Dreams, Suwanee, Ga. Ron Baams, pastor, First Alliance Church, Hazlehurst, Ga.

Jacob N. Bentley, pastor of student ministries, Grace Church Olmsted Falls (Ohio) campus Katie L. Blaylock-Jimenez, next generation ministry coordinator, Hope Chapel, Belleville, Ill. Jeffrey Chambers, pastor, Okanogan (Wash.) Valley Alliance Church Xuechao Chen, Mandarin ministry intern, Los Angeles Chinese Alliance, Alhambra, Calif.

Joyful

Christina D. Her, NextGen ministry, First Hmong Alliance, Olathe, Kans.

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Travis L. Robinson, pastor, Ohio Valley District

Dean Timmerman, local church ministry, Crossview Alliance Church, Fayetteville, N.C.

Emily A. Mitchell, college campus staff, Christ Community Church C&MA, Omaha, Neb.

Paul Lee Jr., youth pastor, The Plant Church of the C&MA, Mahwah, N.J. Chue B. Lo, NextGen pastor, Hmong Family Community Alliance Church, Sacramento, Calif.

Jonathan T. Luu, pastor, South Pacific Alliance

Hector E. Jimenez Rubiano, next generation pastor, Hope Chapel, Belleville, Ill.

Jackson T. Jaramillo, junior high pastor, The Grove Community Church, Riverside, Calif.

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Daniel R. Mitchell, college campus staff, Christ Community Church C&MA, Omaha, Neb.

Obafemi O. Sonuga-Oye, church planter, Alliance South Central Gavin Swanson, director of middle school ministry, Christ Community Church C&MA, Omaha, Neb.

Jonathan Maus, executive pastor, Leeward Community Church, Pearl City, Hawaii Douglas K. McCully, pastor, Martindale C&MA Church, Portage, Pa.

Samantha R. Tait, operations director, Regeneration Church, San Diego, Calif.

Win M. Tse, assistant pastor, Portland (Ore.) Chinese C&MA Church

Kezia S. Wall, children’s ministry supervisor, Crossing Church, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Drew J. Rinehart, ministry intern, First Alliance Church, Lexington, Ky.

Hyeongil Kwak, pastor, Alliance First Church of Washington, Oakton, Va.

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Octavius Lopez, associate pastor, New Life Alliance Church, Bena, Minn.

Bryson D. Taylor, director of CoNEXTivity, Cherry Tree Alliance Church, Uniontown, Pa.

AllianceCommunity.org 644 S. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, FL 32720 | 800-334-4133 Call 386-734-3481 or scan the QR code to learn more.

Giovanni J. Sanchez, assistant pastor, Iglesia ACM de Queens, Jamaica, N.Y.

Narin Phuong, assistant pastor, Hacienda Heights CEC, Pomona, Calif. Ya Rath, resident, Mosaic Alliance Church, St. Paul, Minn.

Jorde Hutton, church planter, Alliance North, Fargo, N.Dak.

Orchard Alliance, 8595 Explorer Dr, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 / 866-351-2553 for life

“WE’VEALWAYSSUPPORTEDMISSIONSANDOURLATESTGIFTALSOPAYSUSINCOMEFORLIFE!”ACharitableGiftPayments

YOU’VE SUPPORTED YOUR CHURCH and the Great Commission Fund for years. Now, in retirement and on a fixed income, continuing your support may seem more challenging. However, with planned giving, you may have more options than you ever thought possible. If you’re over 65, with appreciated assets such as stock or securities, a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) may be the right solution. With a CGA, you receive a tax deduction today for the full amount of your gift and you’ll receive income for life. The current annual payout rates recently increased to 4.8% to 9.1%, based on your age. The Alliance has an in-house team at Orchard Alliance for planned giving guidance and solutions. To learn more, scan the code below, call 866-351-2553 or visit orchardalliance.org/AllianceCGA.

SEP/OCT 2022 39 ALLIANCELIFE

BENEFITS OF A CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY

A tax deduction

SCAN HERE Information is not to be considered legal or tax advice. CGAs are issued by Orchard Alliance or as agent for The Christian and Missionary Alliance (The C&MA). The C&MA only issues annuities in the states of NY, NJ, and CA; Orchard Alliance issues annuities in all other states except Hawaii. Orchard Alliance or The C&MA, respectively, is responsible for and liable for the CGAs that are issued in their individual names. Orchard Alliance and The Christian and Missionary Alliance follow the suggested maximum gift annuity rates published by the American Council on Gift Annuities.Currently,these rates exceed the max rates allowed by the state of New York.

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In 1991, the Lord moved in Dale’s heart to resign from the college and return to overseas ministry. He went on to teach Sungkyul Christian University students at the World Mission Research Institute in Seoul, South Korea (1992–1994). When their term in Korea concluded, Dale and Pat moved to British Columbia, Canada, and Dale retired in 1996. Shortly after, the couple moved to California where Dale enjoyed regular teaching opportunities at the Vietnamese Alliance Evangelical Divinity School in Anaheim. Throughout Dale’s life, the Vietnamese people remained close to his heart. He touched many lives around the world and left a rich legacy of life to countless people.

Eric A. Lashbrook, January 18, Eagan Hills (Minn.)

Brooke M. Witterman, director for disciplemaking ministries, Aliquippa (Pa.) Gospel Tabernacle

Jamie S. Zacharias, assistant children’s ministry director, First Alliance Church, Columbus, Ohio ORDINATIONS

Alliance Church. Eric is the associate pastor of student ministry. RETIRED

John F. Littau, Central Pacific District

Jeremiah Wingerden, director for worship, Bedford Community Church, Bedford Hills, N.Y.

Gary A. Jung, Central Pacific District

SEP/OCT 2022 41 ALLIANCELIFE

Hudson R. Waters, student ministries pastor, Pine Knolls Alliance Church, South Glens Falls, N.Y.

Rick L. Magstadt, MidAmerica District Larry D. Nelson, MidAmerica District Stephen E. Petry, Western Great Lakes District

Dale was preceded in death by his wife; he is survived by son Michael; daughters Kathleen, Cheri, and Christine; and 6 grandchildren.

Jeffrey B. Jarvis, North Central District

Michael (Mike) Wilson Danchenko January 4, 1938–April 26, 2022 Mike was born in Minneapolis, Minn. When he was a newborn, his impoverished parents took him to live with their great-aunt and uncle, who were Russian immigrants, hoping he would thrive on their family farm. His mother visited, but Mike grew up on the farm and was officially adopted when he was 18. He attended Bethel (Minn.) University; St. Paul Bible Institute (now Crown College, St. Bonifacius, Minn.); Pierce College, Calif.; and Gulf Coast Bible College, Tex. On July 14, 1959, he married Marilyn Moore; they enjoyed 63 years of Duringmarriage.more than 46 years of C&MA ministry, Mike was a church planter and pastor, serving in Deer (1969–1972), Russellville (1972–1975), and north Little Rock, Ark. (1976–1981); Houston, Tex. (1980–1987); and Blairsburg, Iowa (1987–1989). He also was a caretaker at Pinecrest Camp, Ark. (1969–1972), and an interim pastor after retirement in Van Buren, Ark. Humble(2007–2015).and mild-mannered, Mike saw his life mission as simply to preach and to teach, and this was evident to all who met him. During his most recent ER visit, he left his bed without regard for his own medical condition to comfort a young man he heard crying out for pain relief from sickle cell anemia and talked to him about Jesus. Only after the patient had accepted Him as Savior did Mike quietly return to his own ER bed. Mike is survived by his wife; children Jeff, Kim, Tad, and Josh; 9 grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.

John C. Stoeckle, Eastern Pennsylvania District WITH THE LORD Dale Sims Herendeen May 29, 1926–December 24, 2021 Dale was born in Hollywood, Calif. Early in his Christian experience, God impressed upon Dale’s heart a call to missions. He graduated from Biola University (La Mirada, Calif.), Whitworth College (Spokane, Wash.), and Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, Calif.). During 40 years of C&MA ministry, Dale served a variety of roles. After pastoring a church in Southern California for one year, he was appointed to serve in South Vietnam. During his first term, he ministered with national pastors and believers through evangelism, church planting, and teaching at the theological college (1956–1962). While on home assignment, Dale met Patricia (Pat). They married in September 1964, and Pat served alongside him in Vietnam (1965–1969). In 1969, Dale served as missionary-in-residence at Canadian Bible College and Seminary (Regina, Sask.) and soon joined its faculty (1970–1981). Dale then served as president of the Alliance College of Theology in Canberra, Australia (1981–1985). He returned to the Canadian Bible College and Seminary as a missionary-in-residence/professor of world missions (1985–1989) and vice president/ academic dean (1989–1991).

Irene led a busy life tutoring students and serving in many local church functions, which included eight years as district president of the Women’s Missionary

While there, Irene met Arni Shareski, a senior at the school. They married August 15, 1952. During their 44 years of ministry, the couple was involved in pastoral work, served as missionaries for 12 years to what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and worked for 24 years at the C&MA National Office. They concluded full-time ministry pastoring the Hamptons (N.Y.) Alliance Church for five years.

December 27, 1928–April 28, 2022

David G. Fox October 11, 1938–May 6, 2022

David was born in Los Angeles, Calif. He had a heart for ministry from his youth, convincing his parents at the age of eight to move to the hills of Kentucky to serve with the Kentucky Mountain Mission. David attended Appalachian Bible Institute (now Appalachian Bible College, Mount Hope, W.Va.) from 1956–1957 and Biola College (now Biola University, La Mirada, Calif.) from 1957–1960, where he graduated cum laude. On June 15, 1957, he married Vivian Venable in Boonville, Ky.; they enjoyed nearly 65 years of marriage.

Prayer Fellowship (now Alliance Women). In August 1996, Irene and Arni moved to Shell Point Retirement Community, Fort Myers, Fla. Arni continued to serve in a variety of ministries until Irene passed away at Shellpoint’s hospice facility after nearly 70 years of Irenemarriage.issurvived by her husband; children Wayne and Sandra; 5 grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.

Irene Marie Schultz Shareski

Irene was born and raised in Waldheim, a Mennonite community in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. She came to faith at the age of 15 after watching a film on the Second Coming of Christ. Upon graduating high school, Irene spent a year in teacher training school, after which she taught for three years. She then enrolled in the Canadian Bible Institute in Regina, Sask. (now Ambrose University, Calgary, Alta.).

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REFLECTIONS ON DAVID M. HOWARD By friends and Christian leaders

David (Dave) Morris Howard January 28, 1928–May 10, 2022 Born in Philadelphia, Pa., Dave was the third of six children, all of whom grew up to serve in Christian ministry as missionaries, pastors, or teachers. His father was the editor of the Sunday School Times in Philadelphia. Dave gave his life to Christ at age 10 on April 28, 1938, which he referred to as the most important date of his life. Dave attended Wheaton (Ill.) College, where he majored in Bible and theology and met Phyllis Gibson. They married July 1, 1950. Dave then completed his master’s degree in New Testament at the Thecollege.Howards served in San José, Costa Rica, under the Latin America Mission (1953–1957). Dave taught at the mission’s Seminario Bíblico Latinoamericano and eventually was named as an assistant general director of the mission. In 1958, he was asked to direct the mission’s work in northern Colombia, where Dave and Phyllis served until 1967. Dave and Phyllis moved to Wheaton, Ill., where Dave served as missions director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, or IVCF (1968–1978), first in Chicago and then in Madison, Wis. During this time, he also directed IVCF’s triennial Urbana Missionary Convention (1973, 1976). Following this assignment, Dave was asked to direct the Lausanne Congress BECAUSE OF YOU, U.S. ALLIANCE CHURCHES ARE PRESENT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. Last year, our nearly 2,000 U.S. Alliance churches saw . . . 17,795 professions of church487,382faithbaptismsnewplants

David officially served in ministry for 44 years, including 23 with the C&MA. He pastored Alliance churches in Port Wentworth (1982–1990) and Decatur, Ga. (1990–2005), and was a lay volunteer at First Alliance Church in Lexington, Ky. (2005–2022). Prior to his time with the C&MA, David served at Kentucky Mountain Mission (1961–1976) and pastored Idamay Bible Church in Beattyville, Ky. (1967–1976). David also ministered in practical ways such as repairing appliances, laying floors or carpet, plumbing, construction, and other acts of service. He touched countless lives through youth ministry, VBS, marriage counseling, and more. David is survived by his wife; children Melanie, Janet, Jon, and Jennifer; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

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George and his wife, Karol, were married for 60 years and served in pastoral ministry for 55 years. He pastored churches in Orange and East Randolph, Vt.; North Windham, Maine; Colrain and Orange, Mass.; and Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, and Ormond Beach, Fla. Along with pastoral ministry, George owned and operated a Christian bookstore for over 10 years in Greenfield, Mass. When he and Karol moved to Port Orange, Fla., in 1986, he opened and operated another Christian bookstore there until 1995. George is survived by his wife; children Brian, Sheila, Deborah, and Bonnie; 10 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren.

Wheaton College’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award in 1977 and received honorary doctorates from Geneva College (Beaver Falls, Pa.) and Taylor University (Upland, Ind.). He authored 10 books, mostly on missions.

Consultation on World Evangelization in Pattaya, Thailand (1978−1981).

In June 2003, Dave and Phyllis moved to Shell Point Retirement Community (Fort Myers, Fla.), where Phyllis passed away three months later. In August 2005, he married Janet King Kuhns, who served as a C&MA mssionary for more than 51 years and was a great gift to him during their time together at Shell Point. Dave is survived by his wife Janet; children David Jr., Stephen, Elisabeth, and Michael; 13 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

CORRECTIONS Reynold E. Waltimyer’s obituary, published in the July/August issue of Alliance Life, erroneously stated that he pastored churches in Shoreville and Swanville, Minn. While he did pastor a C&MA church in Swanville, he was an assistant pastor in Shoreview, Minn., not Shoreville. We apologize for the error.

Dave then served as general secretary of the World Evangelical Fellowship (1982−1992), during which time he moved its headquarters to Singapore. Later, Dave served in South Florida as president of the Latin America Mission and continued teaching, preaching, and Davewriting.wasawarded

CLASSIFIEDS

This photo illustration, used in the 2022 special issue of Alliance Life, was created by Peter Keady and Paul Keidel. If you would like to purchase a poster, either 12x16 or 16x20, you can do so by contacting Peter Keady at peter@pkphotography.com

George C. Elmer January 19, 1942–May 20, 2022 George was born in Greenfield, Mass. He attended Nyack (N.Y.) Missionary College, now Alliance University (New York, N.Y.) and completed his Bible training at the New England Bible Institute (St. Johnsbury, Vt.).

Karen Elizabeth (Kotkin) Dinius January 9, 1978–May 21, 2022 Born in Camden, S.C., Karen grew up in Kennett Square, Pa. She attended Unionville High School, where she was involved in field hockey, lacrosse, basketball, and Young Life; she was also senior class president. Karen graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor of science in horticulture with an emphasis on plant therapy for the elderly. She worked summers at Longwood Gardens, one of the country’s leading botanical gardens. Karen moved to West Lafayette, Ind., to work with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Purdue University, where she led the undergraduate student ministry helping college students in their personal and spiritual growth. On November 8, 2003, she married Todd Allen Dinius. For 10 years, they served as C&MA missionaries to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, teaching English, assisting local churches, and helping to meet the personal, professional, and spiritual needs of the Bosnian people. Throughout her life, Karen had a passion to share the love of Jesus and the truth of His Word through her words and actions. Karen passed away after a four-year struggle with cancer. During that time, she chose to appreciate the blessings that Jesus gives in this life and the promise of eternal life in heaven with Him. Karen is survived by her husband; children Bethany Claire, Joshua William, and Kaitlyn Hope.

SEP/OCT 2022 45 ALLIANCELIFE

ALLIANCELIFE 46 SEP/OCT 2022

On April 24, 2022, Citylight in Philadelphia had a celebration for its 10-year anniversary. In 2011, Pastor Matt Cohen, his wife, Andrea, and another couple, Pete and Jackie Horning, moved to northwest Philadelphia and started small group Bible studies. Their church plant, Citylight Manayunk, was officially launched in March 2012. In the last 10 years, the church has grown from just a handful of people gathering in Matt’s apartment to several hundred people gathering in three congregations throughout the Philadelphia region—Citylight Manayunk, Citylight Center City, and Citylight Delco. Since the beginning, 150 people have been baptized at the Citylight churches. “We believe that Citylight’s story has just begun,” says Matt. “We believe that the Holy Spirit is writing the next significant moment and preparing us for years of faithfulness and fruitfulness to come.”

LIFE

CREATING A SPACE OF BELONGING FOR THE DEAF Located between Frederick, Maryland, and Wash ington, D.C., a church called The Table exists to partner with God in creating gospel access in the Deaf world. They provide opportunities for Deaf and ASL-speaking (American Sign Language) people to meet Jesus at outreach events and in missional communities. The Table also creates spaces where hearing and Deaf family members can gather together for worship, fellowship, and service opportunities while using ASL. “Ulti mately, we hope to raise up, train, and send Deaf workers and plant more Deaf churches throughout the world,” says Bruce Persons, pastor of The Table. Another ministry Bruce runs, Bison Christian Fel lowship, is passionate about making Jesus known among young adults at Gallaudet University, the world’s only Deaf university. Through outreach activities, weekly worship services, small groups, and missions trips, they strive to create a com munity where students are exposed to the love of Jesus and feel they belong.

OUR FROM AN APARTMENT TO THREE CONGREGATIONS

SEP/OCT 2022 47 ALLIANCELIFE Scan the code to discover how a generosity plan can help you do immeasurably more for the Kingdom. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.LASTING Orchard Alliance, a trusted stewardship and generosity ministry of The Alliance since 1959 / 833.672.4255

aircraft to rotate troops fighting the Pathet Lao. Mission aries now can use these same airstrips and reach much larger concentrations of people than ever before. Rev. T. J. Andrianoff, chairman of the Mission, feels that “this is God’s way of helping us to finish our task.”

Originally published in The Alliance Witness, September 2, 1964, and January 20, 1965.

THE TAKESGOSPELFLIGHT

Taking advantage of the airstrips, The Christian and Missionary Alliance has bought a Cessna Wren (an aircraft of the STOL class, capable of operation from airstrips of less than 500 feet) and is leasing the plane to Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF), whose pi lots will fly it in Laos, carrying workers and supplies to remote areas. It will enable our missionaries to establish temporary stations, to carry on evangelistic and Bible -teaching ministries in populous areas behind Commu nist lines, and to move students from the refugee centers to the Bible school and back to their villages. Yes, confusion, civil war, and uncertainty characterize conditions in Laos today, but there is also a new “open door” of opportunity for missionary work, and only the Lord knows how long we have to take advantage of it. The clouds over Laos are dark, but if we are ever to reap the harvest we must do so now as quickly and as thoroughly as we can. Thank God for the Wren and for the MAF air support service which are playing a very important role in fulfilling the Great Commission in Laos today.

The Alliance's Wren preparing for takeoff to share the gospel with refugees across Laos in the 1960s. (Photo courtesy of C&MA Archives)

ALLIANCELIFE THE MAGAZINE OF THEALLIANCE SINCE 1882 ONE ALLIANCE PLACE, REYNOLDSBURG, OH 43068 (877) 284-3262 | email: ALLIANCELIFE@CMALLIANCE.ORG

There are no roads, and the area is largely mountainous with rugged trails which have to be climbed on foot. In termittent fighting during the past few years has only made this problem more acute. In the north, thousands of tribespeople fled from the Communist-controlled areas into the mountains where the government set up emergency refugee centers. Ap proximately 100 such centers exist today. These large concentrations of Meo and Khamou tribespeople were inaccessible to the missionaries since much of the inter vening country is held by the Communists. Yet from these inaccessible refugee centers came reports of God’s working in the lives of many, mingled with pleas to “come over and help us.” Christian teach ers—predominantly Laotian nationals—were anxious to go, but the obstacles brought by war kept them back. This brought one change which has aided the mis sionaries. At first the only contact with the refugee areas was with relief goods dropped by parachute. Now, how ever, each center has carved out a small airstrip which can be used by STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing)

Adapted from “Plane Gives Missionaries Mobility” and “A New Day for Missions in Laos.”

ver since the spiritual awakening among the Meo and Khamou tribes in 1950, the work of the Lord in Laos has suffered from lack of workers, and many opportunities were lost. Travel conditions are difficult.

E