God is using the pandemic for the global Alliance family to solidify its identify as the body of Christ and to work together visibly for the advancement of the kingdom of God. As the year comes to its end, I am grateful that the Lord has allowed us to work together on so many fronts to carry the message of Jesus Christ that brings hope and salvation to a world in despair.
The pandemic brought many restrictions for ministry, but God allowed the AWF International Office to rise to the occasion. The AWF back office worked tirelessly to provide news and timely communications in three languages while supporting webinars and hundreds of online meetings. These are faithful brothers and sisters who serve the Lord with great competence and passion.
Dear brothers and sisters, it is my wish that in this special time when we remember the birth of our beloved Savior Jesus Christ, we can enjoy it together with our family and church, thanking God for all his love poured into each one of us.
As we approach the end of the year and prepare to celebrate the Christmas season and the new year 2021, I wish each one of you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I pray that the presence and blessings of the Lord will fill your lives. May the Lord protect each one of you and use you during this difficult time to be a blessing to those around you.
Always relying on His promise that He will not forsake us, I would like to wish everyone a new year filled with blessings and success in all our endeavors.
God understands the challenges that we are each walking in during the global pandemic that’s entering a second wave in most places. God also reminds us that as He does His work in the most difficult of circumstances, His redemptive purposes among the nations will cause us to wonder and be astounded beyond belief.
To our dear Alliance family worldwide, thank you so much for all your support in prayer and finances in the Lord’s ministry. Praying for all of us to have a wonderful Christmas celebration and a very fruitful New Year.
The International Commission on Theological Education (ICTE) is very thankful to our Lord who continues to enrich and bless theological training throughout the C&MA.
Who could imagine that a trip to New York would have resulted in the birth of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Costa Rica? This national church is young but full of energy to fulfill the Great Commission alongside other churches in Central America.
Two books on A.B. Simpson were published in 2019. One of them, A.B. Simpson and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism, will be discussed by its author Dr. Daryn Henry during the Alliance History and Thought Symposium hosted by Ambrose University on November 24, 2020.
An Indonesia Alliance pastor, Reverend Yeremia Zanambani, was shot dead in the Hitadipa District in Papua, Indonesia, in September. Let us pray for God’s peace and consolation for the pastor’s family, as well as for the members of the church he led.
India is the country with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases, behind only the United States. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 100 families in Kolkata and Maharashtra have received aid for basic foodstuffs.
For the past 30 years, Reverend Silas Yang has been studying and serving as a pastor in the Alliance church of Taiwan. He was elected President in October of this year and he hopes the Lord will guide him in preparing new church planting strategies, furthering the education of their pastors, and taking care of each ministry.
The Alliance in Latin America is building its missionary vision as it finds new ways to fulfill the Great Commission in urban areas and in cross-cultural projects. The emphasis of the Alliance Ministerial Update in Latin America in November 2020 will be missions.
Reverend Liusbel Utrera Morgado opened his heart to Jesus 15 years ago. His ministry has always been pastoral, and he has worked in leadership roles from the local church to the national office. As the new president of the C&MA Church of Cuba, the Lord has given him a vision for a healthy and growing church that aims to fulfill the Great Commission.
Mongolia is a large country in East Asia, located between Russia and China. Almost 30% of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic and the majority are young (30 years old or younger), Buddhist or identifying as non-religious. All these factors challenge evangelism. But the C&MA Church of Mongolia has been faithful to the call to preach the gospel.
The women of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Latin America will hold conferences in October 2020 about the ministry, life and development of Christian women. Men and women are invited to participate in the third part of the Ministerial Update organized by CLA, AWF and FATELA.
During the first phase of AWF’s Global Response to COVID-19, three African countries have had many fruits and blessings. Our brothers and sisters from Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, and Mali ask us to continue praying for them. May God bless many more lives through them.
In Phase One of the AWF Global Response to COVID-19, we were able to allocate over US $100,000 in grants to assist with immediate relief needs of congregations and communities. More than 170,000 people from vulnerable communities received food and hygiene products from volunteers of local Alliance churches.
Mission leaders of the Alliance national churches will meet in October to discern together God’s direction for our movement. Disciple-making, businessmen in missions, compassion ministry, and diaspora missions are some of the topics that will be discussed.
The Ministerial Update will present the ministry philosophy that drives the mission of a generation that is assuming key roles in Latin America, starting September 21.
“To think that all this damage occurred in one second, but it needs about one whole year to repair is mind-boggling!” says Dr. Milad Dagher, Alliance pastor in Lebanon. The explosion that happened in Beirut on August 4th this year damaged several buildings, including the Christian Alliance Institute of Theology (CAIT), churches, ministries and offices. Let us pray and find ways to help our brothers and sisters rebuild.
Addressing the needs of the communities we serve is part of our mandate to proclaim Christ to all nations. With AWF's Global Response to COVID-19 entering its second phase (development projects), we realized that food insecurity has been intensified by this pandemic and may have a lasting impact on vulnerable communities. Please read this article and let us pray together with clarity of purpose as we move forward to fulfill our mandate to witness to our faith in Christ with words and deeds.
The AWF Latin American Region is holding webinars to update its presidents, missionaries, pastors and executive leaders from the continent on the AWF’s Global Response to COVID-19. The webinars are the result of meetings held with national presidents during the first half of 2020.
Since 2018 the Alliance World Fellowship has been publishing short videos on its website and social media to strengthen the idea that each one of us is not just a local Alliance church member, but we are part of a global family. Reinforcing this connection, we would like to invite you to be part of this campaign.
Losing a baby could be a powerful and understandable reason to give up a mission. Not for Nathan’s parents. The one-year-old son of Lagyi Sin Nang and Sarawut Sikrinpacdekun, a Burmese missionary couple in Thailand, died recently. He was seriously injured when an audio speaker fell on him during a worship service. Despite the deep sadness, his parents have decided to keep holding onto God and trusting Him, working among Burmese migrants in Bangkok.
Several members of the Alliance Churches located in Beirut, Lebanon, were injured and their homes damaged by the explosion in the port of Beirut that occurred yesterday. Please pray for our Alliance family there, and for the recovery of the people, the church, and the city of Beirut.
Rev. Bahij Khoury was ushered into glory after a life full of rich eternal fruit. He served the Lord faithfully for over sixty years, and he was a special gift to the Alliance Church in Syria.
Earlier this year, we witnessed the first steps of the Sudanese Alliance Fellowships in North Africa. They are translating the Word of God into the believers’ mother tongue, training new leaders and deacons, and much more. They continue to grow wonderfully despite this difficult time.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pastors in Colombia had to close the doors of their churches. Then they asked: What do we do now?
The Global Alliance Family has been serving thousands of vulnerable communities in more than 50 countries since the pandemic started. The local churches are distributing food, masks, soups and medicines and are creating awareness of proper hygiene habits and the use of protective measures. The AWF Global Response to COVID-19 will help those local churches with more funding to reach an additional 170,000 people who will experience the love and mercy of God through the hands of His servants.
The C&MA in Cuba has faced increasing difficulties with the Pandemic. The country has had limitations in many areas of life, from access to water and electricity to the purchase of basic hygiene and food products. That situation has worsened with the new coronavirus. See how you can help our Alliance family in Cuba.
“Cecilia Albornoz: her convictions, words, joy and desire to reach the lost will be engraved in our hearts as a constant sound that will last forever.” These are the words of Pastor Jorge Barra, Director of the National Department of Missions (NDM) of Chile, when remembering Cecilia, who died on May 11, 2020 in the city of Temuco, Chile.
Reverend Merari Rodríguez accepted our Lord Jesus at the tender age of seven and has more than 20 years of experience in ministry. As the new President of the C&MA Church of Guatemala, he is aiming for continuous integral growth and strengthening of pastoral care in Guatemala.
As part of the AWF Global Response to COVID-19, we ask the pastors of local Alliance churches that sponsor Relief Projects to answer the Relief Project Questionnaire by May 31, 2020. We are praying that the information we receive will help AWF to strengthen the hands of those at work in ways that are meaningful, productive, and sow seeds of witness to the love of God in Christ.
The Alliance family in Russia is facing a huge challenge as the result of the coronavirus pandemic. The recreation facility Gorni Rodnik, where thousands of boys and girls have been impacted over the years, is in need of 3 million roubles (41 000 US$) by June 5 to continue to operate. Please pray that God will provide the necessary resources to preserve this unique resource for reaching the lost in Russia.
This was what the president of an African national church said during one of four meetings this week to organize a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It summarizes our leaders’ understanding that the challenge before us is beyond our capacity, but God has given the necessary provision to His people, and we have the resolve to share it with those most in need in the communities we serve.
Do you have expertise in Relief & Development efforts through the Church? We need you!
The SALT ministry in Huancayo, Peru is perhaps one of the longest and most successful ministries under the C&MA and SALT partnership. Students from many towns around this city come at considerable expense to receive training in theology, and many go on to graduate and receive a degree which they can put to good use.
AWF and CAMA Services (Alliance Missions – USA) are working together to mobilize a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jesus is a compassionate savior calling us to action. As we prayed together, we felt compelled to seek a fast and effective response to the needs of the most vulnerable people among those served by Alliance churches worldwide. A donation link to the project is already in place on the AWF website.
As the pandemic grows, we are planning webinars to share experiences of how churches are facing the challenges posed by this pandemic.
Pastor Nour and his team believes that this crisis is just an opportunity to put God’s compassion on display. They are finding people more open now than ever! As Pastor Nour says, “As Christians, we should help people in their most difficult time of their life, as the light is most needed when the darkness is greatest.”
In addition to the pandemic that everyone is experiencing, Guinea and other West African countries have faced persecution. The Protestant Evangelical C&MA Church of Dorata (N’zérékoré), reputed to be one of the largest in Guinea, was destroyed by fire the evening of March 22, 2020, following political and ethnic clashes.
The AWF Executive Committee met last week in a videoconference in the midst of the greatest global health crisis of the century. The preparations for the AWF Quadrennial Convocation in October 2020 drew much of the attention. God continues to work by strengthening the Alliance identity and by forming many new cooperative missionary projects around the globe.
Esnilder Popo grew up in a Christian home, learning to love and serve the Lord from a young age. As President of the National Church, he plans on revitalizing the churches, strengthening and developing the ministries they have, and focusing on church planting and missions.
At the recent meeting of the International Commission of Theological Education (ICTE) the submissions for the AWF Theology Award were evaluated and two winners have been selected. Congratulations go to Rev. Chris Smith from Canada and Rev. Dr. Joël Kuvuna Mbongi from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The meeting of the International Commission on Theological Education (ICTE) echoed the theme of the next AWF Quadrennial Convocation: the intersection between Deeper Life and Missions. The draft of the Guayaquil Declaration was concluded and the two winners of the AWF Theology Award were selected.
Ernesto Rosa accepted our Lord Jesus at the tender age of 12 and has in ministry more than 40 years. As the newly appointed President of the C&MA Church of the Dominican Republic, he hopes to follow God’s guidance in helping the church’s members grow spiritually.
The miracle of salvation that happened when a missionary met a man on the road to Magar, Nepal.
The Alliance in Africa is willing to expand its missionary effort, especially targeting unreached people groups inside their countries, in North Africa and among the diaspora population. This is the conclusion of the discernment process that took place during the AWF Africa Missions Consultation in Cotonou, Benin, January 23-25.
Latin America takes strength and prepares for a great wave of missionaries, with focus on the Sixth Region and the unreached people groups. As Latinos we are ceasing to be a mission field to become a missionary force, where men and women dispose their lives, their resources and their professions to respond to the need to reach the unreached. With this emphasis and with the presence of 135 brothers and sisters from different Latin American countries, the Latin American Missionary Training Week was held in Colombia, from January 28 to February 2, 2020.
Almost 50 Alliance pastors and leaders from the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam and Kolkata gathered at the conference around the theme, “Deeper Life and Missions.” The conference was the third NAFI (National Alliance Fellowship of India) meeting, and attendance doubled since the second gathering. Many leaders from Maharashtra joined for the first time.
With over 30 years of experience and a great passion for the Lord, Reverend Iván Flores hopes to help our Chilean family grow, strengthen the Alliance identity, plant new churches, and expand the missionary vision.
Aroa, a broken teenager and atheist, had her life turned around when her mother befriended a German missionary and was sneaked into the Bethany School for teenagers in Spain, leading this entire family to know the Lord.
The EMERALD (Europe and Middle East) Region of the AWF (Alliance World Fellowship) sent one of the young scholars trained this past year to impart the DNA of the Alliance to a city in North Africa to introduce more than 40 refugee believers from another background to our history and distinctives.
The Rev. Dr. Arnold Lorne Cook, president of the Alliance World Fellowship from 2000 to 2004, passed peacefully into God’s presence surrounded by family and friends on January 23, 2020 at the age of 87.
More than a year after the disastrous earthquakes and tsunami that hit Palu, Indonesia, destroying the Alliance church there, our brothers and sisters were able to meet again on December 6, 2019. Although the rebuilding project is not yet finished, the congregation was able to be together for a time of worship and prayer. They hope to finish construction of the church in April 2020.
Maria Fe is a 21-year-old Peruvian who lives in Spain, and “preaches” via social media. Her YouTube channel, “Be the Light”, has almost 100,000 subscribers. It has received millions of views. But throughout her teenage years, “Mafe” was marginalized because of her ethnicity and her faith, leaving her lost, feeling unworthy and distant from God.