God’s Blessings in 2018 for the Alliance in the North America Region

Canada and United States are the birthplaces of A.B. Simpson and the Christian and Missionary Alliance. New churches and mission fields have been started by leaders with a missional mind and a missionary heart. Rev. Brem Frentz, the Regional Coordinator for North America, reflects on the blessings that 2018 brought to the region and from there to the world: “This is all to the glory of God!”

The spirit of cooperation and collaboration between the C&MA Canadian and American church leadership is strong and vibrant. Offshore cooperative initiatives are building excellent momentum in various places of ministry and are especially prominent in Spain and in Senegal.

The C&MA in Canada now six plus years into an integrated ministry plan is crying out to God through a vision prayer “O God, with all our hearts we long for you! Come, transform us to be Christ-centred, Spirit-empowered, Mission-focussed people multiplying disciples everywhere”. God is answering this prayer. He is performing new things as well as moving His church in fresh longing for the Spirit’s presence and power and to bring “access to Jesus”.

In Canada new church planting initiatives called “New Ventures” are multiplying at a very encouraging rate. In 2018, 10 New Ventures were launched, four were recognized as becoming new church plants and a total of over 50 New Ventures are being nurtured towards growth, health, impact, and multiplication. Three of these new kingdom multiplying initiatives have been birthed in Nova Scotia, one with Mi’kmaq indigenous peoples, one with international students at Dalhousie University and one reaching into the Maritime Acadian culture.

The USA reports church renewal in Crosstown Alliance in New York resulting in three campus initiatives that are thriving. New England churches have sent out two new international workers, substantially increased giving to the Great Commission fund and established five new partnerships with Alliance fields.

Persecuted religious leaders from a West African nation have now decided to follow Christ. They are being commissioned through US leadership to take the gospel into four new locations where North Americans cannot go because of security. In addition, a large 100 percent LRPG in North Africa has recently experienced the birth of two dynamic churches among Muslim-background believers. They now want to return bringing the gospel to their homeland.

The Canadian church introduced a full discernment process for the 2018 General Assembly delegates around engaging the LRPG’s of India. Knowing what we know about the numerous unengaged and least-reached people groups in India, does The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada return to this country to help reach these LRPGs? (Yes/No). The response was overwhelmingly YES! An International Worker arriving in India possibly before year end is already anticipated.

The Jaffray Project is an annual initiative to bring heightened awareness, education and extend empowerment through fresh resources from our family of churches to engage in pioneer disciple-making and church planting efforts among LRPG’s both abroad as well as in Canada. New initiatives have now landed teams in Northern Iraq and in Senegal. The global humanitarian crisis among the Rohingya and Yemeni people has profiled their needs with a response that has resulted in two additional partnership efforts to minister to these marginalized people.

International Ministry personnel have recently started a coconut oil business in an unreached area in Indonesia that is having profound impact upon local employees and their communities. Students from a local seminary are also making efforts to replicate this model in new areas of engagement. In Phnom Penh, Cambodia young adults pouring into the capitol in hope of a better life are being provided opportunities in an Urban Training Centre developed by the Alliance team to equip these young adults to initiate networks of house churches in the city.

Canadian and American international workers have also reported new church plants in Spain, Kiev, Ukraine, Central Asian contexts, Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, Nepal, Uruguay, and Mexico City. US personnel have created an avenue for visas and a presence in a context where the Alliance has had a 100 year plus vision and burden to see church-planting movements happen. This adds opportunity to four initiatives that have been previously launched by Canadian personnel in other contexts. God is clearly on the move and to be praised.

How we thank the Lord that C&MA Canada was able to approve and send out 26 International Workers with funding in 2018 to bolster our efforts now among 60 LRPG’s. C&MA USA sent out 45 new personnel adding to their overall impact among 121 LRPGs. This is all to the glory of God!

Rev. Brem Frentz, Regional Coordinator – AWF North America Region