AWF Latin America (CLA) Regional Conference held in Guatemala

The C&MA churches in Central America are young and small and its largest national church (Guatemala), with more than 9,000 members, is an exception in the region. With the theme “Deeper Life in Jesus Christ,” the AWF family in Latin America met in Guatemala to bring encouragement and deeper understanding about the Alliance and its missions to the pastors and leaders of the region.

The keynote speaker for the Symposium of Alliance Theology was Dr. Michael Plunket who teaches at Alliance Theological Seminary. He emphasized the need to fulfill as servants of God the first and greatest commandment: to give God the first place that corresponds to Him always. Under the topics “The Calling and Burden to Lead a Move of God,” “Spirit-filled Leadership,” “Anointing and Leadership Development” and “Leading Breakthrough Prayer,” Dr. Plunket focused on the need for each believer to be filled with the Holy Spirit and totally sanctified, devoting himself completely to the will of God.

The Mission Conference speaker was Dr. Tim Crouch, the Vice President for International Ministries of the U.S. Alliance. He addressed the topics “Preaching as Jesus Christ,” “Serving as Jesus Christ” and “Training as Jesus Christ” and encouraged the attendants to learn from Jesus as they minister to an increasingly complex and multifaceted society.

Pastor David Muthre, the President of the CLA, brought the inaugural message of the event preaching about the “Deeper Life in Jesus Christ” and pointed out that our mission is to make disciples of Christ and

cultivate intimacy with the Lord. Dr. Jura Yanagihara, the President of AWF, spoke from the theme “A Holy Nation Called to Bless All Nations”, talking about the ministry of the Alliance World Fellowship, present and future.

President David Muthre and Treasurer Luis Moreno showed the CLA Assembly reports of all the work done from 2018 to the present, and also the agreements and signatures of the National Churches with CLA.

The event was attended by 135 people belonging to the delegations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, the United States, among others.

Various workshops were held in the area of missions; theological education (FATELA); ministries to women, youth and children; and church multiplication. Each of these simultaneous workshops challenged the ecclesial leadership of Latin America, showing a broader reality through reports of the work done and purposes to be fulfilled.

We thank the Lord for His grace and support for the entire development of the CLA Assembly, Symposium and Missions Congress 2019. A special thanks to the Guatemala Alliance family who hosted this meeting; to the Latin American delegations and leadership; and to the plenary, preaching, workshop and intervention speakers.

Today we can say that we continue advancing with joy and effort, aiming the mission of Christ towards His Church, working hard to sow the precious seed of the Gospel, where Christ is not yet known, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. “To Him be the glory forever.”