Going Deeper in Christ, Going Beyond on Mission and Going Together as God’s Family

The first AWF Quadrennial Convocation in the middle of a global pandemic took place in Milagro, Ecuador. Around 300 registered delegates were welcomed by more than 200 volunteers from the Milagro Central Alliance Church and the Ecuadorian C&MA to form a beautiful expression of the global Alliance family. We could feel the richness of being one, formed by many races, languages and colors, united in Jesus Christ, our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King. Unity in diversity. The unity of the Spirit that comes from sanctification. The unity that mobilizes the Alliance family to God’s mission. This was a wonderful experience.

Everyone who came to Ecuador became convinced that there is no substitute for an in-person Quadrennial Convocation. This was especially true due to the overwhelming expression of love and care shown by our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters. The welcoming reception every morning as the delegations reached the venue, the endless delicious fruits, the sweet atmosphere where people could sit, talk, pray and laugh made this Quadrennial very special.

The morning and evening services were filled with joy and gratitude to God as the congregation sang many hymns, especially those classics written by A.B. Simpson. The speakers whom God chose to be present in the Quadrennial spoke with passion about going deeper in Jesus and going beyond in mission. The messages were refreshing, challenging, uplifting and unifying. God provided a special moment of reflection and brokenness when our MBB (Muslim Background Believer) speaker told of the challenges he faced as he became a follower of Jesus Christ.

This Quadrennial was the first to be livestreamed in two languages using social media channels. Although many could not come due to restrictions posed by the pandemic, thousands participated in the services, in lively interactions from all five AWF regions. Videos with all seven services are available on our social media platforms which can be accessed through our website. The core of the communication effort was carried out by the C&MA Colombia team with the help of the C&MA Ecuador team and Christian professionals.

The business sessions had a unifying atmosphere and all proposals were approved as presented. The workshops were conducted with a sense of excitement, and generated many fruitful discussions and recommendations. These sessions were not livestreamed. A summary of the decisions of the business sessions as well as the discussions and conclusions of the workshops will be made available soon.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Ecuador and the Central Milagro Alliance Church under the leadership of President Rev. David Muthre established a benchmark for the Quadrennial Convocation. The food was prepared by a team led by a professional chef, and hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly to prepare the venue and welcome attendees. Biosafety procedures were adopted and, so far, no cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported.

We thank you for your prayers and your participation. We asked God to bring together a prayerful group of hundreds of people filled with the Holy Spirit to cooperate and mobilize six million people to fulfill the Great Commission with boldness and creativity. This is what we expected for this AWF Quadrennial Convocation and this is what we will start experiencing.

We are ready to go deeper in Christ, to go beyond in mission, and to go together as family.