The Year God Used to Solidify our Identity as a Global Movement

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.

Strengthening the Alliance identity means each believer experiencing a deeper life in Christ and being moved to missions as a result of the transformation brought by the work of the Holy Spirit. This will bring unity and identity to the church and will allow members to grow and mature as a church on mission. The amazing element of the process is that God is doing this to the global Alliance family, making more than six million members scattered in 88 countries feel connected and work together.

Never before have we had so clear an awareness of the level of connection that God can provide as the Alliance family. We were brought together through webinars, attended by hundreds, that helped instruct and encourage pastors and leaders in overcoming the challenges posed by the pandemic. Many online meetings with national church presidents and mission leaders led to discussion and implementation of partnerships, from missionary projects to the AWF Global Response to COVID-19 program. National churches have intensified their connections with their members in their countries, reaching a level of communication that is unprecedented.

Networks were created to connect the leaders and participants in the Relief and Development Ministry, Diaspora Missions, and Women’s Ministry to prepare for the workshops for the AWF Quadrennial Convocation. Now, they meet regularly, sometimes more than once a month, to move forward projects that the Lord is putting in their hands.

The regional coordinators and their teams have worked tirelessly to organize meetings, promote regional projects and support national churches in their different needs. The regional network of the Alliance churches has been instrumental in bringing encouragement and support to churches facing difficulties such as natural disasters, economic hardship and leadership conflicts.

The International Commission of Theological Education (ICTE) and the Global Network of Mission Leaders work with the two key elements of our movement: theology and missions. They have trained pastors and leaders in Alliance Theology and History, held theological symposiums, and established projects such as the Young Scholars program and the AWF Theology Award. The number of national Alliance churches engaging in cross-cultural missionary projects is increasing and many partnership projects have been proposed to encourage churches with fewer resources to participate in missions.

Finally, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the members of the AWF Executive Committee. Working with this group of highly motivated and godly people who have a profound understanding of and commitment to the AWF purpose and mission has been a blessing and a joy. Thank you Brem, Celestin, David, Ken, Munther and Roland. It has been an honor to be part of this team.

To all of you, I would like to thank you for your participation, your engagement, your prayers, your donations, and for being part of this wonderful family.

May the Lord give you a deep sense of his presence and a joyful celebration of Christmas with your family and loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

Jura Yanagihara
Executive Committee
Alliance World Fellowship