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.
The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Canada is developing new and innovative ways to cultivate a passion for mission, start new churches and engage unreached people groups in the birthplace of founder A.B. Simpson.
We wish a blessed year for each son and daughter of the Kingdom, may it be rich in grace.
In a year that was marked by civil demonstrations in many parts of the world, from Hong Kong to Santiago, Beirut, Paris, La Paz, Lima and Barcelona, there is a diffuse agenda but one clear message: people are hungry for justice, freedom and dignity.
God’s works and plans never fail, because He will do all that is His good pleasure. God isn’t just watching the entire happening of history, but He is directing the event. Truly, we are so blessed and excited about what God has planned for the APAC (Asia Pacific) Region throughout the year. That is something worthy to celebrate for His glory.
How much sacrifice is necessary to bring the gospel to those who have never heard it? A Nepalese missionary walks two hours to talk about salvation in Jesus and pray for the people of Magar, Nepal.
The EMERALD Regional Coordinating Committee is encouraged to see how God is working through the Christian and Missionary Alliance family in our region as new projects take shape and mission mobilization grows. We pray that God will be exalted in our region in building His Church and expanding His kingdom through the work of all national churches in the region.
The 6th Asia Pacific Alliance Women Conference and Prayer Journey was a powerful, enlightening and victorious encounter. More than 200 women gathered and learned more about the theme “Transformed for the Great Harvest.” Without a doubt, God’s all-surrounding presence was an essential part of this blessed event. Let us praise the Lord for all He has done!
The International Commission of Theological Education (ICTE) is very thankful to our Lord who continues to enrich and bless theological training throughout the Christian and Missionary Alliance world.
The Alliance church in Spain began in 1978 by Fred and Ann Kowalchuk, missionaries sent out from the U.S. Alliance. The early years were difficult, with five congregations being reduced to three. A relay team ministered from 1993 to 1994, and the focus changed from Barcelona to Madrid.
A group of indigenous churches started 27 years ago by a pastor in a wheelchair to evangelize disabled people is the core of the newly formed C&MA Church in Nepal. This national church will join the fast-growing evangelical church in the country that was officially Hindu until 2006, when it was declared a secular state.
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 leadership of AWF-APAC (Asia Pacific Region) chose Japan as their meeting venue to encourage the century-old Japan Alliance Church to continue to share Jesus Christ in this country. Japan is totally open to missionary work but still has a population of less than 0.5% of evangelical Christians and an evangelical annual growth rate of -0.4%.