Pet, a young man who was baptized in January, visited relatives with his family for a few weeks. When he came to church, he mentioned that he was worried about his grandmother, who is dying of cancer. He was shocked to see her so thin and frail.

A year ago, we had visited her with Pet to share the gospel. She was cordial but not ready to pray with us at that time. Pet wanted us to go again in hopes that she would be more receptive this time. Lek, one of the older men in our congregation, heard Pet’s plea and immediately offered to drive Pet, Pastor Sukprasan, and several others on the two-and-a-half-hour trip. I excused myself from a church-planting workshop to meet the group at Pet’s grandma’s house in Suphan Buri.

Praise God! This time she asked Jesus to be her Savior. Pet was relieved, but he is still praying that God will physically heal his grandma as well. Please join us in interceding for her healing.

Rev. Monty Winters, Alliance Disciplemaking and Ministry Studies director, who resides in nearby Tecumseh, served a 10-hour shift on Monday as chaplain for the Moore Search and Rescue Task Force. He described the scene as “shredded neighborhoods, houses that looked like they were stomped or slapped down . . . and lots of questions about whether we got everybody out.

“The search wasn’t door to door, more like pile to pile,” Monty posted on Facebook. “We relied heavily on the trained dogs to discern which piles to dig in . . .”

Please continue to pray for residents in parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and throughout the Midwest, who remain under the threat of violent storms. Pray for God’s protection, and that warning systems will provide adequate time for residents to find shelter.

Christ’s Great Commission is the call of The Christian and Missionary Alliance—it’s why we exist! We are compelled by Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations.

Prayer: The Primary Work

We also believe that nothing of lasting value can be done unless it is bathed in prayer. Convinced that prayer was fundamental to the blessing and success of the Great Commission movement he established, Alliance founder A. B. Simpson said, “There is something in unity of spirit which we may not be able to understand but which we must recognize as a spiritual force and divine condition of larger blessing . . . This is one way in which every Christian can be useful” (The Life of Prayer, 1915).

For more than 125 years, Alliance people have forged into some of the most spiritually dark places to take the light of Jesus to a lost and hurting world. They went with confidence, knowing they were undergirded with the prayers of those who sent them.

Because God responded to the prayers of His people:

• National churches established in Latin America by Alliance international workers more than 100 years ago now are self supporting, self propagating, and self-sending.
• In Vietnam, where seven Alliance workers were martyred, the national church is now 1 million members strong and growing.
• Alliance initiatives begun in the past few years are seeing supernatural indicators of God’s presence and power at work, even in some challenging places.
• Peace is replacing hostilities in urban communities where U.S. Alliance church members pray and establish holistic outreaches.

“Your commitment to intercede in prayer on behalf of Alliance initiatives in spiritually dark places where there is little access to the gospel makes a difference,” says Bob Fetherlin, vice president for International Ministries. “Darkness is pushed back as light begins to shine!”

A Culture of Sacrifice

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Since the beginning, The Christian and Missionary Alliance has been funded by the generosity of like-minded people who believe Christ’s command to go and make disciples is the highest priority for a Christian. In the early days of The Alliance, church members filled offering plates with wedding bands, gold watches, and other valuables to send workers to the field.

More recently, nearly $120,000 was collected from young people attending LIFE, a national Alliance youth event. Many of the teens were moved to give their own personal belongings—watches, jewelry, iPods, a Nintendo Game Boy, a compact disc player, a camera, and a camcorder. Students also donated first-aid equipment, clothing, linens, hygiene items, eyeglasses, school supplies, French Bibles, New Testaments, and more to fill a 40-foot shipping container that was sent to Burkina Faso, West Africa.

Great Commission Sunday 2013

The Great Commission Fund (GCF) has been established to support international workers, so they don’t have to spend as much ministry time raising funds. Previous Great Commission (GC) Sunday/Council Offerings have been instrumental in launching new Alliance initiatives and boosting established mission fields.

Because God honored to the generosity of His people through GC Sunday/Council Offerings:

• The Alliance entered Russia in 1993; today the Evangelical Christian Missionary Union, a national church partner, has 48 churches, 46 ordained ministers, and 3,200 inclusive members.
• The C&MA helped to establish the national church in Baghdad, Iraq, where hundreds of people turned to Jesus after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
• Alliance international workers began new initiatives in North and Central Asia and North Africa, where there is little or no access to the gospel.

A recent letter from an Alliance international worker confirms the value of the GCF and encourages the Alliance family to participate in GC Sunday.

The reason we are able to serve in Uruguay is because you and so many others give to the GCF. Your generous support allows us to partner with you in the great work of sharing the gospel of hope with our world. There is no greater privilege than this.

Each year around this time, the U.S. Alliance family joins hands and hearts to celebrate GC Sunday. It is an event that unites you (the senders) and us (the sent ones) as we reaffirm our commitment to broaden the reach of the gospel of Christ into areas where He is not yet proclaimed. It is also an opportunity to send more workers into these places.

Is your church celebrating GC Sunday? If so, find out when, and prayerfully consider how God would have you join others in your church to introduce lost people to the One who provides hope for this life and eternity! If your church is not participating in GC Sunday, you still can give by visiting www.cmalliance.org/gcsunday.

As you partner with The Alliance in praying, going, sending, and giving, you are a part of the great force of people who are engaged in completing Jesus’ final command to His followers. As a worldwide family, our desire is to see the gospel within reach of every man, woman, and child. We will not rest until the Great Commission is completed and our Savior returns—just as He said He would.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. —Jesus

Pastor Xiong is a sergeant with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, where he has served for 17 years.
In 2010, several members of two Alliance churches in Sacramento met for prayer to ask God where He was working and where He wanted us to join Him. After about an hour and a half, we were directed to Detroit Boulevard in South Sacramento.

This was a rough community. When officers were called to the neighborhood, they would not go in alone but responded in force with several patrol units, including K-9s and a helicopter.

The neighborhood has approximately 500 homes—most of which were inhabited by people involved in drugs, prostitution, gang activity, and ancestor/demon worship. These activities opposed our purpose and presented dangers, but we still wanted the light of Jesus to make a difference in the lives of these lost people.

Pastor Mark Hitman, who led the initiative but has since followed God’s call to another church, believed we should attack the area through prayer, first addressing the supernatural before proceeding in the natural. He invited all who were interested to meet and prepare for this intercessory effort.

We began walking through the neighborhood, praying over each home and rebuking the strongholds of addiction and violence. Also, we demanded that all demon worship be interrupted by angels singing praises to Jesus.

Pushing Back the Darkness

Each time we prayed over the houses, we felt the weight of oppression become lighter and lighter. One woman confronted us, demanding to know what we were doing. She was surprised to discover we were praying for God to bless the community, and she asked for prayer for herself. God answered by healing her arm.

After about a dozen prayer walks, we sensed a substantial spiritual difference in the area compared with the surrounding troubled neighborhoods.

Since we asked God to bless the area, we believed we needed to occupy it as well. On May 15, 2010, a group of nine people planted Detroit Life Church (DLC) in the pavilion at Susan B. Anthony Park, adjacent to an elementary school with the same name. We cleaned up the pavilion and converted it into a church.

One DLC member, a Sacramento policeman, patrols the area regularly. A year after we began this ministry, I asked him if he noticed a change. “The area used to be called a carnival, because you could just drive in and get an arrest for any crime,” he said. “Now we call it boring!”

A local resident commented to us during a prayer walk, “Since you guys started the church at the park, a sense of peace has come upon the neighborhood.”

The school principal reported, “Gang activity was common on the school grounds, but now that a church has started in the pavilion, graffiti and vandalism have ceased.”

Many DLC church members grew up here, went to the local grammar school, and lived through the times when criminal activity attracted law enforcement daily, so meeting the needs of residents is a priority.

The church hosts clothing giveaways, food distributions, and special events, like Easter egg hunts, vacation Bible school, and concerts in the park. These events, when combined with the continual presence of a praying church, have resulted in epic changes for the community.

Changed Lives

A new believer said that DLC introduced him to Christ, who changed his life. After learning about listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice, he told us how he put into practice what he had learned.

“One night as I was driving back from the store, I heard a voice clear as day tell me to move over to the shoulder of the road,” he said. He was approaching an overpass and was unable to see over the bridge. As soon as he moved over, a car traveling approximately 100 miles an hour came into his lane from the other side of the overpass with several police cars in pursuit. “I’m glad I listened, because if I didn’t, I would have been killed in a head-on collision.”

Shining the light of Jesus into the Detroit Boulevard community not only changed the lives of those being served but also those who serve. One team member said, “Detroit Life Church has impacted my life and given me firsthand experience of what it means to serve the Lord and others.”

On March 17, 2013, the church moved from the park pavilion to the cafeteria of Susan B. Anthony School, where we meet every Sunday afternoon. Since DLC began its ministry, 30 people have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and 10 people were baptized. God is transforming lives in the Detroit Boulevard neighborhood, and I can’t wait to see what He will do next.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, N.Y. — Nyack College/Alliance Theological Seminary, one of the nation’s most culturally diverse Christian colleges, will move from its current location on Broadway to Battery Park, more than doubling its space to accommodate a growing student population.

“Nyack’s roots as a leader in Christian higher education were planted in New York City more than 130 years ago,” said Dr. Michael Scales, Nyack College president. “Moving to the financial hub of this gateway city to the world will help us reach our goal of becoming a world-class institution of higher education. We are committed to providing our growing student population with the best learning environment possible, which includes access to career opportunities in the heart of New York City.”

At 2 Washington Street, the college will occupy 166,385 square feet in a modern structure on the Manhattan skyline, neighboring Wall Street, New York Harbor, and the 9/11 Memorial. The college will take occupancy by the fall 2013 semester.

“New York City’s . . . strong network of colleges is one of [its] greatest assets,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “For more than a century, Nyack graduates have made tremendous contributions to our city, and we look forward to that continuing in their new home for years to come.”

Nyack’s current Manhattan campus serves 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students with 34 classrooms and teaching labs. The new location will expand capacity to 60 classrooms and labs.

“Nyack is a culturally and ethnically diverse institution. Our students come from 66 countries around the globe,” added President Scales. “Our goal is to educate the whole student—academically, spiritually, and emotionally—and prepare them for a broad spectrum of careers that will have a positive impact on the world.”

Nyack College was founded in 1882 by Dr. Albert Benjamin Simpson and today serves more than 3,400 students in its undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In addition to its residential campus in Nyack, New York, and a campus in New York City, a branch of its seminary is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Nyack College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and is chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.

For more information about Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary, visit www.nyack.edu.

# # #

You are invited.

Join the Alliance worldwide family for 40 days of prayer, leading up to the C&MA’s General Council 2013. During this time, we will focus on daily prayer and read selected passages from Acts and Psalms. We also will meditate on personal thoughts about prayer and the deeper life written by C&MA family members from around the world.

Prayer is the primary work of God’s people.

Adele Calhoun notes, “Our God is free to come to us in spiritual disciplines as he wills, not as we demand. But unless we open ourselves up to him through spiritual practices, we will miss his coming altogether” (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, p. 19). Prayer is one of the spiritual disciplines. Through a 40 Day Alliance Community of Worldwide Prayer, we desire the Alliance family to come together to seek God; to pray for our people, communities, churches, and the world; and to open ourselves up to allow God to speak to us individually and corporately.

Download the Report Adobe Acrobat PDF 1.9MB

I have been reading a book about spreading the seed of the gospel far and wide and seeking those who are responsive. My tendency is to wait for signs of readiness in someone before sharing the gospel; however, it’s not my job to decide who will respond. If I try to figure that out myself, it may mean that some people inclined to respond will never be told. All need to hear and decide for themselves the place that Jesus will have in their lives.

One opportunity my colleagues and I have for spreading the seed wide is in a vocational training school for girls, where I teach nutrition and cooking. Every morning the girls have a meditation time during which we work through the chronological story of the Bible. On Monday morning, my teammates and I prayed that God would help us to see clearly who is interested among these girls so we can be more intentional about reaching them.

Tuesday was my turn to teach, and the lesson consisted of a reflection on the purpose of the law and its inability to save us. The material presented only the problem of sin and not the solution found in Jesus Christ. It was meant to whet the students’ appetites for the stories while serving as an introduction to the gospel.

I saw this as a chance to find out who was most interested in the biblical teachings we have been presenting. So, at the end of the lesson I said that in the coming weeks as we study the New Testament, we will see the way of salvation God planned. I also said that anyone who wanted to know now could talk to me or one of the other believing teachers during their break.

Two girls approached me to ask for further explanation—students who rarely answer questions during the meditation time. Later, as the two listened to the gospel being presented by another teacher, a couple of other girls kept walking in and out of the classroom. They would pause to listen, seemingly embarrassed to show outright interest but captivated nonetheless. The other teacher did not ask for a response but left them to think about it. When they joined the other students, four or five girls gathered around to hear the story being passed on by their classmates. It’s exciting to see hearts opening to the gospel and realize that maybe the ground here is not quite as hard as we thought.

Pray for these girls who have shown interest in the gospel. Pray that these truths will burn in their hearts until they are compelled to follow Jesus unashamedly.

Vacation Bible school (VBS) is not just for children. At Bloomingdale (Ill.) Church of the C&MA, VBS is for teenagers as well! But the teens aren’t listening to lessons, making crafts or playing games. Instead, they are exuberantly leading each day’s crowded assembly of children enrolled in the program (we call it Day Camp to connect better with our unchurched community). The teens make up the drama team, acting out creative vignettes that illustrate the Bible lessons each day, and they are the high-energy band playing cool new tunes (and some old ones, too).

We have reaffirmed that teens learn much better by experiencing the visible leadership roles firsthand. With practical training, clear expectations and caring, on-the-job coaching, they do an impressive job!

Our last Day Camp focused on cultivating the “Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5) and had a “farming” theme. The teens started each day with an hour-long assembly in the sanctuary featuring a series of original, humorous skits intermingled with lively, kid-friendly music. The teens engaged the children, who hung on every word. Even during recesses, the children congregated around the older kids, who had become positive, up-close models of following Jesus.

Bloomingdale’s Day Camp seeks not only to reach out to unchurched families in the neighborhood but also to give 7th–12th graders opportunities to lead. Our junior high students are asking for entry-level leadership roles, and the high schoolers beg their bosses for the week off of their summer jobs to do Day Camp for another year.

Our youth pastor uses Day Camp as the training ground to prepare the teens for missions trips. Last summer, one of our teens spent time at the Alliance Envision site in El Salvador, and another served at Family Empowerment Center, an Alliance church in inner-city Chicago (see “No Matter the Cost” by Scott Manke, alife, April 15, 2011). A third team is doing practical service projects in suburban DuPage County, where our church is located. In all three places, the teens are better equipped to serve as a result of their practical training at Day Camp.

“OK, I get it,” someone might say. “You’re signing up the teens to work VBS because it’s so hard to recruit enough adults to do the job, right?” That is far from the reason we ask the teens to step up. You see, we also depend on a large number of devoted adult volunteers (65 last summer!) as the coaches, teachers and support team. They back the teens in the assembly sessions. In the classrooms, the adults and teens coordinate the lessons, crafts and games.

Marrying outreach to children and leadership development for the teens does require that the adults are willing to elevate the teens into the upfront roles and patiently guide them to succeed. This means keeping a clear focus, especially when as adults, we think we could do a better job. The teens are not the “fill-in” for jobs the adults do not want to do. They are the leaders. At the end of the day, the teens blossom as they see for themselves that they can lead and serve significantly. The adults get a great blessing, too.

Any church of any size can do this plan in VBS. It can work in the children’s club program or children’s church as well, but the adults must be committed to training and trusting the teens. To build momentum as VBS approaches each year, the congregation needs to stick closely to the tandem focus on kids and teens.

For us, it has been a work in progress that my kid-loving wife, Marina, started as a neighborhood club in our backyard more than 30 years ago, when we were a church plant with no building. In the early days of our fledging congregation, she and the adult team raised up the teens into prominent roles year after year. These days, it is just the way we do VBS (Day Camp); last summer, 385 children from 190 unchurched families came. Our children’s pastor couple, Dan and Amber Marcello, visited each family, giving them a highlight DVD of Bloomingdale Church Day Camp and inviting them to Awana and Sunday school.

Never underestimate the ability of the teens in your church to pull off something significant for God’s honor. They just need a vision and some committed mentors to help them succeed.