Sporadic rainfall has caused severe drought and skyrocketing food prices this year across the Sahel—the African climactic, geographic zone between the Sahara desert in the north and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.

Unrest in the region, including the recent Malian coup, has exacerbated the crisis; aid agencies warn of severe food shortages affecting up to 15 million people. Alliance people are actively addressing the need, offering training programs in disaster mitigation and distributing food to thousands of Burkinabe families.

The Need is Great

In follow-up to relief operations begun earlier this year in Burkina Faso, ACCEDES, the relief arm of the Alliance in Burkina, initiated a food distribution (supported by CAMAand the C&MA) to 2,000 families in April. “Many children are at high risk of malnutrition, and many families have begun selling their household goods to buy food,” says ACCEDES director Robert Sanou.

April-May Distribution Details:

• The C&MA and CAMA are funding the month-long operation, providing 2,000 families grain (millet) and rice.
• 2,000 gunny sacks of millet are being issued; each weighs 100 kilos.
• A shipping container (40 feet long, the longest we use) of fortified rice is helping to sustain the most vulnerable—children who are malnourished and sick.

ACCEDES Staff Activated

An African proverb goes something like this: “Many young men now prefer to throw down their hoe and pick up a pen.”

Last month, most of the young men (women, too!) who work at ACCEDES did just the opposite. They put down their pens—more accurately, each put down his or her wireless mouse—and headed for the dusty, rural villages in northern Burkina Faso.

These staff members are now supplying 200 tons of millet grain, rice, and medicines to the poorest Alliance families in the north. Some workers stayed behind to care for the sick who arrive daily at the ACCEDES clinic in Bobo-Dioulasso where I work.

Medicines Supplied

Needed medical assistance is also being provided to the villages receiving food. ACCEDES coordinator Robert Sanou visited each village’s health clinic, requesting an RN to help dispense the medications. Every village has reportedly been happy to cooperate with the relief effort.

Pray for those who are suffering because of this crisis and that God will receive all the praise for this outreach. Pray also that those receiving assistance will see the love of Jesus in Alliance people who are meeting their great needs!

By John Arnold, serving with Envision Culture in Burkina Faso, West Africa

The lack of clean water is a huge problem in rural Burkina. Many travel up to five miles daily, one way, to get a bucket or two of potable water. Others drink from stagnant pools—either because their wells have dried up or the rains have caused them to cave in.

World Water Day, March 22, reminds us that many in the world face a clean water crisis, and children bear the brunt. According to the grassroots advocacy group ONE, most deaths from diarrheal disease—which claims 3,000 children’s lives every day—are due to poor drinking water and inadequate sanitation.

100 Wells Dug!

Over the past three years, Envision Culture has been able to help construct more than 100 wells in Burkina. Each well can provide clean water to villages that are home to 500 people. Larger villages of course require additional wells.

But providing clean water is not enough. We also want to also bring Living Water to the millions in this country who follow the predominant religion. Praise God—this is happening!

Because many Burkinabe are receiving drinkable water, they are now more open to hearing the good news.

Well Evangelism

Regrettably, when a village well in Burkina starts to get low, Christians are literally chased away and not allowed to draw water. So, most of our wells are located at or near a village church.

In several villages where we’ve completed wells, some of original wells have dried up. Believers have shown the love of Jesus to their nonbelieving neighbors, inviting the same people who previously chased them away from collecting water to come and drink from their well.

A few weeks ago, a team from the United States toured Burkina to see the wells that they had helped to fund. One night, we held an evangelistic service in three villages where we had helped to install wells.

Three adults gave their hearts to the Lord in each village—we now have nine new members in God’s family.

If we can’t bring clean water to the Burkinabe who are in dire need of it, how can we share the Living Water with the spiritually thirsty and expect them to receive it? Through building wells, we are blessed to meet both needs.

By David Strong

We know how to farm rice, but we don’t have access to land. We could help many poor families if only there was a field. Can CAMA help us?”

These were the words Pastor Joseph and the elders from Nazareth church shared with us in 1997. My family had recently been assigned to work with church-based community development initiatives in northwestern Cambodia. We desired to work alongside the Khmer Evangelical Church (KEC) enabling local congregations to demonstrate the love of Christ through addressing needs in their communities.

Read the rest of the story on the alife website.

In this exclusive from alife, we sat down with Jason Ostrander, director for Alliance Youth and Envision Culture, to talk about young adults, their experience, and the future of this new idea in global missions. Living missionally, Project Experience, and God’s will, were some of the many topics we discussed.

al: What is ENvision?

JO: ENvision is a combination of three offices at the C&MA: Alliance Youth, which I direct; Candidate Development, which is directed by Doug Bortner, and the Short-Term Missions Office, directed by Matt Peace. The three of us served as youth pastors together . . . and we realized pretty quickly upon working at the National Office that the synergy [we had] in the youth ministry world still existed here.

Read the rest of the story on the alife website.

My son is nine months old. I am no stranger to being woken up in the middle of the night. But last night was different. As I paced the room with him at about 3 a.m., I didn’t feel the tiredness and fatigue weighing me down. I felt a quiet peace, like an invitation. So I accepted.

An Honest Question

I walked over to the sliding glass doors that have a view of our neighborhood and joined God in a conversation. Lately that conversation has been circling back to one question: “Why am I here?”

With these sleepless nights and crazy days adjusting to this new mom-life, I don’t feel like I’m able to do much of anything that could be filed under ‘ministry’. “So why am I here, God?”

It’s not an angry question. It’s an honest one. And last night, God honored it with an honest answer.

Facing Down the Enemy

As I looked out over the rooftops of houses and the façades of apartment buildings, God opened my eyes to see beyond the physical. I saw five or six huge creatures, like vultures, perched on the rooftops. Each one was about 10 feet tall with sharp, gnarled claws and beady eyes.

One of the creatures lifted its wings and rearranged them against his dark body, as if he was uncomfortable or something was bothering him. Another looked over my way with irritation and annoyance.

I realized that the two creatures wanted to come over to our building, but they couldn’t. Something was stopping them. And they didn’t like it.

I’m new at this whole vision thing, but it doesn’t take a theology degree to understand the significance.

We live in an area where territorial demons that have long had the run of the land are being kicked off of their perches as the light of Christ overcomes the darkness.

Isaiah 61:1

This kind of glimpse into the spiritual realm isn’t something we’re used to in the American Church—or at least not in my experiences.

It is common knowledge here that these spirits not only exist—they have power. They have names. They have personalities. They have weapons. And every last one of these spirits has been defeated by Christ’s death and Resurrection.

As I held my son in my arms and looked out over the rooftops, I didn’t feel fear. I felt I was seeing the answer to why I am here. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. (Isaiah 61:1, NLT).

After serving Crown for 12 years, Dr. Rick Mann has decided not to seek another term as the College’s president, noting that his wife’s health played a role in his decision. With his current term expiring after the next academic year, Dr. Mann will leave Crown College on June 30, 2013.

According to Dr. Mann, “There has been no greater joy for Cheri and me than serving the greater Crown community over the last 12 years. Our students, faculty, staff, and board are among the finest you will find at any Christian college in America.” He continued, “As some of you may know, Cheri has some physical limitations that make living in a cold climate a challenge. While not serious, it would work better if we lived in a warmer climate.”

Don Berglund, Crown’s Board Chair added, “On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, we are grateful to our Lord for Dr. Rick Mann and for the vision and direction that has been established for the College under his leadership. While we thank both Rick and Cheri for their dedicated and effective service here, and trust God’s best for their future believing that God has something special in mind for them and for Crown, we are pleased that they have agreed to continue serving at Crown through the upcoming academic year.”

Crown is a college of The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). Dr. Gary Benedict, former president of Crown College (until 2005) is now the president of The Alliance headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dr. Benedict had this to say about his successor at Crown, “From the first day I met Dr. Mann in 1997, I sensed he would be an entrepreneurial leader in Alliance higher education. He has been that leader both as Provost and President! I am grateful for all the advances that have been made in programs and facilities. His commitment to excellence, Christ-centered education and global service are hallmarks of his ministry at Crown College”.

During Crown’s upcoming Board meeting in May, a search committee will be identified and a national search will begin as quickly as possible for the next chapter in the College’s leadership.

Dr. Mann elaborated, “In all honesty, Cheri and I do not know, yet, where we will live or what we will do next. What we do know is that Christ is clearly leading us into this next chapter. We believe that Crown College has a strong future and we look forward to serving during this upcoming year to insure Crown’s position moving into its next century is stronger than ever.”

ABOUT CROWN COLLEGE…

Since 1916, Crown College has remained an exceptional, private Christian college passionate in its preparation of Christians who serve Christ and influence the world. Located just west of Minneapolis, Crown is distinguished by its pledge to deliver a Christ-centered education that is academically excellent and globally connected. Ranked among the “Best Midwest Regional Colleges” by US News & World Report, Crown offers a variety of professional and graduate programs that are available online or on-campus. In an age of rapidly increasing tuition costs, Crown’s commitment to providing an affordable private college education is unrivaled.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Brian Wright,
Director of Marketing & Media Relations
wrightb@crown.edu
(952) 446-4133

The first believer in the group, Amy, named the fellowship Chi En (Amazing Grace) Church. “We met Amy during the first few months after moving into this community,” says Alliance worker Penny Iverson.

Amy, her husband, and son attended a parent-child English class taught by Penny and her husband, Tim. When the class ended, Christmas was approaching, so the Iversons invited the students to their home for a Christmas party. “That’s when Amy learned that we were Christians,” says Penny. About six months passed before they saw her again. “Then one evening, she stopped by our house. Almost the first words out of her mouth were, ‘What is a Christian, and how do I become one?’ This is very unusual in Taiwan.”

Goat and Sheep

“It is difficult for Taiwanese people to turn to Christ. They are not really persecuted, but because they value family harmony, they fear opposition from family members.” But soon after her second visit with the Iversons, Amy decided to follow Jesus.

“Amy’s growth in Christ has been steady and solid, and she’s been a real blessing to us,” Penny adds. “Her family did not oppose her decision, but her husband, Goat, became angry when Amy brought their son to church.  We are praying for Goat to become a sheep in God’s pasture.”

Praying Down Strongholds

“Overall, [our ministry] is slow-going compared to many places in the world, but we are praying for the day when there will be a real breakthrough,” Penny says. The Taiwanese worship many gods. Because ancestor worship is a family practice, it is probably one of the biggest hurdles for seekers to overcome.

Chi En Church is located in the poorest county in Taiwan, where alcoholism, gambling, and abuse are prevalent. “We have countless friends here [for whom we are praying]. We get excited for each little step they take toward God,” says Penny, who describes many of the church’s contacts as “works in progress.”

“Because of the small congregation and its low socioeconomic status, supporting a pastor isn’t easy,” Penny observes. “But an even bigger challenge is finding a Taiwanese pastor who senses God’s call to come to this ‘forgotten part’ of Taiwan to minister.”

Yet God is moving. At Christmas and at Easter, the Iversons tell Bible stories in their English classes, sharing the origins of these holidays. Last Christmas Eve, more than 60 interested people crowded into the Chi En Church facility, designed to hold about 20.

“Some were even looking in from the street,” says Penny, “and several in attendance indicated a desire to know more about Jesus.”

The Chi En Church stands as a beacon of hope in Yuan Chang Township. As Alliance workers shine the light of Jesus into this spiritually dark region of Taiwan, it is clear that God has not forgotten its people.

‘Being light’ can be dangerous

By Julie Daubé

“It was literally a battleground that day,” says Richard Herring, regional director for the C&MA’s Asia and Pacific region. “There’s no question in my mind that it was a spiritual attack. I knew it from the moment the elephant hit me—I knew it before I hit the ground, when I was still flying through the air.”

On November 4, 2009, during a visit to a crocodile and elephant park with participants of an Asia and Pacific Regional Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Richard Herring and Pieter Theron, who was then serving as the Mongolia field director, were seriously injured when an elephant attacked them while they posed for pictures. The animal flung the two men more than 10 feet into the air and onto the pavement. Richard suffered a shattered hip and broken pelvis; Pieter, who landed on his head, sustained a fractured skull and other injuries. Both men required an extensive recovery period beyond the weeks they spent in the hospital.

Read the rest of the story on the alife website.

Church partnerships are vital for creative-access workers

By Joseph F. Jalkiewicz

It was a wet, rainy morning in September 2011 when Jim Entwistle, Missions and Service pastor at Fellowship Alliance Chapel (FAC) in Medford, New Jersey, and his team boarded a jet at JFK International in New York City. One layover and 14 hours later, the men—three fellow pastors and two lay members of FAC, in addition to Jim—touched down to sunny skies and warm temperatures in “Long Beach.” Their mission: to help Alliance international workers Paul and Sarah Chandler* convert a broken-down, 200-year-old, concrete-and-tile building into a combination preschool/ESL center/Internet café and guest house in an ancient community near the coast.

The team got down to work with an intensity that rivaled “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” By the end of their seven-day mission, the members had built four sets of bunk beds for the guest rooms and a café bar, replaced dozens of pieces of missing marble and completed numerous other projects. They topped it all off—helped by more surplus funds than expected—with a sound system servicing the entire ground floor.

Read the rest of the story on the alife website.

Digital media’s impact on communications over the past two decades has opened a new door to global evangelism. The potential to shine the light of Christ into the most spiritually dark places on earth has increased exponentially through online media.

To that end, Internet Evangelism Day, April 29, was established to assist believers to “Go and make disciples of all nations,” with the touch of their computers, tablets, or smart phones. The Alliance is joining with the universal Church on Internet Evangelism Day to emphasize the use of this “ends-of-the-earth” media channel to take the whole gospel to the whole world.

Alliance Online

The Alliance established its official online presence in 1998 to “create a place for pastors to network with each other and find ministry resources,” says Deb Schermerhorn, who was one of the original Alliance Web team members. “We wanted to help reclaim the Internet for Christ and use it as a tool to advance the Kingdom.” The Alliance Web site received nearly 450,000 visitors in the past year.

More than 100 years ago, Alliance founder A. B. Simpson challenged Alliance people to “keep abreast of the progress of our age and be more and more of today in our message and ministry to our generation.”  Having launched the first Alliance magazine in 1882, Simpson was considered a pioneer in the use of widespread, progressive gospel media.

From the early days of Christian radio, when Alliance pastor A. W. Tozer called people to pursue God, to Christian broadcasts through solar-powered radios in the African bush, The Alliance has utilized the latest technology to advance the gospel. The Alliance Video Magazine is now seen by hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Jesus Tweets

Simpson’s exhortation could not be more relevant than it is today. With the rapid advance of Internet technology, The Alliance takes advantage of every opportunity to tell God’s story through social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and has made available on its Web site free downloadable resources for more than 5 million Alliance Christians worldwide.

Internet may become the primary evangelism tool of the future, making revival on a global scale a reality. On Internet Evangelism Day, The Alliance celebrates God’s empowerment to extend its global reach through the Internet to complete Christ’s Great Commission.

What You Can Do

• Visit The Alliance “Need Light?” page and share the link using your social media channels.
• Download The Alliance iPhone app and share the stories of what God is doing around the world.
• Watch the video about God’s message of love and hope and share The Alliance vimeo page with your friends.

• Read stories that highlight Alliance ministries throughout the world
• Learn about the Great Commission Fund.
• Make a donation to the GCF and enable The Alliance to send workers to the field who engage in holistic ministries, offering present and eternal hope in Jesus’ Name.