Sharing Stories of God`s Grace

Transcription

Sharing Stories
of God’s Grace
Everyone has a Story!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editor: Amy Tartick
Graphic Designer: Becky Patterson
Published: October 2012
© 2012 The Chapel
500 CrossPoint Parkway
Getzville, New York 14068
716.631.2636 | thechapel.com
5
Letter from the Editor
6
Kingdom Come
7
The Chapel at Lockport
8
Renovation Church
13
Chapel Ministries Engaging in God’s Grace
14
Completing the Task
16
Sierra Leone Alliance Updates
22
INTERVIEW: Brad Johnson/Mission of Hope Haiti
30
Tactical Prayer Map
32
INTERVIEW: Ryan Kozey/Renovation Network
36
ARTICLE: Jon Cook/Isaiah 61 Project
42
Local Partnerships Making a
Difference in Our Community
53
Why Should I Give?
54
Short Term Missions, Why?
56
Ministry Partner Directory
and more from our Stategic Church Planters
and more from our International Partners
and more from our National Partners
and more from our Regional Partners
Letter from
the Editor
By: Amy Tartick
D
o you remember the first time you understood
what it meant to have God’s grace poured
out and in your life? Grace that no one can
earn, nor do we deserve, yet God in his mercy
offers to every man, woman, and child through
the shed blood of Jesus. Through God’s plan
of redemption he offers forgiveness, salvation,
and his very presence in us, the mystery of
“…Christ in you, the hope of glory!”
(Colossians 1:27)
This has become one of my favorite times of the
year, not because of the changing seasons, rather,
it is the time we hear from all our Kingdom
Come partners and the wonderful things God is
accomplishing through them and their ministries.
We recently asked our Kingdom Come partners to
send in a “Grace Story”—a testimony of how God’s
grace was shared, received, and transformed a life
or lives for God’s glory. We hope you enjoy reading
more about what God is doing in the hearts and
lives of so many who have embraced the gospel,
surrendered their lives to Christ, and experienced
God’s grace in their lives. Your faithfulness in
supporting Kingdom Come is crucial to making
these stories and others possible—Thank you!
We are also very excited about a new feature to
On Mission—a Tactical Prayer Map—designed
to pull out and post to help you pray strategically
for our partners (see page 30). In Romans 15:30,
Paul pleads, “I urge you, brothers, by our Lord
Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join
me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”
We are able to join our Kingdom Come partners
in the field by praying for them. Nothing is
accomplished without prayer, and it is an essential
way everyone can participate in Kingdom Come.
Moving forward, The Chapel’s ministry
partnerships continue to be defined and refined
in light of our mission. Kingdom Come is
growing. Through our partnerships, we join
God on his mission locally in Buffalo, Amherst,
Williamsville, Lockport; regionally in places like
Niagara Falls, Syracuse, New York City, Scranton,
PA; nationally in Chicago, Houston, the West
Coast; and globally in Argentina, Sierra Leone,
Dominican Republic, Haiti, Ukraine, Brazil, India,
Mongolia and literally, to the uttermost parts
of the earth. It is incredible when you consider
the number of men, women and children who
have seen and heard the gospel this year through
our Kingdom Come partners. Strategic church
planting opportunities are targeting neighborhoods,
cities, even entire countries to be saturated with
God’s message of hope and salvation by meeting
physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Thank you for joining The Chapel on mission
this past year, and we invite you to continue on
this journey with us. We hope you are encouraged
by what you read between the covers of this
magazine and that in some way, the stories remind
you of your first encounter with God’s grace.
Defining The Chapel’s DNA:
Kingdom Come
By Daryl Largis
In our recent faith sermon series we were reminded
that without faith it is impossible to please God. It
therefore goes to follow that faith is the key to an ongoing, dynamic, and abundant life. A life where faith
is continually nurtured, challenged, strengthened and
exposed for the world to wonder and marvel upon, as
God gets the glory by the actions of his people. While
we can lean on at times and learn from the faith of
others, we must at the end of the day own our individual
priesthood which means our faith. This is at the core of
Kingdom Come. How? Kingdom Come represents a
fresh expression of faith in the lives of those who call The
Chapel home each year—individually and corporately.
Simply stated Kingdom Come is the primary way in
which The Chapel engages locally, regionally, nationally,
and globally in the mission to reach every man, woman
and child. Accordingly, we then have the privilege to enter
into this mission by faith! Those who have participated in
the past have assuredly a testimony to tell on how God
worked in their midst. I have heard many incredible stories,
and my family has their own given our participation.
How wonderful it is to be able to do this again, and
for others who have not, been able to participate in the
upcoming year. Given that this endeavor is based upon
faith, we ask all of The Chapel to participate by faith.
Participation, while seemingly easy, will require you to grow
in your faith and trust in God, which as we already know
pleases him. By faith make a commitment to give financially
to Kingdom Come above and beyond what you are already
giving. How? We do so by faith in that we prayerfully go
before God in his word, and contemplate what he would
have us do in the upcoming year related to Kingdom Come.
Basically it comes down to if he provides it we will give it
to Kingdom Come. It is that simple. How this happens is
as unique as your situation, but we must be attentive and
proactive for God works in ways which we sometimes do
not expect or anticipate. Our obedience driven by faith to
that which we sense begins an incredible journey that next
year you will be able to rejoice and declare his faithfulness.
So, as you read the stories of the lives contained within
this brochure, understand that the resources given to these
ministries came by faith, your faith and the faith of others
in our midst. God used those resources to plant churches—
some local, some regional, some national and hundreds
globally. God also used those resources to dramatically
increase the influence and capacity of existing ministries all
over the world who share our heartbeat and missional DNA.
New ministries were birthed that God is using to facilitate
his redemptive mission for entire nations. These are just a
sampling of all that God has done through Kingdom Come.
Faith offered by and expressed in his people is a powerful
force in this world. We are witnesses to this very thing! And
now we are again in a position to experience more of it as we
enter deeper into the mission of God to ensure that every
man, woman and child has repeated opportunities to hear,
see, experience and
then respond to the
redemptive message
of Jesus Christ. May
our response to God’s
invitation to join him
through Kingdom
Come increase our
faith and bring him
the most glory!
The Chapel
at lockporT
by Jonathan drake
The Chapel at Lockport has gone through some changes
this calendar year. Pastor Matt Eisenhower, who helped to
launch the campus in Easter of 2010, answered God’s call
on his life for the Army Chaplaincy. The leadership team
(both staff and non-staff ) was integral in the transition
as we began a new chapter for the Lockport Campus.
Our congregation gathers for corporate worship in The
Historic Palace Theatre (The Palace), right in the heart of
downtown Lockport. Of course, meeting in rented space
has its own set of challenges (setup/tear down, extra-early
mornings, scrambling at the last minute, and more) but
it also has its own set of benefits. With less than 50,000
people between the City and Town of Lockport, there is
hardly a soul who has not been in (or at least heard of )
The Palace. We are in a great location to touch many lives
with the gospel. The familiarity of a “secular” building
goes a long way for those who are either estranged from
or foreign to the idea of Church. The team at The Palace,
specifically the executive director, Christopher Parada,
has been incredibly gracious and accommodating to
the Lockport Campus these last two and a half years.
Directly across the street from The Palace is The Historic
Post Office–home for our King’s World (ages two through
fourth grade) and SHINE! (Middle School) ministries.
Dozens of kids gather every week to hear the gospel
in a way that they can understand and apply. We are
so glad to be a place where sometimes the kids are the
ones dragging Mom and Dad to church on Sunday–not
the other way around. Not only that but also our kids
are often leading out in the mission. Just this past May,
King’s World and SHINE! collected more than 200
boxes of cereal to bless a local homeless shelter–our
Kingdom Come ministry partner, Lockport CARES.
Beyond the flurry of activity on Sunday, there’s also so
much happening throughout the week. Together with our
CrossPoint Campus, we have Circle Groups that meet
in homes to provoke our people to live out the gospel
wherever they are, whether at home, at the office, at the
ball field, or at the grocery store. Every Wednesday, our
Set Free ministry gathers in The Historic Post Office.
It’s here that so many are discovering and experiencing
freedom in Christ from their addiction, whatever
it may be. Often I will meet someone on a Sunday
morning who found out about The Chapel at Lockport
through Set Free. This has become one of our biggest
connection points to a community that so desperately
needs the chain-breaking power of the gospel of Jesus.
Prayerfully, we are starting to see Lockport saturated
with that Good News. In August, we had an outdoor
concert that we branded, “Bagels, Barista, and Blues.”
We gave away more than 75 cups of coffee one Saturday
morning while a live blues band played near the corner
of Elm Street and East Avenue. The gospel message
was woven into the music itself and a band member
shared his “grace story” right in downtown Lockport.
One passerby asked someone from our congregation,
“Why are you doing this?” and her answer was simple:
“Because we try to love our community as Jesus would.”
We want God’s will to be done and his Kingdom to come
in Lockport as it is in heaven. And so, we believe that
means giving every man, woman and child in Lockport
repeated opportunities to see and hear the gospel of
Jesus. That’s why The Chapel at Lockport exists.
Together on the Mission,
Jonathan Drake
Strategic
c h u r c h p l a nt i n g s
It is exciting to see how God is using The Chapel’s
strategic church planting partners throughout our region.
Stories of how God is changing, indeed, healing hearts
and lives is unprecedented! From “Buffalo Gary,” to
Arabic-speaking Bible studies, to barroom bouncer turned
Kids Ministry “bouncer,” people are finding that God’s
grace is more than sufficient to make them whole.
Brek Cockrell
Lead Pastor
story by michelle stockton
G
od didn’t speak through a sermon that
chilly Sunday morning in November, 2008.
When Gary settled into a comfy high back chair
in theater three at The Chapel at Elmwood,
God invaded his heart through the music. The
worship overwhelmed him and compelled him
to tears. In the dim-lit crowded theater, he heard
Jesus say to him, “All is forgiven.” He knew in
that moment, he was willing to do whatever
it would take. This was the first Thanksgiving
that Gary had been sober. And it felt good.
Before landing in our rental theater, only a week
before moving into our new home down the road as
Renovation Church, Gary had just completed three
days of detox. He had hit rock bottom as probation
followed him around every corner. The skeletons in
his closet were creeping out and he couldn’t keep the
doors shut. God had tried to get Gary’s attention,
but suppressing the pain through alcohol and drugs
was far easier than facing his broken marriage, his
kids rejecting him, recurring job losses, no home
to call his own and a secret life. The Holy Spirit’s
conviction warranted a choice. December 15, 2008
Gary chose to put one foot in front of the other,
leading him downtown. He turned himself in.
He spent his “first Christmas sober” (since he was
13 years old) behind bars in an isolated cell with
nothing but the Bible. Jesus had him right where
He wanted him. Gary’s relationship with God
began to flourish in those silent moments. A friend
of his father’s began to write him, sharing his own
grace story. He called Gary a hero and a champion,
words that were so foreign to him. Gary wrote
Pastor Brek to stay connected, to reach out and to
say he’ll see us soon at Renovation. He continued
to journal and work through his steps. We waited.
If you come to the 9:00am gathering at Renovation,
you’ll meet “Buffalo Gary.” At our round tables, he
sits with his coffee and connects with others who
are struggling. He worships with all of his being,
crying out to the God who rescued him from a
miry pit of depression, pain and addiction. He
continues to make restitution with his children
and pursue a relationship with them, even though
it may never be what it could or should have been.
Gary attends AA meetings multiple times a week
and if you ask him, he’ll tell you, “Now I know it’s
okay to ask for help. There’s a miracle that happens
when you humble yourself. Now I help sponsor
others and share my grace story whenever I have
the opportunity. God doesn’t promise that I have a
job, a house or anything else, but he does promise
to deliver me.” Gary believes, “Change comes not
when we say we deserve it, but when we are ready to
accept it.” Even after 1,363 days sober, sharing your
grace story still has the power to set others free.
John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy; I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the full.”
strategic church plantings | 9
NorthGate Community Church
Missio Church
Jon Hasselbeck,
Lead Pastor
Jordan Stinziano, Elder/Pastor
At Missio Church in Syracuse, NY, we are taking our mission
seriously. We exist for God’s glory and to make much of him.
We exist to see his glory spread throughout our neighborhood,
our city, our state, our region, our nation, and the world.
In June 2012, we were blessed to move into a permanent
facility on the Near Westside of Syracuse’s Downtown. This
neighborhood is one of the poorest in our region. The facility,
a beautiful, old Presbyterian church building, provides us with
two critical elements. First, it gives us a permanent presence
in the community. We understand that the Church is not
a building, but rather a people. We hope to leverage that
presence to both share the good news of the gospel and serve
our community. The second critical element is proximity. Our
congregation is now in the midst of this neighborhood. Our
people are taking a vested interest in meeting needs as they
are identified, and the neighborhood, we hope, will in time see
the people of Missio Church as a benefit to their community.
Syracuse, like Buffalo, has a large refugee population. The
Near Westside is home to many Arabic speaking families,
mostly refugees from Iraq. A couple of years ago Missio and
Grace Chapel, one of our partners, helped to launch an Arabic
speaking Bible study with the hope of discipling believers who
could then take responsibility to proclaim the gospel to every
Arabic speaking man, woman and child in our community.
Over the years this study has grown and we are now seeing
the beginnings of an Arabic congregation that will be hosted
in our facility. At the same time, we are also strengthening
our partnership with the Nepali believers in our city, seeking
to help them develop leaders in their midst who embody
the gospel and take seriously their part in God’s redemptive
mission here. This fall we hope to launch a new Renovation
community among the Nepali in their own language.
Missio continues to see planting new congregations as a
critical element to its mission in Syracuse. Last year we
took responsibility for a congregation on the campus of
Syracuse University, University Church. Our hope is to
“re-plant” that congregation with a new DNA: taking
the gospel to every student, faculty and staff member at
the university. Our dream is to see University Church
look to plant another congregation in the near future
that focuses on the neighborhoods around SU.
10
| strategic church plantings
It is with great joy and amazement of God’s grace, that I
bring you this update regarding NorthGate. As a church
plant, NorthGate is three and a half years old and we had
been renting space at the AMC movie theater. The rental
expense was becoming unreasonable and we were limited in
our building use to only four hours on a Sunday morning
and no place to meet during the rest of the week. As we
prayed, God opened an amazing door for us to continue
to share the gospel. The New York State Mennonite
conference offered us the use of the building where I used
to pastor in the Mennonite Church. This is a beautiful
building, 5,000 square feet with 11.5 acres of land. We
began to rent the building about one and a half years ago.
We hoped that students from UB and Buffalo State would
continue to attend. Not only did they come and give their
lives to Christ but also the number of students involved in
the ministry increased! We also began to have people join
us from the community which has given our congregation
a new level of stability—of all ages! We have increased to
two services to accommodate the increased attendance. The
students began to tell us, they now felt they had a home
away from home and a sense of family and community.
When the Mennonite Church contacted us because
they had decided to sell the building, NorthGate had
no savings and some outstanding bills due to the theater
rental. God provided a miracle from many sources
(including $1 a week commitments from students to
larger monthly giving) that made a 20% deposit possible
within six months. As I write this to you, I am about to
walk out the door to the closing of this new building.
This year we have seen many people give their lives
to Christ. People have come from all over the region
and the world; Japan, Zimbabwe, India, China,
Taiwan, Germany, Sweden, Lockport, and Clarence,
to name a few. Thank for you helping to make this
possible through your generous and faithful giving
in seeking to reach every man, woman and child!
“As we prayed, God opened
an amazing door for us to
continue to share the gospel.”
Restoration Church
Dan TrippieLead Pastor
Steamtown Church
Dennis D’Augostine, Lead Pastor
The last twelve months have certainly been a time
of great change and anticipation. It has been more
than three years since we formally began gathering
as a church body and the ways in which we have
grown as a congregation are numerous. One of the
many evidences of grace we have experienced is the
deepening of our greater body partnerships within the
Christ Together Network. This past year, the elders of
Restoration Church and the elders of Missio Church
in Syracuse formed a high level partnership whereby
we are actively living in an interdependent relationship.
During this time we have been sharing materials,
commodities, and human resources. Restoration
Church and Missio Church have begun the process of
joint venture partnering to reach every man, woman
and child across the I-90 corridor and telescoping
together in places like Milan, Italy. As we attempt to
live out our shared principles, we are drawing circles of
accountability from Buffalo to Syracuse with hopes of
giving repeated opportunities to millions of people.
As we seek to grow in geographic intentionality, the Lord
has blessed us with the completion of a nine-month
building project. Our new facility at 504 Frankhauser
aids us immensely as we take responsibility not only to
the lostness of the Maplemere neighborhood, but also the
University of Buffalo North campus. Words will never
express our gratitude to the people of The Chapel for
the many hours of labor donated to this project. With
permanent space secure, we now feel we are able to set
our sights on forming a second congregation across town.
As we embark on the fourth year of a vision that
will be decades in the making, we give great thanks
for The Chapel. The people of Restoration stand on
the shoulders of all your faithfulness. We ask for
continued prayers and we look forward to growing
closer to the fellowship of The Chapel at CrossPoint
in the years to come. On behalf of the elders, deacons
and believers of Restoration Church, we love you.
Hi, my name is Jen Marshall, I’m 31, and was born and
raised in Fleetville, PA, which is about 20 minutes from
Scranton. When I was five, I trusted Christ through an
evangelistic campaign at a church near me. When I was
eight, I was home one night with my father while my
mother was at a prayer meeting at our church. I picked up
the phone and heard my father talking to a woman who
wasn’t my mom. He told her he got home safe and that
he loved her. Of course I told my mother later that night.
The whole situation shook my mother to her core. She
depended on my father for pretty much everything, and
although they stayed together, things were never the same.
In my teenage years, violence started to creep into my
family. My father never hit my mother, but there was a lot
more yelling and shoving. It was very hard for me to see.
I began to turn to things like hardcore shows, drugs,
alcohol, and men as a way to escape the pain. But I never
did. The whole time I knew Christ was with me… He
never left my side, but I continued to push him away.
I met my husband in my early twenties. A short time
after we were married, a co-worker of his told him
about Steamtown Church. We decided to go because of
his enthusiasm and passion. As soon as we entered the
facility, we were greeted by many people and felt at home.
And shortly after attending for a while, I began to open
my heart back up to Christ and let him take over. I was
baptized a little while later at Steamtown to publicly
proclaim that I’m a fully dedicated follower of Jesus, the
One who never left me, even when I tried to leave him.
“Restoration Church and Missio Church
have begun the process of joint venture
partnering to reach every man, woman
and child across the I-90 corridor...”
strategic church plantings | 11
people where they are at in their hurts, habits, and hangups! It remains the only twelve-step program that we offer
on Monday nights, so that all will filter through, being
able to connect Jesus with their true healing and hope!
theWELL
Darrick Castronova, Lead Pastor
TheWELL has experienced God’s great power in ways
beyond what we could have ever asked or imagined! It
has been our incredible privilege to journey alongside
those who are processing Jesus’ personal love for
them, many, for the first time! Most have struggled
through some sort of fear, addiction, shame, bitterness,
depression, divorce, anxiety, or “religion,” all to
discover that God is bigger than all of their pain!
On Sundays, we now have two gatherings allowing
ample space needed for children and adults. People are
discovering who God really is. They are realizing his
love and grace as they “stumble toward redemption,” and
understand that he is the only one who can truly fulfill
them. People are experiencing their value and worth for
the first time, and we are honored that God would allow
us the privilege to be involved in his story in such a way!
Two of the things we believe work the best in connecting
people to do the work in which God has called us to
do, is through small groups ( Journey Groups) and
serving others in and out of our community. “Everything
is about relationships, the rest is just details!”
When God gave us a building rent-free, never would
we have dreamed the building would come with
opportunities to reach so many people! We now
have more than 20 twelve-step groups connecting
weekly at what we call “theHOPE center.”
People often ask how it is going at theWELL. In one
word: EXHILARATING! To be a part of people’s
everyday lives, as they experience the God of the
universe to find hope in the midst of their pain, and
express joy as they learn to walk a new path—we have
never experienced anything quite like it before!
We have launched Celebrate Recovery (CRwithHOPE)
which is growing weekly. It is an incredible tool to reach
Over and over we will praise him for the salvation and
redemption he continues to offer by his unending grace!
Village Church
Jeremy Hazelton, Lead Pastor
In October 2011, Village Church began weekly
gatherings, intentionally reaching into the Elmwood
Village community. Sean Cronin, who oversees the
Village Kids Ministry has this story to share.
Shortly after moving into the city, I met a young man
whose reputation preceded him. Before I met him
his friends warned me about how wild, rambunctious
and quarrelsome he used to be before he immersed
himself in AA to overcome his addictions.
When we first met I’ll admit he intimidated me because of
his large stature and abrasive demeanor. He looked like a
bouncer that you’d see at a nightclub, which I later found out
was his former occupation. Suffice to say when I first met
him I didn’t think he’d ever be interested in Village Church.
To make a long story short we continued to hang out,
and one night we attended a Halloween party together.
There he met the girl of his dreams. They hit it off and
soon started to date. As they dated, I got to know her
and found out that she was a Christian and was looking
for a church in our neighborhood. I invited her to our
preview gatherings and she came with my friend in tow.
That was the first time my friend had ever attended a
church gathering in his life. He found it to be interesting
and inviting to non-Christians like himself. Not long
after that Sunday my friend asked me to meet with him
once a week and talk about life and explain some of his
questions about the Bible. Rarely do we miss a week.
While my friend has not surrendered his life to Christ,
he’s making a conscious effort to draw closer to him. Over
the past two years I’ve seen God work through my friend’s
life in amazing ways. One of the coolest details of the
story is how he now serves on the registration and security
team for our children’s ministry. As my friend’s story
illustrates, God is in the redemption business. At Village
he’s taken a former nightclub bouncer and has turned
him into the Village Kids bouncer. He’s taken a selfish,
violent alcoholic and turned him into a compassionate
servant, who is learning how to follow the ways of Jesus.
Chapel Ministries
Engaging in God’s Grace
I Can “Change” A Child’s Life
THRIVE
By Cassandra Dietz
By Linda Penn
This summer the first through fourth graders of the
King’s World Children’s Ministry were learning about
the virtues of LOVE and CONTENTMENT. We wanted to
show LOVE by collecting change for the kids of Hope’s
Rising Children’s Home in Sierra Leone for an eightweek period. Each week the KW children would bring in
their change. During our last song, they would worship
by giving to those in need and placing their change
they collected in their grade specific containers.
Many men and women have been used over the past
six years in the country of Costa Rica to not only share
the gospel but also to train, equip, disciple and lead
men and women in ministry. The only requirement to go
was a willingness to be used by Jesus for the week.
We had the honor of impacting the kids at Hope’s Rising
Children’s Home (HRCH) as our kids collected change for
bunk beds, crayons and pencils. From lemonade stands to
snack stands, they almost doubled our goal so we had to
ask what else we could ‘buy’ with the money collected. Our
first through fourth graders collected $2,566.71 in change
to purchase six triple-decker bunk beds, three double-decker
bunk beds, 408 pencils, 100 packs of crayons, tables for
the children to eat at, cupboards to hold their supplies, 23
LOL t-shirts for the kids and 23 LOL book bags for the new
school year! The money left over will be used to impact the
surrounding community through HRCH! Our kids showed
how they are CONTENT with what they have and showed
LOVE by being willing to give to kids who are in need!
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are
young. Set an example for the believers in what you
say and in how you live.” 1Timothy 4:12a (NIRV)
King’s World Cereal Collection
By Donaday Chapman
The King’s World kids of The Chapel at Lockport are learning
about RESPONSIBILITY. They are learning that they can be
trusted when they are responsible with what they’ve been
given. In a three-week period, they collected more than
200 boxes of cereal for the residents of Lockport CARES.
Lockport CARES is a local emergency shelter designed to
assist men, women, and children who have no place to go.
The mission trips took on various shapes, sizes, and
design depending on the Lord’s leading for the year with
the common goal of sharing Jesus Christ and his love for
us to others. Over the years the various trips included
medical treatment, working with churches individually
and collectively (60 pastor’s wives and missionaries
included), feeding the homeless, visiting refugee camps,
weekend women’s retreats, leadership conferences,
outdoor outreaches, street evangelism, sharing personal
testimonies, children’s programs, mentoring emphasis,
visiting area hospitals, visiting orphanages, teaching
job skills, building and constructing apartments for
missionaries, and getting a building converted into a
church. The Costa Rica area churches also adopted the
WNY Prayer 40-day emphasis as CR Prayer. It was awesome
to see churches partnering together for ministry. The
lessons revealed to us through God were priceless to
those who went and to the Costa Rican people as well.
It has been a great privilege to be a part of the Kingdom
Come ministry here at The Chapel. These trips were
hosted by THRIVE ministries. Women from other area
churches partnered with us on these trips. It is now
our privilege to begin shaping by God’s design the
next trip to the Dominican Republic in April 2013
for both men and women in the WNY area.
It is clear to see that our mission to reach every man, woman
and child is being woven into the very fabric of our ministries
here at The Chapel. Even our children seek to explore and
engage ways to join God in his Mission. You will be amazed
when you read how very effective these kids can be!
Also, The Chapel’s women’s ministry, THRIVE, offers
an update on their mission activities impacting Costa
Rica and what is on the horizon in 2013. Enjoy!
completing the task
“…people have to feel that intensity because there is only one church.
Not just in Buffalo, there is only one church. It is a new day of global
reality of interdependency that makes finishing the task possible!
…a new global interdependency that accentuates the finishing
of the task. Unapologetically church centric.” Dwight Smith
I
Dwight Smith and his wife, Patti, just returned
from a two-month mission that included India and
Ethiopia and shared this exciting GF update:
Global Fellowship Founder, Dwight Smith shared in a
recent interview, “For generations, world mission leaders
have asked the question how do we complete the task left
us by our Savior, to take the gospel to every man, woman
and child on the planet? …For much of my adult life that
dream was more potential than reality. But, with the size
of the Church worldwide and the receptivity that the
Holy Spirit is working out ahead of us, the day is now!”
I continue to be blessed and humanly amazed at the
Church in India. After nearly 30 years of involvement
there, we are one small piece of a miracle of the
Spirit of God. Patti and I will not see anything more
profound in our lifetime. In the last twenty years,
hundreds of thousands of churches have been planted,
tens of millions of people have become followers of
Jesus, and tens of thousands of poor and unprotected
have been loved and helped. I am humbled to think
of the hundreds of other servants, both Indian and
expatriate who worked tirelessly to see this day but
went to be with the Lord before it occurred, leaving
us to experience the fruit of their faithfulness.
n Matthew 28, God invites, well actually commands,
believers to join him on his mission, Missio Dei, with
Jesus’ words, “…go and make disciples of all nations…”
Indeed, Christ followers have been working diligently to
fulfill the Great Commission for more than 2,000 years,
even to the point of giving their very lives. Until recently,
this task seemed fairly unattainable, reaching every
man, woman and child with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Global Fellowship (GF) was designed beyond the
scope and labor-intensive dynamics of traditional
mission organizations in recruiting, training and
sending missionaries from one country to another.
GF seeks to catalyze and facilitate national movements
of the gospel with indigenous leaders and churches.
Through this, they are strategically building valuable
relationships with leaders in specific parts of the world
who will not only be instrumental in evangelizing their
own nation but also effectually reach into contiguous
nations to do the same. By offering training and other
resources, GF is empowering the Global Church to
finish the Great Commission within their distinctive
national contexts. Through interdependent cooperation
of the Global Church, completing the task becomes
possible, dare we say probable…in our lifetime.
The key to completing this task isn’t necessarily church
planting, although this is a significant component
of the plan. Saturation is the primary emphasis—
mobilizing believers to become witnesses to every
man, woman and child to offer the gospel in ways
that can be seen, heard and experienced. In essence,
being what God designed the Church to do.
The miracle is not over. It is as if all this were merely
the preparatory interlude for a grander harvest to
come. I don’t know if Patti and I will see the full extent
of the history that is about to be written through the
Church of India, by the Holy Spirit. We are extremely
thankful that our history in the nation has enabled the
Spirit of God to quickly give the needed credibility
and access to raise up national leaders. Those leaders
are already working diligently in 12 states to release
the training to as many local contexts as possible.
Ethiopia was also a joyous surprise. There are about 18
million evangelical Christians in the midst of a nation
of 80 million. Patti and I meet with an evangelical
alliance that represents the vast majority of Christians
and their denominations. We are praying about the
invitation issued to us by their executive counsel.
Please pray with us that they and we will clearly hear
from the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your friendship.
Currently, GF has established working relationships
with the church in Ukraine, India, and the Caribbean,
and is developing them in Argentina, Ethiopia,
China, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
To learn more about Global Fellowship, visit online at gfmission.com.
SIERRA
LEONE
ALLIANCE
UPDATE
S
ierra Leone, located in West Africa, is perhaps best
known for “Blood Diamonds” and a decade-long
brutal civil war that took the lives of an estimated
50,000 people. Although the conflict was officially
over in 2002, Sierra Leoneans still struggle today.
Their war now is with abject poverty as men, women
and children strive to obtain the essentials for life
including clean water, sanitation, education, medical
care, and the ability to provide for their families.
In the spring of 2009, representatives from EduNations,
Global Outreach Mission, Houghton College, Jericho
Road Ministries and The Chapel gathered around the
table to share how their organizations were serving
in Sierra Leone. Finding common ground, they also
began to strategize how they could effectively support
one another with the purpose of enabling a national
redemptive movement of God. Let them LOL
joined the Alliance and its ongoing efforts, bringing
a distinct passion to provide people with clean water
and more recently, building and supporting a home
for children in need. Through their collaborative
efforts, another year with the Sierra Leone Alliance
has brought about new clean water wells, sanitation
facilities, schools, Christian education, church planting,
micro-finance opportunities and so much more. All
of which are instrumental in offering the gospel of
Jesus Christ in ways that every man, woman and
child in Sierra Leone will be able to see and hear.
As a member of the Sierra Leone Alliance, The Chapel
supports the efforts of each organization through
financial and other resources. This support affords
assistance to Alliance members to help take its purpose
from the strategy phase to reality, by providing for
the many needs of Sierra Leoneans. We hope you
enjoy their updates and stories realizing how not
just “organizations” benefit from Kingdom Come
partnerships, but individuals who now have hearts
changed by responding to the gospel and following
Jesus. Through your support of Kingdom Come, you are
a crucial part of this extraordinary work. Thank you.
“EduNations is intended to be a practical, concrete
demonstration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
“Wound care has taken on a whole new dimension in this ‘rustic’
setting. Cleaning and keeping wounds clean is an enormous
task where ‘keep it clean and dry’ is nearly impossible...”
EduNations
Global Outreach Mission
EduNations was founded in 2004 by three families
which had adopted children orphaned in the “Blood
Diamonds War” fought in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
It was founded in response to the persistent prayers of
those children for their friends who were left behind;
prayers of gratitude and intercession from children who
had experienced God’s grace in a real and tangible form.
The Lost Gift (a story from the field): Last year, many
individuals, gave resources and medical supplies so that
we could deliver them to the Mokanji Hospital, in Sierra
Leone, West Africa. The people that gave those supplies
did not know how they would be used, nor did they seek
any reward for these gifts. However, I think it is important
to understand just how powerful this type of giving is,
and how it is received in places where we are working and
bringing the love of Christ.
Rick Kennedy
EduNations is intended to be a practical, concrete
demonstration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That
demonstration takes the form of schools. EduNations
has established and operates eight schools serving more
than two thousand children who would otherwise
have absolutely no access to education. EduNations
employs a faculty of 100 teachers. All of the EduNations
schools are free and open to all children. At each
school, the students have access to clean drinking
water, clean sanitary facilities, food, medicine, and
to the good news of the world’s one true Hope.
Please pray that Pappa God will continue to bless
the efforts of EduNations as it seeks to glorify him
by serving lost and forgotten children living in the
remotest parts of the poorest country on the planet.
Dennis Campbell
My wife decided to inventory medical supplies given
from Western New York… we were eager to figure out
just what we had. And that is where I discovered the
nearly 500 single-use packs of… Surgilube, that very
nectar of the operating room, that essence of sterility,
that bacteriostatic potion that has saved many lives.
Wound care has taken on a whole new dimension in
this ‘rustic’ setting. Cleaning and keeping wounds clean
is an enormous task where ‘keep it clean and dry’ is
nearly impossible and it is often lost in translation. It
is impossible to do daily dressing changes, and semisterile conditions to do dressing changes, well it only
exists in my dreams. So… Surgilube to the rescue!
Soak and thoroughly clean the wound as best you can
and lather on the Surgilube. Apply dressing and tell
the patient to come back in 3 days. It is a beautiful
sight to see a clean wound on the first dressing change
and renewed tissue with the second dressing change.
As the fame of the treatments spreads, there has been
a down side...we are running low on Surgilube.
18
| sierra leone alliance
This is an example how a gift that is given from far away
can be such a powerful gift of love and is saving lives. Best
of all, the building of relationships so that the sharing of
the Good News of Jesus Christ can be seen is wonderful.
Surgilube, is just one of the practical resources, needed
in the daily operations of the clinic, and is a reminder
of how this donation became just the perfect treatment
needed at this location. This is truly a great blessing!
“In its second season, the [Mango Outgrowers] project was a
huge success, a testament to God’s grace and provision.”
“This year we had the privilege to open a children’s home for orphaned children.”
Houghton College
Let Them LOL
From early March to early May, 2012, assisted by the
Sierra Leone Alliance, two Houghton College interns—
Andrew Bonanno and Anya Jones—worked with World
Hope International in Makeni to help with preparations
for the upcoming mango season as part of the Mango
Outgrowers Project. In its second season, the project was
a huge success, a testament to God’s grace and provision.
Farmers sold 45,700 crates of mangoes, a 350% increase
from last year’s pilot season. The project now links 2,300
farmers in 157 village cooperatives to the international
juice market.
Let Them LOL from day one has been a story of miracles.
From a simple idea to help give people clean water,
to three years later 55 wells funded, with thousands
of people getting access to clean drinking water.
Houghton College also completed its fourth consecutive
Sierra Leone research course in May 2012, led by
Dr. Ron Oakerson. Seven students participated. The
research team undertook two tasks: (1) an evaluation of
the second mango season, completing interviews in 30
villages, and (2) designing and field-testing a baseline
study to be used to measure the longer term impact of the
Mango Outgrowers Project. The baseline study is being
carried out by World Hope staff at present, after which
Houghton faculty and students will participate in analysis
of the data collected. These steps will allow the Mango
Project to continue to grow and bless Sierra Leoneans as a
measure of God’s grace and provision, done in his name.
There is a very special lady living in Let Them LOL’s
Hope’s Rising Children’s Home. Her name is Violet. On
our first trip we watched her young son ( Jonathan) die
from a water related disease. His story ignited a spark
that helped make Let Them LOL what it is today. We
maintained a relationship with Violet over the years and
invited her to be a house mom in our new children’s home.
Violet and her daughters are thriving in their new home.
Mark Hijleh
Joe & Kate Vacanti
This year we had the privilege to open a children’s home
for orphaned children. When we arrived this March
to dedicate the home, we faced some challenges. God
helped us through and we were able to move in 23
orphaned and impoverished children. They are all healthy
and happy and all passed this semester of school!
Here is an excerpt from a letter Violet wrote to us:
“In a very special way, on behalf of my entire family I
want to thank you very much. Since you entered my
life, I have realized the presence of God. Because I
have started seeing the reality of all you told me.”
sierra leone alliance | 19
Jericho Road Ministries
Myron Glick
More than ten years ago, Jericho Road Family Practice
began to provide medical care to approximately 100
refugees from Sierra Leone, Africa on the West Side
of Buffalo, NY. These displaced people fled a civil war
and after spending years in various refugee camps, were
resettled in Buffalo by the United States government.
One of the first refugees we met was a woman named
Phebian Fengai-Abdulai. She is a mother of five children
and a pastor’s wife. As a nurse she delivered babies,
performed minor surgical procedures and administered
medications. When the war came to her home town of
Koidu, she fled with her family barely escaping with her
life. After many dangerous encounters and unpredictable
circumstances she arrived in Buffalo broken and
discouraged. Ultimately, through the support of Journey’s
End Refugee Services, a local church that adopted her
family, and Jericho Road she experienced healing. Eight
years ago Phebian joined the nursing team at Jericho
Road and has been a faithful employee ever since. More
recently she continued her Nursing education and
earned her professional license as a Registered Nurse.
We at Jericho Road are very proud of our sister, Phebian
and many other former refugees in our community!
For years, Phebian has spoken of the need in Sierra Leone
and of her desire to return to her country so she could
be a part of the rebuilding process there. It is because of
her passion and faith that we are following her home. In
February 2013, Jericho Road Family Practice is planning to
send another medical team to the Kono District of Sierra
Leone. The purpose of this trip will be threefold; to begin
construction of a health center and mobile medical clinic
in Koidu; to provide a one-day medical clinic in each of the
four targeted outreach communities (Njaima, Tombudu,
Woama and Tefeya); and to help Phebian establish
the start of our mobile medical clinic health education
outreach program. Phebian has sacrificially agreed to stay
in Sierra Leone for the next six months to help nurture
and implement this vision of providing good quality health
care in the name of Jesus to the people of Sierra Leone!
Drilling rig in a Sierra Leone Village
Children of Sierra Leone
20
| sierra leone alliance
This is Violet. She is the house mom for Hope’s Rising Children’s Home.
“The Church is the Church only when it exists for
others... not dominating, but helping and serving. It
must tell men of every calling what it means to live
for Christ, to exist for others.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
international partners
Two years have passed since the
devastating earthquake in Haiti,
and you may be wondering what The
Chapel is doing in the long term to
help the survivors recover from this
natural disaster. Through intensive
evaluations of various ministry
partnership opportunities, The Chapel
found Mission of Hope Haiti (MOH)
to resonate deeply with our mission to
reach every man, woman and child
with the gospel of Jesus Christ in Haiti.
Earlier this year, a Chapel leadership
team met with MOH to strategize
and develop necessary resource needs
and mission teams. Partnering with
other churches in WNY and nationally,
The Chapel plans to assist with these
necessary resources to help engage an
indigenous redemptive movement of
God in specific locations with the hope of
further understanding our role in Haiti.
Recently, On Mission was able to catch
up with Brad Johnson, President of
MOH for an interview.
On Mission: What is Mission of Hope’s mission in
Haiti?
Brad Johnson: As an organization following
Jesus Christ, we seek to bring life transformation
to every man, woman and child in Haiti.
OM: How is MOH helping in the recovery of Haiti?
to Leveque! The community moved over in shifts, as new
homes came to completion. And again with God’s grace,
JoJo was one of the first to receive a brand new home!
The day arrived for the homes to be passed out and
JoJo was wheeled up to receive the key. In that moment
you could see the pride in his face and witness the
vindication of many years, not being able to do for
himself what others do for themselves every day.
Brad: Recovery from the devastating earthquake of
2010 is a part of what we are doing in Haiti, but our
It was an amazing and humbling moment for everyone at
main objective is to use the entirety of the gospel to reach
Mission of Hope to see life transformation happen right
the lost in Haiti. Many of the programs we had in place
before our very eyes. In total, MOH gave out 100 homes:
before the earthquake have simply increased in size since
fifty homes to people who were deaf or handicapped
2010. We are feeding nearly 60,000 people a day through
and fifty homes to those who had their homes destroyed
our Haiti1 program,
by the earthquake.
will have over 3,000
students in the School
On most days you can
An Interview With:
of Hope this school
find JoJo sitting on his
year, and we’re excited
front porch willing for
to see what God is
anyone to come by for
doing through the
a visit. He is quick to
intentionality of our
tell you all about what
Church Advancement
God did in his life!
President of Mission of Hope Haiti
Program in our
surrounding villages.
OM: What is
on the horizon
OM: How has having The Chapel as a ministry
for MOH—biggest hurdles, opportunities, and other
partner made a difference in the recovery
challenges you anticipate MOH will face in 2013?
of Haiti through MOH’s ministry?
Brad: The horizon holds some amazing opportunities
Brad: Because of your sacrificial giving and your
to see what God is going to do in Haiti. We have
Every Child initiative, we have been able to continue
Vision 2015 where we want to see over 10,000 students
to provide for and take in orphans into the Village
reached by our school systems, over 100,000 with our
of Hope orphanage. We are also excited about the
Christian Education and Nutrition programs, Church
upcoming Church Advancement partnership in the
Advancement begin to spread the gospel in depth and
community of Bercy, where you have partnered with
width in our surrounding communities, and continue
us to own the lostness in that geography. We want
to raise young leaders that will transform a nation. The
to ensure that every man, woman, and child knows
major hurdle continues to be keeping pace with the vision
Jesus, is educated, and feels the impact of the gospel.
that God has put in place. As we continue to grow and
expand, we want to make sure that we remain focused on
OM: Is there a story you can share about an individual
that vision and on the Vision that God has set before us.
receiving God’s grace through your ministry?
OM: How can The Chapel family best
Brad: This is the story of JoJo. His eyes jump with
support MOH in prayer?
joy and his smile is infectious. As JoJo came forward
Brad: Pray that relationships continue to form, both
to receive the certificate and keys for his new home, he
in country and across borders that advance the gospel.
could hardly contain himself. JoJo was born with no arms
and no legs. Everywhere he goes he has to have someone
Pray that in all of our many activities and projects, we will
make sure they are being done for the purpose of putting
push him around. And in Haiti, it is survival of the fittest,
the gospel in front of as many people as possible. Pray
especially in Cite Soleil where he lived. (Cite Soleil is
for young men and women in Haiti to continue to grow
recognized as one of the worst slums in the Western
up with a gospel-centered worldview, and take positions
Hemisphere!) He found himself living in the deaf
of influence that will begin transforming a nation.
community and will tell you God placed them together.
JoJo could be their ears and voices, as they became
his hands and feet. Through the Grace of God and a
beautiful partnership, the deaf community was relocated
Brad Johnson
international partners | 23
Strategic International Partner:
HBI Global Partners, Bobby Gupta
Thank you so very much for standing with us
in this great task of proclaiming the gospel,
discipling people to Christ and bringing them
into communities of believers. We also want to
thank you for helping us to train and develop
indigenous leaders who have taken the life-changing
gospel to millions of unevangelized people and
thousands of unreached villages, so that Christ
is incarnated in the midst of unreached people.
Touched by a simple prayer, Kalai became a person
whose story is now wrapped into God’s grace!
Kalai is a young delivery boy for Domino Pizza
who grew up in a slum that was greatly impacted
by the ministry of a local church that turned
the community from darkness into light.
Kalai resisted the gospel but God brought him
one day into our context. A rather impatient
short term team dragged him into their blessing
for pizza but did not realize what was happening
as they prayed for the food and for Kalai.
He got a hold of Malini immediately after the
prayer and said, “Ma’am, something happened to
me when you prayed and I need to talk to you.”
He was still a Hindu but he remembered the
church visiting his father who was dying from
cancer and how they compassionately visited his
home, regularly and faithfully praying for his
father. He should have died but he is still alive.
It was at that moment as the team prayed with
him, God broke into his life and helped him
understand how resistant he was to God’s grace.
Kalai said, “Ma’am I must have a Bible to read,”
Malini quickly called the office, and requested for a
Bible to be brought. One of our staff was introduced
to Kalai and took him to her office where she shared
God’s grace and the message of the cross. That
evening was when he experienced God’s saving grace
and forgiveness as Kalai received Christ into his life.
Today, Kalai is being discipled by Malini’s
associate Rani. We just want to praise God
after years of hearing the gospel, Malini had
the privilege of helping him cross that line
to receive the Lord as his personal Savior.
Patch Our Planet, Steve Gillis
As we sat in our first meeting with our Costa
Rican church partner, one of my board members
and I took time to explain that we did not come
with an agenda. We came to serve. Surprisingly,
the room fell silent. After a long pause, the pastor
spoke up. He was trying to understand why we
were really there. We could tell they were excited
but seemed hesitant because of challenging past
partnerships. We were there to serve the church’s
vision in order to reach their community’s orphans.
So, each day we visited orphanages with leaders
from our partner church. It was amazing to
watch how God opened their eyes to the
enormous needs in their community. They
listened to the challenging stories from some of
the orphanage directors and met the children
who were at the center of those stories.
24
| international partners
At the end of our week, we sat down for our final
meeting. As the pastor and church leadership
shared their moving personal experiences
from the orphanages, there was one passionate
response that I will never forget. One leader
said, “We must do something!” With that,
the ministry to orphans began at El Camino
Church. We helped them see the need and God
moved on their hearts to meet that need.
I believe when the Church cares for orphans,
God’s smile is on full display. I know it was his
grace that opened the door for us that week in
Costa Rica. He continues to open doors for Patch
Our Planet. By God’s grace, the echo continues to
resound as The Chapel and other churches step up
to help end the orphan crisis at home and abroad.
We want to see a world where every church in
every community is caring for every orphan.
“...the teenagers again mocked and laughed. I approached them and preached
within three feet of them. They were shocked but listened.”
Eduardo Paez, a pastor in Cinco Saltos, Neuquen, pictured with his wife.
Jeff Hackett
Alex Belmar
SCORE International
I first visited the Village of Los Montones in 2003
with the high school ministry of The Chapel. As we
approached the village a sense of oppression, darkness
came over us. The houses were in disrepair and garbage
strewn all over. A baseball diamond sat, no longer cared
for. We invited the people to hear and see our ministry.
They came dressed in torn clothes and curious of us.
The young men in the back mocked us as we sang and
performed our drama. As I preached they laughed
and mocked what I was saying. No one responded
to receive Christ. We left somewhat discouraged.
In 2006, another Score missionary and I preached, the
teenagers again mocked and laughed. I approached
them and preached within three feet of them. They
were shocked but listened. The missionary returned
every week to build a relationship and ultimately invited
them to a camp for a week. Many gave their lives to
Christ! Light was beginning to pierce the darkness.
Each time I continued to visit with groups from the
States another would surrender to Christ. In 2008, Score’s
new Bible Institute’s students were these teenagers from
Los Montones! Along with their hearts the physical
appearance of the village also changed, including repair,
paint, a new school building, and a church. And the field
is now manicured like a major league baseball diamond.
The darkness of voodoo and satanic worship of Los
Montones involved many of the young men and is
now gone! Some of these men have been ordained
and are pastoring churches. They now talk of how
God might use them to plant more churches in the
Dominican Republic and other parts of the world.
The people of Los Montones have experienced God’s
grace first hand. I pray that you would come with
me soon to visit these men of God personally.
Presidir.net
God’s grace has allowed us to envision and begin
the ministry of Presidir, to assist leadership in the
mobilization of the Church, so that every believer
would be motivated and equipped to share their story
of grace. This became a reality in the life and church
of Eduardo Paez, one of the pastors of a church in
Cinco Saltos, Neuquen (Southern Argentina).
Eduardo is a pastor’s son and was raised attending church
every weekend. Six months ago, Presidir began the process
of working with the leadership team of the “Iglesia de
Cinco Saltos” around the table and defining God’s vision
for him and the church. As a result of the process, he
understood God’s vision for him in his role as pastor.
Eduardo shared, “Before we worked with a shovel
and hoe—working programs without a clear vision.
Now we feel like a surgeon with a scalpel. As a pastor,
I now understand the crucial importance of seeking
God and my responsibility before the congregation.”
The church has taken on their circle of responsibility
for reaching 40,000 people around their church area
to give repeated opportunities to every man, woman
and child to see and hear God’s redemptive message of
grace. The congregation is being equipped and motivated
to live a missional life, sharing their grace story from
Monday to Saturday in their circle of influence.
As Paul said, “By God’s grace, we are in the
ministry,” and from grace to grace we want to see
the lives of many leaders in the Church in Argentina
and Latin America, be transformed so they can
challenge the people to fight for the redemption
of every man, woman, and child in Argentina.
Thank you for being a part of making this possible. We
love and appreciate you, and thank God for your lives.
ABWE
(Church Planting Brazil)
Nathan & Cherith Logan
We would like to share a story about God’s grace
of provision for our entire church, Igreja Batista
Esperança (Hope Baptist Church). For almost two
years our church had been renting a conference room
in a commercial office building. As growth took place,
the need for more space was apparent, so research
on another location began. The week after our search
began, the building management changed and the
new manager told us we could no longer have our
services in the building. We only had five days to find
a new location for the following Sunday but were
confident of the Lord’s provision and guidance.
Through providential conversations and relationships
over the next few weeks, our church was offered a rentfree, weekly location at a movie theater in a well-known
shopping mall. On Sunday mornings we have complete
access to two theaters that each seat 180 people as
well as the kid’s area in the food court. The location
is strategic, the people are excited, and we have seen
continued visitors coming and hearing the gospel!
In addition to being blessed with a great location, we have been blessed
to work with gifted and godly Brazilian partners. Maicon, our pastoral
intern, (pictured above) is reviewing his message before preaching.
Our soccer outreach ministry is growing and needs to find an
additional field. After playing basketball most of his life, Nate
is enjoying this learning opportunity of just using his feet!
26
ABWE
(Church Planting Czech Republic)
Steven and Cari Wendel
This year’s 5th of July outreach event promised
to be a good one, with quality beef ready for the
grill, bigger and better fireworks than the year
before, and a host of new friends and acquaintances
to invite…nearly all of them unbelievers.
No sooner had we got the meat on the grill, than an
enormous storm blew in, and a torrential downpour
ensued. The rain was blowing in squalls and lightning
struck the power poles outside of our house knocking
the power out for the remainder of the evening. As all 40
of our guests retreated into our home, we lit candles and
scrambled to find something to do. A Christian friend
grabbed a guitar out of our garage and began playing
worship music. Her father then took the opportunity to
give his personal testimony of salvation, as he himself
trusted Christ through the ministry of missionaries
serving behind the Iron Curtain 40 years ago, and
encouraged our visitors to likewise believe and pursue
knowing more about God through our family. What
appeared to be a disastrous evening, turned out to be one
of the most significant outreaches we held this year!
ABWE-GAP
John & Bev
We first met Suumpi in 2007 in Yangon, Myanmar.
He invited us to visit his work at the Yuzana
Gardens on the outskirts of Yangon. Suumpi and
his family were reaching their Burmese Buddhist
community through programs for children, prayer
and visitation for the sick, and teaching English.
But Suumpi’s vision was much bigger; he saw a need
in the community for clean water, and a business
opportunity to make the church plant self-supporting.
We provided a micro-economic loan and “The
Living Water” church plant enterprise was born.
Subsequently, Suumpi has purchased a computer
business and opened an outreach center for
neighborhood children. When the church had
sufficient funds to build, he told me, “We need
bricks, but I don’t want bricks, I want a brick maker
so after we finish the church we can launch another
small business to provide more jobs for people in the
community.” Along with The Living Water enterprise,
the “Winning Star” Computer training center for
youth, and the recently purchased brick maker, Suumpi
is also supervising tract translation and distribution to
evangelists and Christians in other unreached areas.
Please join us in praying for Suumpi, and his wife,
Man Maan, who are expecting their second child.
Campus
Crusade for Christ
Michael and Amy Ramos
Many ministry situations that Amy and I have been
involved in this year have been extremely personal
and confidential. Our missionary roles have placed
us in decision-making processes for both individuals
and families who have been impacted by significant
life-changing events. We see God’s grace in that we
are “welcomed” when serving our staff during these
difficult times. We have realized that God goes before
us, and through his Spirit gives those that he wants us
to serve, the immediate confidence and trust that we
are there “for” them. The devil’s hand is to divide and
conquer by turning his people against each other, but
we have put our assurance in God leading rather than in
our “skills and gifts” leading which has led to victories
for our ministry! We are thankful and appreciate The
Chapel’s support for what we do at Campus Crusade
for Christ. Please keep our two roles in your prayers
in that they continue to support our missionaries and
their families to have effective undistracted ministry.
Transformation
Mongolia
Word of Life Bolivia
Juan & Noemi Lella
Axel Fischer
The story of grace we would like to share is about a planned
suicide that turned into a powerful salvation! Budee was
successful and lived with his family. But everything changed
when his wife left him. He was crushed, and he tried to escape
his pain by drinking alcohol. Soon he was grabbed by the
addiction, and even his last friends left him. He ended up on
the street, known for being permanently drunk and crazy.
One day he got a gun, put it to the head, and was about ready
to pull the trigger. He couldn’t do it. He wanted to get more
alcohol first. So he went to a shop, and as he was talking to
the seller, she told him that there is hope for him; he should
come to church tomorrow. I happened to be there that
morning, since I was traveling to our countryside daughter
churches. The service had started, and as I was preaching
Budee bumped in. He first squeezed in the back between
the people. As I was sharing about the overflowing life
which overcomes death, he jumped up and cried out of his
devastating situation, “I want to kill myself ! There is no hope!”
I encouraged him to listen to this good news, which is
for him. The church people were comforting him and
loving him. He became calm, finally peaceful, and at the
end even joyful and full of hope. He gave his life to Jesus.
Since that day he hasn’t had a single drop of alcohol and
is in daily fellowship with our local pastor. Just a few
days ago, I came back to that town in the countryside.
After visiting Budee in his home, I can personally testify
to how Jesus has saved and transformed the man!
Axel and Budee, pictured above, taken August 9th 2012,
he was saved April 29th 2012.
28
In the city of Guayaramerin (near the Brazilian border), we
went to a school to present an evangelism program: “Born
Again to a Living Hope.” We knew that in this school they
sell drugs, that there are gangs, and serious social conflicts.
At the end of the presentation, while we were talking with
the students, we had the opportunity to chat with a boy
who was alone, and who had an “effeminate appearance.”
His name was “Joselito” and he was 15 years old. We shared
the gospel with him and he began to cry inconsolably for
many minutes. When we shared that “we are all sinners,”
the boy said that he was “very sinful and God would not
be able to pardon him,”… and he continued to cry.
When asked what was wrong, he said, “I feel dirty,
dirty, dirty, and nothing can clean me.” We showed
him in the Bible about the great forgiveness of
God and finally, Joselito received Christ.
After this we asked him, “What is it that was keeping you
from receiving God’s forgiveness?” Joselito said his mother
was separated from his father, and that her current partner
would come into Joselito’s room drunk every night and
sexually abuse him. For this reason, he felt very bad.
Now Joselito is being discipled by a missionary in
that city. Additionally, we made a legal complaint
in order to bring order to the situation.
The Church exists for nothing else but to draw
men into Christ… If they are not doing that, all
the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even
the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God
became Man for no other purpose.
C. S. Lewis
An Interview With:
Ryan Kozey
of Christ Together
Recently, On Mission was able to catch up with
Dr. Ryan Kozey, Director of Strategic Initiatives
for The Chapel and a National Delivery Team
member for Christ Together on the merger of Christ
Together and the Renovation Network. Ryan is
able to share insights and expectations for moving
forward in unity as Renovation principles continue
to gather significant influence on a national level.
On Mission: Please introduce us to what Christ
Together is and share how it is connected to the Renovation
Network.
Ryan Kozey: Christ Together and Renovation Network
took part in a merger over the past 12-15 months. The new
expression of that group is now going to be known as Christ
Together. The addition of Christ Together from Chicago, Hill
Country Bible Church in Austin, and The Chapel in Buffalo
has been a great source of encouragement and momentum
as we seek to take an intentional look at giving every man,
woman and child, the repeated opportunity to see, hear, and
respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The leadership
from Jerry Gillis (Buffalo), Daryl Largis (Buffalo), Tim Hawks
(Austin), Bob King (Austin), Jamie Wamsley (Chicago), and
Scott Chapman (Chicago), has been incredible, and we are so
excited to see what this journey of partnership will develop into.
OM: With Christ Together and Renovation Network
unifying their efforts, what is the scope and depth of
the influence we now have in the US and abroad?
Ryan: We now have a documented “reach” to over
1,000 churches domestically in the United States. While
not all churches exhibit the same level of partnership
that some key stakeholders in the movement do, having
such a platform to begin to penetrate other churches
in the US with these ideas is incredibly exciting.
OM: What is Christ Together on course to accomplish in
2013?
Ryan: First and foremost, we are galvanizing our core
group of participants before the end of 2012. In November,
we will be meeting in Austin, TX with about 150-200 of our
closer partners within the merged network, taking the time
to walk them through what the new Christ Together looks
like and what we are endeavoring to do in the years to come.
Additionally, we are in the process of establishing a cohesive,
digital presence where we can direct people toward if they
demonstrate an interest in taking ownership of the geography
that God has placed them in. That digital presence will help
to assimilate what we believe are three essential core groups in
the understanding of our ethos (the justification for why we
should endeavor to do this) and methodology (the framework
through which we should constantly assess ourselves and
our impact on the lostness of our geography), which are 1)
Network and Denominational leaders; 2) Church/Pastoral Staff
leaders; 3) Christians who want to see God do amazing things
in their workplace, their family, and in their neighborhood.
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| national partners
In 2013, we will gather for the first time, under the banner
of Christ Together, nationally! It is our sincere hope and
belief that many will be excited about what they have
an opportunity to join us in. I’m grateful for a variety of
networks throughout the country, but I’m very excited
about the ethos and methodology that we will put forth,
because it is correlated with what rises up out of Scripture.
OM: How do you see God at work in Christ
Together through the network as a whole?
Ryan: Unfortunately, one of the struggles that I’ve seen
within church leadership in my years in ministry is a desire
to control things. In many ways, I think that hampers us
in our ability to release people into ministry domains that
God has created for them (home, workplace, neighborhood,
etc.). I have not experienced that in our partnership with
the godly men that have been contributing to this merger.
Watching a lead pastor default to someone else, based
on their skill set or ability is an amazing thing to see. I’m
grateful for the opportunities I have personally had to
provide some level of leadership in this, but the reality is I
could not do that without the willingness of other leaders
to distribute the responsibility before us. I’m grateful for
that. And I believe we are better positioned because of that.
OM: Is there an individual’s story of grace
that stands out that you could share?
Ryan: Yes, my wife and I have been on a journey in
our lives where we have been compelled by the gospel
to open up our home as foster parents. This may or may
not lead to adoption, but we have seen how God’s Word
is clear in providing for the orphan and the widow. As
that has happened to us, God has surrounded us with
other families who have been faithful in that journey:
- The King family who has been heavily
involved in foster care in Austin, TX.
- The Chapman family who has adopted
two beautiful girls from overseas.
- The Brunelles who have been heavily involved in foster
care in Cleveland, OH and have even taken on adopting
a handful of high needs children in the process.
These men are key leaders in Christ Together
nationally or regionally. As Erin and I had prayed
about this, God surrounded us with incredible
examples and their grace stories motivated us
beyond belief. We have taken one girl in, and we are
excited with whatever God would have for us.
OM: What is the greatest challenge Christ
Together anticipates in the coming year?
Ryan: A decentralized network requires very
intentional communication and intentional presence in
between the times where we are not physically together
in the same room. I believe that our ability to navigate
this endeavor while not being in the same place at the
same time, all of the time, will be a challenge for us. The
times that we are together physically generate incredible
momentum (as evidenced by what took place in our
official merger in Atlanta, GA in June). We need to
continue that momentum and communication in the
times that are between our getting together face-to-face.
OM: How can The Chapel family
best pray for Christ Together?
Ryan: Sometimes I feel as if people look at prayer
as a given, but that someone will be committed to
doing that for us. Frankly, that’s a frustrating thing
for me, because I have struggled with that in my own
life. The best thing that I can think of is to envision
our Chapel family with the following idea:
Every Sunday, if you attend The Chapel, you come into
an atrium that is bustling with people, and above those
people is a very clear mission—to give every man, woman,
and child the repeated opportunity to hear, see, and
respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. I think that
many have seen it. But have we actually thought about
the weight of that? Have we thought about what that is
going to take in order to make that happen in Niagara
and Erie county? Have we truly wrestled with how to do
that for more than 310 million Americans? That message,
if we are not careful to feel the weight of it, can become
what many mission statements become—rhetoric. My
prayer is to ask for The Chapel family to help us not let
that mission statement be simply words. Rather, pray
that it would come alive in a way that we would have no
earthly understanding of what happened in our geography
and in the geography of the United States, except to say
that GOD did something AMAZING in this country!
There are men and women in the United States right
now that The Chapel is in lock step with, and they are
passionately serious about that. Pray that God would
help the members of Christ Together to continue to yield
to the Holy Spirit’s direction in all of this. Pray that we
would make much of God. Pray that the words above
us every Sunday in The Chapel would come to life here
in Niagara and Erie County and throughout the US.
national partners | 33
Strategic National Partner:
Renovation University
O
ne does not have to look very far to see the
challenges faced by leaders in ministry today from
failing marriages, personal moral lapses, loneliness,
exhaustion, frustration in leading others, unrealistic
expectations, lack of resources, inability to execute and
an incomplete understanding of themselves. These
challenges, if not addressed, have the potential to
corrupt character, ruin careers and adversely impact
entire ministries. Even so, there is opportunity. God is
moving and desires to continue his redemptive work
in and through his people. This will require competent,
capable and Renovation-minded leaders in the time to
come. In response to this need, Renovation University
became an outgrowth of the Renovation Institute,
Renovation Network and Global Fellowship as an effort
to strategically equip ministry leaders today so that they
will stay strong for tomorrow.
In March 2011, a select group of pastors began
a two-year journey together through the intense
leadership training at Renovation University (Reno
U). Our pilot program participants will complete the
course and graduate in December 2012. Participants
persevered through stacks of reading and writing,
coupled with all-day conferences four times a year
and activities that ranged from Lectio Divina to sky
high adventures on zip lines to street ministry with
Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission. Reno U is intentional,
challenging, and cultivates an environment designed
to equip and to empower the next generation of
ministry leadership so that they can live, lead and
serve well, consistent with the purposes of God.
“Much of Bible College teaches us who God is through
theology and biblical studies classes. Churches are
designed to bring us closer to God. Reno U is designed to
help leaders discover who they really are and how God
has made them. RU trains leaders to run “the Race” with
excellence for a lifetime.” Dennis D’Augostine
“Our goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to the hockey community
in each state, impacting coaches, players and family members to grow
in their relationship with our Heavenly Father.”
Fellowship of Christian
Athletes Ice Hockey Ministry
Rick Randazzo, National Director
Following the Lord’s plan for our lives requires us to
have a tremendous amount of faith and trust in him.
This past year, our family embarked on a five-year
journey that will see us live in all 50 states, spending
one month in every state across the United States.
Our goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to
the hockey community in each state, impacting
coaches, players and family members to grow in their
relationship with our Heavenly Father. As we set
out to Portland, Maine last August, our plan was to
reach coaches and players who did not know Jesus
on a personal level. As we started to accomplish this
mission, something else happened in our lives that
was unexpected. The people we were ministering
to started ministering to us. How amazing it was
to receive encouragement, support, love and prayer
from families, coaches, and people we had just met…
pretty awesome. Looking back, I am amazed how
God shared his love and grace with us through his
people. As we served them, they turned around
and served us—a true Acts 2:42 community.
Ministry highlights for us included:
- The Randazzo family completed the first
10 states on our 50 State 50 City tour.
- During seven summer hockey camps across
the United States we saw 45 players accept
Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and
44 others recommited their lives to Jesus.
- Traveled to Erzurum, Turkey and conducted
four on-ice hockey clinics for Muslim
youth hockey players and coaches.
Singing Waters Christian Center
Enrique Dominguez, Pastor
Word Of Life Locak Church Ministries - SUPERBOWL
Word of Life Local
Church Ministries
Rod & Jamie Whitney
Support from The Chapel has helped us significantly in
our ministry here in Buffalo, Rochester and the entire
Northeast. Annually we run an all-night event called
SUPERBOWL. Last November we presented the gospel
to 1,300 students and leaders in the northeast and 19,700
nationally. In Rochester, 138 students came forward
to receive Christ and were counseled, given a Gospel
of John and a follow-up booklet called First Steps.
I would love to share just one story from a 13 year old
girl, Emma, who wrote saying, “This was my second
year of going to the SUPERBOWL. My fav part was
the speech we got before all the games began…when
he asked people to come…I just stood and walked up.
The woman (counselor) I was with was so nice and she
understood everything and when we were done praying I
was thinking about everything that I knew was a horrible
sin and I felt like it was lifted off of my shoulders…I
know that now I have a place in heaven when I die.”
What a JOY to partner with The Chapel in reaching
hundreds of students for Christ! Your prayers and
support really touch many lives. Thank you!
“Potluck Christianity”—a gathering place where everyone
brings something to the table. Thursday afternoons
folks come bringing a favorite dish to share. Music
begins playing and it is on…laughter, catching up and,
of course, a feast. At “sevenish” the café room is filled
as people sit around tables with their refreshments
and desserts while they talk about their week.
Music starts as we offer our gratitude through song
to our Savior, hearts stirred, prayers given, Scriptures
shared, and people touched. A time of quiet reflection,
listening to Jesus…he is not just the “guest of
honor,” he is the “emcee.” Opening question is asked,
interactive teaching follows. Closing question is
presented and the application of truth is forged.
Each table has its own story that is being fashioned.
Peter and Jackson lead the AA table helping their
friends find Jesus. Andrew leads the high school group
during table talk, Teresa speaking into the lives of
the Jr. High girls group, the prayer team going deep
as usual, and Spanish is overheard as Luis leads the
conversation in their native language. Every table
has a story that has been written with new chapters
added. Stories of grace received, mercy given, healing
experienced, truth discovered. Potluck Christianity…
SEND
Kent & Joan Wilson
Mobilizing can be frustrating at times, and it makes
me wonder if I am effective in presenting the need for
workers to serve in missions. Then the Lord brings
into my life a young man like Pavel M.— a man full
of excitement and enthusiasm to work in Ukraine to
plant churches and evangelize. He already speaks the
language and has a wife and four children. He has a true
burden to reach these people. He knows he needs to raise
support for this endeavor, and he trusts God to help him
reach this goal so he can go and minister in Ukraine.
I have enjoyed talking with him and helping him learn
the process of getting to the field. His willingness and
patience as he prepares to go through the necessary
procedures is a true joy and encouragement to me.
The Lord already knows who will come into his kingdom
as a result of faithful service and obedience to preach
God’s truth. Faithfully doing my part is what God asks
of me, and I praise him for his guidance in my life.
national partners | 35
the
ISAIAH 61 PROJECT
article by jon cook
“The Isaiah 61 Project has positioned itself to bring numerous churches,
service providers, businesses, foundations, government entities and
educational institutions together to reclaim this city and its people
for Him…one home, one family, one person at a time.” Jim Haid
T
oday I had an eye-opening, yet encouraging experience as I
met with Jim Haid, an awesome guy who’s in the trenches of
ministry here in Western New York. He’s heading up a new ministry
endeavor called the “Isaiah 61 Project.” The Isaiah 61 Project has
set up shop right in the heart of poverty, in the city of Niagara
Falls. Their office is in the poorest neighborhood in the entire city.
While some might see that as depressing, there is hope everywhere
you look when you see through the lens of this new ministry!
Isaiah 61’s mission is to “provide repeated exposure to the gospel
through the vehicle of serving the immediate material and
vocational needs of the city’s residents.” From what I saw and
heard, they are poised to do exactly that! They are partnering
with several churches and other ministries to see that the gospel
is made known and the tangible love of Christ displayed.
Honestly, as I walked the
streets with Jim, I was
saddened to remember
how some people in
my own backyard are
living. As he reminded
me, this is as much of a
mission field as anywhere
else in the world. Gang
influence, corrupt
officials, drug use running
rampant, abandoned
buildings, and so much
more make the situation
volatile. How can the
people living here have a fighting chance for success and change with
all of these variables against them? Well, that’s where Isaiah 61 wants
to change the game! They have met with city officials and are preparing
to receive abandoned buildings off the city’s ownership roles. Training
classes will be offered to area residents providing them with basic skills
to find a job, and these abandoned buildings will be their training
ground. Renovating these buildings into usable space will provide work
for the people and experience to find a place in the workforce. The fruit
of the work will transform abandoned buildings that no one wants into
desperately needed quality housing, not owned by slum lords, but by
those who care for the community and love the people who need them.
Looking at this neighborhood while hearing Jim’s heart and
vision for what God could do made me excited! How cool is that
he and those serving with him are willing to step out in faith,
believing that God loves these people and has a plan for them,
and knowing that the love of Christ can be shared through these
actions. I’m so thankful for him, and for those like him, who
don’t just talk about what could be but are getting it done!
“Approximately 60%
of the city’s residents
receive some sort of
public assistance, while
21% of the residential
property remains
vacant.” Jim Haid
regional partners | 37
ABWE
Pastor Al Cockrell
Strategic Regional Partner:
Vision New York
Jim Hines
O
ver the past year, God has moved in some
amazing ways and has opened doors with leaders
throughout the NYC Metro area. As we interact with
leaders around our region, we are looking to build
partnerships with those who share our vision of seeing
the gospel presented to every man, woman and child
in our city, region, nation and the world. God has been
gracious to allow connections to be made and strategic
partnerships to be formed.
One specific example would be that we recently
completed the “Renovation” training with a group of
pastors on Long Island. This was a great opportunity
to cast vision and help these leaders shape and define
their ministry’s mission, vision and values, bringing
them in alignment with God’s “Missio Dei.” During this
ten-month process, we met together every thirty days to
discuss the materials we were interacting with and seek
the Lord for his direction.
In February of this year, we had the privilege of having
Dwight Smith come to New York and walk our team
through the final session of the Renovation training. We
finished that session by asking the question, “What’s
next?” for this group of men. The conclusion was that
in early 2013, we are planning to start another session
of Renovation training and walk a new group of leaders
through the principals that lead to Saturation Church
Planting. In addition, we are asking God to help us open
two other Renovation Centers somewhere in the NYC
Metro Area.
Thank you so much for partnering with Vision New
York as we pursue the vision of presenting the gospel to
every man, woman and child together!
38
| regional partners
Sacrifices are being made by those who have
dedicated themselves to do whatever it takes and go
wherever God leads in order to “complete the task
the Lord Jesus has given… testifying to the gospel
of God’s grace.” Sacrifices like the one Nadine
Hennesey made after her husband of less than a
year died suddenly of heart failure while still in
his twenties. Nadine was expecting her first child.
For a time, all her dreams of serving the Lord with
her husband somewhere in the world were over.
After a long struggle in dealing with her loss, she
again began to dream of how she fit into God’s big
picture. As a single mother with an understanding
of what it is like to suddenly lose one’s mate, she
looked toward Kosovo where war between the
Serbs and Albanians in 1998 and 1999 had killed
huge numbers of young to middle-aged men
leaving thousands of single moms and orphans.
Nadine applied and was accepted as ABWE’s
first-ever single mom-to-be granted opportunity
to go to the mission field. Her tragic experience
uniquely equipped Nadine for her initial ministry
which was to establish friendships with the widows
of the war dead who grieved deeply, suffering
from confusion and heartbreak. These contacts
led her to start what has become a school called
the “House of Laughter.” The school gained such
positive reviews from the national leadership
that the government has granted ABWE a large
piece of land in the center of Kosovo where
Nadine will head up a fully-equipped school.
Recently, leaders from Kosovo visited the home
offices of ABWE. God has granted favor to our
mission agency, mainly because of how effectively
God has used Nadine to impact that war torn
country. It is strongly Muslim, but because of
Nadine’s sacrifice, hundreds of women and
countless children have been won to Christ.
A personal note from Pastor Al: Thank you for the
faithfulness that you have demonstrated over these past
24 months. I never dreamed that when Kingdom Come
was initiated that I would be one of the recipients
of the generosity of the people who we challenged to
“Get Out of the Box.” Get out of the box they did!
Little did we know what God really wanted to do.
So now we rejoice in it, and praise his great name!
“Our activities include Lasertron,... our big ‘slope and slide,’ and our
recreation room with ping pong, fooz-ball, four square, and more.”
“Forty-five families took advantage of the Christmas Shop, and no family
needed to spend more than $20 total.”
Circle “C” Ranch
Destination Life Fellowship
This summer at Circle ‘C’ Ranch was terrific. Every
Monday night in chapel we had scores of campers
step out publicly to accept Christ. Staff members were
called, and they came forward to counsel one of the
campers, girl with girl and boy with boy. They sat all over
the Chapel and with their Bible in hand they led the
camper to Christ as they had been taught in training.
On December 17, 2011, Destination Life Fellowship
in Niagara Falls was able to set up our first “Affordable
Christmas Shop” at American Legion Post 1644. This
was possible because members of The Chapel generously
donated gifts for all ages. Families that we minister to
through our clothes closet/food pantry were able to
buy gifts for their family members at greatly reduced
prices, mostly between 50¢ and $5.00. Forty-five families
took advantage of the Christmas Shop, and no family
needed to spend more than $20 total. This was a great
opportunity not only for families to buy affordable gifts,
but for us to present the gospel and minister to them.
Wes Aarum, Sr.
Improvements are happening at Circle “C” Ranch!
We transformed our platform with a new lighting
system and a new sound system. We also lifted our
stage three feet higher so now everyone can see.
We did something ‘new’ this year. We had some of our
male staff preach to the seniors on Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Thursday, and they did well. We will not be
surprised if a few of them change their college major
and enter the ministry. We have had it happen before.
Mark & Anne Perkins
We are sending a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who
generously donated to this ministry effort in providing
gifts for families who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
Our activities include Lasertron, rock wall climbing,
horseback riding, swimming in two beautiful pools,
sand volleyball, basketball, our big ‘slope and slide,’
and our recreation room with ping pong, foozball, four square, and more. Food is very important,
and we have the best served family style (all you
can eat). We do have fun at Circle ‘C’ Ranch!
“An annual Labor Day party has been catalytic for us, and the believers are
catching the vision of how we can reach our entire community together.”
“We are a place where the “least of these” can be welcomed without
judgment... such is the grace of our God through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
Life Transforming Ministries
Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission
God has shown incredible grace to the ministry
this year. As we unite the body of Christ in the
Philadelphia area to reach every man, woman, and
child, God has allowed many hearts and minds to be
more open to what he is doing. Pastors are coming
together and prayer-watered, Spirit-led plans are
being made to reach our region with the gospel.
Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission is a grace-based
ministry where the love of Christ is shared daily to
struggling men, women and even children…many
suffering through uncontrollable circumstances such
as job loss or perhaps bad choices leading them to
helpless situations or even terrible addictions.
Dolph Laraio
Also, locally, the believers in our neighborhood are
beginning to meet to talk about how we can reach
our direct neighbors and build relationships with
them. An annual Labor Day party has been catalytic
for us, and the believers are catching the vision of
how we can reach our entire community together.
We are encouraged by staff growth this year as
well. People are stepping out in faith, trust, and
hope because they know God is with them in this
effort. And the support of folks from The Chapel
and elsewhere is a clear manifestation of that
confidence. Thank you for your faithfulness!
40
| regional partners
Shaun Smith
We are a place where the “least of these” can be welcomed
without judgment… such is the grace of our God
through our Lord Jesus Christ! We are a place of second,
third and virtually unlimited chances, as one strives to
find purpose within a hopeless life. As the ground is
level at the cross of Jesus, so it is at the front door of
the Mission… for every story here, is a “grace” story.
Growing from a vision to a new, thriving, rescue ministry,
we are serving food and shelter daily, and we thank our
Lord Jesus Christ for churches like The Chapel. You
are truly the life-giving “heart” that nourishes and are
often the “hands” of the Body of Christ in the mission
fields of cities like Niagara Falls. Thank you for helping
us with our portion of the gospel’s work of grace!
“Our Sunday Children/Youth attendance is up 75%; due largely to God leading
kids to this space through outreach efforts that occur during the week.”
“When my son was at risk of walking away from God... they invested in him
and are encouraging him to live out a faith in Jesus that’s his own.”
The Springville Crossing Church The Rock Community Church
Keith Clark
Mike Hopkins & Dave Brunelle
Last year we shared how God allowed us to be a part of
an amazing story for his glory. It involved a drug addicted
barber whose shop was attached to the theater where we
worship. A relationship was built, much prayer occurred,
an intervention happened, and he went to rehab. The
church then converted the barber shop into a youth
center. As Paul Harvey would say, “and now, for the rest
of the story…” well, thus far anyway. This young man has
completed rehab through Teen Challenge and has even
been serving there. The church was blessed to hear his,
and other testimonies, one amazing Sunday. We have
since been building a relationship with Teen Challenge as
we see God bringing to us many struggling addicts. And
now, as this young man assimilates back into society, he
is connecting with The Crossing, attending on Sundays,
being ministered to throughout the week, and seeking
ways to serve. Truly, amazing! But, that is only part of it.
Sandra and her two teenage children came to The
Rock in the midst of a very difficult season for their
family. She says, “My faith was faltering and so was
my kids’. I just needed a place for my kids and me to
come and hear simple faith in Jesus taught.” When
Sandra came, she found the multi-ethnic congregation
so warm and loving that she felt at home right away.
Through worship services that had a simple focus on
Jesus Christ and his Gospel, and her involvement in a
women’s Bible study, her faith was strengthening. Leaders
at The Rock began praying with and for Sandra regularly,
and she began to sense God working in the situations
her family was dealing with. “Not only was my faith
strengthened but several leaders engaged my kids. When
my son was at risk of just walking away from God and
the Church, they invested in him and are encouraging
him to live out a faith in Jesus that’s his own.”
Remember the space converted to a Youth Center? Our
Sunday Children/Youth attendance is up 75%; due largely
to God leading kids to this space through outreach efforts
that occur during the week. A relationship is built, an
invite is extended, and the people come! God is the Great
Recycler! He is doing it with this young man before our
eyes, and he has done it with the space. God has allowed
us to experience other amazing stories in 2012 but we felt
a “to be continued” was appropriate. Thanks Chapel!
Now Sandra and her children have a renewed
hope and are deeply connected to The Rock
through several different ministries and also serve
together as a family on the worship team.
We are sending a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who
generously donated to this ministry effort in providing
gifts for families who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
local partnerships
Strategic Local Partner:
Buffalo City Mission
Stuart Harper
Lois, 25+ year volunteer
The Buffalo City Mission exists to meet the spiritual and practical needs of the poor
through the demonstration of the love and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“The fellow that has no money is poor. The fellow that has nothing but money is poorer
still.” Billy Sunday, Founder of the Buffalo City Mission
Many poor come to the mission homeless, feeling hopeless and helpless to make the
needed changes to provide for their daily needs. By meeting the practical needs we are
able to share the grace of God, to give value and meaning to the lives of others and to
share the gospel with individuals that are hurting and spiritually dying.
One of the disciples said this so very well, “When I was on the street I had all the
money in the world, but was eating out of a dumpster. When I came to the mission
I had no money and had everything.” He had found the Lord and had all he really
needed.
Together the community and the Buffalo City Mission serve the poor of our
community. This service takes place as individuals and groups volunteer. Our church
ambassadors, businesses, civic organizations and others who have a heart to make a
difference in the lives of others, help show that the grace of God is alive and active at
the Buffalo City Mission.
XCEL leadership Center
Toni Benjamin
This year, two adults in particular have moved from
having ‘jobs’ working with children, to building
‘careers’ in the service of youth. Ashley Gorny
had “years of experience” before her Buffalo State
College Service Learning Class brought her to
XCELr8 for a semester. That semester of tutoring
and mentoring students turned into a full year as
a strategic partner of XCEL Leadership Center.
Even Ashley’s family noticed the difference that
service and leadership development made in her
life. Ashley was a changed woman. Her experience
at XCELr8 secured a coveted internship in one
of Erie County’s student and family advocacy
organizations. The leadership skills and training
that Ashley cultivated were essential to charting
out a new path of youth counseling and education.
After her college graduation and a relaxed
work schedule, Ashley could follow her father’s
urging and “go back to serving at XCELr8.”
Ayla Ruiz-Torres is another excellent example
of cultivation of the leadership skills she
was born with. Ayla ‘thought’ she did not
absolutely love working with students. Then
a year of directing XCELr8 transformed her
thinking. Now, Ayla is even more engrossed
in serving youth and young adults in various
ways throughout the city of Buffalo.
We also wanted to share this recent note: “I
am the parent of two XCELr8 students. I also
completed the Making End$ Meet (Your Goals):
Financial Literacy Training workshop. It has
given me a better understanding or a better
outlook on my finances and how important
it is to stick to a budget on a monthly basis.
I have learned how to keep accurate records
effectively, and the importance of being consistent.
I even came up with a few ideas on how to
generate a second income. The workshop has
helped me find the resources to take steps to
obtaining my first home. Thank you XCEL!”
Broadway Hope
Scott Steger
I was saved by God’s grace in February of 1993.
Transformed, made clean and my feet set upon a
brand new hope-filled path. I stepped off the broad
way of destruction onto a narrow way of life and
peace. The first verse that God gave me was Matthew
7:13-14; here Jesus speaks about “the broad road
to destruction and the narrow road to life.”
A few years later while my brother was researching
our family history, he discovered that the
German name Steger refers to “one who lives
near a narrow path.” Today, outside our door at
Broadway Hope, a narrow path winds back to
the beautiful land which we have been blessed
with for the opportunity to share the gospel.
Because of sin we are born on this broad way. Thanks
to God’s love and grace, he offers every man, woman
and child an opportunity to walk the narrow way.
God continues to bless Broadway Hope by bringing
many to experience a natural and God blessed
environment. Here, they are given the opportunity to
make that most important decision, to follow Jesus.
making a difference in our community
Buffalo Christian Center
Campus Ambassadors
From our “Merge” youth ministry: Jack, who
was 16 years old, entered Merge for the first
time. He had previously been hanging with
other young guys attending the program and
they encouraged him to come to Merge. The
consensus was that he would probably never
come, and that his life style included drug dealing
and wild living. Well, someone had been wrong.
It just so happened that on his first night, the
topic was hurt and pain, which encompassed past
grievances afflicted on us by those closest to us.
After the large group discussion, we broke down
into smaller groups and stories began gushing out
about abandonment, harassment, molestation,
shootings and many unimaginable situations
that these young people had experienced. Jack
was in a small group. The conversation was so
intense that even when everyone was dismissed,
many stayed behind. The small group had
diminished to five teens, four of them knew
both Christ and Jack. The youths left in the
discussion had each shared their stories with
Jack, and Jack had accepted Christ into his
heart. A few weeks later, Jack was at Merge
greeting his friends with hugs and they assured
me that he was pursuing his walk with Christ!
Alyssa was on a journey, trying to figure out what makes
Christians tick. Having grown up in an atheistic Buddhist
home, religion did not make sense to her. But her new-found
friends of Campus Ambassadors (CA) at UB intrigued her.
Jim Swearingen
Paul Decker
We invited Alyssa to Infusion (CA’s end of the year
regional retreat) and her answer was a clear “no.” But
the CA community communicated how much they
wanted her to be there. The day before Infusion began,
Alyssa registered online and bought train tickets.
At the retreat, Alyssa was having a great time, but she was also
very serious. She attended my class, “Is Jesus Really God?”
During the class, she was extremely attentive. She asked
intelligent questions as we covered the classic argument of
C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity: Jesus is either a liar, lunatic,
or Lord. Clearly, she was wrestling with the choices.
After our evening worship, Alyssa grabbed one of our
other students, Andre, and peppered him with questions
for three hours. Every objection she could come up
with, Andre handled deftly and graciously.
The next day, Alyssa came to me to talk. I told her about the time
I first encountered Lewis’ argument and how I kept looking for
the loophole. Not to my surprise, she said, “Me too!” and then
told me about her conversation with Andre (of which, until that
moment, I was unaware). “In the end,” she said, “I got it.”
“Got it?” I questioned. “What do you mean?”
“I am a Christian,” Alyssa stated and then explained how she had
decided to become a Christian, and how Andre had led her in prayer.
I don’t think I will ever be able to describe the joy of that moment.
Two years of conversations, texts, hugs, meetings over lunch, emails,
and genuine compassion for her needs—communicated by CA
staff and friends—had borne eternal fruit. It was a day to dance.
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Christian Central Academy
Nurline Lawrence
Story by Debby White
For the sixth consecutive year, as a culmination of
their experience at Christian Central Academy, CCA’s
seniors embarked on a mission trip to the Dominican
Republic with the intent to serve, share the love of Jesus
Christ, minister to the physical needs of the people,
and assist with small building projects in churches.
While year-long training prepared the students for
most of the trip, the actual experience of being far
out of their “comfort zone” proved transformational
for many in the class. Close living quarters on the
SCORE International compound, coupled with each
one daily extending him or herself in ministry brought
about a unique bonding in the class. Several students
expressed how, by reaching out to orphans, the poor
and the uncared-for, their faith and trust in the Lord
Jesus Christ was deepened and nurtured. They saw
God answer prayer and work in their own lives and
the lives of their classmates. The senior mission trip
is one expression of CCA’s constant commitment
as a school to provide every opportunity for each
student to be transformed in heart and mind through
a Christ-centered worldview, taught and trained to
serve the world through their character and leadership.
Christian Counseling
Ministries of WNY
Timothy & Cheryl Chambers
How does one explain how a young child could face
such horrific sexual abuse by her dad and by God’s
grace not remember it until she was 21 years of age,
when he picked her up from college and raped her? Up
to that point she had completely blocked out the events
which were at that very moment flooding her brain.
At times she would completely dissociate from reality
and one time found herself in a ditch after driving in
on-coming traffic. God spared her the memory of the
abuse when it happened and he then kept her safe when
he believed she was ready to face it. Through five long
years we have sorted through each of those flashbacks
and discovered a seed of hope as she has finally put
words to her unexplained “bleeding heart.” She said to
me the other day, “You know I am finally beginning
to believe that there is a time when the flashbacks will
end.” That was a monumental discovery for her. God
has by his grace taken back her mind and reclaimed it
as his own and she is experiencing the freedom that
comes with his daily all sufficient doses of grace.
local partners | 45
Cross Training Football
Mike Masters
This past year, Cross Training Football (CTF) was on
more than 40 campuses across WNY and the southern tier
sharing biblical principles of how to become Luke 2:52
people.
City Vision
Jim & KJ Swearingen
A grace story at City Vision this year is the opportunity
God is giving us to impact the lives of “young leaders”
who live and serve in the city. We placed three
summer interns with our City Vision Community
Partners working with kids in poverty. Their lives were
impacted as they took steps in their faith journey to
learn about justice and God’s concern for the poor.
We are also thankful for the seven young leaders that
God led to us for mentoring and personal discipleship.
We believe there is no short cut for long-term leadership
development! God gave us opportunity to teach them
the Bible, walk alongside them in life, help to establish
ministry houses for intentional living, and mentor them as
they assumed ministry roles with teens. What a joy to see
young leaders teaching and serving the next generation!
It is only by the grace of God that we have opportunities
to “. . . entrust [these truths] to reliable people who will
also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2 NIV).
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| local partners
The tremendous evidence of God moving through CTF
was seen in discipling interns—with one of them receiving
Jesus as his Lord and Savior. We also thank Christ for
the one-on-one discipleship opportunities with coaches
and our group discipleship with coaches which grew to
over 13. One of our coaches has taken an active role in the
ministry as co-host on the new CTF radio show “Heart of
a Champion.” Last week he asked, “Mike I wonder if God
walked among us—would he be a football fan? We are
trying to win souls for him!” Another coach stated at his
sports banquet that CTF has made him a better husband,
dad, and coach.
God’s presence was so powerful throughout the summer.
One night in particular, a still came over a football camp in
Elba, NY as we shared the gospel. The Spirit of the living
God came down on 300 plus football players, more than
200 prayed to receive Jesus. The next night the camp ran
out of Bibles after giving away more than 160. Praise God
for his everlasting love and pursuit of us; it is a privilege to
influence our community in his Name!
Generation Church
Chad Rieselman
I never thought that a flower shop would be the
kind of place that God would use to begin building
Generation Church. After all, I am a manly man.
What on earth would I be doing in a flower shop?
My family moved here from Binghamton, NY in August
of 2011. My wife, Christina, was four months pregnant
with our third child at the time. Her water broke on
October 17. We rushed her to Women’s and Children’s
Hospital where she would need to stay put until our
baby was born. Now I had a reason to stop for flowers.
I walked into Hock’s Flower Shop and was immediately
greeted with a great big smile by Marie. Through the
process of picking out flowers, our conversation turned
to the nature of our move to North Tonawanda. Marie
was overjoyed to “meet a pastor” and even more so to
hear a new church was opening half a block away.
Our son, Samuel, was born October 26, at only two
pounds and six ounces. On January 8, when he was
ready to come home, I walked back into Hock’s to pick
up celebration balloons and flowers. There was Marie,
beaming with joy! “Pastor! I’m so glad you’re back”
she exclaimed. Marie had lost my card and had been
praying daily for God to send me back. I invited Marie
to a pre-launch meeting the next day. After the meeting,
she was “ready to give it all to Jesus!” Shortly afterward
we baptized Marie and our numbers quickly doubled
as she invited family and friends to our gatherings!
Good News Jail &
Prison Ministry
Alex True
I recently received an e-mail from a young woman who
informed me that her co-worker’s boyfriend had been
booked into the Niagara County Jail. She asked if I would
go and see him. When I met with A.D. (not his real
name) he indicated that he had been raised in a traditional
church, but “didn’t have much use for religion personally.”
I shared the message of Christ with A.D., and he was
open and attentive to the gospel. A few days later A.D.
was released from jail. I received another e-mail from the
woman stating, “[He] was released last night at 7:00 p.m. He
had no idea and was completely surprised. He told his family
and his girlfriend about your visit. He really enjoyed meeting
with you and said that it gave him so much comfort to have
someone to talk with like you. He said you told him about Jesus
and said that it means more to him than we will ever know.
He was reading the Bible passage you directed him to when
they came to release him. Thanks so much for planting a seed
with A.D. Hopefully, he will come to know Christ genuinely.”
local partners | 47
Heritage Christian Services
International Students, Inc.
Each year, Heritage Christian Services sends volunteers
to Guatemala so individuals with disabilities who live
in institutions can attend a week filled with fellowship
and faith at a retreat-camp, while modeling and teaching
quality care and compassion to Guatemalan caregivers.
“Now, I believe in God!” Katrina told me today. “I was
praying to God about a problem that I’ve had for a long
time, and he put the solution into my mind. Now I believe
in God, and I believe that whatever situation I am in, he
will help me.”
Mauricio was a popular camper at the camp in Guatemala.
Camp was so important to him that he made the decision
to miss a week of dialysis so he could attend. He arrived
at the camp in pain and with serious bedsores. Thanks
to the compassionate care and advocacy by Heritage
Christian Services nurse volunteer Lynn, Mauricio was
able to get the medicines he needed. She woke each day
at 4:00 a.m. to treat his bedsores and show him the love
of Jesus. By midweek he was joking, laughing and telling
stories. Mauricio was grateful for anything that someone
did for him, even if it was just sharing conversation. When
not at camp, he lived alone and spent most of his days
just trying to survive. At camp Mauricio enjoyed a visit
to the ocean, worshiped the Lord, had friends to pray
and laugh with, and was loved. Mauricio passed away
two months later. He was a gift to all who knew him.
God is so powerful! He has snatched this precious soul out
of the clutches of the enemy and has made her his own
child!
Robert Pieters
Thank you so much for your continued support of our
ministry.
Don Manta
Katrina went on to tell me that she has been talking with
all her friends about God and was in touch with a friend
in China. “You need to be reading your Bible!” she told her
friend. Katrina’s face lit up when I told her that I could help
her do a Skype Bible study with her friend back home.
We praise God for this new Bible study approach he has
brought to ISI. Through it, 100% of the seekers in these
Bible studies have become true, life-transformed followers
of Christ! They are also talking with their friends and family in their homelands, helping them learn about God.
Thank you for your financial and prayer partnership in
reaching the nations for Christ!
From Shant Tamazian (Student - University at Buffalo):
I had been raised with some religious background, but it
never meant very much to me. This past fall, I was living
the way society said the world worked and got into things
that I shouldn’t have. However, the truth of God became
real to me when I read the Gospels. A friend and member
of InterVarsity kept giving me Bibles to read, three in
total. Over winter break, I finally read about Jesus and
immediately knew that Jesus held the truth not society.
InterVarsity
Brian Tofflemire
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This spring, I started to attend InterVarsity events, gaining
opportunities to better serve the community and learn
about God. During my short time with InterVarsity, I
have developed friendships that I expect will survive into
adulthood rather than disintegrate on graduation day.
I have grown so much wiser in my perspective of life
because of the radical transformation that took place this
year—my rebirth in Christ. InterVarsity facilitated the
perfect environment for my faith to grow, and I assert
that InterVarsity provides the perfect environment on
campus for anyone to grow in faith and love for Christ.
Kingdom Bound
Lockport CareNet
As many know, the annual Kingdom Bound festival takes
place the first week of August and features many Christian
musicians and speakers. One of the ministries under the
umbrella of Kingdom Bound Ministries is WNYShares.
WNYShares was created in 2003 for a single purpose: To
please God by doing our best to help underprivileged and
special needs children throughout western New York
We have seen amazing changes at the Lockport CareNet
center. Our numbers of clients served has been steadily increasing, mainly due to the increased awareness of the good
things that are happening at this center. We have been
able to reach out to more and more people in our community who are afraid and suffering. This year, we already
have five people who have rededicated their lives to Christ
and one first-time profession of faith. Lives are literally
saved inside our doors, families are brought together and
hope abounds every day. Just think how many generations have been changed since our doors opened in 1985!
Donna Russo
In the fall of 2011, Kingdom Bound had the privilege of
opening The Teachers Desk, as a part of the continuing
work of WNYShares.
Under the direction of John Mika, The Teacher’s Desk is
designed to be a place of encouragement for teachers, as
well as a resource center for school supplies for students
in need. Located on 22 Northampton in Buffalo, the
Teachers desk serves teachers with free school supplies.
The store, generously supplied by a donor, is staffed several
days each week with volunteers. During the first school
year, our goal was to serve approximately 250 teachers – at
the close of the school year this past June, a total of 1,247
teachers were served from 70 schools. Each received an
average of $300 in free supplies for their students and
classrooms. We give God all the glory for every donation
received and distributed back into the community, as well
as for every volunteer hour served at the Teachers Desk.
Cindra Enzinna
We live in a society where abortion is the norm. We see
clients whose mothers and grandmothers have aborted
and they are continuing the cycle. Our purpose is to
offer alternatives to abortion in the hope of breaking
the cycle. Lockport Care Net is a venue where we have
the opportunity, now, to turn our culture toward life.
We witness first hand lives saved and hearts touched.
We know that as our ministry expands God will have us
under his protective hand, guiding us to follow his plan.
local partners | 49
Lockport Cares
Saving Grace Ministries
They say you can find love anywhere. Well that certainly
is true at Lockport CARES Homeless Shelter. Lockport
CARES has been in operation since November of 2009
and hosting a wedding for two guests that were in need
of a place to call home, was defiantly a first. The bride,
Crystal Gayle Scott from Lockport was married to
Nicholas Brandon Dellario also from Lockport by Pastor
Alan Bauch of Trinity Lutheran Church. The couple’s
two-year-old daughter, Skye Lynn Dellario was the flower
girl. The couple had wanted to get married for a while, so
volunteers from the shelter provided candles, decorations,
refreshments, photographs and even a night’s stay at
the Lockport Motel for the couple’s honeymoon. “We
are showing them God’s love through our actions,” said
Shelter Director Marty Nagy. “We are making a difference
in people’s lives and helping to make Lockport a better
community. We wish Crystal and Nick all the best!”
From a single residence housing five clients in residential
programming in 2001 to an eight-facility, 71-bed program
in 2012, the “Grace House” Transitional Residence Program,
operated by Saving Grace Ministries, has seen the work
of God’s grace every day we serve. During the past year,
SGM has struggled with statewide budget cuts impacting
agency service contracts, delayed payments for contract
services, and a shift in focus by statewide criminal justice
agencies on providing short-term services rather than
long-term support and aftercare. Through it all, God has
been faithful in meeting the needs of our agency and our
clients, with area churches as well as individual donors
stepping up to fill the gap. With several new contract
awards and other funding streams, SGM will enter
2013 fiscally stable, prepared to meet the needs of the
homeless ex-offender population in Western New York.
Peace of the City
“And God saw that this was good.”
A long line of teens stand to receive rare praise for their
growth, resilience and faithfulness.
Volunteers hold flowering plant gifts and earnest
handmade cards of gratitude for many hours of service.
Children and teens offer prayers of hope, sadness and
gratitude.
A brief word is shared to all there to keep “keeping on” in
the love of Christ.
Sticky, yummy ice cream sandwiches grace our hands in the
parking lot afterwards.
Toby Mansfield
Diann Takens-Cerbone
Moving Up Day at Peace of the City Ministries.
June: hot, humble inner city gym where scores of
neighborhood folks gather.
Peace of the City prepares kids and teens to share their
often-overlooked talents.
Kids play piano, violin, drums and trombone—a recital of
joy and hard work.
Children once dangerously behind in literacy read aloud
their progress for the year.
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Alyssa Gross
Set Free
SonRays Ministries
How might God transform the City of Buffalo from
decades of mourning to a new season of great joy?
Nehemiah was called to rebuild a city, and in 52 days
supervised the rebuilding of walls that had been down 141
years.
We met Karen* when her second son was born. She
was in the hospital after his birth and needed a car seat
for the ride home. We were able to provide the car seat
and a ride home. We continued a friendship with Karen
through our single moms’ fellowships. She attended
the fellowships faithfully, and brought her sons, and
her mother and sisters (all single moms), with her.
Al & Deb Warner
The call of Set Free is to cast vision for the churches of
WNY to come together across racial and denominational
lines to transform our region with the gospel. To
accomplish this, we reach beyond the local church into
the workplace in which God has placed his leaders.
This year (2012), Buffalo Common Council Member/
Pastor Darius Pridgen invited us to be the Chaplains
of the Buffalo Common Council, our city’s highest
legislative body. Could this opportunity be an answer
to our corporate prayers? Yes! Could praying from the
top of City Hall be a step toward transformation? Yes!
“If my people…pray…I will hear…” (II Chron. 7:14).
We are stewarding this opportunity on behalf of the
regional church. We have invited other pastors to open
Council sessions in prayer. We have prayed with Council
members for personal as well as professional concerns.
Alice Murchie
Karen looked happy, but she was really struggling. She had
this great desire to be loved, and a handsome, smoothtalking man came into her life. Karen quickly found herself
swept up into an unhealthy relationship with him. The first
pregnancy from that relationship ended in abortion. The
second pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Finally, Karen was
broken enough to end this relationship. Through her pain,
God revealed her desperate need for a Savior to deliver her
from sin. She is now meeting with SonRays regularly to
learn how to follow Christ in her daily life, and her older
son is meeting with a mentor to learn to grown into a godly
young man. God is doing a beautiful work in their lives.
*name changed to protect privacy
Thank you, Chapel family, for looking beyond your
church to bless what God is doing in our region
and beyond. Rejoice and please keep praying!
local partners | 51
Teen Challenge
Youth With A Purpose
God’s grace restores families through Teen Challenge.
Eric A. came into TCWNY in 2008 and completed the
program in 2009. While in the program, Eric would ask
others to pray for his dad who was still drinking. At every
request men would gather and pray for his dad. When
Eric returned home. He stayed close to his church and
asked them to keep praying for his dad. Time went on and
Eric wondered if God was hearing the prayers, but kept
on praying. Their relationship grew distant, but Eric kept
on praying. Eric was married in 2010 and invited his dad
to the wedding, and there at the wedding was the first
glimmer of hope. Ralph asked his son how he was able to
not drink or do drugs anymore, and Eric said, “because of
God’s grace.” In 2011, Ralph A. entered TCWNY with
all skepticism in tact, but gave every effort to the program.
Ralph is in the second phase today and will complete Teen
Challenge in October 2012. This year while they were
at Teen Challenge’s annual July Celebration, father and
son embraced and the grace of God was all over them.
He prayed at his own funeral. He was only 15 years old and
was murdered by a bullet to his head as he sat on his bicycle.
Urban Christian Ministries
residents. The participation has been remarkable at these
events! UCM is offering a unique proactive approach
to the problems faced by folks in a way that has already
reduced violence. UCM has developed and expanded our
Friends For Life program as well. This involves working
with gang members and troubled young adults with the
intent of showing an alternative lifestyle through our Lord
Jesus Christ. UCM continues to expand its historical
programs such as Kids Club, Teenage Achievers, Block
Club Basketball/Kick-it-To-The-Curb, Summer Camp, and
mission trips.
Kurt Tarkington
Alexander Wright
Blessed to be in our 42nd year, God continues to lead and
challenge us in our ministry on the city’s streets. Urban
Christian Ministries (UCM) has adopted a program wide
policy of “Faith Based Enrichment,” which is composed
of the four core elements of “Faith, Family, Education,
and Employment.” With city streets plagued by shootings
and violence, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty and hunger,
UCM is reaching out to the community with our “A Grill
& A Prayer” initiative. This involves visits to neighborhoods
where food, prayer and fellowship are offered to the
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Bob Kuebler
He used to go into schools with us during our mentoring
program. He would do rap songs from a CD called
“Murder, Tears and Bloody Cement.” It was a Christian
CD about young people killed in drive-by shootings.
We handed out 300 Bibles at his funeral. On the CD
is a track where he prays. At his own funeral we played
his prayer: What’s up God? It’s me Kris. I know you’re
listening, but I don’t understand what’s going on. First my
family argues, and then my boy dies. I don’t understand.”
We used his death to speak life into hundreds of young
people. I was at his grave site yesterday trying to videotape
a thank you message. There are other teens buried there.
Thanks for helping us spread a message of life and hope.
At least in one small area of Buffalo, there are less young
people dying. Now it’s time to reach all of the children in
Buffalo with a message of love. Jesus loves you, and so do I.
Urban Christian Ministries is out there on the streets
making a difference for God and our community!
Why
Should
I GivE?
By Daryl Largis
T
his question, perhaps more than most, is one that those
who follow Christ ask of themselves from time to time.
This, once answered, soon is followed by how much should
I give? While seemingly the proper and right questions,
asking them prior to understanding some deeper truths
related to giving can lead a person to view it as merely a task
to complete, a target to hit or a check to write as the case
may be. Giving, just like anything requiring an intention, a
decision and resulting action is at some level transactional.
However, it can and should represent something much
deeper, and it is to this point that this article endeavors to
highlight.
The God we proclaim has proven himself to be a giving
God. It is in his nature to give for he is generous, merciful
and loving (Ephesians 2:4-5). The demonstration of this is
no greater stated and no greater exemplified than by what
transpired on the cross whereby God the Son willingly gave
himself for the sins of the world—past, present and future.
He did this so those who by faith can receive a righteousness
which is otherwise unobtainable and, therefore can be
reconciled to himself, a holy God. Simply stated, God is
generous born out of his love. He is so generous that when
we by faith receive the grace from him, we also are given
his Spirit to dwell in us. This Spirit is of God and from
God and enables us as we cooperate with him to be step
by step and bit by bit transformed into the image of Christ
himself which means we too, as he is, are generous. In fact,
God’s love is proven by his generosity. He gave everything
in that he gave of himself and continues to give us that
which we need. As such, generosity is the ways and means
the sincerity of love is proven (2 Corinthians 8:8). So, as
people of God, redeemed by grace, the manner in which we
give is the proof of our love. The answer to the question is
not merely a yes or no as it relates to should I give or not.
Giving is thereby a direct reflection of what has been done
to and for us. Those who are redeemed in Christ are called
to live a life of love which is reflective of the nature and
purpose of God in this world (Ephesians 5:1-2).
A life of love is only as sincere as it is generous. We are
to be generous which means we are to give of our time,
abilities and resources. As to amount, God was not nor is
he constrained in his generosity. Because of his nature he
is generous and accordingly lavishes his love upon us (1
John 3:1). Our response then should be the same in that
we should be lavish in our giving, not because we must or
because we are commanded, but because it is in his nature
and, therefore, it is in our nature as his children. Our giving
should be in proportion to what we have been given. Simply
stated, the more you and I have been given the more you
and I should be giving. In closing, what we do with what we
have declares our understanding of the gospel. A great way
for you, me and our families to demonstrate the reality of
the gospel in our lives is to be lavishly generous given it is
reflective of the heart of God motivated by love.
why should i give? | 53
Short-Term Missions, WHY?
By Jeff Hackett
SCORE INTERNATIONAL
I
have been on more short-term mission trips to Costa
Rica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic than I can count.
My current position with SCORE International involves
up to 18 trips a year. I am grateful for these extraordinary
opportunities that God has given me to serve him.
Yet, I sometimes ask myself if our mission service reflects
our commitment to Christ or our desire for adventure? Have
we gone in response to God’s call or because we live in an
affluent society? Maybe it is a combination of both.
The deeper question is, how can our engagement in shortterm missions bear fruit for God’s Kingdom that the
investment of resources, made by the body of Christ, in our
travels, deserves? This is a question I must ask myself every
time I travel.
I have seen the transforming power of short-term mission
trips. God uses them to change lives–both of the people who
go and of those they serve. The constant refrain of participants
is how much they grew in their relationship with Christ, how
much they learned about community, and how challenged
they were by the commitment and joy of the people they
visited. Lives are formed, and vocations are clarified through
these experiences. However, I’ve also seen trauma generated
by these trips. Some people come back depressed and
confused. Some hosts sigh with relief when their short-term
visitors depart. Surely this is not what God intends.
Currently the Western church spends as much on short-term
mission trips as it does on long-term missionaries. Clearly
this has become a dominant dimension in churches’ mission
involvement. There must be a way that God desires us to
fulfill the Great Commission and the Church’s role of giving
every man, woman and child multiple opportunities to hear
and see the gospel of Christ, and to respond without leaving a
trail of disappointment, discouragement and disillusionment.
There is!
In his book Mission Trip Prep Kit, Kevin Johnson offers three
main benefits to being involved in short-term mission trips.
The first benefit is for our own growth. The example of how
Jesus used outreach to not only minister to people but also
to train his followers, who he then sent out to do likewise.
Johnson states, “Jesus didn’t send them out because of their
thorough maturity but to move them toward maturity.” (See
Luke 8-10.)
The second benefit is for the maximum good of others. The
story of the paralyzed man being lowered through the roof
by his friends to get him to Jesus is used to illustrate this.
Jesus’ response to the man was to forgive, heal and then call
him friend (Luke 5:17-26). This demonstrates the spiritual,
physical and emotional good God desires to do in the world.
When we follow this pattern, we show God’s love by bringing
others to Jesus for healing and forgiveness.
The third benefit, God’s maximum glory, focuses on our
motivation for missions which comes from the Great
Commission, “…go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you…” (Matt. 28:19-20). God’s desire
is to be revealed to people, for his glory to be made known
all over the world. His biggest goal is to build a people who
belong to him and bring glory to him in all they do. Johnson
explains, “1 Peter 2:9-10 puts in plain words the good that
God wants to use us to do in the world: ‘But you are chosen
people. You are the King’s priests. You are a Holy nation. You
are a nation that belongs to God alone. God chose you to tell
about the wonderful things he has done. He called you out
of darkness into his wonderful light. At one time you were
not God’s people. But now you are his people. In the past you
had never received mercy. But now you have received God’s
mercy’” (NCV).
When we identify these benefits, a short-term mission trip
becomes an obvious choice to engage in God’s mission.
MINISTRY PARTNER DIRECTORY
ABWE Partners
Pastor Al Cockrell
Nate and Cherith Logan
ABWE International
ABWE.org
John and Bev
ABWE Brazil
Igerja Batista Esperanca
(Hope Baptist Church)
loganministry.org
ABWE: GAP
Contact the Kingdom Come
office at The Chapel
Steven & Cari Wendel
ABWE Czech Republic
wendel.abwe.org
Broadway Hope
Compassion International
Good News Jail & Prison Ministry
6101 Broadway, Lancaster, NY 14086
Scott Steger: 716-684-5129
broadwayhope.org
Colorado Springs, CO 80997
800-336-7676
compassion.com
Buffalo Christian Center
Cross Training Football
Jurisdiction #46 Niagara County Jail
5526 Niagara Street Ext., PO Box 496
Lockport, NY 14095
Chaplain Alex True: 716-438-3316
goodnewsjail.org
512 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY 14202
Jim Swearingen: 716-856-7495
thebcc.org
P.O. Box 156
Bowmansville NY 14026
Mike Masters: 716-432-5152
crosstrainingfootball.com
PO Box 8585 Harrisburg, PA 17105
717-774-7000
Buffalo City Mission
100 E. Tupper Street, Buffalo, NY 14203
Stuart L. Harper: 716-854-8181
buffalocitymission.org
Campus Ambassadors
University at Buffalo
191 N. Linden Street, Williamsville, NY 14221
Paul Decker 716-626-7082
campusambassadors.com
Campus Crusade for Christ
Destination Life Fellowship
22nd Street & Linwood Ave.
Niagara Falls, NY 14305
Mark Perkins: 716-297-7799
Eagles Wings
PO Box 450
Clarence, NY 14031
Robert Stearns: 716-759-1058
eagleswings.to
100 Lake Hart Drive, Dept. 2100
Orlando, FL 32832
Michael and Amy Ramos:
407-826-2000
cru.org
EduNations
Christ Together
Fellowship of Christian
Athletes Ice Hockey
1200 American Way, Libertyville, IL 60048
Ryan Kozey: 716-631-2636
christtogether.com
Christian Central Academy
39 Academy Street, Williamsville, NY 14221
Nurline A. Lawrence: 716-634-4821
christianca.com
Christian Counseling Ministries
of WNY, Inc.
9070 Main Street, Clarence, NY 14031
Dr. Timothy P. Chambers: 716-632-3200
ccmwny.org
Circle “C” Ranch
10451 Ashcraft Road, Delevan, NY 14042
Wes Aarum, Sr.: 716-492-3687
circlecranch.org
City Vision
512 Pearl St., Buffalo, NY 14202
Jim & KJ Swearingen: 614-580-1769
city-vision.org
PO Box 119
Kenmore, NY 14217
Rick Kennedy: 716-380-6076
edunations.org
HBI Global Partners
PO Box 584, Forest, VA 24551
Bobby Gupta: 877-424-4634
globalpartners.org
Heritage Christian Services
3790 Commerce Ct., Suite 800
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Samantha DeMart: 716-743-2020
heritagechristianservices.org
Houghton College
One Willard Avenue
Houghton, NY 14744
Mark Hijleh: 800-777-2556
houghton.edu
International Students Inc.
520 Lee Entrance
Suite 108-B The Commons
Amherst, NY 14228
Don Manta: 716-639-0605
buffaloisi.com
2513 Brook Crossing Circle
Raleigh, NC 27603
Rick Randazzo: 443-404-1747
fcahockey.org
50states50cities.com
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Generation Church
Isaiah 61 Project
1001 East Robinson Street
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Chad Rieselman: 716-243-9504
ntgeneration.org
Global Fellowship
500 CrossPoint Parkway
Getzville, NY 14068
Dwight Smith: 716-631-2636 x270
gfmission.com
Global Outreach Mission
Box 2010, Buffalo, NY 14231
Brian Albrecht: 716-688-5048
missiongo.org
100 Willow Ridge Drive
Amherst, NY 14228
Brian Tofflemire: 716-563-1545
intervarsity.org
PO Box 255, Niagara Falls, NY 14305
Jim Haid: 716-870-9557
isaiah61niagarafalls.org
Jericho Road Ministries & Family Practice
184 Barton Street
Buffalo, NY 14213
Eric Budin: 716-348-3000
jrm-buffalo.org
Kingdom Bound Ministries, Inc.
8550 Sheridan Dr.
Williamsville, NY 14221
Donna Russo: 716-633-1117
kingdombound.org
MINISTRY PARTNER DIRECTORY
La Voix de l’Evangile
(The Voice of the Gospel)
13320 Bouc Bel Air, France
Bill & Anne Aldin
Contact: Global Outreach Mission
missiongo.org
Let Them LOL
PO Box 180, East Amherst, NY 14051
Joe & Kate Vacanti: ltlol.com
Renovation Church
theWELL
567 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14207
Brek Cockrell: 716-819-4100
therenovationchurch.com
781 Maple Road
Williamsville, NY 14221
Darrick Castronova: 716-404-WELL
theWELLbuffalo.com
Restoration Church
504 Frankhauser Rd., Williamsville, NY 14221
Dan Trippie: 716-541-0794
restorationbuffalo.com
Saving Grace Ministries, Inc.
Transformation Mongolia
PO 49 Box 412, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Axel Fischer: [email protected]
Transformation.mn
P.O. Box 1013, Williamsville, NY 14231
Terry King: 716-893-1840
sgmworld.org
True Praise and Worship (Food Pantry)
8 Holleran Drive, Downingtown, PA 19335
Dolph Laraio: 484-467-3505
Lockport CareNet Pregnancy Center
SCORE International
Urban Christian Ministries
Life Transforming Ministries
559 Humboldt Parkway
Buffalo, NY 14208
229 East Avenue, Lockport, NY 14094
Cindra Enzinna: 716-434-0251
lockportcarenet.com
PO Box 9994, Chattanooga, TN 37412
Jeff Hackett: 423-894-7111
scoreinternational.org
967 Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, 14204
Alexander Wright: 716-882-9472
urbanchristianministries.org
Lockport CARES
Emergency Homeless Shelter
Saturation Church Planting
Village Church
PO Box 586, Lockport, NY 14150
716-438-2273
lockportcares.org
Missio Church
620 West Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13204
Jordan Stinziano: 315-383-1452
missionchurch.org
Mission of Hope Haiti
P.O. Box 60004
Fort Myers, FL 33906
Drew Garrison: 239-791-8125
mohhaiti.org
Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission Inc.
PO Box 2657
Niagara Falls, NY 14302
Shaun Smith: [email protected]
niagaramissions.com
NorthGate Community Church
5225 Harris Hill Road, Williamsville, NY 14221
Jon & Yolande Hasselbeck: 716-773-4337
northgatebuffalo.com
Patch Our Planet
PO Box 441, Holly Springs, GA 30142
Steve Gillis: [email protected]
patchourplanet.org
Peace of the City
146 Parkdale Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14213
Mark Cerbone: 716-883-2799
peaceofthecity.org
Presidir.net
c/o World in Need
1420 Celebration Blvd. Suite 200
Celebration, FL 34747
Alejandro Belmar: [email protected]
presidir.net
Chad Smith: spci.org
SEND International
PO Box 2426, Buena Park, CA 90621
Kent & Joan Wilson: 714-269-1659
send.org
Set Free, Inc.
PO Box 245, Buffalo, NY 14215
Al & Deb Warner: 716-553-0009
setfreeinc.org
Singing Waters Christian Center
PO Box 1544
Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, CA 90704
Enrique Dominguez: 310-510-0073
singingwaterscc.org
SonRays Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 673, Tonawanda, NY 14150
Alice Murchie: 716-695-9494
sonraysministries.org
Springville Crossing Church
11 West Main Street, Springville, NY 14141
Keith Clark: 716-560-4704
springvillecrossing.org
Steamtown Church
PO Box 112, Scranton, PA 18504
Dennis D’Augostine: 570-290-7250
steamtownchurch.com
Teen Challenge of WNY
124 Locust St. Buffalo, NY 14204
Kurt Tarkington: 716-855-0602
tcwny.org
The Rock Community Church
9403 Garfield Blvd.
Garfield Heights, OH 44125
Dave Brunelle & Mike Hopkins:
216-429-2636
therockcleveland.org
410 Elmwood Ave, 2nd Floor
Buffalo, NY 14222
Jeremy Hazelton: 716-551-0677
villagechurchbflo.com
Vision New York
10 River Road, Apt. 6P
New York, NY 10044
Jim Hines: [email protected]
visionnewyork.org
Word of Life Bolivia
Palabra de Vida
C.C. 4038, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Juan and Noemí Lella:
[email protected]
Word of Life Local Church Ministries
76 Marlow Road, West Seneca, NY 14224
Rod & Jamie Whitney: 716-822-1256
rodwhitney.wol.org
World Hope International
625 Slaters Lane, Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314
888-466-4673
worldhope.org
XCEL Leadership Center
567 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14207
Toni Benjamin: 716-819-4100
xcelleadershipcenter.com
Youth With a Purpose Inc.
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, NY 14204
Bob Keubler: 716-830-8240
youthwithapurpose.org
500 CrossPoint Pkwy. | Getzville, NY 14068
716.631.2636 | thechapel.com

Sharing Stories of God`s Grace

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