"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
2 Peter 3:18
|
|
CCI Training in Europe and the South Pacific
There's Room To Grow...
|
|
Greetings!
In the previous newsletter, we celebrated reaching our DOUBLE IT goal of multiplying our equipped leaders from 10,000 to 20,000. Our Lord has gone ABOVE & BEYOND our expectations, and we give Him all the glory. We look forward to our 2023 Global Conference this November, where we will bring top leadership from around the world to celebrate this achievement and plan for what’s next.
In February and March, we highlighted how increasing our equipped leaders has impacted the ministry in Southeast Asia and the India Subcontinent. This month, I would like to feature the ministry in Eastern Europe (Albania) and the South Pacific, so you can observe the work being done and what still needs to be accomplished.
|
|
Teacher Training Workshop in January 2022, Albania |
|
CCI’s presence in Albania is relatively new. We began training there in 2019. But as you may have guessed, the pandemic slowed our progress and momentum. In late 2021, Pastor Brad Diehl (CCI board member and trainer) and I were able to travel back to Albania to reestablish the training. |
|
Albania is home to 3 million people: 55% Muslim, 33% Christian (Roman Catholic, Orthodox), 3% Atheist, and 0.6% Evangelical Christian. After nearly 50 years of communist suppression, Albania was considered the poorest and most underdeveloped country in Eastern Europe. In the early 1990s, the country became democratic, and the gospel was reintroduced.
The country has only about 200 churches, and most have less than 25 people. The Church in Albania is in the foundational stages, and CCI is positioned to help equip its pastors and leaders to serve as effective servants and plant more churches.
|
|
"My wife and I have both served full-time with the Cru ministry in Albania since 2009. Since I joined the church in 2015, I have been preaching more often. For a year now, I've been one of the elders of this church. The opportunity to preach at church was a blessing, but it was not easy for me to accept it because I did not have good practice to prepare for the preaching.
The Advanced Expository Preaching Seminar was practical because it helped me understand the meaning of the passage given to a particular audience and time and how to connect it to today's audience and Christian living. It also taught me how to communicate the preaching and not be boring to the audience or church. It helps me in preaching and studying the Word of God better and understanding the main topic for each book. Thank you for helping us improve this influential ministry as Christian leaders."
-Pastor Leo, Seminar Participant
|
|
We began ministry in the South Pacific through an invitation from Jack McMahan with Biblical Ministries Worldwide in 2005. We had just decided to start Crossing Cultures International (CCI) that summer. In August 2005, we had our first Teacher Training Workshops with 19 missionaries and Kiwi pastors with South Auckland Bible Church in Auckland and Hamilton Bible Church in Hamilton. |
|
First Teacher Training Workshop was held in August 2005 in the South Pacific |
|
Classes were started by Bible-believing churches and grew slowly around the country. Don and Vivian Rhody served with CCI over the South Pacific for a few years. Then, John and Rosemaree Redshaw, from Hamilton, New Zealand, served for seven years. Under their leadership, the ministry spread to Australia, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. John also organized CCI Aotearoa.
Over the last five years, Bernard and Helen Lee, also from Hamilton, have served as volunteers, with Helen overseeing the administration and shipping of books and Bernard training new teachers. Under Bernard’s leadership, 40 pastors and leaders are undergoing training at Streams Community Church, a multi-ethnic church with many South Pacific Island nations represented.
|
|
David with Bernard and Helen Lee |
|
Pastor Cliff Wadsworth of Cornerstone Baptist Church has equipped 25 church leaders, and 30 are currently undergoing training. Pastors Barry Smith and Scott Silsbee, pastors of two churches in Hamilton, have co-taught together, equipping church leaders from the churches they serve and other churches in the area.
Last month on April 22, Peter Allen graduated from CCI training in Hamilton. Several years ago, he was talking with a friend and said that he always wanted to go to Bible College but never had the chance and did not think he would have an opportunity. His friend knew a church leader who attended theological training at a local church. Peter and his friend decided to visit the church that day.
When they arrived, Pastor Barry Smith had just started the next BTCP (Bible Training Centre for Pastors) class. It was their first meeting in the first book, Bible Study Methods and Rules of Interpretation. Peter recognized that God had sovereignly and graciously led him to this class. He faithfully attended and did all his assignments. Later, someone invited him to join a local prison ministry as a volunteer. As he started serving at the local prison, he realized how he loved this ministry and that this was what God had designed him to do, and he loved it. Shortly afterward, there was an opening in the ministry for a chaplain. He applied, and because he was taking this training at Hamilton Bible Church, they hired him. He has been serving there since.
|
|
Peter Allen graduating from CCI training in Hamilton, New Zealand |
|
In his testimony, Peter said that he learned that you don’t have to leave your job to take this course or move to another place. According to Peter, the benefit of taking this course is that it puts everything together and gives you confidence in sharing the gospel and teaching the Word of God. What was especially illuminating was the part in Book 5 (Bible Doctrine Survey) about what Jesus is doing for believers today.
He also said, “What you guys (Pastor Barry and Pastor Scott) have put into me, I’m now able to put into others.”
This is multiplication!
|
|
Whether CCI training is just taking root in a new country like Albania or is growing someone like Peter for a role in ministry, there’s always room to grow. Thank you for investing in the lives of these pastors, church leaders, and trainers. Your giving helps these disciple-makers grow the gospel in their countries. From November 4-12, 2023, we will gather our CCI staff at our Global Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The conference acts as a catalyst for future growth, alignment in all our fields, encouragement, and a time of grand celebration for what the Lord has done.
We anticipate approximately 200 staff members to attend. For these staff members to participate, additional funding is required for travel from their countries to and from Thailand, lodging, food, and local travel. The overall cost of the conference is about $75,000 to cover all these expenses.
Please consider sponsoring our staff to attend this significant training event. Staff will be coming from the countries listed below. You can help meet the need through a sponsorship donation. To give, please click here.
|
|
Albania
Australia
Bangladesh
Cambodia
Canada
Fiji
Guatemala
Haiti
|
|
Honduras
India
Indonesia
Laos
Mexico
Myanmar
Nepal
New Zealand
|
|
Pakistan
Philippines
Rwanda
Thailand
Uganda
USA
Vietnam
|
|
Thank you for your generous heart in helping equip leaders to spread the truth of Jesus!
Grace and Peace,
|
|
David Nelson
President & Founder
Crossing Cultures International
|
|
CCI is co-leading an inspirational tour in Israel. We would love for you to come and join us. |
|
Staying connected to CCI is even easier! Text the word CCI to 833-981-3459 or scan the QR code to receive communication alerts such as reminders, invitations, event communication, links to videos/photos, surveys, and giving opportunities.
You can also click here to sign up for text messages.
|
|
May Edition CCI Equipping and Multiplying News
|
|
Click here for more CCI News from Around the World
|
|
Copyright © 2023 Crossing Cultures International, All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
