Ordained Independent Pastor Studying at CLI
My name is Leonard Fuller (Lenny for short). I am studying at CLI to become an ordained independent pastor. Forty-three years ago, I married the wonderful woman that God has graciously given me. We have two children and five grandchildren. Last year, I had a Stem Cell Transplant. It will be a year in December when my son graciously donated his bone morrow. I praise God for my family. God has blessed my family and me.
My Initial Calling: God Makes a Way
I was called ten years ago while attending an ordination service. God talked to me about becoming a pastor in His church. I said, “There is no way. I do not like to get up in front of people and talk.” However, He kept talking to me. “No way, Lord, I am not qualified,” I said. But He was persistent. He reassured me that I could do this. Finally, I said, “Okay, Lord! I will talk to my pastor.”
I did not feel comfortable to do funerals. But, my aunt was dying of cancer and in the final stages. I went to visit her. We talked, and she said that she was not long for this world. She did not know yet that God was calling me to be a pastor. Then she asked me if I would be willing to do her funeral. I told her that I didn’t think I could do it. She persisted. So, I told her that I would look into it. I asked my pastor if I could, and he said that I could if that is what she wanted. You cannot put restrictions on the Lord. I did my Aunt’s funeral, which was ten years ago now.
Finally, I went and talked to my pastor about becoming a pastor. As we spoke, he laid out the requirements. A high school diploma was something I did not have. When I left the pastor’s office, I told the Lord that I am not able to be a pastor because I did not have a high school diploma. That did not stop the Lord; He kept after me. You cannot say no to God! So, I finally looked into getting a high school diploma. I attended classes and completed my education. Now, I have a high school diploma.
A New Direction: Training at CLI to be an Ordained Independent Pastor
God has called me to ministry because I would never have done all of this if it weren’t for the Lord pushing me. I got a high school diploma, performed a funeral, went to Basic Lay Speaking and Advanced Lay Speaking. I completed my candidacy program for the United Methodist Church.
Currently, I feel that God has a different plan for me. I have been a Licensed Local United Methodist Pastor for eight years. I want to further my education and become an ordained independent pastor. When I first got my call, I was making excuses not to answer my call, but the Holy Spirit kept after me. I believe the Holy Spirit is calling me in a different direction, and that is staying with the truth that the Bible tells us to follow.
This new direction led me to the Christian leaders Institute for free ministry training. I plan to take the ordination course as well. I look forward to being an ordained independent pastor and serving where God leads me!
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Online Free Ministry Training at Christian Leaders Institute
My name is Sofia Sandolo, and I am receiving online free ministry training at CLI. I live in Old Greenwich, Connecticut with my husband of 22 years and our sixteen-year-old daughter. I grew up in a strict Italian Catholic home. Both of my parents were born in Italy, and I am a first-generation American. I am the youngest of six children.
My father passed away from cancer at the age of 53 when I was only 15 years old. I remember sitting at Greenwich Hospital when he was so ill and picking up the Gideon Bible that was on the window sill. Even though I was raised in the Catholic church, as a devout Catholic, and went to Catholic school, I did not receive all that I needed to receive. Funny, how it was truly a religion and not a relationship in my life.
Salvation and Now Called to More
Fast forward, I met a Christian man and within six months I attended one of his church services. It was interesting going into a rented civic center rather than a church building. Yet, something was different in a good way. Sure enough, the enemy came in fast, and I gave my boyfriend an ultimatum, either his church or me. I told him I was born a Catholic and would die a Catholic. A few weeks later I found myself crying to him that I needed his pastor to pray for me. So, that Sunday, December 4, 1988, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Glory to God!!
So it’s been an incredible journey, and here I am wanting more, desiring more and to be used by the Lord more. I came upon the Christian Leaders Institute via Google and said this is a start. I signed up and am excited about the online free ministry training I am getting. My desire is to go into the highways and byways and proclaim that Jesus is Lord!!
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Finding the Way and Finding Ministry Training at CLI
My name is Marius van Dyk. This story is about me finding the way to God and free ministry training at CLI. I live in Krugersdorp in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. I was born in this small city of currently 300,000 inhabitants and moved back here in 2011. Krugersdorp is a city on the Western Edge of Johannesburg founded in the great golden era in the late 1800s. It is named after a former President when it was called the Republic of Transvaal. This is a historic town with a lot of history. It is also the Home of The Cradle of Humankind.
My Youth
I am the oldest of two brothers and one sister. My childhood was good, and we grew up in comfort, though not in wealth. My father was a construction worker and my mother a stay at home mom. As a white South African, we grew up sheltered and protected. Never interested in politics, I never tried to learn more about the situation in this beautiful country. We were sheltered by a government that kept us in ignorance about what was going on in the country as well as on the rest of the continent. Only as we were growing up, and specifically after 1976, we learned about the real situation.
I finished High School in 1979 and went to University. I completed my first two years there and then decided to complete the compulsory national service we all had to do. All went well, and I met my wife. We married in October of 1985 and were blessed with three children. We divorced after 16 years of marriage.
I grew up in a house where worship was not something that was done at home. My parents were members of the Local Dutch Reformed church. We were in church and attended Sunday School every Sunday. I studied the work given to us, and I was confirmed in the church at the age of 17. That was it for many years.
Work Struggles
I lost my last permanent position in 2001 after I was retrenched. I started working freelance and together with my father started a small construction company in 2005. This came to an end when he passed away in 2008. I then had a few temporary positions and have mostly worked on a retainer basis. I lost my last retaining assignment in May of 2018.
Since then I have been trying to get new assignments but without any success. I have been trying to consult as a freelance Property Business Adviser as well with limited success. I will not go into detail why the limited success. But, it has been a time of real financial struggle where I lost everything I worked for.
Beginning of Finding the Way
HOWEVER, it has also been the time when I rediscovered God. I have not been to a church on a regular basis for 30 years. I joined a non-denominational church in May of 2019 (through Divine direction). My journey back to God did, however, start a few months earlier than that.
Here, I have to tell you that I love reading and that I read a lot. I have an affinity for books and have a fair collection of my own. I never throw a book away and always rescue books that have been discarded by others.
During December 2018, I walked out of my apartment into bags of old books being discarded by my neighbor. There and then, I sat down and started opening the bags. I checked what was being thrown away. They were all religious books to assist with worship. I rescued many of these books.
Experiencing and Finding the Way to God
The first book I took at random was Experiencing God written by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King. Those of you that are familiar with this book will know that is is a book to help people discover God and to help with the journey over a 12 week study period. I started!
This study fascinated me, and after finishing the first 12 weeks, I immediately did it again. I learned about God, about talking to God and listening to God. Since this time, I have not stopped learning.
Time for a pause and a short step back, I have always believed that there is a God. I have for many years started my day with a short time of worship. This included reading a passage from a Billy Graham daily Devotional Book, quickly reading the verse referred to and a quick prayer. That was it for the rest of the day, every day.
Finding the Way to a New Church Home
After I finished the second study of Experiencing God, I started to really feel the call to go back to GOD. Soon after that, I joined a local church and through them started to experience GOD more frequently. For the first time in my life, I attend a Home Group Worship every week. I am involved in helping at church, and I discuss my personal beliefs with the leaders of the church. Now, I am part of a wonderful and supportive church family.
During the past six months, I walk every morning for an hour. This hour is a continuation of my worship time every morning (no longer the same as described above). During my walk, I read aloud from my Bible Journal the verses given to me after prayer. I say aloud those scriptures I memorized, and I pray. I pray for the suburb, the city, this province, and this country. Every day, I ask God to help me to introduce HIM to those that do not know HIM. I pray that all people can experience the absolute joy of loving Jesus.
Finding the Way in a Dream
Before I continue my story, I must add that I was a skeptic when it came to prophecy. I believed that it was something that happened in the Old Testament times. I am also someone that dreams but never ever remembered what I dreamed. This changed during the early morning of August 29, 2019. I woke up as alert as if I have been up for hours, and I remembered every part of the dream that woke me. I was told that I must start work to make Jesus known to all those who do not believe and to those who believe but have wandered away. It was too much for me at that time.
Over the next few days, the knowledge of all this would not go away. I then decided to pray specifically to GOD to show me and to direct me in what HE wants me to do. Everything I read and listened to confirmed this dream.
Finding the Way to Free Ministry Training at CLI
Today, I believe that my re-journey with GOD started on that fateful day when I discovered Experiencing God. First, I needed to learn to talk to GOD again and then to listen to HIM when HE spoke. HE could only give me an assignment once I have learned to listen to HIM. I prayed and asked God to equip me for this journey He sent me on. It was put in me to research local Qualifications in Theology and Ministry, which I did.
I found a selection of South African Universities, but the cost for these studies is prohibitive considering that I have not earned much over the past 16 months. I would never have been able to pay the tuition fees. A friend, knowing what I am doing and what God directed me to do, sent me the link to the Christian Leaders Institute. After reading and studying the website and praying, I enrolled.
So here I am, ready to be equipped to serve GOD in any way He wants me to go. I look forward to the rest of my journey with God.
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.