Free Ministry Schooling at CLI
Hi. My name is Lara Mayberry, and I am receiving free ministry schooling at CLI. Currently, I live in Englewood, Florida. I moved to Florida at the age of 13 with my mother to be near my grandparents that had a home here.
I was born on November 1, 1980, at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Then, I lived all around the Nashville area until 1994, when I moved to Florida at age 13. I have always in some way been involved in music, whether it be singing in my school’s select choir or symphonic band. Also, I like to draw, paint, read, and do digital paintings. I am also great at technology like fixing phones and computers and a great teacher at helping others learn how to use their devices.
I came to find Christian Leaders Institute through a Holy Spirit led search looking for online schooling. There are few opportunities to go to school for the ministry here. I immediately signed up and got started! Free ministry training is something I’ve been praying about for at least a year. I am so thankful that Christian Leaders Institute is all online.
My Early Years
As a child, I went to church with my family off and on. I went to Vacation Bible School every year. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church environment. At age 11, I felt the Lord’s call to me to become a Christian. After service one Sunday, I asked to speak to my pastor. I wanted to repent and sincerely ask Jesus into my heart. He led me through the Sinner’s Prayer, and I cried, genuinely excited to be one of the Lord’s own. My dear grandmother bought me my first Bible, and I couldn’t put it down.
Fast forward to after I moved to Englewood, Florida. I got involved with the marching and concert band. I had always played the clarinet and bass clarinet. One day, my middle school music teacher told us in class that we would be practicing Christmas carols and going over to a local church to play them. I felt led back to the Lord and joined the church. I then joined the choir. So next year, when we were asked to return there, I did both singing and playing my clarinet. I stayed there a while.
Again, I wandered from the church, but God always called me back. I still served in the choir over several years. I am always deeply involved with music.
My Church Home and My Spiritual Dream
Finally, I felt led, after a couple of years of daily Bible study alone, to find a church home again. One night, a close friend invited me to church to see an old friend speak as a guest. It was then I decided to join this church. I now serve in any way possible. I am on the worship team, a greeter, a volunteer during our Vacation Bible School every year, and help with a mission of meals ministry we have going.
My spiritual dream is to see as many people as possible brought to the Lord. So when He appears again on that Glorious Day, we can all be with Him. We will worship Him in all His Glory forever and live in a new world without pain or death or sorrow.
Obstacles Faced and Free Ministry Schooling
Obstacles I faced: Staying plugged in at a church, whether it was due to my feelings and past hurts or committing myself fully to something, was a struggle. If I were to do it over again, I would have fought harder to get to a church when I was unable to due to not having transportation. My parents divorced shortly after I was saved. Thankfully my grandparents were firm churchgoers, which allowed me to get there when I was young.
I have ALWAYS needed Jesus in my life. I was often alone and protected by Him from a very young age. My mother worked long hours, and I stayed home alone often until late at night. God and His divine protection kept me safe.
Free ministry schooling was the most important aspect when I chose to enroll at Christian Leaders Institute. I am a single mother of a wonderful almost teenage daughter (2019), and I am a stay at home mom, which is what we both need. Currently, I live with my mother, but one day, I hope to use the degree I get to have a paying job in ministry to provide for us both.
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
God’s Calling
My name is Andre Wagner, and I am answering God’s calling on my life. I am 46 years old and married to Renelle. God blessed us with two beautiful children: Nicola (14) and Christian (8). We live in Pretoria, South Africa. Both of us are English and Afrikaans speaking, and we grew up in Christian homes. Going to church every Sunday is our tradition. Looking back, we were under the impression if my parents are Christians, and I go to church. Therefore, I am a Christian and saved.
Early Life and Marriage
When I was 13, my parents divorced due to my Dad having an affair and leaving us. I stepped up, as my brother was only nine at the time. Soon, I began to isolate myself from getting too close to people. I asked God, “Why me? Why us?” My mother prayed and trusted God. When I look back, I now see her prayers and belief in God our Rock, as He provided for us on her small salary. I know she also prayed for us.
I studied at University. However, I let the freedom get the best of me and partied hard. I was not a rebel but flunked my third year, which meant I wasted money and time.
I met Renelle in 1996 for the first time. However, we started dating in 1999 and got married in 2001. We never went to church. At that time, I was working on a coal mine 24/7. In 2004, we moved to Botswana. I used the hypocrites of the church as an excuse not to go. I knew when I had trouble to call on God for help. He kept His promises and guided us safely back to South Africa at the end of 2013.
God’s Calling in Everyday Life
I became more and more aware of God in everyday life and blessings upon us. Somehow, I thought that the money I was earning would replace the unhappiness Renelle and I experienced in our marriage. But it didn’t!
I was reading my Bible regularly and praying but still did not attend church. One evening at the beginning of 2017, I read the Bible, and it jumped at me that I need fellowship in Christ to grow as a Christian. I summoned the family to church that Sunday. We attended the Dutch Reformed Church, which was where Renelle and I attended as children and what we knew. Although I grasped every word and was looking for any message, the ambiance and rituals had the kids bored and dead inside. It was the same for Renelle.
Renewal in Christ and God’s Calling through Struggles
In February 2018, I experienced God’s hand in my life. I was under attack from the enemy via the media and financially as our business was struggling to keep afloat. I proclaimed Jesus Christ as my Saviour, confessed my sins, and became an heir of God. We attended a new church, 3CI, during this time, and each Sunday the message from the pulpit was for Renelle and me. We wept as God was stirring in our spirits and working in us. Our kids were excited to see what Jesus had in store every Sunday, and our weekend lives changed. God worked on my faith and took me through the attacks and rescued me from the financial burdens. He provided new opportunities as the old doors closed.
Still, I was searching for more; for God to show me more of Himself. Towards the end of 2018, I felt total peace as I went to church, and the peace of God was with us. We worshipped and praised God for all He did for us and continues to do.
The Turning Point to Surrender to God’s Calling
On June 30, 2019, while on a family holiday in Spain, the Spanish Guardia Civil arrested me. There was an Interpol notice issued on my name. Within minutes, my world changed, and so did my family’s world. I had no communication with Renelle or anyone. I was locked up in this country, alone and helpless, not knowing where the charges came from or what they were.
Renelle rallied friends, and they prayed to God for His interference in the charged atmosphere and for a person to speak English. I spent hours in conversation with God quoting scripture, singing worship songs, and remembering men of the Bible whom God helped and never forsook. Miracles occurred, people’s attitudes changed, the atmosphere changed, and I was spoken to in English. Within 36 hours, I was released.
This event changed our lives! It strengthened my relationship with Renelle, making our marriage stronger than ever before. Our kids saw the power of prayer and our belief in God Almighty. We will never be the same!
God’s Calling Leads to Christian Leaders Institute
From July 1, 2019, to July 31, 2019, we have been engaging with God through the Bible and prayer. We ask Him to rescue me from this situation as it still has not been resolved. God is faithful, and He will fight on our behalf and save me from the hands of the enemy.
On July 31 at six o’clock in the morning, the Holy Spirit said to me, “Andre, you have 17 months, which I have provided for you. Why do you not use it for ME?” I am still praying on the where, but I am starting to equip myself to advance the Gospel of Jesus. I am doing that by taking the free ministry training classes here at Christian Leaders Institute. Praise God for this excellent opportunity! As to God’s calling me and where He wants to use me, I am trusting God every step of the way.
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Powerful Knowledge at Christian Leaders Institute
Hi, everyone. My name is Pieter Engelbrecht, and I am receiving powerful knowledge at Christian Leaders Institute. I am from the small town of Odendaalsrus in the Freestate in South Africa. I served in the ministry for the past fourteen years when I started as a soundman in the church. From there, I moved to the youth ministry and the intercessor ministry, where I have made my home.
Not all people love the word Christian because they believe that it is a word for a hypocrite and not a true Christian. So we often use the phrase follower of Jesus. Like any other organization, we have our challenges because we are a congregation filled with different types of people. My mother and father are both Christians, so I grew up in the church. At the age of twelve, I had my first real encounter with God, and from there on I followed Him
I always knew of the Lord. However, there is a difference in knowing of Him and having a relationship with Him. From the age of twelve, I grew closer to Him. However, during my young adult years, I got off track. Then in my late twenties, I went to a camp for Christians, and there I had a new encounter with God.
My Spiritual Dream and Ministry Education at CLI
My spiritual dream is to get to a point where people can see Jesus through me and not because of me. Serving the world is easy because that is what everyone does. But to serve God is the hard way, and I have no real friends with the same interest.
The event that took me to the cross was when I got to the point that I realized that I do not need to fight to have a place. God already gave me a place through Jesus Christ. I need to accept that and to follow Him. God felt far away, but during the camp meeting, I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. I knew then that God has compassion for me.
Knowledge is power, and one can never know enough. So, my goal at Christian Leaders Institute is to get as much powerful knowledge through their education as possible. Then I can share with others the best way possible – Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
To learn more about ordination, go to Christian Leaders Alliance.