CLI’s Amazing Education Opportunity
My name is Sandy Bullard, and I am thankful for this amazing education opportunity at CLI. I am an only child and grew up on a dairy/grain farm in upstate New York. I had both of my parents growing up. They enrolled me in Christian education classes every Monday. As early as five years old, I remember having a spiritual experience. Then, I knew that God was real. I had a little book of prayers that I read in my room, and I always liked the way it made me feel calm and happy. I remember my parents dropping me off at church when I was old enough to go alone.
Our family had many struggles and many dysfunctional times. It caused anger and rebellion in me that manifested in my teens. God kept me safe despite my foolishness. For that I am grateful. I experienced many difficult times and painful events that made a lasting impression on my heart. Having never fully understood the Bible, I only had read snippets and the church didn’t make much sense to me. I never had a personal relationship with God. I didn’t know that I could. Therefore, I made my decisions in life without including God or even asking for His guidance.
Mistakes and God’s Grace
I married a man I only knew for three days. On the honeymoon, I knew I had made a huge mistake, but I had “made my bed.” I moved to Germany to be with him. As a result, things continued to spiral downward. One day, I heard a knock on the door of my apartment. When I went to answer it, a woman with a kind face was standing there smiling at me. I had two babies who were both napping. She asked if she could come in. She was a Jehovah’s Witness, but before I could even consider that, I asked her in.
The most remarkable thing happened. She asked me to get my Bible out, and we both read the Bible together. She answered my questions and never once tried to persuade me to be a part of her religion. To this day, I feel blessed by her visit. She reconnected me to God. I started to read the Bible and pray again. God can use any method available to bring us back to Him when we get lost. I would like to say that life was great after that. However, prayer didn’t continue when we relocated back to the United States. I still didn’t know the value of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Soon, I filled a position at our church to teach young girls. I learned about Jesus, read the Bible to prepare for the classes, and started praying. Therefore, a personal relationship began between God and me. Then, my marriage failed. We divorced. Years of brokenness and healing followed. God was faithful and stuck with me through it all. I met a man a few years later, and we married. I call him my gift from God. Together we are growing in the Lord day by day.
Direction Through CLI’s Amazing Education Opportunity
Most recently, out of the blue, God asked me to close my business. I was in the middle of my contract, so we negotiated the fee. As soon as I moved all my office to my home, my mother, who lived with us, fell and needed most of my time for many months. God knew. I had a God moment that day!
Ever since then, I have been leaning into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Jesus. I was looking for a way to be used by Him in my new community. We relocated to a new home. He guided my steps, and I found the Christian Leaders Institute. At first, when I started studies online, I had no idea what God was directing me to. It has been a couple of months now. Some exciting things are coming into focus with this amazing education opportunity.
I volunteered at a soup kitchen in town once a week. This activity led me to a Community Support Shoppe run by a Pastor from my new church. I volunteered one day a week at the shop. The Pastor said just learned that someone was going to be leaving when I called. So, it turned into two days a week. This week the Pastor said that if I would be interested, she would mentor me into a special position in the shop. I would be able to do what she does there. Another God moment!
God’s Work and Blessings
I am excited to see God work in my life. I have kept progressing with my studies and hope to be an Ordained Minister first. Then, I plan to go on to get a degree at the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School. I am retired, and I really appreciate having a free program. This education is needed for me to bring others to God through Jesus. I feel much more confident, and I love the way the program is set up. Thank you all so much for this amazing education opportunity!
Learn about ordination opportunities at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Read how leadership training at Christian Leaders Institute is blessing this pastor as he serves his local church.
Leadership Training at CLI
But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent — either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant — because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will help you speak, and I will teach you what to say.”
13 Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.” — Exodus 4:10-13 (CSB)
This was me! I knew I was called to the ministry from the time I was saved at three years old. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Joshua Sylvester, and I am from the USA in a little town in rural Missouri called Iberia. Currently, I am pursuing leadership training at Christian Leaders Institute.
College Study and Military Service
When I began actively looking to the future and deciding where I would go to college, I thought that what I experienced at my conversion was just childish thinking. Ironic, since at that time, I was still a child in thought at least. Like most teenagers, I thought that I knew what was best for me better than anyone else, including God.
I spent one year in college and decided I wasn’t ready and needed more discipline. I knew that the best place for me to get the discipline that I wanted was the military. Therefore, I joined the USAF as a linguist. I will say a couple of things about that experience. God used it to open my eyes to the gift He gave me for languages. It was also the time a thorn in the flesh was given to me.
Military life is not easy. There is always someone telling you what to do. Even if they are not actively telling you, there are many rules and regulations that you are held accountable for knowing and keeping. There is always someone ready to fault you if you break a rule or regulation. The stress got to me, and I told God that I did not want to be a Christian any longer. God did not accept that proposition, and according to Proverbs 3:12 and Hebrews 12:6, God disciplined me. He allowed me to get an autoimmune disorder called Ulcerative Colitis. It is painful and permanent. Therefore, I see it as my thorn in the flesh. It is a reminder of where I came from and what I am called to do.
Spiritual Growth and Study at CLI
Through that experience, I grew in my knowledge and faith. I grew closer to God than I had ever been before. I still strive to continue to grow closer to Him through knowledge and faith. That is why I chose the Christian Leaders Institute for my ministry leadership training.
I am now a pastor, praise God! I am the Pastor of Family Discipleship at First Baptist Church in Iberia, Missouri. Coming into this position, I not only had to integrate into the leadership that was already in place, but I helped create this position to start a family discipleship ministry. So I am building a leadership team while becoming a part of a leadership team.
That is the reason that I took the leadership training class at CLI at this time. I wanted to do my best to be part of the church leadership and help bring the vision of the church to fruition. This leadership training class has helped me with that tremendously. A couple of things, in particular, have come at the right time in God’s sovereign way.
Leadership Training Application
First was leading through change. The church I am part of has been here for 175 years. They have a rich tradition, and change is hard for them. We (the leadership) have to introduce change in a way that alters small things slowly, so they see a need for more substantial change. The leadership training class at CLI has been beneficial with tips and strategies to get the church on board with our vision for discipling the whole family starting at home.
The second way the leadership training class helped is in dealing with conflict. There is one particular person in leadership that has refused to see the need for this position, and the need for the vision as a whole. He thinks things are beautiful the way they are and doesn’t want to change. The senior pastor and I have both talked to him. We are praying that God will change his heart. Therefore, we wait on God’s timing and see if this particular leader has heart change or if he will leave. The rest of the leadership team believes that this is what God is calling this church to do, and we already have seen the “first fruits” of the work.
Leadership Training and Ministry Opportunities
I thank God for this opportunity that He has given me. I am looking forward to the work that is in store for the future. We will be starting a couple of clubs in the local public schools to introduce kids to God, Christ, and the Church. So, we are hoping that this will bring more families into our church.
We are also starting a parent’s small group to share our struggles, to know that we are not alone in them, and to learn the Biblical way to parent. Our goal is to get the church as a whole, and parents, in particular, to see that discipleship starts at home. The church is here to partner with them and not just do the discipling for them.
We offer instruction in all facets of our ministry. From beginning to end, we are building a cohesive program to focus on making disciples who will make disciples.
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Peer Support Coach Ministry
My name is Deborah Wright, and I am called to a Peer Support Coach Ministry. I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1976, where I finished school and continue to reside. There are many opportunities for Christian leaders in my community, not just in the Church but also including some secular opportunities in the behavioral health and crisis shelter venues. These are examples of where my calling lies.
Early Years
I grew up in a broken, single-parent home where substance abuse was prevalent. I am eternally grateful for my great grandmother. She provided a children’s Bible and taught me prayers when I was a young child. Although my parents were not Christian, I did have the opportunity to attend Sunday School at a local Nazarene church in Michigan. It was there I approached the altar and asked our Lord Jesus to save me. I was 11 or 12 years old.
After moving to Arizona, life became unstable. As I entered puberty, I was always getting into trouble. Drug and alcohol abuse are critical factors to the sinful life I was living well into my early adulthood.
Change in Christ
At about age 33, I was in crisis. I had managed to destroy my marriage, my career, my friendships, and my family relationships. I also had nearly died of a drug overdose. It was then that Jesus sent someone into my life. A former co-worker that was also an ordained Christian minister invited me to church, and my life began to turn around! I am still amazed at the power of God’s love and the many miracles He has done on my behalf!
It was a long, hard walk to recovery, but I am free from drugs for over 24 years now! If not for the power of the Holy Spirit and having “eyes to see” how faithfully and powerfully the Lord worked on my behalf, I would not have made it.
My spiritual dream is to take my testimony of God’s love and salvation to hurting women and young people that are struggling with their recovery process. Jesus wants me to walk among these hurting souls as He did when He walked the Earth centuries ago. I am to minister love, hope, acceptance, and healing to the broken. Our Lord Jesus will go with me to reach out to those that desperately need Him.
Free Ministry Training at CLI
I am very thankful for the Christian Leaders Institute free ministry training. It will help me be the best ambassador for Christ that I can be in pursuing my spiritual dream and my calling. The CLI study program is such a blessing. I am thankful to be receiving quality ministry training free of charge since I will need to pay to become certified in the State of Arizona to work, volunteer, or serve in behavioral health and domestic crisis centers. I will work in what is known as a Peer Support Coach Ministry.
Peer Support Coaches are people with lived experience with addictions and successful recovery in their own lives. They work with people struggling with their recovery. I have a great desire to do this and to share my testimony and relationship with the Lord as well. I still have much work to do to prepare before stepping into this Peer Support Coach ministry, but God willing, it will happen.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV)
Learn about ordination opportunities at Christian Leaders Alliance.