Karen Wake – Commissioned Minister
My name is Pastor Karen Wake and I am a commissioned minister. I was born, raised and reside in Ontario, Canada. I am a widowed mother of two wonderful sons, a grandmother to three terrific grandchildren, and recently became a great-grandmother to a darling little boy.
More than 6 years ago, I enrolled as a student of Christian Leaders Institute. My personal profile is available in the Christian Leaders Alliance/Ordination directory. The scholarship I received from CLI has allowed me to get a solid Christian college education necessary. CLI trained me truthfully, spiritually and in a biblical manner, to be a minister to people and spread the gospel right here in my own community and online.
With my initial Ordination in January of 2015 and all the new courses that this amazing institution has provided for us, I gained the knowledge and confidence to plant “New Creations Christian Fellowship” here in Mount Forest. This fellowship includes a small home based group and a much larger following worldwide on Facebook at “One Pastor’s Notes.”
Christian Leaders Institute allows those of us who cannot afford the tuition fees of other Bible Schools and Seminaries to receive a quality Christian education from dedicated, Spirit-filled teachers who do not hesitate to respond to any questions we have along the way.
I thank Henry Reyenga and all of the staff for their vision of raising leaders around the world who will emerge and fulfill Christ’s great commission “Therefore 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) My heartfelt thanks to everybody at CLI!
To all who read this, I hope you too will be able to become a Vision Partner to help keep this great institution thriving and turning out Christian Leaders worldwide.
May God bless you abundantly.
Preacher Calling
My name is Nathan Erich and I am studying at Christian Leaders Institute to answer the preacher calling from God. I was born to Christian parents with eight sisters and one brother. I am a middle child, fourth in line. I grew up on a farm, Every morning I was responsible to get up and help milk the cows and feed the chickens. I also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and hiking. From my earliest memories, our family went to church and I was taught biblical principles.
As a 12-year-old boy, I had a desire to make a difference in the world by sharing the Gospel, but one particular event still stands out to me today. It was February 18, 2001, and my family was attending a revival meeting and the time I first considered the preacher calling from God. After the service, I got an opportunity to talk with the speaker, and he told me, “Young man, God has a calling on your life and desires to use you to lead thousands of souls to Christ.” Later on that year, on September 29th, I witnessed an older friend of mine have a heart attack and pass away. It woke me up to the reality that death is real and I wanted to know for sure that when I died I would go to heaven. I talked to my dad and asked him how to know I would go to heaven when I died. He then proceeded to share John 3:16 and the Romans road with me. It was at that point that I committed my life to follow Jesus.
I was homeschooled and graduated in 2007. The same year I joined the local fire department as a volunteer firefighter and received my Firefighter and EMT license. In 2009, I enrolled in Miracle Mountain Ranch’s Ministry Apprenticeship Program. I spent two years at Miracle Mountain developing a love for studying the Word of God and sharing the Gospel with others. I received certifications in Christian leadership and ministry. After my training there, I enrolled in a two-year community college, receiving my Associates in Applied Science with a major in Agricultural Equipment Technician. Following graduation, I worked at a shop as a mechanic. At the same time, I began volunteering as a youth leader and later the youth pastor at a local church. I served on staff for a year, then after handling a bad accident that my little brother was killed in, I stepped down. In 2015, I spent three months in Colorado at Ellerslie in their discipleship program. I earned a certificate of honor from the Ellerslie Leadership Training program. In 2016, I became a youth pastor and earned my local credentials through the church in which I served.
In 2014, after my little brother’s accident, I took a job at a Christian camp as an Outdoor Education Teacher and Health Officer. I worked there for three years, and while working there I met the woman of my dreams. Later on, I asked her to be my wife. We are now married and have a beautiful daughter. I left the camp ministry in 2017 and took a job in sales. My family moved to northern Ohio in 2017. We started attending a local church called Foundation Church. I serve as a volunteer youth leader and am currently being mentored by Pastor Bob. I have been praying about going back to school and getting my bachelor’s degree in ministry, but I could not afford it. That is when I found the Christian Leaders Institute. I am so thankful for those who have supported CLI and for the leadership of CLI. I look forward to earning my bachelor’s in ministry and seeing where God takes us.
Learn about ordained minister study programs at Christian Leaders Alliance.