Veteran Ministry Dream
I am Ed Becher. I am a retired United States Marine who has seen the loss of way too many of my friends and colleagues to suicide. It is reported that twenty-two veterans commit suicide each day. Many of these veterans knew God at one time in their life, and my veteran ministry dream is to bring these veterans back to Christ.
I live in Michigan and am a Yankee/Mets fan. I was raised in Lindenhurst, New York. My father died when I was in second grade from kidney failure. My mom never remarried and raised me, my younger sister and brother by herself. While we did not have everything, we did have each other and that meant a lot to me growing up.
My veteran ministry dream is to help my fellow veterans find God again and stop the loss of our veteran community to suicide. Additionally, I would like to minister to our homeless veterans, which is one of the biggest groups of homeless people in the United States.
For many years as a young Marine, I considered leaving the Marines and looking at the ministry to become a Roman Catholic priest. Having been raised a Catholic I looked at the priests I met as mentors. During my career as a Marine, I met my first wife while assigned to the American Embassy in Santiago, Chile. While our marriage did not last, she did provide me with two great sons.
After my marriage ended, I met my current wife, who I call my Angel, as she is responsible for why I am here today. Her belief in the Lord and how he works brought me back to my calling.
I found Christians Leaders Institute and have found a way to get to where I feel I should be. I am finding a way to minister and get the Word of the Lord out to my fellow veterans who have lost their way.
Learn about local ecuministry ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Filipino Ministry Training
My name is Jonalynne Cruzin from the Philippines. I am a wife and a mother of two sons and two daughters. I am receiving free Filipino Ministry Training at Christian Leaders Institute.
My father was an Overseas Filipino Worker in Saudi Arabia and became a Christian there. When he returned home, our family embraced his new faith as well, though we did not have a church to attend at first since my dad’s church was in Saudi Arabia. I thought I already was a Christian by the things my dad was teaching us about Jesus and the Bible.
It was in college when I felt a hunger in my heart about God. I realized I needed to have a church to belong to. God led me to Christ to the Philippines church in 2005. I am now serving as a worship leader and discipleship ministry head in that church with my husband.
My ministry dream is to share the gospel and to help other people to know Christ. In time, I also want to mentor other leaders that will also share the gospel.
As a mother, I became too busy with household chores and the kids. This getting started class at Christian Leaders Institute reminded me of managing my time and knowing my priorities. I am now determined to be faithful in my personal devotions and with God’s help I know I will be able to do it.
The Philippines is a Christian country as many people say but corruption and immorality in the country are very high. Most Filipinos say they know Christ but live as if there is no God. Many true Christians are needed to remind people what it really means to live in Christ.
I am usually based at home so CLI is the only way I can get ministry training while taking care of my kids. I thank God for the Christian Leaders Institute for helping me pursue my ministry dream while fulfilling my duties as a wife and a mother.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Kenyan Small Group Minister
My name is Isaiah Githinji and I feel called to be a Kenyan small group minister. I am a Kenyan citizen and a born again and committed Christian. I am married and together we have a 2-year-old daughter. I grew up in a Christian family and came to know the Lord as a child. My dad was a clergyman supported by my mother. I came to know God early on in my life and later renewed my faith in Christ by getting baptized at Full Gospel Church of Kenya, Kitale. My faith had been tested and I had found myself slipping away and following after worldly pleasures. I made it back through God’s grace. I can say now that I am more mature in faith and more focused than before. The journey is not ended and there are challenges, temptations, trials, and disappointments along the way, but I am encouraged by the words in Hebrews 13:5, ‘’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’’
Kenya is largely a Christian nation with various Christian denominations at the center stage. There is freedom of worship for all religions and therefore Christians are able to freely evangelize and demonstrate their faith to non-Christians. With this comes the unique challenge of many Christians with not very strong roots and living unproductive lives. It’s the job of strong committed Christians to bring back the backslidden Christians to the fold and to strengthen and equip them for service.
I have served in music ministry as a church drummer and also in the choir as a tenor. I have served in Sunday school ministry as a volunteer and as a member of the youth ministry. My dream ministry is to serve as a Kenyan small group minister and to reach unreached people of the world. I believe the call to serve is something that was taught to me from my formative years. I believe it’s the Holy Spirit that drives one to desire to serve God and other factors come into play when one selects which ministry to serve in.
This class at Christian Leaders Institute has really helped me to appreciate the need to be active in ministry as a calling. It has helped me to re-examine my faith and the serving opportunities there are in ministry. It has set a foundation for a thorough study of scriptures and lifelong Christian learning. If I were to choose a ministry or role, I would like to serve as a Kenyan small group minister.
Our local church, Parklands Baptist Church in Nairobi, has very vibrant ministries and talent/calling identification processes to help people discover their ideal ministry based on a variety of factors such as calling, personality, skills, and experience. Doors to serve are open to any church member who feels led to serve in a particular area. In 2015-2016, I served as a volunteer Sunday school assistant before taking a break to take care of my wife and our newborn daughter.
One of the challenges in my geographic area is that there are a lot of people who need to be reached with the gospel and yet there are not enough workers who are willing or are adequately trained in ministry. “’The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.’’
This opportunity at Christian Leaders Insitute will help to train, equip, and empower me to be a servant in the kingdom of God. I am actively looking for opportunities to serve and reach out to others. I will also be able to create and seek opportunities to serve in small groups and also an unreached people ministry. That is where I feel I can plug in right away.
Please pray for me, that the call of God will continue to unfold even as I get equipped to serve him. Pray for my family, that we shall continue being strong in the Lord and as a couple that we build a strong foundation for our children and generations to come. Pray that the church of Jesus Christ in Kenya will wake up and take her rightful role of being the light to the nations. Pray that the community will embrace and love one another irrespective of faith, creed, language or culture.
Pray that the church will be a role model in our society and nation where many will be convicted and inspired to see people who are changed and productive and lead value-driven lives for Christ
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.