Ministry Training Encouragement
My name is Alfreda M. Buchanan-Pinkston and I am receiving ministry training encouragement at Christian Leaders Institue. I reside in the United States in New York. I am a born-again Christian, saved since I was 18 years of age. My godmother asked my mother if she could take my sisters and me to church with her. Well, the journey began there, and today I am praising God for what He has done for me.
My mother raised my siblings and me as devout Catholics. We were in church every Sunday morning with Mom. My foundation began there, and salvation followed afterward and flourished into something amazing. I attended a Catholic grade school and went on to a Catholic High School. I thank God for what He has given and instilled in me.
There has been a calling on my life but I was not aware of that. People would say to me when I tried to escape into the world and do my own thing, “This is not for you. God has a calling on your life.”
Presently, I am an associate minister. I preside and officiate over the services at our church. I have been at the church for over 10 years. I have taught Sunday School for the children and adult classes. I have taught Bible Study on Tuesday evenings when we did not have a pastor or teacher in place to do so. I am also the treasurer and a trustee of the church, overseeing the financial obligations of the church.
My ministry dream is to study and complete another degree in Crisis Counseling enhancing the studies I receive at Christian Leaders Institute in ministry training encouragement. I’m a people person and love being an encouragement to others in need. There are many hurting individuals in this world that do not have anywhere to go, anyone to talk to, or someone to listen to their story. It’s my time to do that.
I presently work with families to keep the children from going into foster care. I have been doing my job for 8 years. At times it gets hard, but one thing I know we are here to serve people, just as Jesus served. I have a great love to help people right where they are and to help them make changes in their lives and move forward.
I desire to share the information I receive and learn through Christian Leaders Institute, so that someone else may get the opportunity to study as well. Traditional colleges are expensive, and lots of people are not able to afford the cost of tuition out of pocket. I sew into this ministry once a month so that others will be able to participate in a free education and a chance for them to know if this is where the Lord is leading them.
Presently we are without a shepherd, so I have to be persistent and disciplined in obtaining my education. My family is aware of my goals and what my intentions are regarding my education. I am persistent in what I set my mind to do until completion.
A scholarship at CLI will enhance and give me more knowledge of God, the Bible, and ministry. I am eager to pursue this and to achieve my dreams. I thank God for everything He has done, is doing and going to continue to do. To God be all of the glory.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Ministry Bible Training
My name is Michael Dwayne Dowdy and I am receiving ministry Bible training at Christian Leaders Insitute. I was born in Bitburg, West Germany on August 11, 1958. My father is USA Air Force Tech Sgt John D. Dowdy, an Air Force Chef who served in the Air Force for over 27 years and served honorably and with distinguished military service during the WWII and Korean wars. My mother was a lifelong, high ranking civil servant working for the US federal government on various military installations.
I am the middle child of three and the youngest son with an older brother and younger sister. We lived near and attended public schools near military bases all over the USA. I was taught to love God, country, and family. I was taught the value of hard work, good family values, good morals, and ethics that I hold dear to my heart to this day.
At the age of 16, I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior at the small South Baptist Church I attended as both a child and a teenager in Harker Heights, Texas. At the age of 18, I heard the calling from God to help people that are sick and dying, so I became a nurse at the age of 21. I worked various positions and fields in health care as a professional nurse for over 20 years. Then after that, as my health began to decline with a diagnosis of lupus, I asked God to help me pursue another occupation that I could handle with my disability. I also wanted to continue to honor God by helping others. So, I returned to college and became a certified teacher for 12 years. During this time in my life, I also felt a strong calling from God to enter into the ministry as an ordained minister so I became an ordained licensed minister in 1990.
I am thankful to be able to study at Christian Leaders Institute in my pursuit of further ministry Bible training.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.