Ministry Training Gratitude
My name is Amanda Muncy and I have ministry training gratitude for Christian Leaders Institute. I am the wife of Doug Muncy for over 21 years. Together, we have a daughter who has recently graduated college. I am a homemaker, and my husband is a coal-miner, who has recently found himself the new Associate Pastor appointee of Praise Assembly of God in Alum Creek, WV, USA. This is something that we both thought God was leading us into for awhile, but now that it is here, it seems unreal.
I can remember my mom walking my older sister and I hand in hand out of the hollow to a little church. I was excited every single Sunday morning for the love that was shown to me and to show off my creativity during Sunday School crafts. However, my mother lost her desire to be dedicated to a church family after some disappointing behavior in the church leadership. So after age five, we no longer went to church. Even so, thankfully, the seed was planted, I knew Jesus loved me.
After this point, my “church going” comprised of an annual trip with my aunt to Easter Sunday Service. I was very thankful for that yearly reminder of what Jesus had done for me because He loved me. By the time I was age seventeen, my older sister had a driver’s license and access to mom’s old station wagon. Around this time, my sister began attending church services more frequently, and not too long afterward I started tagging along. At first, it was just something cool to experience going somewhere independent of my parents. But then there was one service that the pastor preached a hard message followed up by a strong altar call. I felt the pull of conviction in my heart, but I was very shy, and the thought of going up in front of the church mortified me, but my mind was made up. I walked back to the restroom, quietly knelt down by the toilet, and asked Jesus to forgive and save me. And did He ever! Even though I was in a small bathroom kneeling by a toilet, Jesus met me all the same. It is still humbling to look back and to think that the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords overlooked my ignorance and irreverence of His glory by using a toilet for an altar. But He radically saved me all the same, and I became a New Creature in Him. Jesus is my Lord, Saviour, and King.
We have been attending Praise Assembly of God for over six years. There I have been involved in just about every aspect of the church. For over a year the Pastor has been allowing my husband to preach a couple of Wednesday nights a month. Recently, the Pastor appointed my husband Associate Pastor (in training). He has begun the process of being coached by the Pastor and soon will be taking classes through the Assemblies. I believe it will be advantageous to receive a good quality education for myself as well, to further advance the effectiveness of our pastoral ministry. The Christian Leaders Institute scholarship will well equip me for the challenges ahead of us and fills me with ministry training gratitude.
My dream is to be the type of leader that inspires and trains others to realize their God-given purpose. To disciple people on how to have and maintain a strong family unit. My additional dream is to be able to reach out, inspire and motivate drug addicts and the homeless, to give their hearts to the Lord Jesus. I desire to aid in rehabilitating them back to a productive, clear thinking Christian citizen.
Drug addiction is a real pandemic in my region. So many lives are being taken by overdoses, broken families, child neglect and abuse, all due to the opioid crisis where I live. I have seen people literally take apart their own dwelling, selling it piece by piece, such as the hot water tank, cabinets, siding, etc. to get money for a fix, even some attempt selling their children. It’s so very heartbreaking.
I have ministry training gratitude for the teaching I received through the “Getting Started” course. The two clips by Steve Elzinga alone were worth every bit of the time spent. My husband and I are recent empty nesters but I am looking forward to using the strategies presented through this online course to strengthen our family unit. Prayerfully, I will be able to pass on the knowledge to our church congregation. I truly wish I would have had this type of education sooner, I could see in many aspects we could have been doing much more to encourage our daughter’s walk with God.
There is no specific event that inspired me to minister God’s love to others. The sheer magnitude that God has shared His love and power with me over and over, I honestly can not help but share it with others. I have ministry training gratitude for the insight already given by Christian Leaders Institute. I am looking forward to seeing the outcome of the application of the strategies presented in the “Getting Started” course.
Praise Assembly of God in Alum Creek, WV, under the leadership of Pastor Dan McCormick has created an environment that feels like a family. Dan’s ministry has an atmosphere where it is easy to succeed, and, just as importantly, he has created an environment where it is a safe place to fail. Pastor Dan does all within his capability to lead, guide, direct, support and make room for whatever it is you think you are called to do. And, if you fail, he has also made it a soft place to land, pick up the pieces and start over.
My prayer for my husband and I is that God’s Will for our ministry will come to fruition.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Women Ministry Training
My name is Janine and I am receiving women ministry training. I live in Ronkonkoma, NY in the United States. I was born and raised as a Catholic but fell away as I became an adult. For years, I went and did my own thing, totally ignoring my Catholic faith. However, it came to a point where the way I was living, the path I was taking, was not leading me towards who God was calling me to be. Then, I reconnected with a friend from high school and he suggested that we do a Bible study together. We studied the book of Romans via email and it was from that experience I knew what I had to do. I was reading an email from my friend regarding the answers I had given to the chapter we had worked on. He decided to call me out and I will never forget his question to me, “What is holding you back?” The question caught me by surprise. What really was holding me back? I racked my brain for answers, but I did not have an answer, not one excuse. So, in my sister’s basement, where I was living at the time, I responded to his email, his question. Taking a quote from the movie, “Fireproof,” I simply typed “I’m in.”
As my walk with the Lord began, I never had any desire to enter into ministry. I figured that I would volunteer my time here and there, but that was it. Then I started to get this nagging feeling, like I was being tugged at. It was then that I realized volunteering my time was not going to be enough. Around that time, I was able to obtain an internship position with a website called “One Thing Alone.” It was through that experience I found the passion I had in me for writing and wanting to use that gift to serve God. I want to be able to use my writing to not only spread the Good News, but to impact women from all walks of life, whether it be in person or through the internet.
Coming across Christian Leaders Institute was an answer to prayer! Since working through the “Getting Started” course, my passion for God and His Word has been reignited. Through this course, I have learned that God does have a plan for me and that no one is unqualified. God has met me where I am at and has sent me the opportunity to learn at CLI and receive women ministry training. In addition to that, I am more motivated to get into my Bible and connect with God on a whole new level. I need to keep God in the center of my life, so that I can better hear Him and serve Him.
I do know, however, that this journey towards ministry will not be an easy one. As a wife and a mother to three boys, my time will have to be used wisely, allowing enough time for study and home life. I will also need to find a mentor. For many years, I have been looking for the right person and have learned that it’s not up to me, but to God. Once I surrendered to that, God has led me to someone who just might fit the bill. Distance can also be an issue. In the town where I live, if one doesn’t have a car, it is hard to get around. There is public transportation, but the schedule is not always the best. These are issues that I know God will take care of, since in the grand scheme of things, these are minor issues compared to those others might face.
I am very thankful to have found CLI. This is an opportunity that I have prayed for for a long time. Through this coursework of women ministry training, I feel like I am ever closer to reaching my dream of being involved in women’s ministry.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.