Bi-vocational Youth Pastor
My name is Fritzy Ruth B. Gahuman and I am called to be a bi-vocational youth pastor. I was born on February 1, 1995, and I’m from the Philippines. I just recently transferred from a big city called Davao to a small town here at Surigao del Norte in Mindanao. I am currently working as a Site Communications Coordinator at Greenstone Resources Corporation, which is a mining company in the Philippines. I graduated from the Ateneo de Davao University with a Bachelor Degree in Mass Communication on March 28, 2015. Just recently, I got accredited as an announcer of the (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas) Association of the Philippines Broadcasters.
I come from a broken family. My mother and father got separated way back when I was still a few days old. My big brother and I ended up not being close with our father and we both stayed with our aunt’s family in Davao City (8-10 hours away from our hometown). I was a Roman Catholic but was never religious. Growing up, I spent my vacation days at my mother’s (who is a born-again Christian) place in Brgy. Siana, where I learned about the Bible, Christian music and lifestyle, and most especially about Jesus Christ.
During my teenage years, I struggled with depression and suicidal tendencies. I was also distant from my family and got rebellious. Fortunately, I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in my life and got water baptized at age 16 on May 1, 2011, and that’s the moment I began to live my life for the Lord. After that most important event, I committed to God that never again would I ever want to die or kill myself. Self-harming stopped that instant, but my Christian journey was never easy. I was never perfect. I still struggled with sin, but I knew God is bigger than all of these and that He can set me free. Although the process that I went through was really hard, I thank God that I was able to be still and that my trust in Him never faded. College graduation in Davao City came and I went back to our hometown in Surigao del Norte. It was there I was reunited with the people who really helped me in my spiritual growth. I was able to fully surrender my life to God, and I allowed the Holy Spirit to work within me. I found the true peace and contentment that only Jesus Christ can provide. Right there and then, I knew that nothing is impossible with God and that He has a greater purpose in my life as a bi-vocational youth pastor.
Thankfully, I am now a solid follower of Jesus Christ, an active church member, a praise and worship leader, and a youth adviser at the Lord of the Harvest Tabernacle (LHT) Church at Brgy. Siana, Mainit, Surigao del Norte.
I decided to take up this online Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) ministry training because I wanted to be able to competently serve the Lord and the Church. This training will help deepen my understanding of my faith because the Bible challenges everyone to be ready to give an account of their faith to anyone who asks (1 Peter 3:15). Also, my ministry dream is for me to be able to effectively impart Jesus Christ’s teachings to God’s church, most especially to the youth group, to whom I am most convicted to spend the time of my ministry. This training will equip me in every aspect of my life to truly become a fruitful servant of God. As the Bible says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth”(2 Timothy 2:15). God has also shown me a dream, which further confirms my calling to ministry as a bi-vocational youth pastor.
The CLI scholarship is a big stepping stone for me to truly be able to pursue God’s calling in my life, which is to become a bi-vocational youth pastor. I pray that I would be equipped and prepared when the time comes that God will fulfill this wonderful new journey in my life.
Learn about ordained minister study programs at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Pastor Ministry
My name is Craig Arnold and I live in Sydney, Australia. To do pastor ministry in Australia would be something very special. It is something I received a calling for while I was in prison. I also found the Lord in prison. I was in a small cell, and there was nothing to read but a Bible. I picked it up and started to read it, and haven’t put it down since. That’s how I found the Lord.
My ministry dream is to become a pastor and keep spreading the Word of God Almighty. As I wrote before, I have a calling and I want to answer that calling the best I can. Taking this class has even made me want it more, and I feel closer to God and am understanding more and more, how important it is to have Him in my life.
The dream of pastor ministry is something I really want. I want to help people in need; to be there for people who just need someone to listen. Working in the prison system passing on the Word is also what I would like to pursue. If not for the Bible and the prison pastor, Pastor Glenn, I wouldn’t have found the Lord at all. Pastor Glenn has played a big role in me wanting this dream. And I am still in touch with him to this day.
I would like to get more young people to church, but at times it seems a real challenge in the area I live. With youth crime on the rise, drinking, and drugs everywhere, different cultures, it will be hard. But I really want to make a difference and I am up for the challenge.
Connecting with the Bible has changed me as a person in so many ways. I could feel the change happening in prison. I had a real enlightenment in my heart, and that made me realize, I had connected with the Holy Spirit. I handed it all over to the Lord. Now I am a lot calmer as a person, more understanding and have become a good listener, and a good, loving, caring person. The feeling inside never goes away, and I love that.
My local church, Christian City Church, has been very supportive in what I want to do, and I take a study class every Sunday evening with them. My mother and father, and my two siblings are not Christians but have all been very supportive and are behind me 100%. Getting a scholarship through Christian Leaders Institute is very important to me. It is the start of my journey in pursuing this dream. I am proud to be part of CLI. Please pray for me that I get to where God wants me to be and do what He wants me to do.
Learn about ordained minister study programs at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Ministering Family
My name is Graham Burger and my ministering family is active in pastoring. I live in New Zealand. We are free to worship here but there are a strong secular push and plenty of anti-Christian and anti-church sentiment at all levels of society – education, media etc.
My sister led me to the Lord when I was 8 years old but, although I was attuned to God and God fearing, I did not fully commit my life to Him until an adult. My wife and I were invited to church before we were married by someone who sold us a correspondence study course and we accepted Christ on our first visit.
My ministry dream is to be more Christlike, walk closer to Christ and to know his specific will for my life in all areas. I also want to have the faith and trust to be obedient. I have enjoyed the content of this class which I found stimulating and challenging. It fits in my personal desire to be more effective in connecting with and mentoring those in my sphere. I am also looking for ways to grow my sphere of connectedness.
The role I most identify with is a pastor. My sister tells me that, when I was 8 and said the sinner’s prayer, I said soon after that I wanted to be a minister. Years later as an adult, my wife and I decided that if this is worth Christ dying for then it is worth us living for. We began with home church leadership and doing marriage and pre-marriage courses in South Africa and later in New Zealand and are now full-time pastors on staff as a ministering family.
The Bible has transformed my life in the sense that it is the foundation for how I live my life – from my marriage to raising my kids, to the type of employee/boss/employer and neighbor I am. It dictates every area of my life. My two daughters are pastors along with their husbands and my kids all know the Gospel.
My local church in South Africa encouraged me to lead a home cell and to do marriage courses and counseling. My church in New Zealand did the same and also ordained my wife and I (and two daughters later on). My ministry family is on staff in differing capacities. I am a chartered accountant and involved in finance as we have several campuses, a junior and high school and three childcare centers for pre-schoolers.
My family and ministering family have supported my ministry calling. My wife is a pastor and has been fully supportive of my calling. My sisters and mom have always supported our church involvement although in our early years there was some comment on our not being available for some family gatherings or some lifestyle choices we made.
A scholarship will allow me to study as I would not be able to afford all the courses. Studying a quality academic program will also equip me for some of the roles I play as a pastor and elder, especially in mentoring and counseling. My constant prayer as a pastor and elder is for wisdom and obedience as I speak into lives and have strategic input into church management and decisions.
Learn about local “ecuministry” ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.