Train for the Ministry
Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my story. I am Michael Tutt and I am 55 years old and currently living in Dacula, a small city about 50 Km North East of Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. I was born in England in 1959 with congenital glaucoma and although surgeons operated and restored some sight to my right eye I have been blind in my left eye all my life. In 1992 the disease caught up with me and I lost my sight completely. However, God is the one who literally and spiritually heals the blind and causes them to see. Just so, he has healed me spiritually and given me a vision for salvation and discipleship in my local area. By His immense grace I will fulfil the calling given to me and, in His timing, my sight will be fully restored. That is the basis of my story.
I attended English boarding schools near Brighton and Coventry and seemed to excel academically. However, the combination of being forced to attend Chapel every Sunday, and an increasing scientific skepticism, drove me away from Christ and the ritualistic form of Christianity that seemed to pervade my education.
I took my undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in Physics and Electronics and went on to gain a string of postgraduate qualifications including a Diploma in Management Studies, Masters’ degree in Intelligent Management Systems, Certificate in Adult Education, and another undergraduate degree in Social Science. Yet I account all this learning as nothing compared with the amazing grace of Christ who saved me in the Fall of 1986.
I was living in communal housing for people with limited or no vision in London, and some people who had befriended me, invited me to Kensington Temple Elim Pentecostal church. This was a genuinely astounding experience, the presence of God was palpable, like electricity in the atmosphere. The relaxed, non-ritualistic, worship made me feel comfortable in a church for the first time in my life. When the Senior Pastor, the late and blessed Wynne Lewis, preached the sermon it seemed like he was speaking directly to me. It went straight from his lips into my heart. I felt the burden of my sin: my turning my back on God, my critical spirit, and my scoffing at those who believed. With tears in my eyes I responded to His glorious call and accepted Christ as my personal savior. I was baptized by full immersion the following year.
I studied for the Diploma in Christian Ministry at the International Bible Institute of London but, as my sight affliction demonstrated, this was not the right time for me to enter the ministry. After losing my sight I was angry with God and couldn’t comprehend why a God of love should destroy MY dreams of an academic career and Christian ministry. It took me a few months to come to terms with being blind, to seek assistance to re-learn the living skills I needed to live independently, and to realize that God never promised me an easy road, that MY dreams and plans were immaterial compared with His much better plans to prosper me, and finally that I could trust Christ to lift me up in whatever state I found myself.
In 2003 I moved from England to Orange County California to marry Susan, after a long distance relationship conducted through the Internet, phone calls, and several transatlantic vacations. We lived there and worshipped at Saddleback Christian Center and then Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa until Susan retired from her work with Experian. Last year we relocated to our current home in Dacula where we have found a very supportive church family in Calvary Chapel of Gwinnett under the care of Pastor Mark Byrd. We are really just getting settled into our new church right now, but I fully hope and expect that Pastor Byrd will be able to make use of my natural and spiritual gifts in the service of Christ’s family.
I am a Pastor, that is not something that anyone can bestow on a person, it is the enormous grace of God, it is His calling on my life. One of the things that grieves my heart here is that although many profess to follow Christ, it is in a shallow, almost ritualistic way, as though by their works they might be perceived as holy. There is a pharisaical quality to their faith (faith that I believe is nonetheless genuine) that is immensely sorrowful to behold. Almost a “worship me with their lips but their hearts are far from me” (Matt 15:8) situation. Yet I sense a true spiritual hunger among many and believe they need help to know how to apply God’s word in their everyday lives.
My God-given vision is to form study groups where I can help people translate the eternal Word of God into a practical application to the issues and problems of living the Christian life, empower them with the Spirit, and provide practical counseling to fulfill whatever ministry God has called them to. This is the heart God has placed within me. Evangelism, equipping the saints, teaching the Word and prayer.
I also hope to use my long-term hobby of amateur radio to reach out to people from other countries with the gospel. I pray that God will use my communications skills to His glory.
I am blessed that Christian Leaders Institute has given me this opportunity to study God’s Word with mentors and friends who can guide me spiritually and help me grow in my relationship with Christ. The generous donations of supporters that have made it possible is an answer to prayer. I have been unemployed since coming to the United States and so a traditional Bible college is not an option. I am delighted that God has made a way for me to train for the ministry at Christian Leaders Institute. Thank you to all those who have made this possible.
Donna Hosea Liles, Texas, USA Enjoys Proper Ministry Training
I was born in 1965 in the state of Texas in a town where Christian Ministry is welcomed by a large majority; however there are those who oppose it and try to discourage it. There have been so many changes here since my childhood. Now my grandchildren don’t get prayer in classrooms in the morning or at any school event. There is no more speaking with God’s blessings openly in businesses. However, the majority of us Christians here still bless one another and Praise God in public.
My Grandmother, Nadyne, led me to my Faith. I remember as a very young child, with three brothers, Grandma would take me to the First Baptist Church in our hometown. I would get to go every time I stayed with her. Vacation Bible School was also a yearly thing when it came to Grandma’s wishes. I was with the Youth Ministry when I was in High School and would often minister for my classmates. I so loved to worship the Lord and share His Word. Faith carried me through many things growing up. From a dysfunctional home to going through my parents’ divorce when I was thirteen. I and my siblings were separated in that divorce; the two oldest with dad and the two youngest with mom. Visits were uncomfortable when we got together on weekends and both parents were not living right. They did not set good examples at this time of our lives.
As an adult I had three daughters and took them to Church often to build their Faith with the Lord. Jesus is the one they could hold on to through the tough times and the easy times of life’s challenges. He has always been my rock and He needed to be theirs. Without Him I could not have made it to be a mother. My spirit had been broken many times. By the time I was 28 I had my third child and counselors were telling me I had already experienced and lived the life of a 46 year old woman. I sometimes wonder how old those counselors would classify me to seem now. I am a survivor of rape, child molestation, many forms of abuse and even the loss of my youngest child; four days before her 11th birthday. She passed away after battling a rare form of cancer over an 11 month span. Nikole was not afraid to die because she knew her Lord and Savior and where she was going. I Praise God for helping me and guiding me to share His love with my children. Our Faith did give me comfort that she knew Jesus and wasn’t afraid. (2 Corinthians 12:9 – …But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.)
I have asked the Lord to use me as an instrument for his work. I want to share His love with others; his mercy, his forgiveness, his promises. I know now that I had to go through many trials to strengthen me. Satan cannot block my Faith anymore or discourage me. My Lord has strengthened me and with him I can do all things. (Philippians 4:12,13 – 12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.)
I believe Christian Leaders Institute can help me go farther and make it possible for God to use me as an instrument in many more areas. With proper training and better knowledge through the wisdom of his word I can be more effective in my walk and in my community.
This minister is studying at Christian Leaders Institute to add to her education.
Patricia A. Harris started a non-profit ministry years ago and is now using
Christian Leaders Institute to help her further pursue her dreams…
My Personal Bio…
Hi my name is Patricia A. Harris, of the United States. I’m a divorced mother of six adult children, with twenty-seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. I currently live in Minnesota, in the twin-cities area… I am a Christian Leaders Institute student and enjoying the journey.
My family moved here from Chicago, in 1982, to create a better life for them. I spent the first four years of my life in Milwaukee and the remainder of my childhood in Chicago’s south side. There was no father in our home, but we had a great mom. She was always there for us. We never had to wonder where she was because she never worked outside the home. There was no one to provide for us or help raise us.
I have spent many years trying to help others in one way or another, but I felt that wasn’t the only thing I wanted or needed to do. I knew there was so much more to life than simply helping others with basic needs.
My Early Years…
I came to know the Lord when I was seven years of age. We had the opportunity to get a Bible with our name engraved on it for participating in Sunday School every Sunday. It was a wonderful time in my life when I gave everything I could just to go to Church; though our household was not involved in Church, nor did we pray. Some of my earliest memories are of helping children and making sure they had something to eat.
I remember when I was 12 years old I met a family of four that lived across the street. I noticed sad looks on their faces and went to talk with them. They asked if I could get them some food and they showed me the deplorable conditions they were living in. I cried for those children that day. I brought them home and asked my mother if we could give them some food. We were living in poverty ourselves, but my family always seemed to have enough food to help others. My aunt was visiting us that day and she and my mom decided to call the authorities about the living conditions and the four hungry children. Those children would come to be given a place to live with my aunt.
I’ve come to realize over the years that being the eldest carries great responsibility. I guess you could call me a caretaker/nurturing kind of person because I always enjoy helping others whether in Church or out in the community.
How My Ministry Passion Began…
My passion for ministry was birthed out of volunteering and working in the community in the nonprofit arena. I helped others achieve their goals, find shelter, locate resources and come to a place of stability in their lives. For five years I also worked faithfully in my home Church, starting new ministries, and helping with various others. Then in 2000, after my divorce, I left that Church and moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2003, I moved to Beaufort, SC, to further pursue ministry and to answer the call of God on my life. I worked in the Broomfield United Methodist Church as a teacher and a minister of the Word of God. During that time I had an anointing to start the outreach ministry, “Sons & Daughters of Zion”… Church on the Move”, to bring the nations to the Lord. Currently, I am not involved in this ministry because of illness. God has been taking me through a healing process. Taking classes through Christian Leaders Institute at this time in my life is very good timing.
My Dream….
My dream is to have home bible study groups all over the United States and beyond. To me there is nothing more important or fulfilling. I love teaching and ministering the Word of God and I am truly grateful for the opportunity through Christian Leaders Institute to advance my knowledge. Although my ministry is dormant, it is a joy to be able to gain a Bible education through Christian Leaders Institute.
Please pray for my complete healing in every area of my life so that I can finish the work God is calling me to.
My training with Christian Leaders Institute is important to me because it will give me the opportunity to teach more effectively in the future. I believe that education which has been so freely given, will bring great rewards (Mt 10:8) and we will understand why Jesus said “the Kingdom of God is within you”. (Phil 2:13)