T H E M AG AZI N E O F THEALLIANCE SI NC E 1882
ACTS 1:8 ON A SOCCER FIELD
Reimagining the Great Commission through sports, schools, and everyday relationships pg. 24 THE DEATHS THAT MULTIPLY
Surrendering comfort and isolation unleashes God’s multiplying work pg. 18 A MOBILIZED AND MULTIPLYING CHURCH
Embracing a culture of intentional mission in a changing world pg. 4
VOLUME 161
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GUEST EDITORIAL
MOBILIZED DISCIPLES There’s a pattern I noticed in the Book of Acts. Whenever the gospel took root and disciples were made, a church was planted and the Kingdom expanded. From Jerusalem to Antioch (the first sending church), to the seven regional areas that comprise the churches Apostle Paul addressed in his epistles, to other places that may only be mentioned as a sidenote, the gospel was preached. Disciples were made. And they gathered, organized, and sent others to multiply what they had experienced. This has been our Savior’s plan since He rose from the dead, declared that all authority in heaven and on Earth belonged to Him, and mobilized His followers to go and make disciples. Think about what happened in Philippi. The power of God showed up in a place where Paul and Silas were imprisoned. A jailer and his entire family became followers of Jesus. Another convert named Lydia opened her home and a Christ-following community, a church, was birthed. This is the pattern. Consider the campus of churches that a pastor I know has developed. He planted his church nearly 25 years ago. From the mother church, they have seen people come to faith, be discipled, get baptized, and then be mobilized for mission. Then, a portion of these mobilized disciples were sent out to multiply what God is doing at the mother church in a different part of the area where the mother church is located. Today, seven campuses exist to mobilize and multiply disciples. Where disciples are made, churches will be planted. Where churches are planted, demonstrations of the gospel of the Kingdom will be experienced. And where demonstrations of the gospel of the Kingdom are experienced, the gospel footprint will expand. We do not plant churches for the sake of planting churches; we do so because it is the natural result of making disciples. Our emphasis on mobilization and multiplication is simple. We mobilize Spirit-filled, disciple-making churches that are on mission with Jesus to see the multiplication of Spirit-filled, disciple-making churches. You see, it is not a question about whether church planting matters. It does. The question is: How is your church making and mobilizing disciples? Is it in a way that positions it to multiply and send disciples out to do the same thing in a new community, surrounding area, or part of the world? Are you seeing people come to faith, get baptized, and be discipled in a way that compels them to make disciples? Are you training, equipping, and releasing the saints for the work of the ministry? Or are the saints just gathering and ministering to each other? The conversation is worth having, and now is the time to have it. The expansion of the gospel and of God’s Kingdom depends on it.
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Founder A. B. Simpson Editor Hannah Castro Assistant Editor Lorie Huneycutt Graphic Designer Caylie Faudree Staff Writers/Editors Emily Smith
Contact alifesubs@cmalliance.org for address and subscription changes. Contact alliancelife@cmalliance.org for questions, submissions, and advertising information. Cont ac t media@c malliance.or g for press inquiries. All Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version® (NIV®), 2011 edition, unless otherwise noted. © ALLIANCELIFE ALLIANCELIFE i s p ub li s h e d by T h e Christian and Missionary Alliance, One Alliance Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. Printed in the USA. Member, Evangelical Press Association. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ALLIANCELIFE, One Alliance Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. When requesting a change of address, pleas e gi ve b ot h t he old and new addresses. Direct all correspondence and changes of address to ALLIANCELIFE, One Alliance Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. Toll free: (877) 284-3262; email: alliancelife@cmalliance.org. Website: www.alliancelife.org.
The Alliance is commit ted to world missions, stressing the fullness of Christ in personal experience, building the Church, and preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. ALLIANCELIFE carries on the tradition of more than 144 years of publishing stories of God at work through Alliance people in the United States and throughout the world.
www.alliancelife.org
Kelvin Walker Vice President for Church Ministries
cover: Photograph by Lorie Huneycutt
SEP/OCT 2026 04 Christ-Centered A MOBILIZED AND MULTIPLYING CHURCH Embracing a culture of intentional mission in a changing world by Todd Sovine | pg. 4 FREE VERSE Quotes from the Kingdom | pg. 7 TOZER ANTHOLOGY Compiled by Harry Verploegh | pg. 7
10 Acts 1:8 REACHING THE RURAL HEARTLAND How a shared vision is helping churches plant, partner, and pray across county lines by Jim Murphy | pg. 10 FOUNDATIONS Wall Street’s Missionaries J. G. H. Simpson | pg. 12 RESTORING HOPE, ONE RELATIONSHIP AT A TIME How God’s transforming love is changing lives, families, and a neighborhood in North Toledo | by Mykel Pollock | pg. 14 THE DEATHS THAT MULTIPLY Surrendering comfort and isolation unleashes God’s multiplying work by Kyle Magstadt | pg. 18
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YOUR GENEROSITY IN ACTION When Hope Arrives | by an Alliance international worker | pg. 22 ACTS 1:8 ON A SOCCER FIELD Reimagining the Great Commission through sports, schools, and everyday relationships | by Lorie Huneycutt | pg. 24
36 Family
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BOARD SUMMARY LETTER by Thomas George | pg. 36 PRAYER IS PRIMARY Requests from Alliance workers | pg. 37
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ALLIANCE FAMILY NEWS Personnel changes, obituaries, and classified ads | pg. 38
Plus 02 EDITORIAL 08 INFOCUS 33 THE PEOPLE WE SERVE 34 INFOCUS
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Embracing a culture of intentional mission in a changing world by Todd Sovine
A MOBILIZED
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Illustration by Caylie Faudree
ife is full of changes, which creates a lot of questions. One question that has me most intrigued in the midst of current change is: What would it look like for the U.S. Alliance to be characterized by a culture of intentional, sacrificial, and consistently mobilized and multiplying churches? When confronted with change, it is always wise to stop and remember all that has not changed. Our Triune God is unmovable. His desires have not shifted. His mission, which He invites us to partner with Him in, has not wavered. Throughout human history, the Lord has been moving His people and inviting them to live a multiplication-oriented lifestyle. The first command was to
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be fruitful and multiply. To Abraham, the promise given was a family outnumbering the stars. Eternity is marked with a multiplication of people from every tribe, nation, and tongue before the throne (see Gen. 1:28, 15:5; Rev. 7:9). God mobilized Israel to be His royal priesthood and holy nation (see Ex. 19:5–6). Jesus mobilized 12 unschooled, ordinary men to carry His love and truth into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Great Commission begins with being mobilized—go! There is a divine expectation that the citizens of the Kingdom are to live a sent-out life (see John 20:21; Rom. 10:15). The Book of Acts is the story of the Spirit-empowered church. Stop and consider all that was mobilized and multiplied so that we might read verses such as these: “The Word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly” (Acts 6:7); “All the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the Word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10); “Your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1 Thess. 1:8).
many who do not know Jesus or have a meaningful relationship with His Body of believers. We live in a time of radical, rapid change that is impacting every element of life among every generation. It is in this context that we, as citizens of the Kingdom, are called to live as ambassadors. It is within this context that my question reverberates: What would it look like if every one of our almost 2,000 Alliance churches were characterized by a culture of intentional, sacrificial, and consistent mobilization and multiplication?
UNMOVABLE MOBILIZATION Our C&MA DNA hasn’t changed. We have a history of mobilizing and multiplying. A. B. Simpson, the founder of The Alliance, mobilized groups of people and encouraged the expansion of branches and Kingdom workers around the country, advancing the work of people from different denominations and backgrounds, partnering in pursuit of the deeper life in Christ and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. We have mobilized people to the ends of the earth. We have multiplied our impact in the U.S. and around the globe. We have a heritage of moving into places where others don’t gravitate. In the United States, we have entered into neighborhoods most people are trying to leave, into prison systems—among those incarcerated for life—and into the Deaf community, where less than 2 percent of people know Jesus. We have used ESL, chaplain ministry, coffee shops, fish farms, rehabilitation homes, and many other avenues to impact the lost around us. The Alliance has been blessed throughout our history with creative, innovative, Spirit-led people who have helped us mobilize and multiply in obedience to the King. These things haven’t shifted! But what has changed? There are now 344 million people living in the U.S.—
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Todd Sovine has served in Alliance ministry for 36 years and started in January 2026 as the assistant vice president for Church Mobilization and Multiplication.
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Illustration by Caylie Faudree
LIVING OUT THE MISSION INTIMATELY What might have to change? Our intentionality in mobilization. We need to be living on mission in each other’s lives, helping one another journey into the calling we have each received from the Lord, into deeper intimacy with the King, and into becoming more like Him. This includes being sent into the world around us, building redemptive relationships with those who do not yet know Jesus. As congregations, we need to be on mission with the Lord, mobilized outwardly into our community, the next community like us, the next culture that is different from us, and to the ends of the earth. What else might have to change? Our understanding of multiplication. It starts with a radical commitment to make disciple-making disciples. From this fertile ground, disciple-making, leaders, Kingdom presence throughout our communities, and church plants in the next places blossom naturally. Our perspective on participation might have to shift. The ability of a local congregation to develop a mobilizing, multiplying culture is not determined by size, age, or financial and numeric stability. Participation is not determined by circumstances but by intentionality. It is not about being ready and able to do everything; it’s about being intentional to start where you’re able. May the Lord grant us a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to be a Church full of divine expectation, imagination, and impact. May He grant us patience and tenacity in the pursuit of building this mobilized and multiplying culture in our churches. Culture is not built overnight; it is built through a long journey in the same direction. The lost world around us is desperate for the Body of Christ to be intentional, sacrificial, and consistent in its mobilization and multiplication.
FREE VERSE
THE
TOZ ER ANTHOLOGY
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Compiled by Harry Verploegh Edited by Alliance Life staff
—GALATIANS 6:9
The true Christian is uncommon for the reason that he is not in the majority; he is as different from the world in which he lives as Abraham was different from the inhabitants of Canaan.
“Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”
—WILLIAM CAREY
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin.”
—ZECHARIAH 4:10 (NLT)
“Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.” —CORRIE TEN BOOM
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He is likely to be a lowly, humble, approachable man with no claims to greatness or superiority; but his moral standards, his attitudes toward fame, money, earthly pleasures, life, and death, will mark him as a being from another world.
It is a law of the human soul that people tend to become like that which they admire most intensely. Deep and long-continued admiration can alter the whole texture of the mind and heart and turn the devotee into something quite other than he was before.
For this reason, it is critically important that we Christians should have right models. It is not enough to say that our model should be Christ. While that is true, it is also true that Christ is known mostly through the lives of His professed followers, and the more prominent and vocal these followers are the more powerful will be their influence upon the rank and file of Christians. If the models are imperfect the whole standard of Christian living must suffer as a result.
The nations need uncommon men to guide them, and the church needs uncommon Christians. And we had better take this whole thing seriously.
—from The Warfare of the Spirit. Originally published in Alliance Life on March 29, 1995. ALLIANCELIFE
inFocus In Hilliard, Ohio, a small Alliance church is making a big impact through a focused effort to love and serve immigrants and refugees in their community. One of the ways they do this is through a community garden, which produces over 20,000 pounds of fresh produce each year. Photograph by Olivia, Alliance Video
inFocus In the middle of city life in the Philippines, an urban garden features colorful repurposed bottles. The vivid colors stand out against the soft greenery, turning everyday waste into something joyful and alive. This scene captures a creative kind of resourcefulness, where discarded materials become part of a thriving environment, where everything has a unique purpose. Photograph by Olivia, Alliance Video
Artwork by Caylie Faudree
REACHING THE RURAL HEARTLAND
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How a shared vision is helping churches plant, partner, and pray across county lines by Jim Murphy
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n June 2021, my family and I moved from Buffalo, New York, to the small town of Mount Ayr, Iowa, where my wife, Tara, was born and raised. Mount Ayr is a beautiful town with a population just above 1,600 and is the county seat of Ringgold County, which has a population of 4,600. To say it is a small rural community is an understatement—the closest Walmart and Starbucks are 40 minutes away. We are a small, tight-knit community that values hard work, high school sports, and being rural. For the most part, everyone who lives here has chosen to live here on purpose. Mount Ayr is surrounded by other towns and counties just like ours, extending from Iowa to Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, and beyond. My wife and I moved from the city of Buffalo to this small town because our hearts became deeply burdened for places and counties like the one we now live in. Our small town, like so many others, needs more healthy, gospel-centered, missional churches that exist for something big, even though the place they call home is small. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 46 million Americans live in rural communities, accounting for about 14 percent of the U.S. population. As we have engaged in this ministry over the last several years, we have learned that many do not have a single healthy expression of the church or have not seen someone engage them with a missionary desire for a very long time. In fact, we have discovered that it is not uncommon for people to drive—sometimes over an hour—outside their town to attend a Bible-based congregation. As we began our work, which included planting a new congregation, we had no idea who else shared a similar burden to reach rural geographies. We prayed, reached out to other churches to see who would respond, and were blessed to connect with other C&MA churches in our district. While there is so much work to be done, and in many ways we are at the very beginning, a broader work is taking shape, and for this we thank Jesus deeply!
As we see the Lord build His Church in Mount Ayr, we have connected with other leaders and congregations burdened to see our region saturated with the gospel. United in the name of Jesus—convinced that He is on mission in the world to save people, and loving the rural region we call home—we are seeing a collective work take shape. One small church can quickly feel overwhelmed, but a collective of missionally convinced congregations,
Our small town, like so many others, needs more healthy, gospelcentered, missional churches that exist for something big, even though the place they call home is small.
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empowered by the Holy Spirit, can make a significant impact as each plays a role according to its assets, gifts, and resources. WHAT DOES THIS PRACTICALLY LOOK LIKE? We are committed to rural mission. We believe the Lord has not forgotten places or areas just worth flying over. Though the population may be small and scattered, they are filled with image bearers of God. Just as He took the initiative to come to us, we are actively seeking to be faithful to go to these places in the name of Christ to share His hope with them. And we believe each community should have a healthy expression of the church in their midst. We have identified a specific rural geography. While we are each called to play a faithful part in God’s global mission, it is also important to take responsibility for a specific part of our surrounding geography.
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God has indeed reconciled all things to Himself. In places both large and small.
With that in mind, we have identified counties where we desire to plant, partner with, or help repurpose a church to see a strong, connected congregation in each county. Together, we own this broader geography, and at the same time, each congregation seeks to own its specific area so that every man, woman, and child can have repeated opportunities to hear and respond to the gospel without leaving their county. We are committed to praying throughout and for our shared geography and are dependent on God for everything. Therefore, we are working to be faithful in building a robust prayer ministry for the sake of our home. This includes praying for other partner congregations, other counties and towns, and for ourselves as Christ’s ambassadors. While more certainly needs to be done, we pray during our services, have prayer walk communities, and call on the people we pastor to pray on their own. We share our resources. Every congregation, no matter how small, can play a role in reaching a broader geography. This can be through financial resources, prayer, helping with leadership development, or pulpit supply. The goal is for each congregation and its leaders to see themselves as integral to the larger mission. At the same time, congregations actively care about the health and needs of others. As each one plays their role, no matter how big or small, it is a part of seeing the region reached. WORKING TOWARD COLLECTIVE REGIONAL RESIDENCIES While this idea has not moved beyond the dreaming-and-prayer stage, we understand that developing people and leaders is critical. The best rural missionaries and church planters will be those indigenous to the region. The idea of developing a residency for a smaller congre-
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gation struggling to pay its own pastor seems daunting. However, what would it look like if several smaller congregations developed a shared residency to raise up more leaders, pastors, and planters? We have been dreaming of helping every church to think through one way they could participate in this—whether through a financial gift, support for training leaders, opportunities to gain real ministry experience, or something else. One small church may not be able to do this, but together we believe we could see many new leaders equipped. We are far from finished. In many ways, this is just the beginning, but we are diligently working to see this vision take shape. Will you join us and pray fervently for more people to be raised up and for more to go to small, out-of-the-way rural communities for the sake of Christ and the building up of His Bride, the Church? In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Apostle Paul writes, “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.” Thinking through the profound redemptive work of Jesus who, through His death on the Cross reconciled all things to Himself—may He help us abound more and more in church planting and evangelism. May we be driven to see the gospel made accessible in all places through believers who are convinced that, in Christ, God has indeed reconciled all things to Himself. In places both large and small.
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Jim Murphy lives in Mount Ayr, Iowa, and is planting Missio Church. He has 24 years of experience in church planting and coaching in church health and evangelism. He has been married for 23 years to Tara. Together they have three children.
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How God’s transforming love is changing lives, families, and a neighborhood in North Toledo
three other courageous couples sensed God calling them beyond their comfort zones and into the Vistula neighborhood. They arrived with the conviction that God was at work and this was an invitation to join Him. To say it wasn’t easy is an understatement, and the enemy has not given up ground without a fight. But through it all—generational poverty, addiction, family instability, and educational barriers—God makes impossible situations possible. TNC officially launched October 2, 2010. The mission was simple but powerful: restore hope one relationship at a time. Throughout the years, churches, community leaders, volunteers, neighbors, and families have become a part of the mission. TNC is not only recognized throughout the city as a source of hope and refuge, but also as a place to be known, loved, and encouraged to take meaningful steps toward Christ. This vision has led to a variety of ministries designed to meet people where they are while also helping them move toward a brighter future. Through a free medical clinic, outreach to women involved in the adult industry, empowerment housing, employment, life skills development, and youth leadership programs, TNC seeks to bring hope, dignity, healing, and opportunity to those who need it most.
Photography by Olivia, Alliance Video; collages by Caylie Faudree using AI-generated elements
by Mykel Pollock
or the past 15 years, a remarkable story of hope and transformation has been unfolding in the heart of North Toledo, Ohio—the oldest neighborhood in the city. While individuals and families face significant challenges, God continues to write stories of redemption that remind us that no circumstance is beyond His reach. The needs are real. In Lucas County, more than 27,000 children live in poverty, and juvenile arrest rates are more than double the national average. That Neighborhood Church (TNC) serves in the original neighborhood of Toledo, known as Vistula, where the median household income is approximately $16,651 per year and nearly 70 percent of households are led by single mothers. Families often face This photo: Pat and Kelly Cannon obstacles such as unemployment, addiction, teenage pregnancy, and educational struggles that have affected generations. But statistics never tell the whole story. BEYOND THE COMFORT Behind every number is a person created in the image of God, and behind every challenge is an opportunity for His grace to shine. For 15 years, TNC has witnessed God restoring hope, changing lives, strengthening families, and proving time and time again that transformation is possible when people encounter the love of Jesus. The story of TNC began in 2008 when Reverend Pat Cannon, his wife, Kelly, and
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A SPACE FOR DIGNITY Recognizing both the challenges and potential within social development, confidence-building opportunithe Vistula neighborhood, TNC launched the 04 After- ties, and nutritious meals. Through a valued partnerSchool Center to help children build a brighter future. ship with Connecting Kids to Meals, students receive Each week, students are welcomed by caring volunteers warm meals three days each week. By addressing both who provide homework assistance, tutoring in reading educational and practical needs, the 04 After-School and math, meaningful relationships, and a Bible lesson Center is helping children gain the skills, confidence, designed to encourage both faith and character. More and hope they need to succeed in school, life, and the than just an academic program, the 04 After-School future God has for them. Center offers children a place where they are known, Every Thursday evening is kid’s church, when loved, supported, and reminded that their lives matter. children gather in a safe, welcoming, and loving In a world where many children face instability and environment where they are encouraged, valued, and uncertainty, they find a safe and consistent environment introduced to the life-changing love of Jesus. As they filled with encouragement, hope, and opportunity. learn God’s truth, seeds of faith are planted in their The need is significant. Nearly two-thirds of third hearts—seeds that have the potential to grow for a lifegraders are not proficient in math, fewer than 27 per- time and impact generations to come. What may seem cent of elementary students read at grade level, and like a single evening of ministry today can become a research shows that 74 percent of children who fail story of transformation that echoes through families to reach reading proficiency by third grade never fully and communities for years to come. catch up academically. The 04 After-School Center exists because these children are worth investing in INVESTING IN FRUIT BEARERS and because their futures matter. The example of TNC’s impact is found in children like Serving students from kindergarten through fifth Jackson. At eight years old, Jackson proudly declared, grade, the program provides academic support, tutoring, “I’m going to work at the church one day!” It is such a
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simple statement, but it reveals something profound because Jackson is starting to imagine a future. When you grow up in an environment where violence feels normal, along with emotional outbursts and behavioral challenges, the fact that Jackson has been connected to the church for three years proves that something is changing. Jackson is not only experiencing and learning about God’s love, but also about peace, positive ways to live, and a spiritual family. The 04 After-School Center shows Jackson that God has a purpose for his life and this community will continue to show up and invest in him. This investment in Jackson is bearing fruit. TNC also has children like Dashawn, an 11-year-old who has struggled through instability. Dashawn has moved between homes and schools at least eight different times, his reading is far below grade level, and he faces educational hurdles that many children never encounter. His family often struggles with basic consistency that most people take for granted, including stable housing and reliable communication. One day, Dashawn asked a simple question that revealed a much deeper need: “Can I call this my church?” This question seems simple, but it shows his longing for belonging. For children who experience constant transition, the church is an anchor—it offers consistency that many have never experienced. The challenges facing teenagers in North Toledo are equally significant. As young people try to navigate adolescence, they encounter daily obstacles like drug use, violence, unhealthy relationships, and peer pressure. Domaneko is 13 years old, and she has been part of the church community since preschool. Despite experiencing tremendous loss, including the death of her father due to gun violence, she continues to show resilience, strength, and faith. Domaneko recently encountered someone who encouraged her to try drugs. Her response was immediate: “I told you I don’t do that.” This is extraordinary because it shows that Domaneko is developing convictions rooted in faith—her identity is rooted in Christ, not in her environment. Her courage is from years of investment, encouragement, discipleship, and consistent relationships. The church family has helped create an environment where her faith can grow and flourish. As a result, she is becoming a witness to her peers and an example of what is possible when young people encounter the love and truth of Jesus.While TNC places a strong emphasis on investing in children and youth, the impact reaches far beyond the next generation. Stories like Domaneko’s remind us that God is raising up a generation willing to choose a different path. Every week, adults throughout our community are
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discovering hope, healing, and a renewed sense of purpose. Many come carrying deep wounds from years of addiction, poverty, broken relationships, hopelessness, or the challenges of returning from prison. For some, life has convinced them that their story is beyond repair and that redemption is for someone else. A PILLAR OF HOPE At TNC, they encounter a different message. They discover that God’s grace is real, His love is relentless, and no one is beyond His reach. They find a community where they are welcomed as they are—not because they have everything together, but because Jesus meets people in the middle of their brokenness. Here, perfection is never the requirement. Instead, people experience the transforming power of God’s love, finding freedom, restoration, and the hope that their best days are not behind them. The challenges facing the Vistula neighborhood remain significant and real—but hope is stronger. For more than 15 years, God has been writing a story of restoration through That Neighborhood Church. It is a story filled with children and teenagers finding love and hope, adults discovering redemption, and families experiencing the transforming love of Christ. TNC’s story continues to grow one relationship at a time, and through faithful partnership, the story is multiplying from generation to generation. In a neighborhood defined by statistics, God is creating a new narrative of hope, healing, and transformation—one life, one family, and one relationship at a time. Mykel Pollock serves as director for development for the Great Lakes District, helping cultivate healthy leadership pathways for emerging and established ministry leaders.
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Surrendering comfort and isolation unleashes God’s multiplying work
have seen deaths that these leaders and churches have exhibited. The deaths lived out have increased their efforts. I share these deaths to encourage us, that we might see that God is on the move, building His Church. I also share these deaths to challenge us—that through dying to certain beliefs and patterns of behavior we each might experience an impact that sees leaders mobilized, churches multiplied, and the lost receive new life and hope in Jesus.
by Kyle Magstadt
DEATH TO COMFORT The leaders that are most impactful in mobilizing and multiplying have died to comfort and are living a life of self-sacrifice. Many of the pastors and leaders in immigrant and refugee churches have stories of how they came to faith in Jesus from a place of desperation. Some were living in refugee camps when they heard the good news, and they dedicated their lives to Jesus, extending themselves to training and service in the camps. They have now, years later, started churches and are pastoring here. Or, they were running away from rebels in their war-torn countries, crying out every night for Jesus to save them and protect them, learning lessons of trust through trauma. They experienced seasons where their families were separated as they were allowed access to the U.S. at different times than their spouses and children. And through that separation and loneliness, they learned to trust and rely on the presence of Jesus to sustain them. Second-generation leaders, the children of immigrants who were born here, have their own stories of pain and isolation as they grew up between two cultures, never quite fitting in—but Jesus gave them a new identity in Christ that brought wholeness instead of a fractured identity. All of these difficult circumstances have led to a unique characteristic that is shared among these church leaders: grit. Grit is the ability to keep going when things get hard, to pay the cost in order to achieve something worthwhile, and to live a life of sacrifice instead of a life of comfort. For many of the pastors who have planted in our district, I recognize that they died to comfort a long time ago through the seasons of hardship that they experienced. No longer is their motivation stability, security, or luxury, but instead, faithfulness to experience all that Jesus has for them and live obediently as a result. Since these leaders have died to comfort, they are able to fully pursue seeing their churches mobilized and multiplying.
ultiplication requires death. I have been sitting with this uncomfortable truth for the last few years in my role overseeing church multiplication in the North Central District. This principle emerges from Jesus’ own words in John 12:24, when He said, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Jesus’ singular death produced a multiplicative impact upon Resurrection that we still experience today as we are reconciled with God through that one singular sacrifice. Yet this passage is not merely about Jesus foreshadowing His own death; Jesus is calling His followers to also live out a principle where multiplicative impact requires death to certain ways we view life and live. In this passage, Jesus goes on to say, in verses 25 and 26, “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” I have had the privilege of witnessing multiplication requiring death lived out among an expanding group of immigrant, refugee, and next generation churches in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, in the last number of years. In our district, we have seen immigrant churches mobilize leaders to multiply churches at a rate that has surprised and excited us. And in this experience, I
Illustration by Caylie Faudree
They died to comfort a long time ago through the seasons of hardship that they experienced.
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DEATH TO ISOLATIONISM The churches that are most impactful have died to isolationism and are instead becoming increasingly alive to partnerships and generosity. At a recent meeting of our immigrant, refugee, and next generation pastors, we discussed how easy it is for us to only worry about our own churches and ministries instead of working together. Even though we recognized we have a long way to go and that we could become even better partners, I have seen ways that these churches and leaders are generously connecting with their networks and with other spaces. The primary limiting factor in church multiplication is potential church planters. Every denomination or network that I know of is trying to find different ways to tackle this issue—from residencies to recruiting. When people ask how we have mobilized immigrant churches towards planting, much of the answer has to do with pastors and leaders that are on the lookout for people God has called to plant. I received a cold call one day from someone who said he heard about the work we are doing planting churches and that he feels called to plant. He had been told that we are the people to call to plant a church. I was curious and asked
where he heard that, since he had no idea about The Christian and Missionary Alliance. His reply was that he had talked to a coworker at his manufacturing job about his calling to plant, and that coworker is a leader at one of our Ethiopian churches. Now, a year later, that planter from West Africa is an official C&MA worker and the church planting project is underway. Our pastors and leaders are leveraging their relational networks in order to find new church planters. They are dying to the isolationism of only looking for leaders for their church, looking instead for leaders for the harvest. Our network of churches is also dying to isolationism with how they view their spaces. Finding places for new churches to gather for meetings and services is a struggle in our city. In the earliest stages of a plant, they may not even have a bank account to rent a place, as they are just in the beginning stages of reaching, discipling, and equipping a core group of people. But there are times they need spaces to gather those people. More times than I can count, I have sent a text to one of our immigrant, refugee, and next generation churches to ask about using their space for a meeting or church services. The answer has
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always been a quick yes. When I have asked them how they say yes so quickly, the reason is usually a recognition that their buildings are primarily to be used to see God’s Kingdom expand—so using them without sharing would be a waste of a resource that God has provided for them. This over-the-top generosity and commitment to working in cooperation has allowed many new church startups to gain traction and sometimes long-term partnerships and locations. Our churches are dying to isolationism and living in connection with each other to see the Kingdom expand.
What needs to die in me, my systems, my structures, and my motivations so that I can multiply?
RESPONSE I hope that reading about these principles at work in the mobilization and multiplication of churches in the Twin Cities leads you to a question: What needs to die in me, my systems, my structures, and my motivations so that I can multiply? In Matthew 10:39, Jesus said, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and
whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” As we die to comfort and isolationism—and anything else Jesus might call us to die to—may we together experience the church mobilized and multiplied so that the lost may be found and the hurting may be healed by the work of Christ in and through us. Kyle Magstadt serves as the associate superintendent for church multiplication in the North Central District. He is married to Molly and has two children, June and Elm.
in action
WHEN HOPE ARRIVES by Freddy, an Alliance worker serving in Latin America
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n the western Cuban city of Cárdenas, located about 150 kilometers from Havana, faith is often measured in deeply tangible ways: an empty pantry, a prayer whispered from trembling knees, a box of food arriving just in time, a warm meal shared with those who no longer have the strength to wait. This is where Fide and Vivian live and serve. They pastor an Alliance church that many still remember as the church of the swimming pool—a place where what was once a symbol of status and recreation became a living testimony of God’s love in action. There, faith began to take visible form through simple but powerful acts, like walking alongside the vulnerable, sharing what little they had, and proclaiming the hope of Christ in the middle of hardship. Fide’s story did not begin in scarcity. For years, he worked as a cook in the tourism industry, one of the few sectors in Cuba where a person could achieve a relatively comfortable standard of living. He had stability and
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opportunity, as well as a level of food security uncommon for most Cuban families. But God began stirring his heart. The calling was both clear and costly—leave everything behind and follow Him into ministry. Fide obeyed. He walked away from his career, financial stability, and the comfort he had built. Serving alongside Vivian, they survived on the equivalent of just $12 a month—the average salary for pastors planting churches in Cuba. FROM RECEIVING HELP TO BECOMING THE ANSWER One day, in the middle of Cuba’s worsening food crisis, Fide and Vivian found themselves staring into a completely empty pantry. They had no food and no money to buy more. With no visible solution before them, they did what many Cuban pastors have learned to do in times of deep scarcity. They knelt and cried out to God. Hours later, the answer came.
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Photograph courtesy of author
YOUR GENEROSITY
Because of you, leaders from The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Cuba arrived at their home carrying a box of humanitarian aid that had been sent from the United States in a shipping container. For Fide and Vivian, it was far more than assistance. It was seeing God respond to their need through the generosity of the Alliance family. That moment of provision did more than meet an immediate need—it transformed the way they understood ministry. What they received in their moment of greatest vulnerability became the model for how they would serve others. Now, every week, Fide and Vivian pray for provision to feed 50 elderly people in their community twice a week. Many of these men and women survive on pensions ranging from just three to five dollars a month— barely enough to cover their basic needs amid Cuba’s ongoing economic collapse. When they opened their feeding ministry, Jehovah Jireh Dining Hall, they used their own very limited resources, trusting once again in God’s provision. For these elderly individuals, a hot meal means far more than nourishment. It means dignity. It means care. It is a tangible expression of the love of God. For Fide, who once cooked in an environment of abundance, preparing meals for the most vulnerable has now become a direct expression of his calling. THE GOSPEL IMPACT YOU ARE MAKING The story of Fide and Vivian reflects a growing commitment among Alliance churches in Cuba to extend compassion and practical care to those most in need. In recent years, the country’s economic crisis has worsened dramatically, leaving countless families in extreme vulnerability. Food shortages, lack of medicine, and limited access to basic necessities, such as hygiene products, have deeply impacted entire communities. Adding to this hardship are frequent power outages. Often lasting for hours, these outages make it difficult for families to cook and can even cause the little food they have to spoil. In many homes, survival has become a daily struggle. Yet in the middle of this difficult reality, hope continues to arrive. Through the prayers and support of the Alliance family, the Caribbean Humanitarian Container Project has made it possible to send six shipping containers to Cuba since 2023, delivering more than 100 tons of essential supplies. These containers have included food, medicine, hygiene products, clothing, shoes, bicycles, and school supplies. Each container has been prepared and shipped with the support of Envision Miami.
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Because of this provision, hundreds of elderly individuals are fed each week, and pastoral families and many others receive support they desperately need. But the impact goes even deeper. This work is not just about meeting physical needs—it is about standing with those who are suffering, reminding them that they are seen, known, and loved by God. Every box of food, every medical supply, every shared meal becomes an expression of Christ’s compassion. The material assistance opens the door for something even deeper: relationships, discipleship, and gospel witness. And that is perhaps the greatest impact of all. More than 250 people have received Christ as their personal Savior and are now worshiping in growing Alliance faith communities throughout Cuba. Strengthened churches, transformed lives, and renewed hope are living evidence that when the love of God is expressed in tangible ways, the gospel is not only heard—it is experienced. Through your support, stories like Fide and Vivian’s are unfolding across Cuba as God transforms moments of desperation into testimonies of His provision and acts of compassion into lasting gospel impact.
MEET THE NEEDS OF THE VULNERABLE IN CUBA Through your giving to the Caribbean Humanitarian Container Project, you provide struggling people with food, medicine, clothes, and other vital resources. You also enrich the life of each aid box recipient with the compassion of Jesus. To send aid boxes to Cuba and meet the physical and spiritual needs of vulnerable and desperate people, visit cmalliance. org/caribbean-humanitarian. Learn more about Alliance strategic projects throughout the world in need of your prayers and financial support by accessing the 2025–2026 Strategic Giving Opportunities Gift Catalog at cmalliance.org/ gift-catalog-alliance-strategic-projects or by calling toll-free (866) 443-8262.
Photography by Lorie Huneycutt
This photo: Coach Gaga leads students in an intentional time of devotion and discussion. ALLIANCELIFE
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ACTS 1:8 ON A
SOCCER FIELD —John 13:34–35
Reimagining the Great Commission through sports, schools, and everyday relationships by Lorie Huneycutt
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hen Jesus commissioned the disciples to share the gospel with all nations, He shared a strategy by naming four specific mission fields: “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Today, these four mission fields are still just as relevant as we see them through a metaphorical lens: our immediate spheres of influence, the broader community, cross-cultural neighbors, and global missions. Attempting to literally cover that kind of ground today may seem overly ambitious or even impossible for a single local church. But Destiny Church in Twinsburg, Ohio, is proving that it is not only possible—it’s sustainable. JERUSALEM ON THE TURF As I pull up to the address given, I am thankful I was told that the church meets in a sports complex. Otherwise, I would have likely driven right past it looking for a regular church building. But just as described, I see the large sign for Destiny Church adjacent to the sign for The Edge, the sports complex the church meets in. My introverted self attempts to slip in unnoticed, but the gentleman at the door makes sure that is not going to happen. Not only am I greeted, but I am stopped in recognition of being a guest and enthusiastically asked my name. His warm demeanor causes me to feel a sense of instant belonging. He leads me inside and there, through the double doors, in all its glory, is the actual turf field with rows of folding chairs. I was told they meet on a soccer field, but somehow, I still found myself a bit surprised when I saw that they do, in fact, actually meet on a soccer field. As I step onto the turf, I am warmly welcomed again by another member before making my way across half of the field to find a seat. After the service, I look for the pastor of the church, Calvin Brown, and turn to see a gentleman walking up to me in an Adidas track suit. It’s Pastor Calvin . . . in a track suit. On a Sunday. In church. On a soccer field. My smile grows, taking in this unusual sight of a pastor on Sunday morning decked out in athletic wear, pre-
pared to help with scheduled practices right after the service. He is eager to show me around this unconventional space while sharing his heart for the church and sports programs: “We’re here, intersecting culture by redeeming secular space and serving the community in a way that is in their language—sports, arts, and youth,” he says. Destiny Church is built on a unique model—a church that has acquired a business that serves a need in the community. This provides greater opportunities for gospel interaction on a regular basis while simultaneously financially sustaining the church. When the church began outgrowing their previous space, Pastor Calvin felt the Lord leading him to do something different rather than raise funds to build a conventional church building. After a series of events that can only be described as supernatural, The Edge sports complex was purchased. It was an already well-known facility in Twinsburg that has been around for several decades and, strategically, Destiny leadership decided to keep its name so that locals continued to recognize it because of its reputation. And so, the church began meeting on the indoor soccer field on Sundays with folding chairs and a sound system that is transported on and off the field. As Pastor Calvin and others’ vision for Destiny began to grow, so did the number of students attending soccer and basketball practices. (The entire other side of the complex is a gym the same length of the soccer field.) They began using the language of “faith communities” instead of “church planting.” For example, the soccer programs have become one of their many faith communities. The Bible verse attached to their signage communicates what they believe, as they strive to follow through with “love, service, and excellence.” Anyone with kids involved in sports is familiar with just how central they can become in a home with practices and games prioritized over other things—even over church events. Destiny recognized this prominence of sports in families
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This photo: The Edge and Destiny Church building in Twinsburg, Ohio.
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and decided to create an atmosphere where they are bringing the gospel to them with a unique approach. With sports, there is ample opportunity to spend regular hours with the kids weekly. Because many parents wait around while their child is in practice, there is also a space with a café and tables above the field with windows where parents can observe practice while building community with other parents. The Christian coaches have the opportunity to speak into the lives of these children and teens regularly and even become mentors. Families from diverse cultures and religious beliefs are showing up because they are primarily looking for quality sports programs for their kids. This means they are drawing families from religions like Buddhism and Hinduism right into their building to play soccer on the same turf where Destiny Church worships every Sunday.
JUDEA IN THE SCHOOLS Another initiative Destiny Church is a part of involves a group of school districts they call The Seven. There are seven school districts they are targeting in and around Twinsburg with 27,000 school-aged kids between 40 different schools. “We’re finding the people of peace—students, faculties, staff—in those schools and, little by little, we’ve crafted a strategy,” Calvin states. They were recently able to fund an initiative they call the Barnabas Project. Their goal is to have 10 young adults in cohorts over the next three years that they will send out into the schools to cultivate relationships and encourage believers who already know Jesus by empowering and equipping them to reach their friends for Christ. “To give each of those students repeated opportunities to respond to the gospel before they graduate— that’s the heart of Saturate Seven.
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Photographs by Hannah Packard (left) and Olivia, Alliance Video (right)
This photo: Destiny Church’s congregation during a Sunday morning service.
Left: Pastor Calvin preaching at Destiny Church. Below: Jaden, marketing director for The Edge, helping with a youth event.
We’re here, intersecting culture by redeeming secular space and serving the community in a way that is in their language—sports, arts, and youth.
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That every single one of those 27,000 kids at some point can say they’ve heard the gospel before they graduate,” Calvin explains. SAMARIA ON THE NARROW ROAD Another strategic area of ministry for Destiny is a community within Twinsburg, called Twinsburg Heights, that is a mere 1.4 miles from The Edge. It was originally established from a segregation initiative for Black people over 100 years ago. There is only one road in and out of the development with limited sidewalks, forcing those without transportation to walk over highways or in the margins of the road. Within this already marginalized community, there is a community, called Pinewood Gardens, with over 200 children in households where the median annual household income is a staggering $7,400. By comparison, the median income in Twinsburg proper is $80,000. It is one of the ministries that Jaden, marketing director for The Edge, has had regular involvement in. I was able to attend an event there and observe the trust and relationships he has built. Jaden was hired as marketing director after leaving a lucrative management position at Frito Lay. He had heard the Lord clearly tell him that He was preparing him for something, as he longed to use his marketing degree. He had been volunteering at The Edge regularly when a conversation with Pastor Calvin led to the job offer. Jaden explains, “I told him, ‘I understand you can’t pay me more, but I actually feel like I’m being trusted with more because I am.’ This ministry of sports and arts and being involved in both of those hemispheres my whole life as an artist, athlete, and leading people to Christ—I see this as a perfect vehicle in the secular space.” And I can’t help but chuckle when he adds, “You know, I’m not going to accomplish that with chips.” It is easy to see how taking a significant pay cut wasn’t even a hesitation for him when he realized the opportunity to fully live out his giftings and the calling on his life. Destiny has partnered with another local church and launched an after-school program for the kids there that includes academics, faith, and sports, where they pick them up and bring them to The Edge for an experience and give them rides back to Pinewood Gardens. This fall, they hope to also get approval to begin an afterschool program that meets there in a small community center. Some of their fellows from the Barnabas Project will be helping with it as well. THE ENDS OF THE EARTH WITH A SOCCER BALL Hamisi Ogaya, known familiarly as Coach Gaga, is the director of the launch leadership program for The Edge. Originally from Nairobi, his demeanor is magnetic
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and inspiring as he shares his testimony of becoming a Christian as a teenager after a soccer tournament in Kenya where the gospel was presented. He was then introduced to new believer classes at church and leadership training. He says, “They helped me in my faith to understand that it doesn’t mean you have to be in a four-walled building for you to be in church. He has gifted each one of us with different skills. So, the question is—what gift has God given you that you are hiding from in order to serve other people?” He asked God as an adult how He wanted to use him, and he heard God say, “The place I called you—that’s the place I want you to go back and be my light there. The soccer field is your pulpit. The soccer ball is your Bible.” It was after helping with soccer camps in the U.S. in 2011 that he crossed paths with Pastor Calvin. They continued to keep in touch, and Calvin even ended up going to Kenya to visit. Gaga explains that he eventually partnered with a friend to establish Sports Aid Africa—a sports ministry that uses soccer to share the gospel. They were able to organize soccer coaching in refugee camps and vocational training for leaders. As Calvin observed the ministries Gaga was involved in, he ended up inviting him to come to the U.S. to do the same thing there. So, he moved to Twinsburg to work at The Edge with Calvin while still running the ministry in Nairobi as a way of giving back to the kids who live in the slums where he is from. They have also identified local leaders in Kenya to continue to run the ministry there, and Gaga is helping leaders there go through The Alliance’s LEAD Program virtually from Twinsburg by translating the material for them into their native language. DO WHAT YOU CAN WHERE YOU ARE Calvin shares, “God told me years ago to do what you can, with what you have, where you are. That’s the answer He gave me in this idea of The Edge initiative. So, our church, and The Edge, was given a very generous donation from a local non-Alliance church to fund the initiative. It’s about providing access, advocacy, and inclusion, particularly for kids of color who are marginalized.” The initiative has provided scholarships and access to sports with free court and turf time. Their heart at Destiny Church is for holistic development of kids to not only know Christ but also to live life more fully. Destiny Church is a unique story of God-given vision and passion for all people. To other churches this may seem like a one-off, a rare colliding of supernatural occurrences and giftings. But really, it is just extraordinary passion for the gospel and courage to take risks for the Kingdom. When visiting Destiny and listening
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to the hearts of the leadership there, In the words of Coach Gaga: it is clear that they are so much “We have all been gifted. We have more than simply sports programs all been equipped with skills and Sunday church services. They and talent. Each one in our own are living out Acts 1:8 with reckless unique way, because the Bible says faith—choosing not only to see all that you can do all things through people, but to actively look for those Christ who strengthens you. God who are invisible to the world. has qualified you—so why are we It is easy to convince ourselves disqualifying ourselves?” that we are only capable within our means. It is easy to talk ourselves out of dreaming big and anticipating God’s provision. But our calling and Below: Some of The Edge’s staff members. mission are clear—with the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit to provide guidance. Destiny Church is a congregation of approximately 120 people—a number reminiscent of Peter’s account of the 120 believers at Pentecost in Acts 1:15. It serves as a testament that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, reaching all four mission fields today is entirely feasible for a single congregation. With a combined total staff of 16 people, Destiny Church is evidence that the Lord will “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20).
This photo: Students play soccer on the same turf Destiny Church meets on.
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Lorie Huneycutt is the assistant editor for Alliance Life magazine. A Toccoa Falls College graduate, she has served in church ministries and with Envision Cleveland. Lorie is passionate about amplifying the voices of overlooked populations and conveying the hope of Jesus through storytelling.
FOUNDATIONS
WALL STREET’S MISSIONARIES
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erhaps the last place that would be credited in the cause of Christ and missionary effort is Wall Street, New York. Nevertheless, with some of its most prominent financiers at the head, a mighty work has grown for Christ and the cause of Christianity—the Chapel Cars of the American Baptist Society, otherwise known as the Wall Street syndicate cars. The idea was proposed to a small coterie of Wall Street magnates, at the head of which was John D. Rockefeller, to build and equip a mission car, to be sent forth over the railroads of the country to spread the gospel tidings to obscure communities and to places not reached or occupied by church work, the idea met with an immediate response, and in 1891 the first car built by the “Wall Street Chapel Car Syndicate” was started on its tours of love and mercy. There are now six of these tabernacles on wheels, with consecrated men and women on them as missionaries, operating in California, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, and Texas. These cars cost about $7,500 and are fully equipped. One of the cars was a donation, and the rest were paid for
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by free will offerings. Thus, while Wall Street launched the enterprise, the people themselves have sustained it. The chapel car combines a chapel for worship, with an organ and a blackboard for children’s meetings, and rooms for the missionary and his assistant. There are also facilities for cooking and comfortable residence, for the car serves as their permanent home during the tour, either while running on the rails or standing on some siding. The people do not need to “dress up” to go to church, and they come in “just as they are,” regardless of creed. The track chosen is usually one at some small town entirely bereft of all spiritual opportunity. The people are attracted perhaps by curiosity, and the invitation is at once given to attend services, which are usually accepted until no more can crowd into the car. Should this prove the case, as frequently occurs, the platform is used as a pulpit, and the audience gathers outside. Converts are baptized on the spot, a baptistry being improvised by the digging of a cistern just outside the car, in which the missionary immerses the converts.
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Photograph of a Glad Tidings Chapel Car provided by Alliance Archives.
by J. G. H. Simpson, originally published in Living Truths in 1904. Excerpted and edited by Alliance Life staff.
THE
PE OPLE W E S E RV E
M Where the converts are of sufficient number to form a church body, they are organized into a church, and a building is built, a missionary appointed, and the tabernacle on wheels is hitched to some train and hauled to its next field of service. This is certainly not taking the church away from the masses but rather taking it into their very midst. Records show that over 11,000 souls have professed conversion in meetings held in them; over one hundred church bodies have been organized, and some ninety church or meeting houses secured. These were from communities that were without any, or, at least, the most inadequate, spiritual instruction. Surely the seal of God’s approval is upon this unique and far-reaching work.
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y name is Amina.* In my culture, it is the men who usually do the grocery shopping, but when my husband needed emergency surgery, I was left to take on this responsibility myself. When we ran out of rice—a staple I cook with daily—I dreaded having to go to the store and then carry the heavy bags back home. But one day, a C&MA international worker (IW) who I was helping with language study offered to give me and my children a ride to the store. She even covered the cost, which was made possible by the generosity of the C&MA! I have had ongoing health struggles and returned to the doctor after a round of antibiotics did not help. My friend helped advocate for me since, in my country, there can be many barriers to getting appropriate healthcare. She found a doctor who is a believer. They were located really far away, but my friend who is an IW was able to give me a ride to get there. I was so thankful! I was amazed at how the doctor was so compassionate and caring. He prescribed more antibiotics to help me recover and I told my friend, “He is a good man!”
*Name changed
inFocus “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” —Romans 10:14–15 Photograph by Rosie, Alliance Video
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BOARD SUMMARY LETTER June 2026
Dear family, In June, the Board of Directors met at Allegheny Center Alliance Church (ACAC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ACAC is a vibrant, multiethnic urban church that has a highly meaningful and extensive impact on the surrounding community. We are grateful for its 132-year faithful presence in Pittsburgh and beyond. We spent time in prayer and God’s Word each morning with teaching from Joshua 10 by Ted Kang, encouraging us to pray bold prayers in the worship of God, and from Philippians 1 by David Smith, reminding us to live under the Lordship and rule of our Savior. The chief executive officers of Orchard Alliance, Chapel Pointe, and Shell Point were invited guests for the first morning of our meetings together. The Board and these leaders engaged with what it means to serve our Alliance family. After more than three years—and countless hours spent by many leaders including the Board and especially our district superintendents—the newly revised Uniform Policy on Discipline, Restoration, and Appeal was approved. This monumental project isn’t simply a rewrite of the current policy but a comprehensive restructure of a process that is a critical expression of what it means for the C&MA to be a loving and thriving community. The first policy—Uniform Policy on Discipline, Restoration, and Appeal (Licensed or Certified Workers and District/National Office Employees)—will be effective January 1, 2027. The second policy for the local church is in process.
The Board affirmed a new method of financial reporting that will enhance clarity and accuracy. Monthly reports will give a clearer picture of actual income versus expenses along with the goal of inspiring increased engagement in giving. Twenty international worker appointments in 10 regions have been approved for service with The Alliance since April. The Board rejoices with the new workers that God has called and for the faithful prayers and financial contributions of the Alliance family allowing us to send them. The Board discussed strategies for strengthening our collaboration with Alliance World Fellowship partner networks in order to accelerate the completion of Jesus’ Great Commission, affirming one compelling example already in motion. Various appointments were approved including new terms for the Sensitive Issues Consultative Group and board members for Shell Point, Town and Country, and Orchard Alliance. The Board also spent time in their respective subgroups focusing on the seven priorities for the Board as outlined at the beginning of the year. This was an extremely encouraging and forwardlooking gathering of your Board of Directors. In Christ’s love, Thomas George Corporate Secretary
JONATHAN SCHAEFFER VLOG
Scan the QR code or visit the link to watch the latest vlog! ALLIANCELIFE 36 SEP/OCT 2026
In these monthly videos, U.S. Alliance President Jonathan Schaeffer shares his heart with the Alliance family. Join him as he unpacks more about what it means to be Christ followers on mission together.
cmalliance.org/schaeffer-vlog
PRAYER IS PRIMARY Requests from Alliance workers
program, students go into the community every week to share the gospel and have conversations about Jesus. Both girls were nervous when they first started, but over time, I have watched God give them more confidence. A few weeks ago, one of them shared that she and her team had been meeting with a man in the community over several weeks. After many conversations about Jesus, he told them he was ready to put his faith in Christ. They had the privilege of praying over him as he accepted Jesus as his Savior. What a joy it was to hear that story over breakfast one morning! Please pray for this new believer as he begins following Christ and for the students as they continue meeting with him and encouraging him in his faith.
AFRICA Hope Medical Center is a 50-bed hospital in subtropical West Africa that exists to express God’s love through verbal proclamation and lifestyle evangelism and to provide competent and compassionate medical care and community development. As our hospital continues to grow, we have been speaking with various medical professionals interested in cross-cultural work. It has been difficult to recruit workers for various reasons. But despite many having a list of reasons not to, there are fortunately those who are still willing to come. We currently have two visiting doctors who have worked in West Africa and speak French. Despite some obstacles in getting here, they persevered. They have been a great help at the hospital, and the staff have enjoyed interacting with them.
I also recently visited Hebron Medical Center, a Christian hospital in Phnom Penh that combines health care, nursing education, and gospel ministry. The hospital partners with nursing students and seeks to demonstrate Christ’s love through both patient care and education. As a nurse, I was encouraged to see another ministry in Cambodia investing in future health-care professionals while sharing the gospel. Since my long-term goal is to help develop nursing education through simulation training, it was exciting to see another organization using nursing education as a ministry tool. Seeing their work reminded me of the impact that Christ-centered health-care education can have on students and the communities they serve. I hope to return soon to learn more about their ministry and spend additional time observing their nursing education program.
We are praising God for the visiting doctors who have been able to help at the hospital. Please pray for each of us to learn to see things from God’s perspective. And pray for the continued spiritual growth of our hospital staff. —Anna, serving with marketplace ministries
CAMBODIA I have been encouraged to see God answer prayers as I began discipling two students at the ministry training center known as “Antioch.” The two young women I meet with each week have been participating in an evangelism explosion course. Through this
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—Haley, serving with aXcess
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ALLIANCE FAMILY NEWS From around the block to the ends of the earth
TO THE FIELD
AFRICA GUINEA Tyler J. Prentice, in May. Tyler serves with Envision. Taylor Schwalm, in May. Taylor serves with Envision.
SPAIN Miguel A. Toledo and Zulmarisse Gines Olivo, in May. They serve with aXcess.
LATIN AMERICA Timothy M. and Melanie A. Wendel, in May. The Wendels serve with aXcess.
Heidi Taylor, in April. Heidi serves with Envision.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Alexander Engle, in May. Alexander serves with Envision.
ASIA/PACIFIC
Nathan K. Mackintosh, in May. Nathan serves with Envision.
INDONESIA Lauren Garfield, in May. Lauren serves with Envision.
EL SALVADOR Simeon Hector, in May. Simeon serves with Envision.
Jasmine Hoagland, in May. Jasmine serves with Envision. JAPAN David I. and Aleah S. Nishizaki, in April. The Nishizakis serve with Envision.
MEXICO Kenneth K. and Melissa A. Chi, in April. The Chis serve with aXcess.
UNITED STATES
Micah and Tabitha Runnels, in May. The Runnels serve with Envision.
CLEVELAND Sara Hijazeen, in May. Sara serves with Envision.
THAILAND Karissa Augustine, in April. Karissa serves with Envision.
PERSONNEL CHANGES
EUROPE ENGLAND Grace Nguyen, in April. Grace serves with Envision. GERMANY Olivia Samuelson, in May. Olivia serves with Envision. ITALY Martin L. and Gloria Banzhaf, in April. The Banzhafs serve with aXcess.
Craig J. Adams, lead pastor, Canyon Crossing Church, Twin Falls, Idaho Timothy P. Allen, discipleship pastor, Centerville Community Church, Dayton, Ohio Kevin R. Astorino, assistant pastor, Faith Alliance Church, Sidney, Mont. Caleb J. Bates, associate pastor of community care, West End Church, Glen Allen, Va. Joshua J. Benjamin, executive pastor, Cornerstone Community Church, Northfield, Minn.
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Zachary C. Bowman, special assignment, South Pacific Alliance District Paul R. Campbell, interim pastor, Lakeview Chapel, Owego, N.Y. Peter T. Cha, youth pastor, Serenity Missionary Alliance Church, Colcord, Okla. Andy M. Chow, interim CM lead pastor, Seattle (Wash.) Chinese Alliance Church Wayne Chu, pastor, Alliance Beatitudes Church, Westminster, Calif. Joel T. Comiskey, Hispanic church coach, Lyn-Gate Neighborhood Church, Lynwood, Calif. Doyle N. DeGraw, pastor emeritus, Trinity Christian Chapel, Sewell, N.J. Andrew M. Driscoll, executive pastor, LifePointe Church, Louisville, Ky. Alan R. Eggleton, connections pastor, Fulton (N.Y.) Alliance Church Timothy G. Ewest, other ministry, Alliance South Central District Adam R. Harvey, special assignment, Alliance Northwest District Sanford S. Hashimoto, legacy pastor, Deltona (Fla.) Alliance Church Benjamin D. Henderson, pastor, LifePointe Church, Louisville, Ky. Cheng Her, associate pastor, Serenity Missionary Alliance Church, Colcord, Okla. Jeremiah T. Herr, senior pastor, Sacramento Hmong Alliance Church, Elk Grove, Calif. Tachung Hu, pastor, Glendale (Ariz.) Taiwanese Plant
Southwest Florida Retirement Living Resort Amenities | State-of-the-art Health Care Michael V. Johnson, family pastor, Edgewater (Fla.) Alliance Church Samuel Karlovich, pastor, Christ Community Church, Rugby, N. Dak. Benjamin R. Karwoski, lead pastor, Connexion Church, Danville, Ill. Soo Young Kim, pastor, Value Church, Los Angeles, Calif. Kirk K. Knudson, Federal Bureau of Prison chaplain, C&MA National Office, Reynoldsburg, Ohio Andy T. Kue, pastor, Outreach Hmong Alliance Church, Kent, Wash. Joseph Kue, discipleship pastor, Warren (Mich.) Hmong Alliance Church Kwanghee Kwon, pastor of evangelism, The Well, Dacula, Ga. Micheal B. Larkin, lead pastor, Christ Church of Albany Park, Chicago, Ill. Samuel D. Lee, youth pastor, Queens Herald Church C&MA, Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Qimin Li, lead pastor, Chinese Alliance Church, State College, Pa. Shibo Liang, assistant pastor, New Generation Alliance Church, Canton, Mich. Kenneth J. Linder, institutional chaplain, Eastern PA District Joseph S. Norori Lopez, assistant pastor, Morada de Paz, Bayamon, P.R. Jonathan B. Mann, English pastor, Wheaton (Ill.) Chinese Alliance
Vibrant Faithful Joyful Living Fulfilled Artful Healthy Join the C&MA Family for Your Retirement At Shell Point,® you’ll enjoy a fulfilling lifestyle where you can explore, worship, learn, grow and even continue to serve. And with new additions to our campus, like Tribby Arts Center, a sparkling centerpiece for the arts, and the state-of-the-art Larsen Health Center, you can rest on a firm foundation, knowing that your needs will be taken care of – both now and in the future. VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.SHELLPOINT.ORG
Lynn M. Martin, community life pastor, Eastpark Church, Vancouver, Wash. Joel D. Mattson-Boze, lead pastor, Cordova Neighborhood Church, Rancho Cordova, Calif.
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Shell Point is a nonprofit ministry of The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc. ©2021 Shell Point. All rights reserved. SLS-4424-21
Daniel R. Moushey, lead pastor, Granite Church, Granite Falls, Wash. Michael A. Mundy, associate pastor, Bedford Alliance Church, Temperance, Mich. Anson Ng, English ministry lead pastor, Queens Herald Church C&MA, Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Jessica Ng-Lam, associate English ministry pastor, Queens Herald Church C&MA, Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Dao Nguyen, pastor, Vietnamese Alliance Church, Enola, Pa. Hoa K. Nguyen, associate pastor, Vietnamese Alliance Church of Norcross (Ga.) Hung T. Nguyen, local church ministry, Vietnamese Alliance Church, York, Pa. Tai T. Nguyen, pastor, Vietnamese Alliance Church of Greater Los Angeles (Calif.) Thinh Q. Nguyen, pastor, The Alliance Church of Mukilteo (Wash.) Joseph W. Oliver, HUB pastor, Allegheny Center C&MA Church, Pittsburgh, Pa. Miguel A. Palomino, special assignment, Alliance Southeast District Vien Q. Phan, assistant pastor, Vietnamese Alliance Church of Poway (Calif.) Jelani Pinnock, pastor, nonAlliance assignment, Metropolitan District John G. Pladdys, special assignment, South Pacific Alliance District Scott M. Robbins, marketplace ministry, Alliance Bible Church, Waco, Tex. Nathaniel P. Sahlstrom, pastor, Nashwauk (Minn.) Alliance Church Titus Sam, assistant pastor, Risen King Alliance Church, New City, N.Y.
Gene R. Smillie, interim pastor, Alliance Bible Church, McHenry, Ill. Myung Koo Soung, pastor, Charleston Truth Alliance Church, Ladson, S.C. Clayton W. Taylor, Buffalo kids pastor, Riverside Church, Buffalo, Minn. David P. Taylor, youth pastor, Cary Alliance Church, Apex, N.C. Jason D. Taylor, college personnel, Crown College, St. Bonifacius, Minn. James Thornton, special assignment, Mid-Atlantic District Michael C. Travers, small groups and discipleship pastor, The Grove Community Church, Riverside, Calif. Moises Valentin, pastor, Lyn-Gate Neighborhood Church, Lynwood, Calif. Chenzong Vue, pastor of spiritual formation and discipleship, First Alliance Church, Erie, Pa. Johnathon J. Weiher, pastor, Battle Lake (Minn.) Alliance Church Kathleen J. Woods, associate pastor, Wellspring Alliance Church, Wheaton, Ill. Asia Yang, lay pastor, Denver Hmong Alliance Church, Westminster, Colo. Vang Yang, senior pastor, First Hmong Missionary Alliance Church, Wausau, Wis.
NEW CHURCHES Chicago, Ill., Christ Church of Albany Park, 5001 N. Troy St., 60625 Columbus, Ohio, Naioth Revival Center, 5750 Karl Rd, 43229
NEW WORKERS Hyukjin Ahn, director of prime ministry, South Pacific District
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Johnny J. Ahn, youth pastor, Queens Christian Alliance Church, Flushing, N.Y. Jeremy Alexander, pastor, Neighborhood Alliance Church, Longwood, Fla. Craig S. Anderson, pastor, Holy Trinity Church, Chico, Calif. Santiago Argueta, pastor, Northwest District Draylen A. Askvig, worship pastor, Missoula (Mont.) Alliance Church Komlavi K. Atah, pastor, Global New Creation of the C&MA, Ramsey, Minn. Justin A. Barlow, youth pastor, Community Church Big Bear, Big Bear Lake, Calif. Roselyn Bartolome, assistant pastor, Faith Alliance Bible Church, Des Plaines, Ill. Amy L. Bezek, district personnel, Great Lakes District Kathleen Blake, district personnel, Great Lakes District Maria E. Brown, ministry associate at Asbury University, Ohio Valley District Jennifer J. Brukiewa, minister of spiritual formation, Harvest Downtown, Colorado Springs, Colo. Joseph Chan, Cantonese pastor, Wheaton (Ill.) Alliance Church Prashant A. Chawla, youth and outreach missions mobilizer, Jubiliee Intercultural Alliance Church, Columbus, Ohio Lili Chen, assistant pastor, Chinese Alliance Church of Pittsburgh, Turtle Creek, Pa. Stephanie Rivera Cohen, special assignment, Foothills Church, Cameron Park, Calif. Nathan D. Conklin II, special assignment, Eastern PA District Jeff M. Couto, sports pastor, The Grove Community Church, Riverside, Calif. Solanel Dabel, church planter, Haitian Evangelical Church of Columbus (Ohio)
Benjamin J. DeRuiter, youth pastor, Brentwood (Calif.) Neighborhood Church Willem Antonio Duiker, worship and communications coordinator, Hope Community Bible Church, Spring Hill, Fla. Ethan J. Esposito, pastor of high school ministry and CrossWay young adults, Crossway Church, Germantown, Wis. Wall Ruben Exantus, church planter, New England District Loren K. Fiet, pastor, Dora Lake Church, Northome, Minn. Michael Gaines, pastor in residency, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, Manhattan Beach, Calif. Jason L. Garber, assimilation director, Long Beach (Calif.) Alliance Church Corey M. Gillinov, assistant pastor of student ministries, Chapel Hill Church, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Luis Carlos Sanabria Gomez, federal chaplain candidate, Rocky Mountain District Timothy Goodwin, pastor, Trinity Christian Chapel, Sewell, N.J. Danielle E. Grabianowski, nonAlliance assignment, Central District Chris Griffith, pastor, Rhythm Chicago (Ill.) Church Tracy Grondziowski, associate pastor of discipleship and family ministries, Bakerstown Alliance Church, Gibsonia, Pa. Zachary J. Hall, small groups pastor, Riverside Church, Big Lake, Minn. Gilleyan J. Hargrove, assistant pastor, Alliance Tabernacle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Eduardo Infante, pastor, First Methodist Church of Lyford (Tex.) Kongmeng Kue, children pastor, Compassion Chapel, Maplewood, Minn. David Licon Jr., assistant pastor, Greenhouse Community Church, Houston, Tex. Jonathan A. Lobato, resident intern, Church of Emmanuel, Foxboro, Mass. Larry Lundstrom, pastor, DeLand (Fla.) Alliance Church Jessica McCullough, director of missions and outreach, Shawnee Alliance Church, Lima, Ohio Nicholas A. Moon, assistant pastor, Alliance Bible Church, Waco, Tex. Dale M. Norton, assistant pastor, The Awakening Church, Murrieta, Calif. Jacqueline L. O’Dell, assistant director of discipleship women, Christ Community Church, Omaha, Neb. Soon Ja Oh, pastor, Zion City Alliance Church, Bergenfield, N.J. Joshua C. Park, pastor, Atlanta Onnuri Church, Buford, Ga. Luke Pearson, associate pastor, Bloomingdale (Ill.) Alliance Church Alexander M. Pepin, community pastor, Compassion Church, Anoka, Minn. Jeanine E. Pollock, district personnel, Great Lakes District Matthew G. Roberts, associate pastor, Pathway Church, Redding, Calif. Christopher Scott, assistant marriage and family pastor, Foothills Church, Cameron Park, Calif.
Phillip M. Hill, church planter, Alliance South Central District
Melissa Serra, specialized ministries, Appleton (Wis.) Alliance Church
Wing Kit Hsu, assistant pastor, Greater Boston Chinese Alliance Church, Brighton, Mass.
Peter L. Smith, pastor, Christ Community Alliance Church, Orange, Vt.
Cathy L. Hughes, institutional chaplain, Ohio Valley District
David P. Taylor, youth pastor, Cary Alliance Church, Apex, N.C.
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Joshua L. Tsang, English assistant pastor, Christ Proclamation Church, Oakton, Va. Benjamin M. Vincent, crosscultural and student ministry director, Faith Alliance Church, Attleboro, Mass. Sage A. Vincent, cross-cultural and student ministry director, Faith Alliance Church, Attleboro, Mass. Sonja M. Walker, director of spiritual formation, Westview Alliance Church, Fort Wayne, Ind. Laura Ward, special assignment, Eastern PA District Samuel G. Weto, pastor, Minnesota Kale Heywot Church, Minneapolis, Minn. Joel M. Workman, associate pastor, South Philadelphia (Pa.) Alliance Church Nue C. Yang, English ministry pastor, True Life Albemarle (N.C.) Alliance Church, Bup Kyoon Yoon, pastor, Mizpah Church, Lakewood, Wash. Noah A. Youngberg, youth ministry and worship arts director, Hillside Community Church, Vermillion, S. Dak.
CONSECRATIONS AND ORDINATIONS Levi Brian Magruder, April 12, 2026, North Alliance Church, Remer, Minn. Levi is the senior pastor. Fuad Almasri, May 31, 2026, Jesus Light of the World Church, Toledo, Ohio. Fuad is the lead pastor. Mykel Lamar Pollock, June 5, 2026, LEAD Community Church, Toledo, Ohio. Mykel is the lead pastor. Heidi Rufener, June 14, 2026, Cornerstone Alliance Church, Marion, Ohio. Heidi is the pastor of community and family development.
Your Senior Living begins at Alliance Community
At Alliance Community in DeLand, Florida, we’ve been building a future for seniors for over 71 years—where meaningful connections and comprehensive care go hand-in-hand. Our forward-thinking, family-style approach, combined with full access to services and amenities—empowers every resident to create a lifestyle that reflects not only who they are today, but who they aspire to be tomorrow.
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Equipping and Unleashing Lay Leaders The Lay Preaching Program is a one-year track that equips men and women to be effective biblical communicators. Scan the QR code or visit allianceleaders.org to learn more.
Affordable, Multi-Lingual, Online Alliance Training—New Classes Launch Monthly
In 1996, Tim and his family were sent to North Africa as some of the first creative-access workers with the C&MA. While living in North Africa, he opened and ran a branch of SDMyers before being reassigned in 2013 to serve in Bordeaux, France, where he also trained lay leaders.
RETIRED Joseph D. Burchill, Eastern PA District Gary D. Dorn, North Central District Daryl T. Jacobson, North Central District
Tim is survived by his wife; 3 daughters; and 6 grandchildren.
Lee K. Nanfelt, Alliance Northwest District Martin J. Reynhout, North Central District
Homer Laing Henkel August 29, 1934–October 20, 2025
WITH THE LORD
Born in Sewickley, Pa., Homer was a graduate of Nyack College in New York where he attended from 1953–1958. He married his wife, Shirley, in 1956 in Morgantown, W. Va. He served with the C&MA for 40 years and pastored churches in various locations in Pennsylvania, including Butler, Philipsburg, and Clarion. He also pastored Crosstown Alliance church in Wellsville, N.Y., from 1980–2001.
Robert “Bob” E. Jueckstock September 3, 1940–July 5, 2025 Bob was born in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. He graduated high school in 1959 and then attended St. Paul Bible College (now Crown College) in St. Bonifacius, Minn. He was then drafted into the United States Army where he proudly served for two years. While at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs, he met Lynda, and they were married on January 20, 1968, in Lincoln, Neb.
When Homer retired in 2001, he and his wife moved to Georgia to be near their families. He was licensed in the South Atlantic District as a retired, consecrated, and ordained official worker. Shirley passed away in 2021, and in March 2024, he married his wife, Norma.
Bob served in combat as an air traffic controller/ combat controller for the army in Vietnam. During that time, he received medals with the valor device. In 1970, he returned to Crown College, became ordained, and began life-long servanthood in ministry. He served as a pastor in various locations including Holdrege, Neb.; Rockford, Big Lake, and Sleepy Eye, Minn.; Dixon, Ill.; Kenmore, N.Y.; and Menomonie Falls, Wis. He was also a board member of Crown College and the Northeastern District of the C&MA.
Homer is survived by his wife; children Grace, Jeannie, and Kenneth; 8 grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren. Arthur Warner December 16, 1930–October 22, 2025 Art was born in Columbus Township, Pa. He had a life-changing encounter with Jesus at the age of 21, which dramatically altered the course of his life. Newly committed to following God wherever He led, he attended Nyack Missionary Training Institute in New York, where he prepared for a career as a church pastor. He married Ida on July 30, 1955. They became a united team, devoted to God, each other, their family, and the thousands of people that God allowed them to minister to through the years. They served in churches in Missouri, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Maine for the next 54 years. In his final years, he became an author, writing the book, Nuggets Gathered Along the Trail, to sum up the lessons he learned throughout his long life.
Bob is survived by his wife; children Kim, Lisa, and Heather; and 11 grandchildren. Timothy Lowell Steiner August 17, 1950–August 18, 2025 Born in Wooster, Ohio, Tim was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother. He graduated from Wooster High School before starting college at Nyack College in New York, where he studied missions. Tim met his wife, Becki, while studying there. Upon finishing his studies, Tim and Becki briefly moved to Virginia before moving to begin ministry in a church plant in Griffin, Ga., for the C&MA. A couple of years later, he took a position at First Alliance Church in Columbus, Ohio, as a youth pastor, serving there for two years. He started his career as a missionary for the C&MA in 1978. Tim served 12 years in Mali, planting churches and serving as a business agent. In 1993, Tim and his family returned to Columbus where Tim acquired his master’s degree in theology from Trinity Lutheran Seminary.
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The highlight of Pastor Art’s years of ministry centered on his 31 years of pastoring Church of Emmanuel in Foxborough, Mass. A man of boundless energy and enthusiasm, he was always ready to help others in any way he could—spiritually, emotionally and physically. Art is survived by his daughters Marlene and Rycki; 7 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
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Ada Marie Tonnessen June 25, 1939–January 21, 2026
Killingly High School in nearby Danielson. After high school, Milton attended the University of Connecticut, studying agriculture.
Ada was born in Dade City, Fla. She graduated from Nyack College in Nyack, N.Y., with an associate’s degree in 1960. It was there that she met her husband, Nils. They were married in 1960 and Ada spent the next year serving alongside Nils in local church ministry. In 1962, Ada and Nils went by freighter ship to Thailand to begin their missionary service.
He gave his life to Christ, and a call to missionary service soon followed. Milton joined the Long Hill Chapel in Chatham, N.J., and through that influence, learned of the C&MA and Nyack College (N.Y.), where he enrolled in January 1952. In June 1955, Milton married his wife, Nancy. Upon graduation from Nyack College in 1956, Milton and Nancy moved to Rutland, Vt., where they pioneered a new Alliance church plant. In 1958, they were appointed for missionary service in West Africa. Later assigned to Upper Volta (Burkina Faso) in 1959, they learned the unwritten Bobo Madaré language and evangelized among that people group.
They were asked to be dorm parents in Bangkok at Dalat School, a boarding school for missionary kids. They later went into church planting ministry in Thailand. Over their next three missionary terms, Ada was involved in various ministries, including children’s ministry and teaching English while Nils pastored churches.
During the 40 years he served as a missionary in Burkina Faso, Milton’s first love was evangelism and planting new churches in remote villages. After retirement in 1998, Milton and Nancy served for a year in Côte d’Ivoire, managing the mission guest house and working with local churches on the coast at San Pedro. In 2004, at age 75, Milton returned to West Africa as interim director for the Mali Alliance mission for one year. Both Milton and Nancy were honored by the Burkina government with the award of Ordre du Mérite for service to country in 2005 and by Alliance Theological Seminary in 2002 with the degree of doctor of divinity. Milton was the 2011 Alumnus of the Year at Nyack College.
They served at the Dalat School in Malaysia until 1984, when they moved back to the U.S. to Toccoa, Ga., to help care for Nils’ parents. Later, in 1998, they served at the Alliance guest home in Bangkok, Thailand, for one year. They then returned back to Toccoa, where Ada worked at an assisted living facility and nannied for children. Ada is survived by her husband; daughters Pam, Penny, and Patty; 6 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren. Lillias Mae Coddington March 19, 1941–January 21, 2026
Milton is survived by children Cheryl, Deborah, Elin, John, and Mark; 15 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.
Lillias was born in Greenwich, Conn. She was married to Reverend Lauren Coddington on September 17, 1960, in Port Chester, N.Y.
Wilma Grace Mauren October 18, 1934–February 17, 2026 Born in Kearny, N.J., Wilma was a beacon of faith and an inspiring educator. She devoted her life to overseas missions, church leadership, and school teaching. She received a bachelor’s degree from Nyack Missionary College in New York and did coursework toward a master’s degree that laid the groundwork for her impactful career.
Lillias was active in church as a pastor’s wife and in passionately teaching Sunday school and children’s church. She served alongside her husband for many years who pastored churches in various locations including Otisfield, Maine; Newport, N.H.; Hayt Corners and Elmira, N.Y.; and Mill Hall, Penn. She left a lasting impact on countless young lives throughout the years. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and greatgrandmother. She loved Jesus with all her heart and faithfully taught her children to do the same.
A passionate advocate for sharing the gospel, Wilma found purpose in talking about Jesus and spreading His message. After pastoring in Defiance, Ohio, and a brief stint as missionaries in Thailand with the C&MA, she and her husband, Chuck, pastored churches in Turnersville, N.J.; Orange Park and Lehigh Acres, Fla.; Chesterfield, Va.; and Essex, Md., while also teaching elementary school children. During their later years, they organized and led life groups at Good Samaritan Village in Kissimmee, Fla.
Lillias is survived by her children Anita, Chester, David, Paul, Stephen, and Daniel; 15 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren. Milton A. Pierce September 6, 1928–February 17, 2026 Milton was born on a farm in Plainfield, Conn., and attended the local threeroom grade school and graduated from
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Wilma’s unwavering faith and commitment to her beliefs touched the hearts of many and served as a
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GOD’S NEW MIRACLE AT CROWN
ROOTED IN THE CHRISTIAN AND MISSIONARY ALLIANCE, CROWN COLLEGE EQUIPS STUDENTS THROUGH A BIBLICALLY-BASED, FAITH-INTEGRATED EDUCATION TO IMPACT THE WORLD FOR CHRIST. The newly-announced Worship and Student Life Center reflects our commitment to creating spaces where students can build relationships with God and one another. More than a building, this space will help shape future generations of boldly Christian leaders — and we invite you and your church to partner with us in finishing this project and bringing this vision to life.
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crown.edu/BuildingBoldly26
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Henry Grant Gathagan March 8, 1934–May 6, 2026
source of inspiration for those she encountered throughout her life. Her evangelistic spirit and heart for Jesus made her not just a pastor’s wife and teacher, but also a profound influence in the lives of her students, family, and community.
Henry was born in Beccaria, Pa., the youngest of eight children. At the age of 16, he put his trust in Christ and immediately felt called to ministry. He attended the Missionary Training Institute (later known as Nyack College) in Nyack, N.Y., for three years. To complete a bachelor of arts in history, he transferred to Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa. It was there that he met Carole, whom he led to Christ, and who later became his wife. After their marriage, Henry and Carole returned to Nyack College, where he obtained a bachelor of arts in missions.
Wilma is survived by her children Susan, Jon, Dan, and Cindy; and 4 grandchildren. James “Jim” Martin Grant December 17, 1941–April 10, 2026 Born in Pensacola, Fla., Jim was a Toccoa Falls (Ga.) College graduate and received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from Samford University in Homewood, Ala. He also earned a master’s degree and PhD from the University of Georgia. He was married over 55 years to his wife, Hazel, with whom he had three sons.
He pastored Christ Chapel Church in Davenport, Iowa., from 1958 to 1967. Later, God led his growing family to Northwest Alliance Church in Chicago, Ill., where he pastored from 1967 to 1971. During that time, Henry was involved in establishing retirement communities with a fellow Nyack graduate to provide the elderly with a place where Christian values were embraced. After much prayer, he accepted a position as executive director of such a facility in Pueblo, Colo., followed by nearly 30 years at Friendship Village in Dayton, Ohio. While there, Henry was deeply involved at Fairhaven Church. He served many years on the governing board and was instrumental in two of the three pastoral transitions. He also volunteered on the governing body of Chapel Pointe Retirement Community, an Allianceaffiliated facility in Carlisle, Pa. In 2000, Henry was honored to receive the Alumnus of the Year award from Nyack College for Service to Society.
Jim had a long career in Christian ministry and in higher education. He was ordained in the C&MA when he served at East Lake Alliance Church in Birmingham, Ala. He served as a professor and administrator at Toccoa Falls College, in editorial roles for the publishing arm of the C&MA, as the senior pastor at York Alliance Church in York, Pa., for 10 years. He was also the twelfth president of Simpson University in Redding, Calif., where he served for 13 years. In 2016, Simpson University honored his service by naming its student life center the James M. Grant Center. Jim is survived by his wife; sons Tobin, Matthew, and Jonathan; and 7 grandchildren.
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Henry is survived by his wife; children Lynn, Leslie Laura, Lydia, and Grant; 4 grandchildren; and 1 great-grandchild.
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Orchard Alliance / 866.351.2553 / orchardalliance.org This is not an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities of Orchard Alliance (Orchard). The offering is made solely through and by Orchard’s Offering Circular, which you should read carefully before making an investment decision. Orchard’s securities are subject to certain risk factors as described in the Offering Circular. Orchard’s securities are offered only in states where authorized. Orchard is a religious, nonprofit organization; therefore, Orchard’s securities are not bank deposit accounts and are not insured by the FDIC, SIPC or any other governmental agency. Orchard is not licensed to offer investment advice with respect to its securities, including those for retirement accounts. ©2026 Orchard Alliance. All rights reserved.
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