I have the privilege of hearing about the many monthly conferences held in Africa, India and Haiti. I’d like to pass on a report I received from a conference in Gambia, Africa. You can’t have the privilege of attending it in person, but it is your prayers and financial gifts that make it possible. This is what your money is making possible. This was written by the man who works with us there.
“This is a report of our most recent CTO TET training program here in the Gambia. The turnout was good with 17 participants. Once again, the topic was “What GOD Expects of Churches”. I gave a 10 minutes introduction of what the Christian Training Organization, CTO is all about: our mission and vision, global and regional directors, countries we are currently active at etc. Then we had our sessions on What God Expects of Churches using the church in Antioch as an example. The following are some of the conference testimonies:
“A church leader in his 60s who attended said that believes that from what he heard, unity is very important in the church. He believes that if we are united in the same fashion the Jerusalem Church and the Antioch Church were united, then we can achieve a lot as believers. He thanked the host pastor for making such a training possible and thanked us for coming. He also stated that due to the character of Barnabas, he has learned that we should always pray for fellow believers and not judge or criticize them. He also fondly asked if I was the author of “What GOD Expects of Churches”. When I quickly told him that it is Rev. Jerry (our global director), he said, “yes I know because his name is right here on the book”. He then told us that he asked that question simply because he believes that my spirit and the writer’s spirit are the same due to the way I am able to teach the book using practical examples that everyone understands. He says it is as though I am the writer of the book. I told him, “Glory to GOD!”. It is not me but GOD Who made it that way because I keep on receiving similar sentiments after every conference we have.
“Mark is a leader in the church where we met and led our opening devotions. He said that from the study, he has learned that people often overlook Barnabas and focus more on Paul instead. However, he believes that Barnabas should be given a lot of credit because he served as Paul and John Mark’s direct mentor. Both Paul and John Mark went on to become extraordinary leaders all thanks to Barnabas’ role in their lives. He also learned about the importance of Christian partnership (from the story of the Jerusalem and Antioch churches). He learned about prayer and worship, importance of the Holy Spirit and how this generation of believers neglects Him. He also learned in a deeper way the dispute that existed between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. He was impressed with everything.
“Pastor Lawrence is the assistant pastor at the church where we met. He agrees that the Holy Spirit is disastrously neglected and as believers we would do better if we give Him His due. He also highlighted the fact that God’s plan for our life is more important than our plans for ourselves, which is why he agrees that when we pray, we should also give time to hear from GOD which is actually more important. He then thanked us for coming.
“Marcel was one of the ladies who participated. She said that she has learned that the size of the church doesn’t necessarily determine its health. She also learned the importance of patience from Barnabas because patience can actually save many souls from destruction. She also learned about effectively communicating with God and how to hear His voice and recognize it.
“Pastor Samuel is the host pastor. He said that he has learned that God actually used ordinary people to advance the Gospel and if God could do that, He could use anybody irrespective of your educational, economic or social status. That really encouraged Pastor Samuel among other things that were already mentioned by others. He expressed gratitude for our coming, thanked us for providing the learning materials, breakfast and lunch all for free. He said that he is looking forward to another CTO TET training at his church. He said the entire church was blessed due to the teachings.
“By the grace of GOD, we are receiving more requests for CTO trainings in various parts of Gambia. The lead pastor from one region indicated that they will be available for the CTO TET. The plan is to mobilize all the pastors, church planters and missionaries of that part of the Gambia. We are expecting to have one of our best trainings there! I am not sure the resources we’ve got left would be enough to organize this training, but I am trusting GOD that I would have some funds from my personal business to add to the ministry funds and organize a successful event. It will take us a full day’s travel to get to the place. Other conferences are planned as well. Evangelist Ebrima”
PLEASE pray for these people as they bring light to dark places. These conferences are dependent on your contributions. Without them this wouldn’t be possible. The truth is that we have more opportunities than we can meet because of our limited finances. There is a need and good men ready and willing to use our materials to train pastors, but these things take more money than we have. Pray God would provide, through His people, what He wants us to have.
(Checks can be sent to Christian Training Organization in care of Jerry Schmoyer, 252 W. State St., Doylestown, PA 18901 or through PayPal https://www.christiantrainingonline.org/giving/ )
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India & Africa & Spanish Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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