Global Link Header-English
Vince McCarty, Executive Director of Global Missions

Planting the Word of God where it Can 
Take Root in Places Unreached by the Gospel 
By Rich Kopp 
Founder of Church Planters Academy 
  
Ghana, in West Africa, is a country of about twenty-seven million people. It is a land rich in wildlife and resources, yet filled with poverty. The average Ghanaian makes only about two dollars a day, barely enough to earn a subsistence living. Most of the Christian churches are in the bigger cities, with few churches in the rural areas.

In November of 2016, the Church Planters Academy of Ghana (CPA of Ghana) was launched as an experimental and innovative concept in planting churches - call it a thirty-day boot camp for prospective church planters and leaders. The goal was to train twelve mature, dedicated Ghanaian believers to plant six new churches. Each week they were taught one of four Dynamics: Leadership, Pastoral, Evangelism, and Planting Techniques & Strategies. Every recruit had to be able to live on campus for one month. This required them to leave their jobs and homes and devote themselves entirely to being trained in the techniques and strategies of church planting. During the first week of the academy every recruit was asked to pair up with a church-planting partner to study. During the final week the partners developed a church planting strategy together. Every team's strategy was evaluated before the team was given approval to graduate. Upon completion of the Academy the recruits were sent out in teams to various parts of Ghana to implement their church-planting strategies. To date five new churches have been planted, with the sixth being launched soon. More than 40 new converts have come to faith in Christ.


My vision and that of Open Bible Ghana is to offer another academy in January 2018. I will also be training leaders in Open Bible churches in Ghana to lead the operations of the Academy. In subsequent years I would like to use the CPA of Ghana as a template to train Open Bible churches in other African countries in church planting techniques.  
  Quick Links

  Contributions to the
are our main source of
funding. This fund covers
many aspects of Open
Bible's
outreach around
the world.  

  Each of our missionaries  
raise their own funds to
f
ulfill the ministries for
whi
ch G od ha s called
an
d equipped them.  
Read about each of
them on the MVP   
page.



 
While I've been to Ghana several times, this was my first opportunity to spend time training young Ghanaians to be church planters. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding and inspirational teaching experiences of my life. The 14 young men and one young lady recruits worked incredibly hard every day and devoted themselves fully to learning to be the best church planters in the world.

We had the privilege to have Dr. Jim Beaird as one of the academy instructors. He says: "It was a pleasure to work with 15 young potential church planters during my two weeks at the Church Planters Academy of Ghana. Seeing their zeal for church planting was refreshing. I would encourage more people to get involved in this endeavor because it's already bearing fruit!"

I recently received a report from one of our planting teams. Rev. Kofi Kelvin, a member of Team One says, " Though we have participated in church evangelism before, the truth of expansion by church planting was never our focus. God, through Reverend Rich and his team, enlightened us and shaped our focus towards the heart and PURPOSE of GOD. Today many local branches have been born by church planting teams. We are forever grateful." Another report I received from Edward Osei Kofi and Benjamin Asare, the two-member team from Team Five, share: "Our church plant began with almost 11 members and we have started holding Sunday church services by the grace of God."

I believe the strategy presented and taught through the CPA of Ghana will result in hundreds, if not thousands of new churches in the coming years.

  The Church Planters Academy can use your help in two ways:
  • First, we are in need of your prayer for the Academy. Please pray for the students who will attend the upcoming CPA of Ghana, the instructors, and the funds needed to be provided.
  • Second, I am in the process of raising funds for the upcoming CPA of Ghana in January of 2018. Approximately $21,000 is needed to support the six church planting teams. Please partner with us by clicking here   to donate online. You may also send a check payable to Open Bible Churches, 2020 Bell Ave., Des Moines, IA designated Church Planters Academy.




The Church Planters Academy will have a booth at the 2017 National Convention in Palm Springs. Please stop by to pick up a prayer card. I would also love to visit with you about the CPA and answer any questions you may have.  


 

Global Missions wants to Rebuild Liberia. Our project for the 2017 Global Harvest Offering
is to raise $100,000 to set up literacy learning centers in strategic parts of the country. These
learning centers will help educate our Open Bible family and the rest of the people of Liberia so
they have the tools necessary to move forward and restore the country's infrastructure. In
addition, we will initiate the INSTE program, as the majority of our pastors and leaders have no
biblical or theological training.


More Than a Missions Trip
By Mike and Pam Lumbard 
Directors of School of Global Leadership - Trinidad 
 
The School of Global Leadership (SGL) is a missions training school that provides
a cross-cultural, hands-on learning and living environment that equips people
to lead in missions and evangelism around the world.

Me, a missionary? Mike thought.  Although the idea of training up future leaders was always exciting to him, Mike was uncertain of how God could get us from where we were to where we were being asked to go. It took a while to unwind our lives from everything in which we were involved. Nonetheless God continued to confirm that He was in fact calling us both to be missionaries.

Pam's call to Trinidad was very different from Mike's. She had no problem with the training and equipping of missionaries. She struggled with doing it in another country. Leaving her only grandchild (we now have seven grandchildren with two more on the way) was painful. Yet as she unwrapped her fingers from things and people it became clear to her that God was up to something and He wanted her along for the journey. She remembers God specifically asking her if she would let Him write her story. She said yes. Sometimes the call of God is a process rather than a moment in time.

We are blessed with student housing that is comfortable and safe.
We have lived in Trinidad for seven years now. Initially, the goal was to bring people from the States, who were interested in becoming missionaries, to Trinidad. While we continue to do that, God had so much more in mind for us. Many people aren't aware that SGL also provides local Trinidadians with Missions and Evangelism training courses and foreign missions trips outside of Trinidad.

SGL provides many opportunities for people of any age from both the U.S. and Trinidad to experience missions. Whether you have a call to become a missionary as we did or simply want to experience missions, we have something for you. We offer one and three-month missions training courses and one or two-week missions trips.

Tiffany Stamp worked in a kindergarten classroom for her internship.
Our Missions Intensive
is more than a missions trip. This three-month course is for people who want a deeper missions experience or are considering becoming a missionary. During your time in our Missions Intensive course you will learn through missions academics and have a hands-on ministry experience. SGL graduate Brandi Schleisman shares: "SGL is a great way to gain hands-on missions experience that you cannot fully achieve during a short-term mission trip. You learn how to immerse yourself in another culture and how to be that bridge for the Gospel to be shared." Jacque Clark, another SGL graduate said: "SGL provides the right amount of culture shock for you to have to learn to adapt, but not enough to be completely overwhelming. It was really neat to study missions and immediately be able to put it into practice. SGL is a great first step into the mission field!"

Our Taste and See program is a one-month missions and discipleship experience. This course provides an introduction to basic cross-cultural adaptation, missions principles, and discipleship with real hands-on ministry experience. SGL graduate Kailie Tackett said, "I knew that learning about missions while on the mission field would better equip me to lead teams on my own." SGL graduate Devanne D'Loss said: "SGL equips you with methods for fulfilling the Great Commission that can be applied in any culture - principles that are most effectively learned in the context of a culture outside your own." See below for more information on our Missions Intensive and Taste and See missions courses.

   
We also enjoy hosting missions trips throughout the year that are structured around a team's specific ministry goals. We can gear your missions trip around children's ministry, youth, other age groups, community outreach and evangelism, or ministry to those in need. We consider the strength and age of the team and missions experience when planning activities and ministry. This is a fast-paced experience. Most trips are one to two weeks long. We would love to host your team and design a missions trip especially for you. SGL graduate Ashley Foreman shares, "The best place to learn about missions is on the mission field."

While not all of the graduates of SGL have gone on to pursue a career as a missionary, we are so very proud of each one! Here are updates on some of our SGL graduates: Hyang Helton is now pastoring in South Korea and conducting outreaches in Sri Lanka; Ashley Foreman is preparing for a six-month internship in Cambodia; Tiffany Stamp is preparing for an internship in Mexico; Brandi Schleisman works at a home helping restore trafficked women; and Devanne D'Loss is working with her husband, Mike, youth pastors leading missions teams. Countless lives have been changed and continue to be changed from the impact the SGL students and leaders have on the community here in Trinidad. Since 2010 more than 1,500 people have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior through the different ministries of SGL.

Trinidadian students praying
for the world.
 
Our courses for our Trinidadian students have also made an impact on the community. To date 150 locals have graduated from our Missions and Evangelism training courses
. Many of the Trinidadians who have completed the Missions and Evangelism training course are now ministering in countries such as Columbia, Nepal, Guyana, and Zambia. Many of the remaining graduates have participated in missions trips and have become more actively involved in missions and evangelism in their local churches. Shortly after graduating from SGL, one Trinidadian man, whose profession is driving a bus, began meeting with another driver before work to pray. Today he meets with 10 to 15 drivers for prayer and Bible study before work.
 
We also enjoy leading missions and evangelism seminars and workshops in Trinidad and the U.S. and hope to be able to lead workshops in other countries soon.

Your prayers, encouragement, and financial support enable us to continue advancing the kingdom of God in Trinidad and around the World.

   
You may also give by check. Please make your check payable to Open Bible Churches and mail to
2020 Bell Ave., Des Moines, IA 50315 designated Lumbard or SGL Scholarship.
 
 
Missionaries Mike and Pam Lumbard minister as directors of School of Global Leadership - Trinidad, a missions training school that provides a cross-cultural, hands-on, learning and living environment that helps propel students into leadership roles around the world. Trinidad is a great missions training environment, with great diversity among the religious, economic, and ethnic facets of life. This makes it a solid stepping stone for those interested in taking Jesus to the world!

Connect with us:

Like us on Facebook