Highlights of the Church Transformation Work in Germany

Presently there are four training cohorts actively operating in Germany according to the report of AGWM Personnel, Steve Walent. Two are in the north and two are in the south of the country. There are about 160 pastors and church team-leaders learning how to take their churches through a process of transformation.As more leaders are trained towards transformation, it is apparent that more churches need individual coaching and consulting. There are now three trained consultants active in Germany in the Church Basics Ministry. Needless to say, these three are spread pretty thin! In January, a six-part training process was begun to equip new consultants for coming alongside existing churches which are taking part in the Church Basics process in order to assist them towards health and transformation. There are about 22 new consultants who have started the training process.

This ministry is making a difference. One church who started this process three years ago has gone now to two services and doubled in size from 80 to185. They have added 34 new workers and 25 of those are new to the church in these past three years. As the pastor commented, “We have a totally new church! There is such energy and excitement…we are so thankful to the Lord!”

Presently there are four training cohorts actively operating in Germany according to the report of AGWM Personnel, Steve Walent. Two are in the north and two are in the south of the country. There are about 160 pastors and church team-leaders learning how to take their churches through a process of transformation.
As more leaders are trained towards transformation, it is apparent that more churches need individual coaching and consulting. There are now three trained consultants active in Germany in the Church Basics Ministry. Needless to say, these three are spread pretty thin! In January, a six-part training process was begun to equip new consultants for coming alongside existing churches which are taking part in the Church Basics process in order to assist them towards health and transformation. There are about 22 new consultants who have started the training process.

This ministry is making a difference. One church who started this process three years ago has gone now to two services and doubled in size from 80 to185. They have added 34 new workers and 25 of those are new to the church in these past three years. As the pastor commented, “We have a totally new church! There is such energy and excitement…we are so thankful to the Lord!”

Forgiveness Brings Smiles in the Czech Republic

As AGWM Personnel, Peter and Jana Kozic, were ministering in a church in the Czech Republic, Peter gave an invitation to anyone who wanted to receive Christ into their life. After that, an elderly lady, with a lot of emotion and tears, ran down to Peter, who then led her to Jesus and encouraged her to get involved in the local church. She shared that her husband whom she recently married was a believer who attended the church and she wanted to do the same. Peter noted the smell of alcohol on the lady’s breath. Some months later we returned again to minister at the church on a Saturday evening, Peter to the men and Jana at a women’s gathering. At the end, God gave Jana a word to speak to the women. It had to do with several women dealing with secrets and unforgiveness. Two women were set free from the past and forgave those who had hurt them.

Then the lady that Peter had led to the Lord seven months prior approached Jana and shared the pain and secrets of her past, saying “I can’t forgive that person and others involved.” Jana said it was good to have shared her secrets but the next step was to forgive. The woman said she wasn’t ready but Jana knew the Lord would continue to minister to her.

In church the next morning, the lady came again to Jana asking several questions about forgiveness. After sharing in vivid detail for over 30 minutes, Jana answering all of her questions, they prayed together and she forgave her father, mother, and herself.

Jana recalls her countenance before and after prayer. After prayer, her face changed from pain, sadness and shame to joy, peace, and freedom. While walking back to the meeting room, she also shared that she had stopped drinking the night Peter had prayed with her to receive Jesus months ago. We entered the service after it had already begun. When Peter looked up and saw her, he knew she had forgiven and had been set free. The entire day, she was unable to stop smiling.

As AGWM Personnel, Peter and Jana Kozic, were ministering in a church in the Czech Republic, Peter gave an invitation to anyone who wanted to receive Christ into their life. After that, an elderly lady, with a lot of emotion and tears, ran down to Peter, who then led her to Jesus and encouraged her to get involved in the local church. She shared that her husband whom she recently married was a believer who attended the church and she wanted to do the same. Peter noted the smell of alcohol on the lady’s breath.

Some months later we returned again to minister at the church on a Saturday evening, Peter to the men and Jana at a women’s gathering. At the end, God gave Jana a word to speak to the women. It had to do with several women dealing with secrets and unforgiveness. Two women were set free from the past and forgave those who had hurt them.

Then the lady that Peter had led to the Lord seven months prior approached Jana and shared the pain and secrets of her past, saying “I can’t forgive that person and others involved.” Jana said it was good to have shared her secrets but the next step was to forgive. The woman said she wasn’t ready but Jana knew the Lord would continue to minister to her.

In church the next morning, the lady came again to Jana asking several questions about forgiveness. After sharing in vivid detail for over 30 minutes, Jana answering all of her questions, they prayed together and she forgave her father, mother, and herself.

Jana recalls her countenance before and after prayer. After prayer, her face changed from pain, sadness and shame to joy, peace, and freedom. While walking back to the meeting room, she also shared that she had stopped drinking the night Peter had prayed with her to receive Jesus months ago. We entered the service after it had already begun. When Peter looked up and saw her, he knew she had forgiven and had been set free. The entire day, she was unable to stop smiling.

As AGWM Personnel, Peter and Jana Kozic, were ministering in a church in the Czech Republic, Peter gave an invitation to anyone who wanted to receive Christ into their life. After that, an elderly lady, with a lot of emotion and tears, ran down to Peter, who then led her to Jesus and encouraged her to get involved in the local church. She shared that her husband whom she recently married was a believer who attended the church and she wanted to do the same. Peter noted the smell of alcohol on the lady’s breath.

Some months later we returned again to minister at the church on a Saturday evening, Peter to the men and Jana at a women’s gathering. At the end, God gave Jana a word to speak to the women. It had to do with several women dealing with secrets and unforgiveness. Two women were set free from the past and forgave those who had hurt them.

Then the lady that Peter had led to the Lord seven months prior approached Jana and shared the pain and secrets of her past, saying “I can’t forgive that person and others involved.” Jana said it was good to have shared her secrets but the next step was to forgive. The woman said she wasn’t ready but Jana knew the Lord would continue to minister to her.

In church the next morning, the lady came again to Jana asking several questions about forgiveness. After sharing in vivid detail for over 30 minutes, Jana answering all of her questions, they prayed together and she forgave her father, mother, and herself.

Jana recalls her countenance before and after prayer. After prayer, her face changed from pain, sadness and shame to joy, peace, and freedom. While walking back to the meeting room, she also shared that she had stopped drinking the night Peter had prayed with her to receive Jesus months ago. We entered the service after it had already begun. When Peter looked up and saw her, he knew she had forgiven and had been set free. The entire day, she was unable to stop smiling.

Launching of ABQ (Adolescent Bible Quiz) in Romania

For several years now JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz) has grown significantly throughout the country of Romania. JBQ, a discipleship program where kids hide God's Word in their hearts, has been used by many churches throughout Romania. Over time, however, the Kidz Romania team encountered a problem....kids were growing up and now begging to stay in the program and so asked if the maximum age limit could be expanded. What a nice problem to have! AGWM Personnel, Tamara Henkes, further explains, “Although our camps were designed for 7 to 12 year olds, teens up to 18 years of age were attending. We also realized that as the kids attended camps year after year, and as the questions for Junior Bible Quiz were the same, they already had memorized the answers. So we then realized that the material needed to be advanced to allow for more of a challenge to the adolescents. We adapted the US version of Bible Quiz for teens and created ABQ (Adolescent Bible Quiz) where the adolescents now memorize an entire section of scripture and come up with answers on their own to questions regarding the scripture they memorized. For example, in Round 1 the adolescents memorized all of Acts 2 and in Round 2 they are currently memorizing all of Acts 4. Since the launch of this program last fall, we have seen an increased enthusiasm and excitement in our adolescents to get into God's Word.”

For several years now JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz) has grown significantly throughout the country of Romania. JBQ, a discipleship program where kids hide God's Word in their hearts, has been used by many churches throughout Romania. Over time, however, the Kidz Romania team encountered a problem....kids were growing up and now begging to stay in the program and so asked if the maximum age limit could be expanded. What a nice problem to have!

AGWM Personnel, Tamara Henkes, further explains, “Although our camps were designed for 7 to 12 year olds, teens up to 18 years of age were attending. We also realized that as the kids attended camps year after year, and as the questions for Junior Bible Quiz were the same, they already had memorized the answers. So we then realized that the material needed to be advanced to allow for more of a challenge to the adolescents. We adapted the US version of Bible Quiz for teens and created ABQ (Adolescent Bible Quiz) where the adolescents now memorize an entire section of scripture and come up with answers on their own to questions regarding the scripture they memorized. For example, in Round 1 the adolescents memorized all of Acts 2 and in Round 2 they are currently memorizing all of Acts 4. Since the launch of this program last fall, we have seen an increased enthusiasm and excitement in our adolescents to get into God's Word.”

Watering Whole in France

“Easter evening was a jam-packed explosion of joy as five people took the important step of water baptism,” say Mark and Dalene Good, AGWM personnel planting a church in Grenoble, France. The room overflowed with friends and family of those getting baptized as Mark preached on the power over sin that identifying with Christ in his death and resurrection brings. Huddled outside around the inflatable spa, the congregation laughed, cried and prayed together with these that they had journeyed with and in whose lives there has been great change. One older woman who had previously embraced Buddhism, accepted Christ this last year. “After I prayed to Jesus, it was the first time I slept peacefully in years,” she testified. Two others had been raised in Christian families, but recently made decisions to make their faith in Christ both real and personal. They spoke of the Father’s patience and of how they found Him ultimately to be the only One who could authentically fulfill them. Another shared about the transforming power of the acceptance he found in the community, of wrestling with questions and doubts, and of finally dedicating himself wholly to follow Jesus. And the last candidate was a young man from North Africa who thanked those gathered for loving him through three years of debating religion, and of the supernatural change that occurred as the lenses of his old beliefs were finally removed when he decided to give his life to Christ.

“Easter evening was a jam-packed explosion of joy as five people took the important step of water baptism,” say Mark and Dalene Good, AGWM personnel planting a church in Grenoble, France. The room overflowed with friends and family of those getting baptized as Mark preached on the power over sin that identifying with Christ in his death and resurrection brings. Huddled outside around the inflatable spa, the congregation laughed, cried and prayed together with these that they had journeyed with and in whose lives there has been great change. One older woman who had previously embraced Buddhism, accepted Christ this last year. “After I prayed to Jesus, it was the first time I slept peacefully in years,” she testified.

Two others had been raised in Christian families, but recently made decisions to make their faith in Christ both real and personal. They spoke of the Father’s patience and of how they found Him ultimately to be the only One who could authentically fulfill them. Another shared about the transforming power of the acceptance he found in the community, of wrestling with questions and doubts, and of finally dedicating himself wholly to follow Jesus. And the last candidate was a young man from North Africa who thanked those gathered for loving him through three years of debating religion, and of the supernatural change that occurred as the lenses of his old beliefs were finally removed when he decided to give his life to Christ.