C4C Canada Annual Meeting
Serving a ‘grace-full’ God
By Gary Fallesen, founding president, Climbing For Christ
Climbing For Christ ministry happens in real time. I am proud of our ability (by the grace of God) to be efficient.
Example: Damson Samson, our kingdom worker in East Africa, asks on Monday if it would be possible to receive an extra $500 a month to feed widows in Malawi. On Wednesday, funds are wired. On Thursday, Damson receives the money, buys the food, and distributes it.
At C4C Canada’s third Annual Meeting on Saturday, Nov. 26 in Coleman, AB, Board member Aaron Hemphill talked about how some big ministries have “no face” to them.
“Being able to respond to an email request” from C4C was Aaron’s “God moment” for 2016. He said being able to assist Climbing For Christ financially “is a huge blessing to us. (C4C has) awesome projects.”
Crowsnest Community Christian Centre in Coleman, AB, Canada.
We discussed how people don’t know the opportunity they’re missing. On Sunday, Nov. 27, when I was honored by Board member Pastor Al Robinson to preach at his Crowsnest Community Christian Centre, I shared more about this:
“God calls. We answer. The Spirit works in and through us to accomplish more than we can ever imagine. And we get to witness, up close, as this spectacle unfolds.
“It’s that simple. And trust me, it’s great. People who don’t respond don’t know what they’re missing.”
Our C4C Canada Board — consisting of Aaron, Pastor Al, Brandy Fisher, Louis-Olivier Petelle, Elaine Fallesen, Andrew Bailey, and me — will attest to this. Al talked about how Aaron’s AustriAlpin climbing gear distribution company is “far beyond selling buckles. It’s funding missions.”
“When reading C4C emails, I can see how things are happening in Pakistan (and in other countries),” Louis-Olivier said. “It brings me back to how I want to be a part of a mission; to see how grace-full God is.”
We have seen that time and time again. You can, too — by joining our Prayer Team, giving financially, and GO-ing with Climbing For Christ.
Brandy and Elaine both pointed to Project 8:36 and the freeing of 22 children and 14 adults who were slaves in a brick factory in Pakistan. Brandy also spoke about participating in the dedication of the newly constructed church at Simikot on Mission: Nepal 2016, Part 2 in September. “To see the faces and knowing the stories of how they all came to the Lord, watching them worship, (all she could think was) ‘WOW, look what God has done!’ The church is exploding in growth.”
Elaine saw the faces of hundreds of hungry people standing in line waiting to be fed in Malawi. She knew how much maize had been purchased with C4C funding and was piled in 50-kilogram bags, waiting to be distributed. She knew it was not enough.
But, as when Jesus fed the 5,000, “they all ate and were satisfied” (Matthew 14:20). And there were leftovers. This was her “loaves and fish” God moment for 2016.
We celebrated all that God has accomplished through Climbing For Christ in 2016 and looked forward to the good works God has prepared for us to walk in during 2017.
The C4C Canada Board covered a lot of ground, including:
- Pastor Al, Louis-Olivier, Elaine and I were re-elected to three-year terms;
- Finances for this year (more than $173,500 CAD received from Jan. 1-Nov. 18) were reviewed and a 2017 budget in excess of $155,000 USD was approved;
- Prayer started, finished, and punctuated a successful gathering.
CLICK HERE to read “God moments galore,” the report on the main Board of Directors’ Annual Meeting in the USA on Oct. 29.
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