From a Troubled Life to a Calling to Serve
My name is Richard Fennell. When searching for theology and ministry classes online, God led me to the Christian Leaders Institute.
My Journey: Early Years
I grew up in Western New York State. I don’t remember very much from my early childhood, but I do have some recollections of going to a Lutheran Church occasionally. My parents divorced when I was very young, and to say it was a nasty divorce is an understatement. My father gained custody of my older sister and me. He took us to church occasionally. I also sometimes went to Vacation Bible School during the summer. None of this meant very much to me, but I learned a few things about God.
When I was a little older, my father remarried. We moved to my stepmother’s house. She had four children. My sister decided she wanted to live with our mother. The situation was not ideal for me. However, one bright spot was that I went to a non-congregational church, which I liked very much. There were many activities that I participated in. Further, I came to know about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. At this time, God became very real to me. At that time, I thought I was saved, but I did not make a commitment to keep the Lord in my life. Due to home life difficulties, I ran away from home when I was 14.
After running away, I lived with my mother and stepfather. There, I forgot about my spirituality and went on to have a very troubled youth. I turned to alcohol, drugs, and other things to have a great life. It was a time of turmoil that lasted too long.
Marriage, Family, and Career
Fast forward to the age of 24, I met and married my wife. She has stuck with me for almost 45 years now, despite the lifestyle I lived. We have two children, a son and a daughter. I was not a great role model to them. Therefore, they had their share of issues growing up.
Despite my abuse of alcohol and drugs, I managed to better myself in my career. It eventually led to obtaining a college degree in computer networking. The jobs got better and the compensation followed. However, I wasn’t getting it yet. I knew God was there but wasn’t ready to follow Him.
Health Challenges
As I neared the end of my career, my lifestyle caught up to me in the form of physical issues. I almost died as a result of one issue, but that still didn’t wake me up. Then, I became disabled at 63. As my condition worsened, I knew I needed something more in my life. Something other than my worldly desires, something more spiritual.
Earlier this year, in a Divine intervention, I watched Christian programming on cable TV. The shows I watched pertained mostly to prophesy, end times, and the rapture. After a couple of months, I felt a desire to read the entire Bible from beginning to end. I had read the New Testament several times, but I never read the Old Testament. As I read the Old Testament, it was as if I was opened up to a whole new understanding of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Things I remember from the New Testament made more sense.
Theology and Ministry Classes at CLI
A couple of months ago, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior! Nothing has been the same since! I prayed for a church that teaches Scripture and how to serve the Lord. The Lord provided that for me. Then, I felt an overwhelming desire to find Theology and Ministry classes online to be able to better serve the Lord. The Holy Spirit led me to the Christian Leaders Institute.
My spiritual dream is to lead my family to the Lord, to lead others to the Lord, and to create a Bible study/Prayer group in the community where I live. Perhaps becoming ordained as a minister is in the future. That would be the ultimate spiritual dream. If God has other ideas on how I am to serve, His Will will be done. I am so thankful I can take the Theology and Ministry classes at the Christian Leaders Insitute. The free ministry training is necessary to be able to obtain the knowledge that will enable me to serve the Lord in any way possible. A scholarship for obtaining a Bachelor’s degree would be the ultimate gift to prepare me for future service to God. I want to serve the Lord wherever He leads!
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, automatically enrolling you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.
Ministry Profile 2023
My name is Linda Kotara, and I live in Texas. I have been married for 37 years to my incredible husband, Robert. We have two grown sons. Following our parents’ footsteps, we raised our children in the Catholic Church. Since studying at the Christian Leaders Institute, I feel called to the Chaplain program.
My Early Years
My parents were faithful churchgoers and followers of tradition. However, there was no evidence of the love of Christ or a spiritual plan for our lives in my childhood home. Once we left the church building, my father focused only on his career and providing for us. My mother was very passive and never recovered from losing a child previous to me. She suffered from depression and was not a big part of my childhood. My father brought his high level of tension and temper home to us. While with my parents, I felt very alone and without comfort or direction.
Our church had holy days of “obligation” but no offer or encouragement for family guidance. Growing up, I had no idea there was a heavenly Father who could provide the love, safety, truth, or guidance I so desperately needed. My teen years and until I married were a time of individual attempts to navigate this fallen world and search for who to trust. I encountered numerous dead ends and lies on my road to self-sufficiency.
Spiritual Journey
Only by the grace and leading of God did I meet and marry a man who knew the Lord. My husband served as an example to me of a Christ follower. He had a very different upbringing. After four years of marriage and the critical birth of our first child, I slowly began to call out to my heavenly Father. I needed the comfort and assurances only God could offer. I knew I was a lost sinner who needed the forgiveness only provided by the blood of Christ. My husband and I began attending an international Bible study called Bible Study Fellowship. It is a 7-year program that aided us to discern God’s plan for our lives.
During this study, I accepted God as my Father, Christ as my Savior, and the Holy Spirit as my ever-present Counselor. I experienced many situations and divine reasons that led my husband and me to search for a new church home. A place that could help nurture our spiritual walk and closeness to God.
Our new Bible-based church kept us immersed in God’s Word. It became evident that God wanted to draw us back to Him. We must trust Him by following His perfect plan and placing Him before every other distraction.
My Early Spiritual Journey
In my formative years, religion and a God who expected much from me were what I knew. I see now that I was on a training course to experience going it alone and failing miserably. This world presents so many lies about what happiness truly is. Material things will never fulfill us. Only God can fill that longing for the joy, peace, and contentment our heart desires.
Thirteen years ago, while with my favorite aunt at the time of her passing, I first heard of the hospice philosophy. Since then, I have been a patient volunteer and 11th-hour support. Hospice is where I discovered the role of Chaplain and felt initially called to the Chaplain program. Additionally, eight years ago, I was led to a very intensive study at my church that helped women learn how to know God’s perspective for their worth instead of what they were told or shown from their past failures. I felt the Lord’s guidance and grace taking hold more profoundly in my life. After the first few years, they asked me to become a group leader. God showed me I had the divine gifts to be His hands and feet for the suffering. I lean on HIS divine peace and comfort when listening, ministering, and walking with those in a spiritual battle or transition.
Called to the Chaplain Program at CLI: Gaining Competence and Confidence
Today, God continues to prompt me. The Christian Leaders Institute is a blessing to help improve my Bible knowledge, people skills, and confidence to be a better spiritual leader. The flexibility of the online courses and ability-based donation is why I could study the Chaplaincy courses. I remember learning about the inspiration Henry Reyenga received to put CLI into action after 9/11. After hearing this, I felt even more called to pursue the Chaplain program. Then, I could provide that comfort and spiritual guidance to those experiencing trauma, life struggles, or transitioning from this world.
Thank you, Henry Reyenga Jr. and CLI, for making this journey possible. I once read: What would it look like if you became the person God created you to be? I am thankful to CLI for growing the competence and confidence to develop into that person. My dream is to use and increase the gifts God, through CLI, has blessed me with. After that, I can minister to His hurting children and bring them the same hope, promises, and salvation I have received.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, automatically enrolling you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.
I am Carmelo Prieto Jr., of the USA. I am a student at the Christian Leaders Institute to study to become a pastor.
My Journey
Growing up, I attended church in San Antonio, Texas. It was a small Mexican family-led church called El Divino Salvador. My grandfather was the Lead Pastor, and my dad and another uncle were Assistant Pastors. At an early age, I went to Sunday School every weekend and attended VBS during the summer. I loved worshiping and praising the Lord as a child. When I was twelve, a visiting pastor approached me during worship. He told me never to stop praising and worshiping, as he could see I loved Jesus.
However, I was on probation by fifteen due to legal trouble. I constantly got into fights at school and started using drugs and alcohol. Getting into continued trouble, they sent me to a military-styled boot camp for troubled youths. I was there for six months when I was 17 years old. When I got out, things got worse. My friends and I sold drugs and partied more heavily. This lifestyle continued into my early twenties when I finally decided I didn’t want to live that life anymore.
My Marriage
I met my wife through a mutual friend. I knew she was the one I wanted to marry and spend the rest of my life with. We married after three years of dating. She had a seven-year-old son when we met. Therefore, it was just the three of us. After four years of marriage, we had a little girl. Soon after that, we had a son and were a family of five. Things were great, but I was not serving the Lord. Taking my family to church was a thing I had to do, not something I wanted to do or grow more in.
Twelve years into our marriage and not having a relationship with the Lord, I stepped out on our marriage. It immediately turned our lives upside down. My wife filed for divorce within a week. We were on our way to separation and imminent divorce.
My wife started to go to church on her own. At that same time, I sought Christ once again. We began to reconcile after two months of separation. Through the grace of God, my wife was able to forgive me. We began to rebuild and pick up the pieces of our broken marriage. We added another son to our family in the six years since, making us a half dozen. My wife and I have helped lead our church’s Re/Engage marriage program. I also serve in our youth ministry, where our two teenagers attend youth night on Sunday evenings. Our kids also serve within our children’s Sunday school ministry at church.
At CLI to Study to Become a Pastor
I can see the wonders of God’s power firsthand as He helped restore our marriage and this broken man. Christ is using me and my family in many ways. Furthermore, I want to continue to serve, learn, and grow in Him and for His Glory. Therefore, I am here at the Christian Leaders Institute to study to become a pastor.
I thank the many wonderful people who donated to CLI to help others pursue their dreams of becoming ministers and spreading the Gospel.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, automatically enrolling you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.