Shawna Glenn does not have the financial means to return to school at a traditional seminary. So she enrolled at Christian Leaders Institute to continue ministry education free of cost! Here is her story..
Continue Ministry Education Free of Cost – Shawna’s Story
Hello, my name is Shawna Glenn. I reside in Dayton, Ohio located in the USA. I’m married to a minister for 23 years now. As a result, I have been involved in ministry for the same amount of time. I accepted my call to become a minister in 1999. Since accepting my call, I’ve learned that I have the gift of laying hands and teaching is my ministry gift. God has spoken to my husband and me that we have a great work to do. For now, I sit on the minister’s board at our church. I have experience with preaching and teaching. God has brought me a mighty long way in my ministry, and I’m looking forward to being used to do whatever he has for me to do in Him.
My first experience with the church began when I was 6 or 7 years old. I was not raised in a Christian home, but my sister, and I attended church with my uncle. My uncle was a deacon. Whenever we would spend time with him, he would go over the Sunday school lesson for the week with us.
I made the decision to get baptized when I was nine years old. But the enemy was not happy with my decision, so he attacked my body. Every time my mom would schedule our date to get baptized, we would get sick and the doctor wouldn’t be able to give my mom a real diagnosis. So I didn’t get baptized til I was almost 11 years old. My uncle came to our house and laid hands on us, and that following Sunday my sister and I got baptized. I continued to go to church with my uncle until he passed away. About two years later, I started dating a young man (later became my husband) who was a pastor’s kid. He talked to me about God a lot. Then we found a church to attend together. I became a Christian when I was 18 years old and received the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues two years later. Been saved ever since then.
It is my ministry dream to be used by God to preach and teach people about the His goodness. In my life, I’ve experienced many things. I grew up in a home where my mom was physically and emotionally abused by my father. The pastor of the church that I first got saved at began to be “spiritually” abusive. Then a few years ago, the enemy attacked my marriage. So with all of these trial that I’ve had to endure, I believe that I can relate with other people and let them know that God loves them and is still with them even through their trials. We may be in the “fire” like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but we will come out whole because God is with us in the fire.
I was ordained an evangelist in 2012. As a part of my ministry training, my pastor put me over the youth department for two years then I turned it over to another minister to take over. But I do know that I will be co-pastor when me husband starts a church.
My call to ministry was unexpected. I would never have thought that God would want to use me in that capacity. I was joking with my husband one day about joining the minister department. I didn’t mean it; it was a joke to me. That following Sunday, it was prophesied to me that God had called me, so I accepted.
Some of the challenges that I have noticed is that a lot of churches are not very receptive to your ministry unless you are of the same denomination as them. Baptist, Pentecostal, et.c., why does any of that matter. We all believe in the same Jesus, his death, and his resurrection. Isn’t that more important? We put God in a box and limit his power because we don’t want to minister or be minister to unless someone is of the same religious background. That’s sad.
My family members are all active in ministry. My husband is a pastor. I have three daughters who all sing and praise dance. My oldest daughter is call to preach. My one and only son is also called to preach. I receive prophesy about him before he was born about his calling and how great his ministry is going to be. When my husband ministers at another ministry, my daughter’s sing before he ministers the word. I thank God for my family and for how he uses each one of them. It has been an honor to be called not only to be a minister but to be in a family that he has chosen to use.
The scholarship that I will receive will be of great help to me. I’m not financially able to pay for school right now. So I thank God for this opportunity to receive the scholarship and take classes that are going to help me further my ministry.
With all of that being said, I ask you to pray that I continue to make myself available to God and that I keep focused my the task at hand….finishing my training from your organization.
Thank You.
CLI student Sunday Mundi had a dream that he would be called to preach the word of God. He enrolled at CLI to recieve the education he needs to do this effectively and without financial obligation. Here is his story…
Discipleship and Evangelism – Sunday’s Story
My name is Sunday Samuel Mundi, Nigeria,West Africa;In the 2005 after I gave my life to Christ in program that a film pilgrims progress was shown and alter call was made by missionaries from the US,i had an unusual experience when I was on my bed sleeping I dreamt that Jesus came to me ask my sister and told me that He will come for me oh! That was so scary cause I was thinking its death or rapture but alas i had another vision he came and told me that he has call me to preach with sign following,then we began a Street Evangelism and so many came to his saving grace, proceed to hospital evangelism as patient receive Jesus, healing leaving the wards empty,we continue from one village to another,which was very effective,as of the time of this report I have Muslim converts of about fifteen in number serving God to a high capacity, except one that was desperate about marriage got into the hand of a Muslim man but because we had no much time to follow her up she went back in which one of the challenges we are facing is there is no much funding for followup,discipleship and evangelism from place to place.we are planning to acquire a place for training outside the fierce settlement of the unbelievers cause they fight those that gives their lives to Jesus,my family have been of encouragement time to time they visit consistently especially my elder brother ,after the visitation of Jesus I have always had dreams of preaching Jesus to a great extent,please pray that God give more convert to us as we go out to preach Jesus as I believe strongly that this scholarship will be given to me.
Student James Saunders was brought to Christian Leaders Institute by friends, mentors and pastors in Scotland. He enrolled to help fulfill his calling of Revival in Scotland and formal ministry training that he could afford! Here is his story…
Revival in Scotland – James’ Story
Greetings, my name is James Saunders, I am fifty-four years old and live in a rural village outside Dunfermline, Scotland. I have been married to my wonderful wife for twenty-four years and we have a son who is about to turn twenty. He is currently in his second year of engineering as a junior officer in the merchant navy. I am working with a Christian charity now after spending many years in the British Armed Forces.
I come from a family who did not and still do not attend church; I, however, took myself to my local church when I was 12 years old. I know now, that after a difficult upbringing, I was looking for a family and the loving Father I did not have at home, and indeed I did find the most loving , forgiving father there is ! My family tells me that I always expressed from a young age that I wanted to become a minister, I do not know why or where this desire came from,but, I did not follow my heart and let life and growing up get in the way. I have experienced much happiness and tragedy in my life, and after a serious car accident that left me with a chronic neck and back injury, and finished my career I again began to focus on God. During my recovery, I became very aware of the blessings in my life and felt obligated to follow my heart and serve Jesus the best way I could.
I still have it on my heart to become a Pastor and have a calling to minister to the forgotten and ignored, the sub cultures and outlawed in our society. Scotland has become very secular and people chase a false dream of wealth thinking it will make them happy. They seek spirituality, but, follow and idolise celebrity and greed. Our organised church is failing and dying, preaching and teaching off scripture and doing more harm than good.
I belong to one of these so called sub cultures…. I am a biker; I have two main passions, Jesus Christ and motorbikes. I have a passion for putting these together for the glory of God and have been drawn to minister to people on the fringes of our society. This can be difficult and at times dangerous. I hope to lead and minister a church that will be different and relevant from our established church, to reach these good people and take to them our Saviour Jesus Christ, give them good and scripturally correct teaching, to set them on a path with a solid foundation and encourage their training.
I have discussed my calling with my church, Viewfield Baptist Church, Dunfermline, ho are very supportive and keen to help.
I also feel that to equip myself for this task I need to receive quality training to enable me to serve in an effective and lasting way, living on a pension I am unable to afford to pay the full cost of theological training locally. I was recommended to use CLI by a friend who is doing this course, I have also been encouraged by my Minister who has offered to mentor and assist me.
I also have the full support of my family and friends who believe that this is my calling and wish to see me succeed.
It is only because of CLI offering these courses that myself and other brothers and sisters in Christ are able to get quality training that will enable us to make a lasting difference in peoples lives!!
I ask you pray that our mission to bring Christ to those cast aside by society, to save and change lives, to bring about revival in Scotland and do this for the Glory of God and in Jesus name !! God bless you.