Pastor Angela Ricketts is a Christian Leaders Institute student from Missouri, and she enrolled at CLI for training to plant new Church’s and Mentor Center training free online. Here is her story…
Mentor Center Training Free Online – Angela’s Story
Greetings and Blessings to every one of you who are a part of Christian Leaders Institute! My name is Pastor Angela Marie Ricketts and I reside in, the area deemed, the heart of Missouri. I am 49 years of age and I have five children and six grandchildren. I married a wonderful man twenty-three years ago and we are still going strong. He has been an inspiration to me.
I attended community college and our local university studying Psychology and Sociology. I am twenty credit hours shy of my double bachelor’s degree, which I am contemplating finishing if my health allows. I, along with three sisters, have a genetic syndrome and the main symptom is continuous excruciating pain throughout the entire body, along with one or more diagnosed (undiagnosed autoimmune disorders). This syndrome has been the biggest reason I have not been able to complete my degrees and I am currently disabled.
To top off my own illnesses and those of my family members, my husband and I have suffered great loss over the last several years, culminating with our eldest son, Brian, who passed away in 2008 in a tragic motorcycle accident at only 22. Then my dear mother passed away at only 61 with her fifth bout of cancer over a thirty-year period. I confess I lost much of my faith with these two losses and the worsening of my illness; however, of late I have felt a sudden resurgence of my faith and a very deep calling in my heart to the ministry. I am praying I can bring my husband back to his faith, as he seems to have totally lost his belief system. I understand why he has done so, losing his oldest son; however, he needs the Lord back in his life and I hope my persistence in spreading the gospel will reopen his eyes. I am ordained and he seems to be proud of me for this, but it has not turned him back to the path of Christianity yet. I am more than ready to do God’s will, whatever His will may be!
I was saved when I was ten years old and baptized by the time I was twelve. I did feel a change take place in myself and my life; unfortunately, the grief processes I went ( and still experience) through over the loss of my son and mother, and over the loss of my “normal”, healthy life took hold and pulled me down into a great depression where I believed in very little. However, I am back with the living and I feel the need to praise the Lord for pulling out of the pit I was in and saving my life.
A scholarship with Christian Leaders Institute will help me go forward with my life in my quests to help give other people hope in the face of adversity! I am very interested in the possibility of planting a new church and opening a Mentor Center here, where other individuals can continue or renew their faith in the Lord. I am ready to do whatever it is the Lord is calling me to do! I have high hopes and strong ambitions for opening a Mentor Center, as I feel this is a wonderful way to spread Christian beliefs and to teach others to spread those beliefs beyond the barriers of my own location and inability to travel due to my health.
I have never felt closer to our Lord than I do now. Certainly, it was He who pulled me up out of the depths of my despair and who is setting me back on my feet. He is giving me a reason to live my life again and to spread the gospel. I look forward to my continued journey with Christ in my life guiding me to where I am meant to be. I wish you all Godspeed on your own journeys and Blessed Be!
Sincerely,
Pastor Angela Marie Ricketts
Enroll Today for Church Planting and Mentor Center Training!
Amanda Faulkner experienced miracles in her life that led her to feel a need to Build Knowledge of Scriptures through Christian Leaders Institute’s free online ministry training. Here is her story…
Build Knowledge of Scriptures – Amanda’s Story
Hi. My name is Amanda Faulkner. I was born in South Wales & born blue (oxygen starvation). My family moved to New Zealand when I was 5 years old. I was raised in a small timber town, my father working as a computer analyst/programmer for the timber mill, & my mother working for a bank.
As a teenager, I was an attempted murder. I was in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ according to Police (32 years later, still an unsolved case). While in the hospital, no one was allowed to tell me what had happened, & I had no recall. A chaplain stood at the foot of my bed one day & said, “God hasn’t finished with you yet, you lucky girl,” & then left. I had little knowledge of God at that time. My family, although stating they believe in God & Jesus, & claiming Christianity, do not attend any church, or to my knowledge, read God’s Word.
Years later, I went to a local church. I was invited to go to an Intercessors meeting. I had no idea what an ‘intercessor’ is, but chose to go anyway – could be fun. At that meeting I saw 3 miracles happen in the space of 1 ½ hours (over lunch). Firstly, a couple were hoping to buy a house but required their house to sell, & the cut-off date was drawing near. They received a call to say that their house was sold & everything was sorted to buy the house they had chosen. Secondly, a man whose family member who had been very ill & on the edge of death, survived surgery & was making great progress. And thirdly, (this is my favourite), a couple had put in an offer on a large house & acreage of land $2.5mil under its asking price. They intended to use it to get Auckland homeless children off the streets, & bring them to God. Their offer got accepted. At the same church meeting, I received prophesy that I would be a leader. I gave the prophesy no further thought. Weeks later, back at my church, I was in intense pain, much like birthing labour though I was not pregnant. I went to one of the other church members & told him to call his sister to tell her to get to the hospital. A few hours later, his sister had a baby & my pain subsided. I didn’t even know his sister was pregnant! Apparently I was labouring in the Holy Spirit.
More recently, a friend of mine had been coughing really badly & when he went to his doctor, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. After many tests, he was told they were now only testing to see what kind of cancer it was (one is more aggressive than the other). There were many weeks of incessant prayer from a large group of us. One night, as we all sat in the courtyard, one of the girls pointed at the sky saying, “look at that!”. We looked up & saw what looked like a giant hand over the top of the house we were in. My friend received a call within a couple of minutes of this observation, & was told the shadow on his lungs had disappeared! The cancer was gone. Five years later, there has been no relapse.
So, that is how I came to know God & His power, love, healing abilities, & care for us, His children. I would be a fool to not believe after witnessing all of that first-hand. I have been truly blessed.
In New Zealand, I do not believe we have difficulties to minister, but it was pointed out by my Salvation Army Major last week, that we as a country are tending to not attend church or any fellowship, although Bible purchases are still up. It is a trend nationwide & I believe it has a lot to do how busy we make ourselves these days, & put God on the back-burner.
My ministry dream is to reach out to these families who are too busy for God, & bring them back to Him, encouraging them to make the time for Him. I would also like to encourage my family into a meaningful relationship with God, especially my teenage children whom my parents have custody of.
I most identify with being a Small Group Leader. I can talk to almost anyone, but am not comfortable in large groups. If God calls me to address a large group, I will because I believe He will give me the confidence & words to do so.
I started to pursue ministry training after my fiancé asked me to find him some Bible Study to do online (he lives in another city to me). As much as I searched, I kept ending up at the CLI website. Honestly, no matter what words I put in the search, I arrived at the same site. I eventually gave in to the feeling that God was saying “Now” is your time. So I enrolled & haven’t looked back. I asked Him to take my hand in the quizzes I was most worried about, & He did. Incidentally, I did afterwards find a suitable study program for my fiancé.
I would love to achieve the CLI Scholarship to build credibility & integrity to address people & to build knowledge of the scriptures, so that I can be effective in reaching out to others to get them saved. At the same time, the studies will undoubtedly reinforce personal confidence & grow my love of God & all that He has done, & deepen my relationship with Him.
I would love you to pray for my failing memory, confidence for me to step out, & to the hearts of all who want need to seek God.
Christian Leaders Institute’s student Cheryl Jordan enrolled to learn and practice ministry and cater to inmates in jail. Here is Cheryl’s story about how CLI made it possible to Minister to Jails with free online training!
Minister to Jails with Free Online Training – Cheryl’s Story
Hi my name is Cheryl Jordan I am from the United States. I was born and raised in the United States. I am 53 years old. I grew up a methodist but am not a religion of any kind anymore. I believe in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I believe in the trinity and that God is the only true God. I don’t believe in religion because it is man made. I believe every word of the Bible. Though we are free in America to practice religion and do ministry it is difficult due to so much evil in the world right now. And the fact that they have taken religion and God out of so many public places such as schools. It is truly a challenge.
I was introduced to church and God when I was very little by my mother in her church. It was a methodist church and I grew up going there. I really had no interest in it what-so-ever at that time. I went to church on sundays because mom made me. Once I got to be in high school it was my choice whether or not to go and I chose not to. Later at the age of about 19 I started going to a different church it was baptist. I liked it but really hadn’t changed my life style. I was living for me and my wants and desires. I was living in the flesh. Not good. Then I fell away from the church really until about 2007.
In 2007 I was at a local Mcdonalds when an aquantaince was there with his fiance. I had no plans of getting saved that day. I was going about my own business when I said “Hi to the aquantaince . He invited me to eat lunch with them and asked if he could pray for me. He prayed for me to receive the Holy Spirit. And WOW!!! I have never been the same since.
That day when I left Mcdonalds I felt like I was floating on air. I felt a love I had never felt before. God had knocked many times on my heart and I would not let him in. This one day all of the sudden it was like I surrendered and let him in. And he is AWESOME!!!!My ministry dream is to bring others to know God and his great love just as someone did for me.I want to minister to those locked up in the jail. I want to do jail ministry. I want to reach the brokenhearted. I have many things I want to do but the first and foremost is jail ministry.
I most identify with the word Pastor. It just feels right. Evangelism is great but I see myself more as a pastor than an evangelist.
I would say that I was prompted to pursue ministry because God has forgiven me much and poured out his grace and Holy Spirit on me to such a degree that I want to show others his great love. And when I was so lost he sent someone to save me when I did not deserve saving.
I would say the most unique challenge in my area would be the lack of faith in people in the schools, and just in society today.
My local church has supported me in my ministy calling by offering a volunteer chaplaincy and other christian teachings. And also I have done some ministry for One wholeheart ministry which is a healing ministry. We focus on trying to heal the heart.
My family is proud of how far I have come and the fact that I want to be an ambassador for God. Or in other words do ministry. They have seen some wonderful changes in my life.
A scholarship from CLI would be most important for my ministry dream because it is the only way I would be able to pursue my dream. I don’t have the money or time to go to a regular on campus college. And I have student loans that I am still paying off so I can’t get more in debt. It would give me the status I need to be taken seriously in my walk with Christ. And it will help me to learn all I need to learn so I can be a more effective minister or Pastor.
You can pray for me in my ministry by praying that the doors will start to open for me to start ministering in the jails. I have been trying to get in to the jails for probably about 4 years with no success. My past has sometimes held me back because though I am a new creature in Christ people often want to identify me with who I used to be. That person wasn’t a good person. But now I live for Christ and want to help others to find Christ as well.