Lagos Bible School CLI Student Ayodeji Aladenika
My name is Emmanuel Ayodeji Aladenika. I was born in 1972 to a Christian family. I am a chemical engineer and presently living in Lagos, Nigeria with my wife and sons. My late father was a pastor in the apostolic church. Being brought up in a godly home influenced me to develop good morals. I always hear the gospel but did not fully appreciate it. Later in my teenage years I felt Christianity was a bondage that prevented me from having fun, but good to help me get to heaven. I then decided to have a girlfriend to have fun like my other peers but was not fully happy.
I accepted the Lord as my savior after listening to my Dad at an evening family devotion in 1989 when I was deeply convicted of my sins. I later got baptized in water and Holy Spirit through my Dad ministration. Since then I became a lover of God and the hand of God has being upon me for good.
The Lord has being molding and using me to touch lives in diverse ways. I have being involved in youth fellowship leadership from my undergraduate days till now. Love intercessory and teaching ministry. I am an ordained elder in the apostolic church and sent by my church with two elders in 2009 to co-pastor a newly established assembly.
Churches are abundant in Lagos but many Christians have dual lifestyle – church & work. It my dream to influence believers to be practical Christians having the same lifestyle everywhere with the goal of pleasing our Lord and reaching out to the unsaved. I knew from my undergraduate days that I will pursue ministry for I derived great joy doing it and coupled with what the Lord revealed. I have being involved in part time ministry ever since.
There is bit of poverty around which sometimes makes Christians to compromise. I would have loved to be an employer of labour but the Lord is leading me to first eradicate spiritual poverty around. I finished a Lagos Bible school diploma in 2012 and needed to pursue further education in the ministry. I obtained a new Bible school form but opted out since it was not a Lagos Bible school location, it will be difficult to combine with my secular job. A scholarship with CLI will help me to study the bible courses no matter where I am.
The apostolic church has offered me opportunity to minister to the youth in my denomination.
My wife has being very supportive – she is a teacher in children evangelism unit of my church. God has used my father to build me up spiritually- he went to be with the Lord last year. I sensed a calling to go full time. I need your prayers as i proceed further to fulfill the Lord’s will for my life.
Florida Ministry – Helping Kurt Van Drie Deliver Biblical Teachings
My name is Kurt Van Drie. My wife and I live in Yulee, Florida, north of Jacksonville, in the United States of America. This area has many Christian churches but we see that some are straying away from preaching the Gospel and just telling people what they want to hear. The challenge is to bring people back to Biblical teachings.
I was raised by loving Christian parents who provided me with a Catholic education. However, I walked away from the Lord for a number of years and didn’t turn back to him until I had made a mess of my life. At the low point of that period, I turned to the Lord and admitted my failures and ineptness. I accepted Jesus as my Savior. He then blessed me with people and a church to guide me so I could begin to know Him more and more.
My wife and I are feeling called to minister to those who may know Jesus but for whatever reason do not attend a church. We are providing worship and prayer services in our current business location. After we retire in a few years, we will be traveling and would like to hold services in campgrounds that we will be staying in.
I believe that God is calling me to be first an Evangelist and then pastor as opportunities arise. I am very excited to see how His calling leads me!
I was drawn to tell people of the Good News of the Gospel as a result of working on the Outreach Team at our church and also having received a challenge to use our gifts to serve the Lord from a pastor while visiting a church in Apalachicola, Fl. I was further inspired after seeing a small part in the movie “The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry”. The lead character, Jonathan asks his youthful Bible Study students to listen to the graves in a cemetery. When they tell him that they don’t hear anything, he leans over the students and whispers, “Why didn’t anyone tell me of the Gospel?”. He was speaking as those in the grave who never had a friend or relative tell them about Jesus. It was at that moment that my wife and I realized God’s calling. I was blessed with the opportunity to give a short message to both churches. The Holy Spirit has encouraged me to carry it forward ever since.
The geographical area we live in does not provide any unique challenges. However, I feel the challenge we face is this: Jesus calls to all of us in the Great Commission (Matt 28) to go to all nations; we then need to realize that each of us has a ‘nation’ wherever we are. Florida ministry is needed! We do not have to go overseas to be a missionary. We have the ‘nation’ of our family, our co-workers, our neighbors and even those who sit next to us in our church each Sunday. We must be sure that EVERYONE has the opportunity to hear of the Gospel of our Savior! We plant the seed, and let the Holy Spirit takes it from there.
Our local church and pastor have been extremely supportive and he is mentoring me for Florida ministry opportunities. A year and a half ago, we moved to this area but keep in touch with our former church. They have also been very supportive with prayer and encouragement. We are blessed!
My wife has been very strong in helping me focus on God’s calling. The rest of my family is also supportive. They have been part of that ‘nation’ mentioned earlier.
A scholarship to CLI would mean so much, as it would allow me to obtain the Bible School/Seminary training that I could not afford any other way. The focus of CLI seems to lineup directly with my understanding of faith. I am hopeful for the scholarship to further my knowledge which will bring new confidence and opportunities to talk to people about Christ. I am excited about the Florida ministry I am called to do!
Please pray for us to see clearly how the Lord is leading us. Pray also that His light will shine through us and all who proclaim the Gospel throughout the world so that many more may be saved by His grace. May God bless each of you as your read this and carry the Gospel out in to the world as the Holy Spirit leads.
I currently Reside In the United States Of America would like to be able to speak the word of God to all those who are in Great need and destroy the devils work as stated in
1 John 3:8 New International Version (NIV)
The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work
1. I came to know the Lord through my parents who raised me in church and as I got older developed a personal relationship with him.
2. My ministry dream is to be able to equip many people with the Gospel so they can be set FREE from the Bonds of the Enemy.
3. I identify with most as maybe an Evangelist. Its my nature to talk to people outside of church and help them in their time of need .
4. The key experience in my life that prompted me to pursue ministry is that in my most toughest, darkest moments God has always come through and I am sooo fortunate to have him to be my redeemer. Everyone should have a” REDEEMER”.
5. Some unique challenges in my geographic area is that USA is very fast paced people just don’t make time for God or accept a word from him they get too busy and wrapped up with the cares of this world.
6. THE way my local church has supported my ministry calling is by encouraging me to Keep moving towards the Goal.
7 . CLI enables me to be better equipped as a Christian and help others be good knowledgeable leaders. Thank God for this great opportunity to become strong leaders.
6.The way to best pray for you my ministry is to ask God to give me the strength , knowledge and passion to help others come to him.