Advance International

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 03 | MAY 2023 GOD'S TRANSFORMATIONAL AGENDA REV. ALFRED HORSFORD Society today needs to transform. God has a transformational agenda for society. It is found in the Holy Scriptures. It has nothing to do with infrastructure. The hearts and lives of men and women need to be transformed. When that happens everything else will be transformed. The ministry of Advanced International is to proclaim God's Agenda of Transformation. 1. THE RATIONAL OF THE AGENDA Man is sinful, Rom. 3:23 Man is separated from God, Gen. 3 Man is subjected to Satan. Man needs salvation. 2. THE STRATEGY OF THE AGENDA God sent us a Saviour, Matt. 1:24, 25 God's Son suffered for our sin, Rom. 5:6-9 God requires that we repent and receive him, Acts 4:19 God gives us his Spirit to transform our lives by faith and obedience, Acts 2: 38, 39 3. THE OUTCOME OF THE AGENDA Our thoughts are being transformed, Rom. 12:1, 2 Our desires are being transformed. Psalm 37:4 Our attitudes are being t...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 02 | DEC 2022 AN ENCOURAGEMENT REV. WALTRUDE DANTES Luke 2:10-11 (NIV) reads, “[…] Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”  There has never been greater news destined to fill the hearts of men with hope and abundant joy. After this wonderful news from the angel, a great company of angels appeared suddenly, praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”—Luke 2:14 (NIV). A dear friend of mine pointed out the fact that there are places that are overly saturated with the Gospel and therefore may not need to hear the good news because they would have heard it before. This brought be back to the moment when I heard the gospel and responded to it. At that time, I remember saying to myself, “Wow! Where was this gospel all along that I had not heard of it?” I Would like t...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 02 | DEC 2022 A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS MESSAGE REV. ALFRED HORSFORD I wish to take this opportunity to extend to the ECWI family sincerest greetings as well celebrate the birth of our Saviour and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of man. May the fact of his incarnation be to us a source of much joy and ever-deepening commitment to him. Some people tend to question the need to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ. They express the view that Jesus was not born on December 25. Rather, that was the birthdate of Nimrod, described in the Bible as the hunter of the souls of men who was also the husband the Semiramis, both of whom were the founders of idolatry. While the date may have been an issue, it was the decision of the later church to provide functional substitutes or replacements for pagan worship. They offered Jesus as the one whose birth should be celebrated, rather than Nimrod. The actual date of the birth of Christ is also held up to question...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 02 | DEC 2022 MISSIONARIES AROUND THE WORLD CLEMENT AND FIONA HUNTE – MISSIONARIES IN ALBANIA Pray with us for the young men to come back to church and for the church to grow. We want to see genuine believers and not just those who come looking for aid. Community development and children going to school more. A praise point is that several Romas in the area have now taken regular full-time jobs. Pray that they will continue in their work and others will have the desire for full-time work. Pray for more men to come to church so it's not just seen as something for ladies and children. Pray for the pastors and churches in our town (Elbasan) to be united and work together. Pray for more people to come as missionaries (especially from the Caribbean) and for financial support especially for those from the Caribbean. SHAROL AND WAYNE MITCHELL – WITH YWAM GRENADA We give thanks to God for a successful year more specifically that 14 persons were motivated and given th...

  NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 02 | DEC 2022 ECWI GRENADA PRAYER RETREAT   The ECWI Grenada Prayer Retreat 2022 was held from November 4–5, 2022, at the YWAM Base in St. Patrick. A total of 27 people attended the retreat. The theme was "Pray Today; Tomorrow Is Unknown." The retreat began at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 4, with registration and dinner. The evening program included a welcome session, worship, and a time of sharing and fellowship. Saturday was set aside as a day of fasting and prayer. The schedule included morning devotions, chapel sessions—including a two-hour segment led by Advance International—and an afternoon prayer session focused on three key areas: the Church, the family, and the nation. The fast was scheduled to conclude at 2:30 p.m. but was extended until 3:15 p.m. due to the length of the program. The retreat officially concluded at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 5. God be praised! Sis. Claudia George Island Missions Prayer Co-Ordinator ECWI Grenada

  NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 02 | DEC 2022 ECWI SAINT LUCIA HOSTS FIRST IN-PERSON MISSIONS RALLY SINCE THE PANDEMIC On Sunday, August 28, 2022, ECWI Saint Lucia hosted a National Rally under the theme, " Rebuild, Unite, Proclaim. " This Rally was especially significant because it was not only a Missions Rally—part of ECWI Saint Lucia's regular ministry calendar—but also the first in-person Rally since the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Saint Lucia. The event was held at Castries Evangelical Church, where believers from ECWI congregations across the island gathered for a wonderful time of fellowship, worship, and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. The program included greetings from Advance International's Interim President, Rev. Carlos Cepeda, the launch of our new newsletter, and video updates from several missionaries, including: Jai-Ella Boodho (Saint Lucia), currently serving aboard Logos Hope. Cassia Toby (Saint Vincent), who recently completed her missionary term in Cambo...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 02 | DEC 2022 A MESSAGE FROM OUR INTERIM PRESIDENT REV. CARLOS CEPEDA HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are delighted to bring you the second issue of our newsletter. On behalf of the leadership team at Advance International, we would like to wish you a blessed and joyful New Year. Every new journey brings a sense of excitement and anticipation as we wonder what lies ahead. My prayer is that we would enter this new year not with fear or discouragement, but with hope and faith as we walk with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we begin the journey of 2023, let us make sure we have "booked our ticket" by inviting Him to travel with us every step of the way. You can rest assured that in Christ, we are more than conquerors. In Him, we have victory, hope, strength, and everything we need. Through Him, we experience joy, love, peace, and true contentment. Beloved, I encourage you this year to walk closely with Jesus—trusting Him and obeying His Word in every area of your...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 02 | DEC 2022 ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL HOSTS FIRST VIRTUAL PRAYER SESSION Advance International's first Virtual Prayer Session was held on Saturday, November 5, 2022, one day before the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. The prayer session was hosted on Zoom and chaired by our Interim President, Rev. Carlos Cepeda. We were grateful to have several of our missionaries join us from around the world. Those who participated included Dhan and Dolly Lalsee from Zimbabwe, Clement and Fiona Hunte from Albania, Sharol Mitchell from Grenada, and Pastor Nazaire and Sis. Mary Ann Georges from French Guiana. Each missionary shared updates from their field of ministry and highlighted specific prayer needs. As part of our observance of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, we spent time praying for believers in Afghanistan, various Muslim-majority regions, Japan, and Mongolia. It was a wonderful blessing to reconnect with our missionari...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 01 | AUG 2022 ISLAND FEATURE MISSIONS REPORT: ECWI GRENADA Church planting activities led by the Superintendent and his wife are continuing on the western side of the island. They have been assisted by several churches in various projects, including a games and sports day for children. The River Sallee Church is conducting an after-school program at the primary school in its community and is partnering with mission organizations such as YWAM and Grenada 24/7 Ministries in outreach efforts. The St. George’s Church has resumed ministry to troubled youth at the island’s only Juvenile Center. In September, the Grenville and St. George’s churches will also resume their Sunday morning prison ministries at the island’s main correctional facilities. These ministries had been suspended due to COVID restrictions. In October, we will resume our Annual Missions Convention. This event will provide an opportunity to explore emerging trends in missions and effective ministry ap...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 01 | AUG 2022 THE CHURCH IS MISSION REV. ALFRED HORSFORD In the early days the church was mission - a people on the move with an objective in mind to make known the message of the risen Christ and disciple the nations. It was bold, driven, purposeful, motivated by the Great Commission [Matt. 28:19, 20] assigned by the Lord Jesus. It was radical and revolutionary. It bore witness to the watching world turning it upside down energized by the Holy Spirit [Acts 1:8]. It reached out from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, to Asia Minor, Greece, and the rest of Europe and ultimately to Africa, Armenia, India, China, Russia, and the Western Hemisphere. What seemed to be mission impossible from the start was becoming mission possible as the enterprise progressed. What a contrast to the church today! Except in some instances the church seems to have run out of gas. She has become static, structured, purposeless, existing for herself rather than for others. She has become com...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 01 | AUG 2022 A MESSAGE FROM OUR INTERIM PRESIDENT REV. CARLOS CEPEDA Dear Friends, Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is with great joy that we present the first issue of our newsletter. The primary purpose of this publication is to bring glory and honor to God by sharing what He is doing around the world through His people. Our desire is that this newsletter will be a source of encouragement and blessing to every reader. We hope to inform, inspire, and challenge God's people to take an active role in proclaiming the Gospel and fulfilling the Great Commission. In these pages, you will find inspiring stories and testimonies from missionaries, pastors, ministry leaders, and believers who are serving the Lord Jesus throughout the Caribbean and beyond. You will also discover articles on missions and evangelism, insights into our history, interviews with retired missionaries, and much more. It is our prayer that these stories will motivate you to ...

NEWSLETTER | ISSUE NO. 01 | AUG 2022 ISLAND FEATURE MISSIONS REPORT: ECWI SAINT LUCIA On July 31, 2022, ECWI St. Lucia, in collaboration with the Gospel Preaching Church in the south of the island, hosted a Prayer March in the town of Vieux Fort. The main purpose of the event was to pray for the community in light of the recent increase in crime, especially gun violence. A prayer truck traveled through the town, stopping at several locations designated as prayer points. Messages were delivered by Hon. Dr. Kenny Anthony, Parliamentary Representative, and Hon. Joachim Henry, Minister of Equity, Social Justice, and Empowerment, who spoke on behalf of the Prime Minister. Evangelist Augustin St. Fort also shared a message of hope and salvation through Jesus Christ. We thank God that several individuals responded to the Gospel, came forward for prayer, and committed their lives to Christ. We are grateful for the churches across St. Lucia that united in prayer and worked together to host this...

THE PURPOSE OF ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL. Our purpose is to promote a missionary vision and mindset within the Evangelical Church of the West Indies (ECWI) and other churches throughout the Caribbean. To recruit, evaluate, train, and place prospective missionaries for effective ministry service. To provide the cross-cultural training missionaries need to serve effectively in diverse cultural settings. To provide spiritual, emotional, financial, and administrative support for missionaries throughout their ministry journey. To send and receive missionaries in partnership with other missionary agencies and organizations around the world. To pursue any other ministry objectives that align with our vision, mission, and purpose. Advance International continues provide support to missionaries to won establishing relationships with the island missions coordinators and their teams to promote missions and provide training. Mark 16:15-Mark 16:16 KJV And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, an...

THE HISTORY OF ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL In 1986 Pastor Nazaire Georges became the first foreign Missionary sent by the Evangelical Church of the West Indies (ECWI) onto the Mission Field. Pastor Georges and his Family commenced their ministry in French Guiana in July 1986. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Pastor Nazaire Georges was well settled as the Pastor of the Castries Evangelical Church when he began sensing the call of God to serve in French Guiana, his home country. He struggled with this for a while before bringing it to the attention of the ECWI leadership. With assistance from their World Team Pastor at the time, Pastor Georges and his family were sent to French Guiana in July 1986 as ECWI’s first foreign missionaries. Although there were other believers serving as missionaries, this would be the first time they were sent and supported by the ECWI. During their first term, the Georges, faced many challenges due to the lack of a structure geared towards supporting them spiritually, financi...