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For 17 years, Kevin Malone’s career was in professional baseball, including being vice president/general manager of the L.A. Dodgers. Now he works full-time at the Dream Center in the heart of Los Angeles—and to him it’s a dream come true. There’s nothing that thrills him more, he says, than helping people in difficult situations and seeing God turn their lives around.
Cricket Witt and her husband, Andy, are members of Grace Fellowship, a Foursquare church in Absarokee, Mont. Their story is one of restoration—how God can heal the brokenhearted from the wounds of the past. They say God ministered to them through believers who demonstrated their faith by how they lived—with integrity, a love for Christ and an unconditional love for people.
Area Missionary Jerry Stott shares the remarkable story of a Foursquare pastor serving in the island nation of Kiribati who prayed for a miracle and saw God answer in a way that astounded the community and opened doors to the gospel to be shared across the island.
After 16 years of church planting and leadership development for Foursquare in Europe, Marc and Kathy Shaw have moved back to the U.S. and planted a church in Washington State with the goal of releasing the next generation into ministry. Marc says it’s all about building a band of disciples who will be change agents in their world every day.
There will be no lazy days for Serafin and Alva Contreras when they officially retire in January 2012. Following 42 years of fruitful service, the area missionaries plan to be as active in ministry as ever. They’re simply changing gears—a change orchestrated by God for this faithful couple who have influenced millions of people throughout Latin America for Jesus Christ.
Mike Goldsworthy, lead pastor of Parkcrest Christian Church, a non-denominational congregation with three campuses in the Long Beach, Calif., area, is one of the youngest megachurch pastors in the U.S. He offers a thought-provoking outside perspective on how Foursquare leaders can grow sustainable, healthy churches in an age where only 40 percent of people attend church regularly.
David and Joyce Wing have served Dover Foursquare Church in Dover, Ohio—a small town of 12,000 people in the shadow of Amish country—for 42 years. Loving people well is what this church is all about. They are known as a place where the people show friendliness and love, serve the community and give freely.
Associate Pastor Ryan Haack knows what it means to overcome personal limitations and brokenness—which is why he has devoted his life to helping others find freedom in Christ. He and his wife, Julie, are on the ministry team of The Journey, a Foursquare church in downtown Madison, Wis.
In Part 3, we study what is perhaps the most important trait found in churches that have a lasting ministry: They reach out to people in love and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We discovered that the churches that have staying power put a high priority on showing love in practical ways and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.
Foursquare’s Emerging Leader Network (ELN) plans to add 12 new immersive ministry-training programs across the U.S. during the coming school year. Three new ELN programs recently received certification by the Foursquare board of directors and are now part of the expanding network of successful training programs.