News from Ireland Missions

Settling in
The last 4 months, Fanny & Jaylon have been settling into Ireland life and are doing very well. After getting home most days, Jaylon doesn't take off his uniform until 5pm-6pm because he loves his school so much. He received an ACE award a few weeks back, which is given to one child in each grade every week for excelling in academics and conduct. He's quickly making friends and picking up the Irish accent. Hearing him speak in French with an Irish accent is comical. Fanny & Jaylon currently are involved weekly in attending the church in Gilford, Northern Ireland, and a new work in Craigavon, N.I. They are enjoying supporting & assisting Rev. Allan Calhoun and Family in any way needed.

Travels
Since our last newsletter, I've traveled and ministered through Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Washington D.C., Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island. God has blessed with fantastic services seeing many filled with the Holy Ghost, baptized, receiving deliverance, healing & restoration. The Lord has helped us raise 85% of our PIM budget! Thank you to all the churches and individuals that are supporting us monthly and with one time offerings. We still have many Projects that need raised to accomplish everything we're striving to see take place when I return to Ireland. We're currently focusing on 2 projects.  A one time offering for these projects is appreciated. Send them to the address below, checks payable to Global Missions.

UPCI- Goblal Missions
8855 Dunn Road
Hazelwood, MO 63042

> Church Equipment Project # 103.FA.033215.24.2401.1.117816

> Evangelism Project # 103.FA.033215.25.2501.1.117816

Coffeyville, KS 3 baptized and 3 HG

Davis, OK
2 baptized in hotel room

Dublin, S. Ireland 3 HG filled

Baltimore, MD 2 baptized and 2 HG

Highlights
I was able to be with my family in Ireland the first week of October. We had great quality family time together and it was good to see how much Fanny & Jaylon are connecting with those in the community. Fanny will be assisting a teacher at Jaylon's school when they begin to teach the children French in the next few weeks. This is another door of opportunity to meet more teachers and families of the students. During this same visit, my family joined the Northern District (Scotland & Ireland) youth leader Rev. James Beek (Edinburgh) and Harvest Bible College students for an evangelistic weekend in the Ireland churches. Thank you to Pastor Alan Calhoun (Gilford & Dublin) & Pastor Banji Sanni (Dundalk) for coordinating this weekend. We give God praise for 4 receiving the Holy Ghost!  There is no doubt that Ireland is about to explode with revival!

Deputation Travels

Virginia
Oct 29 - Nov 3

S. Carolina
Nov 5 - Nov 10

Florida
Nov 12 - Dec 1

Georgia
Dec 3 - Dec 8

Alabama
Dec 10 - Dec 15

Prayer Requests

Please keep the Alan Calhoun family in your prayers as they cover 3 works each week & Pastor Banji Sanni Family (Dundalk, S. Ireland).

Pray budgets are raised for missionaries currently on deputation (Terry McFarland, Jonathan Strickland, J. Cooney), and perspective AIMers that are looking to join us in the harvest field of Fireland.

Congratulations to Tiffany Wright who has been approved as an AIMer to work with us in Ireland for one year!

Irish Words

> "Craic" = witty conversation, humor

> "Wind your neck in" = be quiet!

Finland's Intercessor Team Update

Greetings in the Name above all names, Jesus. We pray that this update finds you well, blessed, and overcoming the obstacles that we all currently face in this day and age. 2013 is quickly moving past us, and 2014 is already close on its heels. The year has brought many challenges, victories, and much growth. Whether we are teaching Bible studies, attending Finnish classes, deepening friendships, or ministering in home group meetings, one thing is clear: only what is done for Christ will last.

We pray that God is 'with you strong,' and that you are persevering to hold fast to the faith until His return. Enjoy this news update from Finland, for God is surely doing some great things in our midst!

In August, we were blessed to attend the Nordic Regional Conference.  The worship teams took us to the throne room of God in every service, and the Lord greatly ministered to the body of Christ through the different messages that were brought forth. On Friday night, there was also a time of consecration of UPCNC  licensed ministry. God was with all of us in a great way! Thank you to those who helped make it possible for us to attend.

Also in August, we got to spend some one-on-one, quality time with our Regional Director and his wife, Michael and Dianna Tuttle. It was so good to be able to connect on a personal level and share what God has been doing in Finland. On the last evening of their visit, we had a meet-and-greet with HBS students and friends so that they could meet 'our boss.' Everyone loved the Tuttles and are looking forward to the next time that they will be able to visit once again.

In September, we were contacted by an Apostolic Filipino who had recently relocated to Finland for work reasons. She lives in Loimaa, about a 2-hour drive from Helsinki. As there is not another Oneness Apostolic church located within Finland, we are now working with her to build a group there in her city! On October 6, she and four fellow Filipino coworkers attended our home group service, and on October 12, we drove to Loimaa to open up a new preaching point there. Please pray with us for this situation: Joyce is currently without her family (husband and three children), and we are trusting God to open doors for them to join her. We are providing her with materials so that she can begin teaching Bible studies as she begins to connect with others. Please pray for her to be sustained physically, spiritually, and emotionally during this time of extreme culture shock, feeling the absence of family, and new growth in the Lord as she becomes a missionary within her new city. Below: picture from our first service in Loimaa. Joyce is standing next to Glenda (not pictured: Candace Alphin).

A TRUE BLESSING

Since January 2011, Sirpa has been a constant in our lives. Glenda became acquainted with her through the internet after Sirpa joined Finland's Intercessor Team on Facebook. Once we arrived in Finland, we began creating a friendship.

Since that time, she has been an important part of our reaching the Finnish people. Sirpa is helping us translate a number of study materials, including Search for Truth II Bible Study charts; she also interprets for meetings and Bible studies. We are truly thankful for all that Sirpa does for us, and for the Kingdom. With her help, we are making progress in Finland!

Thank you, Sirpa for all that you do. May God repay you in the ways that we cannot. 


MINISTRY HELP
FROM DENMARK

In September, a ministry team from the church in Copenhagen came to minister to our home group. We sincerely appreciate the support that we are receiving from the other pastors within our region. God is creating a great team in the Nordics!


PRAYER FOCUS

We recently relocated our home/house church setting to a new district, Hakunila, within the city of Vantaa. Of late, we have been engaged in much warfare intercession while working to gain spiritual authority within this region.
Pray:
...that the Lord would dispatch angelic hosts to provide protection and support (do not seek the engage the enemy; we just need a covering); that the light of Jesus would shine in this new area, pushing back the forces of darkness; that Truth would shine forth from us when we encounter people within our new neighborhood. Bind depression, worry, confusion, anger; loose peace, joy, clarity of thought.


 LANGUAGE
Pray:

...that our minds freely process the information that we are obtaining; that speaking would flow easily. We're asking God for supernatural help in this area. Bind confusion; loose clarity of thought.

BIBLE STUDIES
Pray:

...that those we teach would have an understanding of the Oneness of God; that all would understand that fellowship with others, of like precious faith, is of the utmost importance to one's continued growth within the Body of Christ. Bind confusion, error, apathetic approach to Truth and the necessity of salvation. Loose wisdom and knowledge, the spirit of God to bring conviction.

FINANCES
Pray:

...that our budget would be sustained. Bind spirit of poverty, loose financial blessings on those who have a desire to give but cannot due to economic constraints.


GENERAL REQUESTS for the country of FINLAND

--- BIBLICAL TRUTH to prevail over false teachings

--- GOD'S LIGHT to be shed abroad in people's hearts
--- GOD'S SPIRIT to seek and find those that are hungry for Truth

--- GOD'S PEACE to envelop those who enter our home
--- GOD'S LOVE to greatly impact all of our contacts through our actions

Please feel free to share this email with anyone that you feel would be interested in TEAM FINLAND.

Happy Birthday to our very own AIM,
Candace, who turned 19 in September!

We also have
a very special announcement...

Our daughter, Miranda, has accepted the marriage proposal of Rev. Stefan Vitanza, and they are currently planning a 2014 wedding.  (Glenda was able to meet Stefan during a recent trip to visit Miranda.) We are excited about this development in Miranda's life, and look forward to their bright future as they work together to expand the Kingdom of God.

God has truly been faithful! All that is occurring is by His hand, and we shout praises unto Him with voices of triumph! Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, encouragement, and support while we labor to work for Him in Finland. May He bless you abundantly and beyond measure. He is truly a Faithful and Loving Savior!

Serving Until He Comes,

Mark and Glenda Alphin

 Glenda presenting Finland at Primera Iglesia, Wendell,
NC. "THANK YOU" to
Pastor Sergio Vitanza!
(September 2013) 

Glenda presenting Finland at The Church Triumphant of Columbus, Columbus, OH. "THANK YOU" to
Pastor Jerry Smucker!
(September 2013)

 Glenda presenting Finland at Grace Apostolic Church, Reynoldsburg, OH.
"THANK YOU" to
Pastor Robert Linder!
(September 2013)

Ghana Monthly Update from the Sisco Family

Leadership Conference 2013

God met us! This sums up the West Africa Leadership Conference hosted in Lomé, Togo September 18th - 20th. 250 plus leaders came together for a three day spiritual impartation around the theme “Destined”. Every speaker had a word from God that strengthened, informed and instructed the body. What a tremendous blessing it was to have Rev. Raymond Woodward (Canada) as our guest speaker. We are still rejoicing over God’s goodness and presence that was manifested during this timely apostolic conference.

 

Click to View Our Photo Gallery

Regional Missions Offering: $18,000.00!

Regional Missions Offering

 Wonderful, marvelous, beyond expectation! That is what happened during our regional missions offering that was collected during our West Africa Sub-regional & Leadership Conference that took place the third week of September.

Every year missionaries and national churches give to support the regional missions program in Africa. Regional missionaries respond to the call of God and leave their homeland for another country so the gospel can be shared and souls added to the Kingdom. Currently, two regional missionaries are being supported: Rev. & Mrs. Peter Mua left Cameroon and are now serving in Equatorial Guinea. Rev. & Mrs. Gistophe left their homeland, Madagascar, to take this apostolic message to the Republic of Congo.

What was exciting is the fact that almost half of the money received came from fifteen West Africa nations represented at the conference. Truly this is a partnership between the missionaries and the West Africa churches.

Souls are being saved because the vision of obeying the great commission is being propelled spiritually and financially. We are moving forward in Jesus name!

Click to Support the Siscos

Africa Network of Prayer

Calendar Events

01-30 Oct       MALAWI    30-day GATS Bible School Session in Blantyre

01-05 Oct       TANZANIA       House to house evangelism in the home missions area of Bahi, Dodoma region

04 Oct           LIBERIA  National Prayer Service, Section V

04-06 Oct       CONGO (Brazzaville)               Bible Seminar

06 Oct           EQUATORIAL GUINEA            National Board meeting

08-11 Oct       KENYA              National Leadership Seminar

09 -11 Oct      ZAMBIA            WISH Leadership Training in Eastern Region

10 Oct           EQUATORIAL GUINEA  Youth fellowship

10-13 Oct       MALAWI           Thyolo Ladies District Conference

11-13 Oct       TANZANIA        Mara Youth Seminar

11-13 Oct       ZAMBIA             Eastern Regional Conference
  
11-13 Oct       LIBERIA             National Prayer Service, Section IV

12-16 Oct       TANZANIA         Ladies Conference in Iringa Region

13-19 Oct       EQUATORIAL GUINEA Evangelism week

14 Oct           TANZANIA         Mwanza Bible school begins a GATS course

14-20 Oct       GHANA               Ladies Week

15-17 Oct       TANZANIA         Focused prayer for Ladies and Youth in Tabora region

16-18 Oct       ZAMBIA             WISH Leadership Training in Southern Region

16-18 Oct       LIBERIA             Section I Crusade at Victory Tabernacle UPC/Gbaah

17-20 Oct       KENYA               Mt. Elgon Region Ladies Convention

17-20 Oct       ZAMBIA             Southern Region Youth Camp

17-20 Oct       KENYA               South Rift Region Pastor's/Men's Semianr

18 Oct           LIBERIA          Section III Leaders Meeting at Maranatha Bible Institute

18-19 Oct       ZAMBIA             Children Teachers' Seminar and Crusade in Southern Region

18-19 Oct       MALAWI            Ladies Ministries ~ Southern Region Pastors Wives Seminar

18-20 Oct       ZAMBIA             Southern Regional Conference

19-20 Oct       ZAMBIA             Western Region Prayer Conference

20 Oct           LIBERIA             Section III Fellowship Meeting at Zion Praise UPC

20-27 Oct      EQUATORIAL GUINEA             Intercessory prayer and fasting

21-27 Oct      TANZANIA        Ladies conference for Mara, Mwanza and Ziwa Regions

21-28 Oct      EQUATORIAL GUINEA             Church planting in (Bata) Mainland.

23 Oct          LIBERIA             National Ladies' Thanksgiving Service in Tubmanburg, Bomi County 

23 Oct          LIBERIA             National Youth Crusade at Rivers of Life UPC in Ganta, Nimba county

23-25 Oct     NIGERIA            Enugu State Convention

24-26 Oct     KENYA               River Yala Region Pastor's Seminar

24-26 Oct     KENYA               Coast Region Seminar

24-27 Oct     TANZANIA         Mara Evangelism Meeting

25-26 Oct     MALAWI            Ladies Ministries ~ Central Region Pastors Wives Seminar

25-26 Oct     KENYA               North Rift Region Pastor's Seminar
  
25-27 Oct     ZAMBIA             Lusaka Regional Conference

26 Oct         LIBERIA             National Prayer Service for Section III

29-30 Oct    NIGERIA            National Board Meeting

29-30 Oct    TANZANIA         Oneness Seminar in Nyumba ya Mange

Africa Region and Beyond

01-04 Oct

04 Oct           AFRICA REGION      Pray for Africa's Children

14 Oct           GLOBALLY        Pray for the French-speaking nations of the Africa Region and around the World

Other Prayer Requests

EQUATORIAL GUINEA - Pray for the two daughters of Regional Missionaries Peter and Grace Mua. Bernice and Favour are attending school now in Cameroon.

     Pray for an open door for a church to be established in Bata on the Mainland, and pray for our visit to Bata that it will be fruitful.
   
KENYA - We praise the Lord that to the best of our knowledge no UPC people were killed or injured in the recent terrorist attacks in Nairobi. 

MALAWI - Bro. Peter Joshua died this past Tuesday, at the age of 25, leaving behind his wife, and 13 month old daughter.   Please keep this precious family in your prayers. 

     Also, please keep our Northern Region in Prayer for Growth and Revival, need more churches in this region.

     We are also praying for a burden for three evangelists to come forward in Malawi to travel and reach our nation.
   
TANZANIA  - Singida, Shinyanga and Manyara Regions - There are less than 30 churches in this area that is as large as the state of Illinois with more than 4 million people.  Pray with us for new churches and more pastors willing to plant churches.
     In Igombe, Mwanza, there is a need to purchase property to have a permanent location for this growing home missions church.

     And also, please pray for Esther Mwandase, the wife of Mwanza regional leader, who needs prayer for early onset renal failure.
   
Praise Reports

EQUATORIAL GUINEA - We praise the Lord for three who were baptized in Jesus name and  also for two others that was healed by the power of God.

LIBERIA - Praise the Lord for the membership growth at Hope Center #3 UPC, in Zolowu.  The pastor baptized thirteen persons in Jesus Name during the visit of Elder Albert Stewart and his team from Monrovia.
     We are also thankful to God that the first library for the United Pentecostal Church of Liberia which was dedicated at the end of August

Namibia News

Trinitarian Church invites U.P.C. to preach. 

Pastor Lorens and myself were invited to a trinitarian church to preach.

Sunday morning we preached to this congregation. 30 people gathered inside and we began preaching the word. The presence of God moved in a strong way. 

The pastor and his wife asked for prayer, that they would grow in Gods WORD!  We followed up with a oneness bible study in our home with more bible studies scheduled this next week!

Cardboard Church

 Even though this church has cardboard walls and dirt floors, it still provides a gathering place for people to worship God.  Just a few days before this service, strong winds and rain had damaged the roof  and soaked the cardboard.  After some work this congregation resumed church and the winds of the spirit blew in!

Namibian "Donkey Kart"

In our travels to remote areas in Namibia the "Donkey Kart" is a typical mode of transportation.  Even though they are slower, they are very reliable, and many people use them regularly.


We thank you for your prayers & support for the people of Namibia!

Rev. & Mrs. Keith Ikerd & Aubrey

Africa in Revival

Cameroon
Terry Riddick & Rusty Riddick families

Two were baptized in Jesus' name in one town, and one was healed who was paralyzed from the waist down.

An elderly leader of an organization of six churches was baptized in Jesus' name and is planning to baptize his pastors and leaders.

Equatorial Guinea
Regional Missionary, Peter Mua family

There were three baptized in Jesus' name, and two healed by the power of God.

Ghana
Nick Sisco & Colleen Carter families

We thank the Lord that His will was accomplished at recent National Council elections. What a tremendous presence of the Lord in the room.

Kenya
Jim Crumpacker & Patrick Groves families

At the General Conference, there were nine baptized in Jesus' name and fifteen received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Madagascar
Chris Richardson family

In the National Conference, there were 2,075 filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Five local churches reported that fifty-two received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and twenty-one were baptized in Jesus' name.

Malawi
Chris Gibbs family

A two day pastors and wives seminar leading into the General Conference was very successful.

We thank the Lord that His will was accomplished in the recent National Office elections.

During the General Conference, there were twenty-three men and two women who graduated from Apostolic Bible College with a GATS certificate level of achievement.

In preparations for the National A-Team crusades, over 40,000 tracts and advertisements were distributed throughout the surrounding cities of the capital. During the A-Team crusades, over 1,300 souls were transported in for three days of apostolic outpouring.  Another 300 plus came from many of the local churches. In just three days, 608 precious souls received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and 120 were baptized in Jesus' name.

At two spin-off crusades from the A-Team crusades, 275 received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The sovereignty of the Lord came upon the crowd and the working of miracles was loosed. Eighteen people came forward suffering with deafness, and the Lord instantly healed them all.  Seven more people came forward suffering from blindness, and all were miraculously healed.  Also, thirty-one testified of a supernatural physical healing in their body. The spirit of giving settled in on the congregation, as people for hours took off their shirts, suit coats, watches, phones, shoes and of their finances gave to the work of the Lord.

On another night of the crusades, fifteen came forward with conditions of deafness and the Lord healed them all. One teenage girl fell to her knees weeping and holding her ears as sound flooded her ears for the first time. Several came forward with eye problems, and all were healed.  During the altar time when many came forward to receive the Holy Ghost, a man full of the devil came into the crowd, pushing, hitting and rolling around knocking people to the ground.  The man rolled so violently into a brick wall that his leg was broken instantly.  Many men carried him out of the altar. Warfare prayers were made, and the man received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and stood up and began to shout that his leg was made whole. 

Mozambique
Regional Missionary, Cezar Moraes family

We rejoice as the church in the capital city is going to be a reality. It will be totally built by March next year.

Seychelles
Randall Richardson family - reported by Area Coordinator, Jim Crumpacker

At the General Conference, there were two who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and five were baptized in Jesus' name. Many new contacts were made.

South Sudan
Patrick Groves family

Our pastor baptized eleven in Jesus' name.

West Africa Sub-Regional Conference& West Africa Leadership Conference were both a great success. Sixteen nations were represented and blessed by the mighty presence of the Lord in each session. Africa is "Destined" for Revival!

Namibia News

August 2013

Pictured here are the
Pastor's wives of Namibia.

Ladies Ministries 

Ladies from around Namibia arrived for a 3 day conference.
Sis. Ikerd taught on "Vessels of Honor".
Fifty-one ladies attended, with one receiving the Holy Ghost, and one baptized.

New Church Drawings

Pastor Karingombe finishes up the drawings for a new church building for one of our preaching points.
We have begun making blocks for this nice little church that will seat 80 people.  The cost of the materials to complete this building will only be $3,500.  We are so thankful for brick layers, block makers etc. who will see this building completed by November.

Church in Gobabis

Three of our current pastors are originally from this assembly. 

Pastor Skrywer is working with two preaching points from this church.
They have seen eight baptisms and three filled with the Holy Ghost in August.

We want to thank all of our  Partners In Missions!

The Word of God is being poured out in this
desert land because of your financial and prayer support.

The Ikerd Family
Missionaries to
NAMIBIA

Mission Senegal Update

Since we first arrived in Africa, in 1987, we have witnessed firsthand the blessings of Sheaves for Christ and its impact upon Global Missions.

With the SFC offering date right around the corner (September 8), I wanted to share some ways in which SFC and their vehicles have helped us "move the Gospel" and more!!

In Nigeria, the SFC vehicle in which I was riding with two national pastors, was shot at in an armed robbery. There were 13 holes in the drivers door where the shotgun blast hit (no pellets went through), several more on the rear door and five pellets embedded in the rear driver's side tire. The truck kept on rolling and the tire never went flat!! God's hand was not only upon us but upon our vehicle!

In Burkina Faso, while returning from a trip to our new church in Niamey, Niger, we "outran" a sand storm. We were close to the Sahara desert and such storms, while not frequent, were known to happen. We were blinded once by the sand and almost dropped off the road but thankfully we made it home. A good car wash and we were good to go again!!

Also in Burkina Faso, I had taken several visiting pastors, along with our son, to a nearby game park. We stepped out of the vehicle along with our guide to get a closer look at a group of elephants. Before we knew it the elephants were heading straight at us. We ran with the guide and the next thing we knew the vehicle was surrounded by these elephants. I was envisioning these elephants sitting on, or tearing apart our SFC vehicle and all I could think was, "How will I explain this one..."!

Beyond the interesting adventures, SFC helped us take the gospel into new towns, cities and nations. A church was opened in the nation of Niger because we had a solid vehicle with which we could travel to the country and navigate the unpaved roads that are the majority of what was present at the time. Truly, SFC moves the Gospel around the world!!

Ghana Update

CHIEF ASKED TO BE BAPTIZED IN JESUS NAME

Pastor Enoch Mensah was a student at African Centre for Theological Studies (ACTS) Ghana who recently graduated in June 2013. He is part of an indigenous missionary group focused on taking the gospel to the rural areas of Ghana. Below is an interview capturing some of their experiences as they reach out to the villages around Ghana.

Click to watch the video.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Thank God for another year for Allanah Pearl and Nicky Stephen. Allanah galloped into her eleventh year with a western theme. She absolutely loves horses!

Stephen turned nine and had loads of fun with his "Transformers" birthday. Lots of laughs and memories for sure.

Thank you  so much for your thoughts and prayers. They both received cards from various Sunday schools and churches. Your love is felt across the ocean. God bless you all for your acts of kindness.

Click to Support the Siscos