Month: June 2016

Letters From Prison (Part 4 of 6)

Posted on June 10, 2016 by - Calling, Government, North America, Prison, Stories

GLS Group2The first Summit at Southeast Correctional Center in Missouri was held last August with the sponsorship and the support of the team at La Croix Church. They caught a vision to serve prisoners, unleash potential and change the culture of the prison from inside out, using the tools offered by the Global Leadership Summit (read more about the event here).

We received letters from several of the prisoners who were able to attend, and we are blown away by the powerful impact the Summit has had on these men.

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve been posting a series on our blog called “Letters From Prison,” highlighting the impact that the Summit has had on these prisoners’ lives. We hope you’re as encouraged, challenged and inspired by their words as we were when we received them.

 

A letter from Dwayne, GLS attendee, Southeast Correctional

I just want to take the time to let you know that I really enjoyed attending this year’s Global Leadership Summit. Up until a few months ago, I had never even heard of this. My participation is the result of numerous people seeing the value of this event and many individuals caring enough to sacrifice their time and money for me to attend. A number of “Volunteers in Corrections” from the La Croix Church in Cape Girardeau, MO have been involved in past GLS events and they had the vision to see that inmates could benefit from this two day event. Administrators—from our warden all the way to the director of corrections in Missouri—believed this would benefit us, so our chaplain, Steven Johnson, the training officer, Alan Hughes, and a handful of volunteers from La Croix organized this event for us.

They handpicked 40 men to be a part of this program and it was a blessing to be recognized as a leader among 1600+ inmates here. Two months ago, we were assembled and informed about this event and I had no clue what the GLS was. I am familiar with Willow Creek Church as I work for Set Free Ministries and I know that Willow Creek uses some of the courses and evangelistic tools. I also have a brother in the Lord who has talked of Willow Creek in the past.

So I went into this thing as any leader would – with an open heart and a willingness to learn. I was not disappointed! Each and every speaker touched my heart and shared something I could apply to my life that would not only make me a better leader, but a better servant of God! To be honest, there was so much to take in that it was almost overwhelming!

It’s been several weeks since I participated in the GLS and as I reflect on those two days, I find that the GLS recharged my spiritual battery. I don’t think this is something that should be limited to just leaders – any child of God can be a part of this and it will inspire you to be a leader. Learning to love and others should be our objective in life.

I have been incarcerated for almost 26 years and have a life without parole sentence. Some days its hard to get up and motivate myself to go about my day serving and loving others, but reflecting on what Christ has done for me and that everything I do has eternal value, helps me focus on what I need to be doing instead of my circumstances. God has used me in ways I could never have imagined and I know he has even greater plans for me in the future!

I thank you for equipping me with the knowledge to make me a better leader and I hope God will bless me with an opportunity to participate in future GLS events. I know there are probably hundreds of people involved in making this event possible. Please let them know they are touching the lives of thousands and anything we do for the Lord is never in vain! (1 Cor. 15:58). God bless you and your families, and again, thank you for the GLS in 2015.

Your brother in Christ,
Dwayne, GLS attendee, Southeast Correctional

 

Please pray for our prison sites in 2016. This year there will be 25 prisons experiencing the GLS teaching. Imagine what God might do?

They Brought the Summit to the Chinese Community in Los Angeles and Re-ignited the Church

Posted on June 8, 2016 by - Asia, Calling, Church, North America, Stories

David Yu and his wife Virginia, natives to Taiwan, moved to Los Angeles, California for David’s job to work as the CFO and COO of a luggage company. Leaving home, David didn’t anticipate the culture shock he would have as a leader in a new country and he soon recognized a need to build up the immigration community to be passionate about Jesus and each other. “It’s hard to describe what it’s like to be an immigrant leader in this context,” David explains. “In an immigration community, people have different hardships. Value systems are constantly changing, and people experience culture shock as well as the second generation gap. The sense of home shifts drastically.”

For encouragement in their new environment, David and Virginia read Courageous Leadership. And though they’ve never met the author, he became one of the most influential pastors in their lives. “Every time we faced hardship, in church life or in our careers, we would reference what we learned from the book,” David said. “We also introduce the book to other church leaders we know are frustrated or discouraged to help them back to the right track.”

2015 GLS 02While living in Los Angeles, they visit home regularly, attending their former local church, Taipei Truth, whenever they’re in town. On one particular trip Virginia took in 2009, the church happened to be hosting the GLS; the flyers caught her eye because. She decided to attend, and immediately recognized how valuable this encouragement would be to her husband, and her church community back home in Los Angeles. She bought the Summit CD.

 

“The message on Holy Discontent pierced my heart,” David said. “I also shared it with my pastor in Los Angeles, Pastor Frederick Chen, and through each and every message he wept and wept. It spoke right to his passion. He had been depressed because he sensed the churches in the area were dying or weakening. The GLS reignited Pastor Chen. He urged the church team to do more for Jesus, because he was on fire about the idea that ‘the local church is the hope of the world, only when it’s working right’.

“Since then, our church has become a partner, hosting the GLS in Los Angeles for the Chinese Churches in our community,” David said. “Under Pastor Chen’s leadership, my team and I are encouraged to do more and dream to bring more people into God’s family, do what Jesus would do, and walk with Him daily. Our church is breaking down barriers and serving our local community. We’ve been able to raise funds to buy equipment and furniture for local schools when the school funds were cut in California. We also went into China’s poor country side to build schools and do volunteer medical work, reaching out to the village to evangelize people.

“But the most rewarding thing is seeing people turn their life to Jesus, not only receiving Jesus as their Savior, but also following what the Bible teaches us to do. Nothing can compare leading non-believers to meet with Jesus, and seeing lives connect to God. The joy overflows beyond what words can describe. God has done many awesome new things through our church that we experience when we submit ourselves to be servant leaders.

“The GLS reminds me that this world needs to be blessed by God through the local church, and that the local church must to have right leaders leading the way. The GLS enriches me and my team, and reignites our vision for the lost.”

 In addition to the Chinese GLS in Los Angeles, within the US we also hold the GLS for Spanish, Korean and Polish communities. Thanks to the generosity of our faithful donors, we will translate the GLS this year into 59 languages. Leaders across the world will be able to experience the same great material in their own context and language.

Letters From Prison (Part 3 of 6)

Posted on June 3, 2016 by - Calling, Government, North America, Prison, Stories

GLS Group2The first Summit at Southeast Correctional Center in Missouri was held last August with the sponsorship and the support of the team at La Croix Church. They caught a vision to serve prisoners, unleash potential and change the culture of the prison from inside out, using the tools offered by the Global Leadership Summit (read more about the event here).

We received letters from several of the prisoners who were able to attend, and we are blown away by the powerful impact the Summit has had on these men.

Over the next couple weeks, we will be posting a series on our blog called “Letters From Prison,” highlighting the impact that the Summit has had on these prisoners’ lives. We hope you’re as encouraged, challenged and inspired by their words as we were when we received them.

 

A letter from David, GLS attendee, Southeast Correctional

To all the leaders responsible for the GLS coming to Southeast Correctional:

First, I want thank you for your love for me and the men who took part in this special event. I also want to thank you that you allowed God to lead you and guide you to help those of us here become all that God has pre-destined for us to be in His son. I pray that our eternal Father prospers all of you in every area of your lives, especially spiritually.

The Global Leadership Summit meant a lot to me and really helps me to define the role of a leader in the Kingdom of God. I loved hearing, “Leadership is all about movement—moving people from one place to another effectively.” I realized—even more than I had—that God has to be the head of your life in every area in order for this movement to be according to His plan, not mine or anyone else’s. This one statement has helped me not settle for being a good leader. I must allow God to help me be a great one. Therefore I just humble myself even more to be able to learn from anyone because that is what great leaders do—learn. I can’t allow myself to miss blind spots in my life. When I think I’m good at leading, others know better, so I must be open to hearing others and their ideas and balance those ideas with God’s word, prayer and meditation.

Overall, I learned how to be a more effective leader and for that I’m grateful. I’ll end with this quote from the Global Leadership Summit, “You better know what wrecks you because it is probably also wrecking God.” I’m learning still.

P.S. Please bring this wonderful program back. I believe it can help others as it helped me and I pray to God I can participate again.

– David, GLS attendee, Southeast Correctional

 

Please pray for our prison sites in 2016. This year there will be 25 prisons experiencing the GLS teaching. Imagine what God might do?