Welcome to our local missions field report for March and April of 2009! These brief, bi-monthly, Good News letters are specially designed to give you the bottom line on all the latest and greatest happenings, highlights, and Gospel glory stories we encounter as we serve the Church to keep the Cross current in Canada.

WINNIPEG WITNESSING!

We praise God that this past March TCC was invited to equip and lead an army of 75 witnessing warriors onto the streets of Winnipeg!

Above: 75 “souled out” students praying together in downtown Winnipeg

Though it was a frigid day weather-wise, we praise God that our breath wasn’t all we saw! We also saw the Holy Spirit move powerfully in the hearts and minds of the young believers we trained and the non-believers He allowed us to share the Gospel with!

Here are a few excerpts from the many Gospel glory stories that are pouring in from the students who continue reaching out in their everyday lives:

“Wow! So much has been happening in Winnipeg since the conference, my whole family has totally changed the way they see people. I just wanted to thank you again for coming here and sharing this amazing truth with us. What is really amazing is the love God puts in your heart for these people. You just so want to see them in heaven and their lives are so important to you all of a sudden. I used to not even think about the people around me but now everywhere I go I can’t help but think if they are going to heaven or not. Nothing else can compare to the feeling of telling someone else about God. I have told all my friends about witnessing and they absolutely love it. You have no idea how this has helped my Christian walk as well.” ~ Sarah T.

“I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed all the sessions. I’ve been moved to share the Gospel with people that are lost. I don’t have any friends that are not Christians but time is running out and I know God has called us to tell others about Jesus. I’m so very grateful for The Cross Current team who are willing to teach others how to witness to the people that are lost. I am very moved by what was taught and I have never felt this strongly to go and tell other people about Jesus. Thank you so very much.” ~ Raechelle P.

“My life has been totally changed by the message you spoke last weekend. After the course I was so pumped up. My friends and I arranged to go witnessing the following Saturday. When we drove home we stopped for groceries, I wanted to give a million [dollar bill tract] away so badly, but my mind was like, “No, this is not the right time”. Then I told myself, I am not walking out of this building with this million in my hand. So I went to the lottery centre and placed it by the coupons. “Someone will get a million”, I thought, and even though I didn’t speak words to someone that same joy returned – the joy of sharing the truth and promise of our savior. I had stepped out and “dropped” a tract!” ~ Jenni T.

Jenni’s email went on to testify as to how she has not only been actively sharing the Gospel with many of her family and friends, but her new-found fire for seeking and saving the lost has become so contagious that one of her Christian friends commented on how obviously excited she is about her “new real, living, talking” part of her faith. Praise God!

On behalf of our entire training team, we extend a very special thanks to all those who took the time to pray for God’s favour on our ministry in Winnipeg. As always, your prayers made all the difference! We also ask you to keep praying that God by His Spirit will continue fanning the flames of evangelism that He has lit through our time together in Winnipeg.

View the entire Winnipeg Witnessing online photo album

Access more information on having TCC train your youth or adult group for more effective life and witness

SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH THE GIDEONS

In Romans 10:13-17, the apostle Paul writes:

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

If anyone trusts in the reality that faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God, it’s the Gideons! That’s why we jumped at the invitation to preach the Gospel and offer free evangelism training at their regional camp meeting on April 20th. As partners in the preaching and distribution of God’s Word and the Gospel, the Gideons and TCC form what you might call “A Romans 10 Tag Team”!

Here are a few encouraging words of feedback we received from the Gideons after our time together:

“Of course, I’m quite accustomed to the great zeal you possess to get out on the highways and byways to reach lost souls for Christ, and your enthusiasm is just the inspiration we Gideons need to help us continue to get out there to put scriptures in the hands of a very hungry world.”

Don Paulton, Secretary/VP of Gideons London

We thank God for the Gideons and trust that this posting will inspire you to commit their ministry to regular prayer!

HANGING WITH MARK CAHILL!

Above (L to R): Chris Wood, Jeff Mardling, Mark Cahill, Cory McKenna, John Gonciarz, Tom Woodburn

Wow! I know that I safely speak on behalf of our entire TCC Team when I say that taking in Mark Cahill’s teaching at Morningstar Christian Fellowship in Toronto on April 11th was nothing less than a speechless experience! Author of the now legendary evangelism books One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven and One Heartbeat Away, Mark is also an amazing man of God with a sincere love for the Lord, His Church, and the lost.

A very special thanks to Mark for graciously taking the time to personally hang with us for a few minutes after a long couple days of preaching and also for recording a hot promotional plug for TCC Radio.

Hear Mark’s promotional plug now as it will be heard on TCC Radio

Here is the encouraging email Mark sent our team the day following the seminar:

“It was great to meet you and your team Cory! You guys are doing awesome work for God. Thanks for understanding how valuable it is to do things that will matter for eternity.

Let me know if there is any way that I can bless y’all.

Please tell the folks in your network that I said hello and to stay bold!”

Mark

After we spent the morning taking in two of Mark’s seminars, we then took full advantage of our time in Canada’s most multicultural city by hitting the streets and experiencing the power of God’s Word first-hand through several one-to-one witnessing encounters!

Hear our team debrief on the way home after hearing Mark’s seminars and hitting the streets in TO

View more photos from our Easter weekend witnessing adventure

Let’s all be encouraged and let’s also take Mark’s words seriously to stay bold in our life and witness!

BREAKFAST WITH BONNKE!

On April  25th, TCC Reps Chris Wood and Cory McKenna had the privilege of sitting in on a special event breakfast with Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, Founder of Christ for all Nations (CfaN).

On May 1st of this year, Reinhard celebrated his 50 year anniversary preaching the Gospel! However, for the past 30 years he has been called specifically to seek and save lost souls on the continent of Africa – with hundreds of thousands at his massive crusade meetings and as many as 1.6 million people attending one single meeting!

We thank Reinhard Bonnke for graciously taking the time to encourage us in our evangelism ministry and also for recording a promotional clip for TCC Radio too! We also thank John Mitchell of CfaN Canada for connecting us with Reinhard through this event.

Hear Reinhards promotional plug now as it will be heard on TCC Radio

THE TC/TCC TEAM-UP!

This past March The Cross Current had the privilege of training over 30 on-fire Christ-followers at Teen Challenge Farm! The Witnessing Workshop started onsite with several hours of interactive learning before we all boarded a bus and took the training to the streets of London, Ontario.

When we arrived back at homebase, we all let out a shout of praise to the Lord of Jericho proportions and then gave many “glory stories” as to how God impacted our lives and the lives of those we shared the Gospel with!

Here are just a few of the powerful comments that were shared by the Witnessing Workshop graduates:

“I’ve spent my whole life passing death to people, but for the first time in my life…tonight I was passing life!”

“Of all amazing time I’ve spent on the Teen Challenge Farm, this was the most personally impacting yet!”

“Thank you for taking the time to help get started with something God has been calling me to do for my entire Christian life.”

Special thanks to Wayne Flonders and Craig Carlisle of Teen Challenge for taking the lead on evangelism in-house and making our training time run so smooth!

SHARING AND SERVING AT ARK AID MISSION

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warm and filled, “without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also  faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17, ESV)

TCC is a local mission that exists to partner with leaders and their local churches to spread the Gospel in Canada. Serving the needs of the disadvantaged in Jesus’ Name is not only an act of obedience, but it also facilitates a wonderful environment to help precious lost souls see and hear the truth that the only reason it’s even possible for us to demonstrate Christ’s love to them is because God first demonstrated His own love for us! How? In that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…Amen!

Our team serves specifically at Ark Aid Mission in our hometown of London, Ontario because it’s a Gospel-centred outreach ministry that allows us to serve the needs of lost people while freely sharing the truth of eternity.

Here is a thought about the experience from the servants’ heart of our youngest Ark Aid Mission Gospel outreach team member to date:

“I feel it is important to serve at Ark Aid because I think serving is good to do because it is helping people.” ~ Joshua M., Age: 7

TCC SEED SOWING STATS | March – April 2009

By God’s grace, The Cross Current continues to share the Gospel on the streets of Canada each week and equip other Christians to do the same!

Here are the bottom line seed sowing stats over the past two months and our accumulated field report since January of this year.

• Evangelism Training – Over the past two months, TCC has equipped approximately 125 more Christians to biblically share their faith with loved ones and strangers. That’s an accumulated total of 200 since January!
• Witnessing – Over the past two months, our local Gospel outreach team personally shared the Good News with over 150 more lost souls and passed over 1000 more Gospel tracts! That’s an accumulated total of over 300 Gospel conversations and 2000 tracts passed since January!

Access more information on how TCC can equip you and your church to more effectively share Christ

TCC RADIO REVIEW | March – April 2009

Thou Shalt Not? | March

Law. Some people consider the idea of God laying out a Holy Law which demands complete obedience to be oppressive. This series looks at the rule of law, which the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 affirms as one of the fundamental principles of our society, and the various purposes it plays in our nation and our spirituality. Does “thou shalt not” mean that you shouldn’t unless you have a good reason, or does it mean never ever do it? What could be the purpose of a Law that none of us seem to be able to keep? Oppression, depression, or obsession? In this series we law down the law.

Listen to this series on TCC Radio

Operation: Unknown Christian | April

There is an army of secret operatives in our midst. These soldiers are so far “underground” that most people – even their allies – are not aware of their presence. The shocking truth is that one might even be hiding right under your nose! What are we going to do about it, Canada?

Listen to this series on TCC Radio

Access the TCC Radio broadcast schedule

Subscribe to the TCC Radio Podcast

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ISN’T IT NARROW-MINDED TO SAY THAT YOU KNOW THE TRUTH?

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We thank God for you and your ongoing partnership in spreading the Gospel with The Cross Current. We humbly ask that you prayerfully consider becoming a “Cross Carrier” who will commit to regularly praying and donating to our local missions ministry in Canada. In turn, we will continue praying that the Lord uses these brief updates to impact your own personal life and witness for Him!

For His Glory,

The Cross Current Team