Two videos are available to encourage your congregation to support FCA church planting efforts. The first is dated to be used on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023. The second video is undated and can be used whatever day works best for your church calendar.
Over the years I have had the privilege of traveling to connect with and encourage leaders around the world. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me on these trips since I began serving as Global Connections Coordinator for FCA USA almost 2 years ago. I just returned from 3 weeks in Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda, and I can tell you that God’s Kingdom is advancing around the world and the gates of hell are not prevailing against the called-out-ones of Jesus Christ!
I want to give you a quick glimpse into what God is doing through several of our Global Affiliates in the three countries in the Great Lakes Region of Africa that I was able to visit on this three-week trip. My wife, Sarah, and daughter, Abby, worked hard to be able to join me for 2/3 of this trip, and some generous friends helped Abby with the remainder needed to make this happen; truly a life-changing investment for her. I was greatly encouraged by the work being done in this region: The partnership that our churches have had with the ministries and leaders connected to World Outreach Ministry Foundation has borne much fruit.
Standing in the North AND the South at the same time!
It was a joy to be able to connect with Pastor Steven Mayanja, his wife Cissy, Bob Mayonza, and many others who are connected to Uganda Christian Outreach Ministries. We were also able to visit the Medical clinic in Seguku and to visit and speak at Seguku Worship Center with Pastor David Stuart for two services on a Sunday, the first service was all English, so you can check it out HERE, or HERE if you want to just hear the message that I shared. We also got to speak at a chapel service at Yesu Akwagala Bible School (Yesu Akwagala means “Jesus Loves You”) and at several High Schools.
Many of you partnered to help build this new campus of the Bible School: It’s coming along well!
Abby speaking to students at an area High School.
Abby encouraging students at Yesu Akwagala High School.
Praying for students during chapel at the Yesu Akwagala High School.
We made a quick 72-hour trip over to Burundi for two days of seminars with Burundi Christian Outreach Ministries. I did not know this before preparing for this trip, but Burundi is considered the poorest country by GDP and among the “saddest” due to the impact from years of war and violence on society and individuals. Talking with Pastor Ezechiel, the leader of that group of churches, we found out that smiling was rare in the communities when they began over 1o years ago, and that it wasn’t until the ministries of reconciliation and healing came in to transform people’s hearts that you could begin to see smiles and joy. The welcome that we received was so warm and the worship was so joyful that you would not have known that you were in what the world considers one of the “saddest” countries in the world: God truly transforms hearts and entire communities!
We gathered with pastors and church leaders from over 10 churches to spend time in prayer, worship, and teaching on church and ministry leadership from Pastor Steve Mayanja and I. It was a powerful time: You’ll get a chance to hear him preach at the FCA USA Convention in a few weeks!
We also got to see the Primary School that has been founded in the village we were visiting. It was particularly challenging to hear of four teachers who have been volunteering their time for the last 2 years to teach students from 8 AM to 1 PM and then going to their gardens to work in the afternoons to be able to provide for their families: May God give us all that level of dedication for the work of ministry that he has called us to!
Speaking of dedication, one thing that the people we met had was dedication: Everywhere we looked there were plots of land that were cultivated: Where the world has declared poverty, God has provided resources and the dedication to steward those well!
That dedication was recently seen in the perseverance of Pastor Ezechiel with processing his visa to be able to join us at the FCA Convention in Minneapolis…After many appointments he was granted his visa today and he is looking forward to the opportunity to get to know all of you in Minneapolis!
We had a great time with the leaders there and this is their greeting to you:
From Burundi, we went back to Uganda for a few more days of ministry in my role as International Ministry Director with the Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation before traveling to Rwanda for a week of ministry training with Rwandan and Congolese leaders. God is doing great things through those servant leaders from various denominations and fellowships. Lots of good ministry during my 12 days with the national leaders of Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo!
On the last Sunday of the trip I was able to spend the day with Pastor Canisius Gacura and his wife Allen. They are wonderful people doing a great work in Kigali. They are pastoring a church called Nyabugingo (life-giving) in the part of the city known as “the place of the dead”.
This trip was longer than usual (23 days total) and very full of many good things. I am thankful for all of your prayers because there are many things that could have gone wrong while traveling for so long and with so many different things to get done in so many places, yet things went very smoothly. I was able to connect with many wonderful people from these ministries, and many other ministries I was not able to include in this update. I also enjoyed being able to eat fruit that I grew up eating (matoke, pineapple, mango…yum!) and it was also pretty cool to see THREE of the Great Lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika, and Kivu) and eat fresh fish from them…Delicious!
May God continue to provide for the advancing of His kingdom around the world by the power of the Holy Spirit through each of our local churches to make disciples of all nations!
By Thomas Yerman
Recently, I attended a regional gathering of pastors where we were to discuss how to “replenish” the Church. I shared my thoughts prior to the meeting with the host pastor who said, “You need to share this.” What I write here includes a few more thoughts than what I shared with the gathering that day.
We are living in a culture in which many are turning away from the Church—away from a belief in God. We’re in the midst of a war against truth. The reality of this war reminds us of the importance of God’s call to persevere.
Sound Doctrine
Sound doctrine affects people in different ways. Some respond to solid biblical teaching by feeling encouraged and strengthened in their faith. The same teaching, however, puts others off, impacting them in negative says. Timothy was warned of a coming time when people would not put up with sound doctrine. They resist it, some even to the point of leaving a church.
Whatever the Holy Spirit does through the teaching of God’s Word, our part as ministers is to preach and teach it correctly. This is so important in fulfilling our call.
Paul encourages us through the words he spoke to Timothy: “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:3, 5). Days of hardship or lost attendance should not distract us from how we are to teach God’s Word.
Even when we’re feeling weak, we have promises encouraging us to keep God’s Word and not deny his Name. God’s promises admonish us to endure until Christ’s return. “By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:19).
The promise Christ spoke to the church in Philadelphia, he speaks to all his Church: “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on earth” (Revelation 3:10). If we hold on, we will escape the Great Tribulation and gain the imperishable crown of life. That is a big deal!
Whatever we plan to do to replenish our local assembly, we must continue to build the Church upon the biblical foundation God has given us. That ensures us of the help of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Church must hold steady in being a “house of prayer” (Luke 19:46) even as pastors hold firm in teaching the Word of God without compromise as absolute truth. The healthy function of the Church depends on it (Matthew 4:4).
As you know, the Holy Spirit moves in conjunction with the Word of God through the enabling of people with lifestyles of prayer and biblical devotion. It doesn’t get much simpler or more powerful than that.
No Fear
We must not fear people. We must not confuse their feelings of conviction by the Holy Spirit with their feelings of being offended. The Holy Spirit inspired and authored the Scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16). So we must speak it clearly and correctly, allowing him to do the work he wants to do in the lives of people (Hebrews 4:12-13). We must speak the Word boldly and correctly with love, courage, and application for our day.
The Church needs to learn how to handle what we are facing today in America. We are being threatened with persecution and the loss of our God-given freedom, not to forget our security and prosperity. The goal of the enemy is to stop its opponent from resisting him. The enemy will do everything in his power to wear people out and discourage them—with the ultimate goal of causing people to lose hope, be silent and afraid, and walk away from God and his Word.
If pastors are not careful, we can begin to accommodate fear, water down God’s Word, or become overly distracted with finding a plan to “feed” the people in a way that will grow our congregation for the sake of increasing numbers or paying the bills. This can lead to other problems and adverse consequences. We must be alert to any wrong, misleading influences. God is not so concerned about impressive appearances. His concern is about the glory—the glory of his harvest. He is concerned that people are fed the truth so they can mature and be discipled to be more like his Son. That is why, when distractions and disputes arose in the early church, the apostles determined to keep their attention focused on the ministry of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4).
Bottom Line
To replenish God’s Church, we must continue to build on the biblical principle of persevering in preaching the Word and prayer at all costs—even in the face of death. We are running to the finish line! There is yet one more hill to climb, one more vista to encounter. This is not a time for timidity or compromise!
God has called us to see the growth and maturity of his Church. Pastors are not called to feed the world, but to feed God’s Church. The Church needs God’s truth, God’s strength, and God’s leading in order to stand, resist, and persevere against its opposing forces. As we do our part and fulfill our call, Christ will build his Church (Matthew 16:18). Slip your name into that verse and hold your head up high!
“If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:7–8).
Thomas Yerman is an FCA pastor ministering at Living Hope Church in Elk Grove Village.
Don Wickstrum, youth pastor at Grace Church in New Glarus, Wisconsin, shares his story of racing to the top of Pikes Peak.
His story, however, is about much more than an adrenalin-fueled automobile race. It’s about running the ultimate race—and finding what matters most.
A newly released documentary film produced by I Am Second, a global storytelling organization, offers an intimate look at entrepreneur, pastor and racer, Don Wickstrum and his years-long journey to conquer the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, all the time leaning on his faith and battling an aggressive cancer diagnosis.
“Even though life may not always seem to present you with the best hand, the best place to put that hand is in the hands of God,” says Wickstrum.
With uplifting messages that encourage viewers in their walk with God, the film “Chasing Hope” releases just in time for families and friends to watch it together during the holiday season.
“This story is for anyone who is searching for hope,” said John Humphrey, Vice President of I Am Second. “We knew Don for several years before his diagnosis, and when we saw what he was trying to accomplish at Pikes Peak, we jumped at the chance to share his powerful story with a larger audience. Don represents his faith in an engaging, authentic way. He has a desire to share the eternal hope he’s found in Christ, and he puts his faith into action. That’s an example for all of us.”
Holding tightly to his childhood dream of racing Pikes Peak, he made a deal with his father to first go to college. Having experienced significant hardship growing up, however, Wickstrum wrestled with his faith and lacked a sense of hope. In college he declared himself an atheist and set out to disprove religion.
“Probably midway through my sophomore year, I was getting really fed up with this whole Christianity thing because what I started to discover is that it wasn’t as easy to prove wrong as I thought,” Wickstrum recalls. “I specifically remember coming across this moral dilemma, thinking, ‘Okay, I admit it, the Bible’s true and this is legit, but I don’t know that I want to give my life to it.’”
One unforgettable evening, Wickstrum had a powerful encounter with God that changed the trajectory of his life. He surrendered his life to Christ and felt true hope in his heart for the first time.
In the following years, Wickstrum became successfully involved in racing, ministry, and serial entrepreneurship, owning one of the largest robotic integrators in America. However, in late 2018, everything changed when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of colon cancer, forcing him to sell his business and evaluate his future.
“As I prayed, I really felt like God was opening the door for me to race at Pike’s Peak,” explains Don. “I sought my wife’s counsel on it, and she asked me, ‘If eight-year-old you had heard of a guy like you that was facing a tough circumstance, and yet he was able to accomplish his dream of going to Pike’s Peak, do you think that would have given you hope?’”
In pondering his wife’s profound question, the Fastest Pastor, as he’s affectionately known by church members and fans, committed to put the wheel in God’s hands and pursue Pikes Peak, aspiring to share his faith and inspire hope in others.
The second-oldest motorsports race in America, the Pikes Peak race has no equal. Boasting 156 turns over a 12.42-mile course, beginning at over 9,300 feet and ending at 14,115 feet above sea level, the harrowing course has long served as a driver’s proving ground. Conquering the climb has been a dream of Wickstrum’s since he first saw the race on TV when he was eight years old.
Don Wickstrum serves as youth pastor at Grace Church in New Glarus, Wisconsin. He is a leader in ministry, a counselor, a mentor, a husband and a father. He continues to race and share the Gospel amid his ongoing battle with cancer, hoping to inspire and minister to others. To read more of his story, visit fastestpastor.com.
You can also view Wickstrum’s story by clicking iamsecond.com/film/chasing-hope/. And for other inspiring stories visit iamsecond.com. The website that features written and film-based stories of more than 150 athletes, actors, models, musicians, cultural influencers and everyday people who have stepped in front of the camera to declare, “I Am Second.”
by Michael McCartney
It began one day last April with blood in my urine. Concerned, I called my urologist and set up an appointment, which included all sorts of tests, scans, and scopes. Within a week the answer was confirmed: a tumor on my bladder.
Cancer, stage 3—not good. The doctor said it looked as if it had been there a while, though I had just seen him four months before.
Surgery was scheduled for Monday, just 11 days after the blood first appeared. The doctor removed the tumor and treated the site with a form of immune therapy. He said surgery went well, though it was extremely hard to get to the tumor because of its location. He most likely would have to go back in.
So my journey through cancer had begun. And I had enrolled in the school of higher learning—my unexpected journey through the valley of shadows.
The First Dove
When the doctor first examined me, I left his office in shock and walked out into a severe storm. I drove my truck home through the storm, went in, and sat in my chair. Looking out of our bay window at the raging storm, I started talking to the Lord about my cancer.
As I prayed, I opened my eyes and I saw…a dove! There in the midst of the storm was a dove looking back at me through the window!
The dove’s feathers were being blown around by the stormy winds, but it kept looking right at me. Pellets of cold rain hit the dove, and its eyes would close to shut out the pounding rain. But again and again the dove opened its eyes to look at me.
I knew from Scripture that doves are a sign of the Holy Spirit. In that moment, in the middle of a storm, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit! So I prayed, “Lord, I need your help with this cancer!” and I felt the Spirit say: “I will be with you through this stormy journey. You will come out the other end of the storm.”
The dove stayed around for about five minutes. Then the phone rang—it was Tiffany, my daughter, calling me to see what the doctor had found. When I turned around, the dove was gone.
The Second Dove
I hit another rough day in my journey when the doctor called me. I was in a church staff meeting at the time, but I had recently come through my second surgery and biopsy.
The pathology report said things were not looking good. Cancer was lining my bladder “like a carpet.” Explaining the results, the doctor suggested I should consider removing my bladder, my lymph nodes, and my prostate—the “Gold Plan.”
“If you don’t do this,” he said, “this type of cancer could take your life.” It was an aggressive, rapidly spreading type of cancer.
I left the meeting and went home to pray and talk with my wife, Kathy. We prayed and decided to stay on the same track—no removal of important parts. I chose the “Silver Plan”—and ask God for a miracle.
At one point in our talk and prayer, I said to Kathy, “It would be nice to get another visitation from a dove today.”
That night, Brock and Brittany, a young couple from church brought us a meal and with it, a heart-touching card. But most remarkably, they also gave me a small, glass dove.
They explained. The Holy Spirit had prompted them to stop at a store to get a dove as a reminder of the dove in my window and remind me of God’s promise: “I will be with you through this stormy journey. You will come out at the other end of the storm.”
It was another God moment—a second dove with a reminder of God’s promise and presence.
Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”
I was struck by the phrase reminding me that I am just walking through a valley of shadows while the Lord is with me, right by my side! The valley has a shadow of death lurking off somewhere in the distance, trying to torment me, wanting me to resign myself to it—as if there were no hope.
But with the Lord by my side, all things are possible!
Years ago I saw the movie, A Beautiful Mind, starring Russel Crowe. It’s the true story of a professor who suffered from schizophrenia. “Voices” in his mind tormented him, luring him away from reality and creating havoc in his family, career, and life.
After a long battle, the professor learned to ignore the voices. He choose to live in reality and not delusion. He admitted to another professor, however, that the voices were always there, off in the shadows, beckoning him to come to them, tempting him to listen and pay attention. But he chose to ignore and even reject the voices. He chose instead to focus on his family and his work.
For me, the shadow of cancer is like those delusional characters in the movie. Cancer taunted me, standing off in the shadows. But Psalm 23 and other Scriptures reminded me, “I will be with you, Mike, through this unexpected journey and through the valley of shadows.”
I didn’t choose this journey. It was unexpected. But in my cancer journey I choose to focus on the Lord. I’m sharing my journey with my church and others. And I choose to focus on God’s promise—and the Doves. I choose to be positive, to be filled with faith, to hope in Jesus.
Every day I tell the Lord, “I will praise you through this valley and honor you! No matter what happens!”
Psalm 46:1-3 says, “1 God is our refuge and strength, an everpresent help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
I know my unexpected journey is not over! I have a year of maintenance immune therapy to go through, but the Lord has been with me through it all encouraging me along the way. I trust him as well as my doctors. Jesus repeatedly promises in Scripture, “I will be with you!”
He will be with you too! “God is no respecter of persons.” He will walk with you through your unexpected journey and be by your side to bring you out the other end. All you have to do is ask him to come help you too!
He will!
Mike McCartney is Senior Pastor of Christian Hills Church in Orland Hills, Illinois.
Rich Doebler 
Sam Snyder 
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