Genoa is approximately 1/2 million people with less than 2% recognizing Jesus as Savior of their lives. Italy is home to an estimated 105 documented people groups, 23 of which are considered unreached people groups. Genoa is a port city and an International hub. AGWM has never had a missionary in this city and we are excited to be the first.
Holly Trewern - Wife
Paisley Trewern - Daughter
Mark Trewern - Son
The Lashway's serve as the Team Leader Overseer for the Swahili Zone of East Africa, primarily engaging with our AGWM missionaries and national church leaders in Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda. Currently, 18 countries in Africa do not have any AGWM personnel and 12 more have only one missionary unit. In an effort to help the emerging churches on the continent, they have been asked by AGWM Africa to launch a Basecamp Missionary Development Center in Moshi, Tanzania to help interested people from the U.S. to Discover Africa, Discern their Call, and Develop their Skills in Cross Cultural Ministry. We will be the feeder program for East Africa developing teams of new missionaries for not only Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda, but also future efforts into planting the church in South Sudan and Eritrea as well as other nations in the region. In addition to my TLO responsibilities and launching a Basecamp, I am also the Executive Secretary for the Africa Assemblies of God Alliance serving the continent along side the AAGA Chairman Dr. Barnabas Mtokambali, promoting church planting, African missions, leadership development, and church growth across the continent.
Raegan's ministry in Romania has a three-fold mission: First to care for adandoned infants. Second to assist foster care programs for adandon children. Third to provide maternal care in a facility offering mothers alternatives to adandonment. Raegan is the network facilitator for Europe's compassion care network as well as the lead pastor at the International Church in Bucharest, Romania.
Dareth and Thida are working to plant churches among the unreached Khmer people of Cambodia. They are using multiple approaches to accomplish this goal, including a compassion ministry that focuses on children through school and feeding programs.
25,000 Japanese commit suicide every year. Yet in spite of this God is moving among young people. In Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar their is a strong church planting movement evolving. Our time there will be to equip and empower church planters with a means to develop sustainable income.
Global Initiative has done trainings in over 91 countries. We work with National Church Leaders, Bible schools, and local pastors. We teach undergrad and graduate level classes as well as do many Lay minister and church seminars and conferences. Recently we have been creating resources and curriculums that we are (and have) been translating into multiple languages and posting for free online. Many of these resources can be found at our “connect link” above. We have a BIG DREAM that we are working on now. It is to create a secure app we’re christian around the world can download and receive training on reaching Muslims for free. **again on another note :-) when we are in Springfield, we help organize and participate In and English conversation club put on for the Saudi families here in town. Through this club we have built friendship with the Saudis that are here in the states for one year. We have them to our house for dinner, go to theirs and go on outings together. Each holiday season we host a large Thanksgiving dinner and facilitate multiple Christmas parties and events. These times give us many opportunities to share the truth of Jesus.
Planted 5 international churches in The NL. Coaching European church planters as well as assisting new missionaries to complete their callings.
The territory of The Gambia was annexed from the French and became a British colony in the 1700's. It served as the main hub for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It became an independent nation in 1965, becoming the smallest country on the continent of Africa. English is the official language. Poverty is at 48% nationwide. The Gambia is a 96% Islamic country. There are less that 0.01% evangelical believers living there now with no prevoius record of an Assemblies of God presence.
Japan is such a unique opportunity. Despite it being roughly 1% Christian, they have religious freedom and have access to the gospel but most of them have never interacted with a Christian. Japan effectively destroyed Christianity in 1614 which is why it is so limited now. The country is in dire need of hope and purpose.
The International Assemblies of God in South Africa has approximately 340 churches. The IAG has a mammoth job to reach more people and plant more churches in South Africa.One of the most effective and substantial ways to accomplish this and to engage the ever increasing population of 64 million people in South Africa in through a healthy local pastor leading a healthy and thriving local church. Healthy pastors lead churches into greater health, which reach more people and plant more churches. This is the desire and goal of the Healthy Pastor Healthy Church initiative.
Africa is the fastest urbanizing region in the world. The cities are exploding with growth. According to the United Nations Environment Programme “By the year 2050, 60% of Africa will be urbanized.” This poses many challenges for these cities, but also great opportunity for the Church. Urban Tribes is positioned to plant high-impact churches in these cities to reach generations of Africans for Jesus Christ. Currently, our internship program has twenty-two participants, representing four different nationalities across Africa. We believe they are the future church planters for Urban Tribes to reach these cities.
John focuses on apostolic work on the University of Minnesota campus (most recently with fraternities) and is an associate pastor at Sojourn Campus Church in Minneapolis. Jolene is currently seeking strategic direction on how to reach the U of M arts community as an independent choreographer.
Over 3000 Chinese international students come to our city each year to study at the University of Minnesota. These students are leaders and influencers and 80% of them will eventually return to China and take their international experience back to the places they live and work. It is estimated that 70% of international students across the U.S. never step foot inside of an American home even though they would love to have the chance. We feel that this is a huge missed opportunity. Our goal is to journey together with Chinese international students in the few years they are here to see lives transformed and subsequently, a nation influenced by the power of God.