Reaching people on the fringes of society can require an approach that leaves you on the fringes of church as many people understand it. So Lucas Telford appreciates the sense of community and connection he draws from being part of a movement that embraces new expressions of church.

He and his wife, Dianne, were leading a home-based simple church plant in Oshkosh, Wis., when he was invited to a district Foursquare conference by Ben Peterson, senior pastor of Oshkosh Foursquare Church, with whom he had become friends. Lucas was excited to hear a speaker urge Foursquare to pursue the kind of church-planting format the Telfords were involved in.

The Telfords served at Oshkosh Foursquare before pioneering a new informal expression of church under Foursquare’s covering. Now senior pastor of Center for Living in Christ (Oshkosh 2 Foursquare Church)—whose CLIC acronym Lucas says aims to repurpose the word “clique”—Lucas and Dianne minister from two shared homes in Oshkosh, one just a few hundred yards from Oshkosh Foursquare.

While accepting that not everyone understands the very informal approach to ministry, Lucas appreciates the validation he receives from others in different parts of the Foursquare world who are also looking to pioneer new forms of church for the 21st century.

“When God transforms the assumed untransformable, then you will see a culture change.”

—Lucas Telford, senior pastor of Center for Living in Christ (Oshkosh 2 Foursquare Church) in Oshkosh, Wis.

“At CLIC we say that we are a family living on mission with God,” Lucas says. “We believe that God has a mission, and His mission includes Foursquare.”

Part of Lucas’ appreciation for Foursquare is that it was through attending a district conference that he was led into a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit. Both his life and ministry were enriched, and he feels a strong sense of being “a kindred spirit” with Foursquare’s founder, Aimee Semple McPherson.

“God has given me the desire to reach the lost, the homeless and the hungry, and to heal the sick just like she did,” Lucas states. “She rallied people when there seemed to be no way out. When God transforms the assumed untransformable, then you will see a culture change.”

Senior Pastor Antonio Sims didn’t grow up in The Foursquare Church. In fact, he didn’t grow up in church at all. He gave his life to Christ after his military service and began active ministry within another denomination.

It wasn’t until age 36 that he first encountered The Foursquare Church. He went to a “Get to Know Foursquare” event and then decided to attend a service at a local church. “I was so overwhelmed with the love they showed me that I wasn’t sure if it was real.” One gentleman hugged him “so tight and wouldn’t let go,” Antonio says, that “it was a moment I’ll never forget.”

That intense feeling of connectedness prompted Antonio to join the Foursquare family and begin to pastor on his own. But the start was rocky. After about eight months, he felt his bonds begin to weaken.

“Not one of the leaders had contacted me in that eight months, and I began to wonder if I’d made the right choice,” he says. “When I brought my concern to two local leaders, Maurice Gholston and Maceo Banks, they invited me over for dinner and asked me not to give up on Foursquare. Their sincerity was a real turning point. They showed me they cared about me and the ministry God had given me.”

Now Antonio’s ministry efforts are thriving under the Lord’s guidance. In addition to being senior pastor of True Worship Church (Ferndale Metro Foursquare Church) in Ferndale, Mich., he and his team planted a church earlier this year, and he continues to work with leaders in Metro Detroit to promote Foursquare. He also has played a key role in developing the Detroit-based Urban and Multicultural Impact School of Ministry (UMI), an organization that provides cross-cultural and urban education, community development and vocational training.

“I feel like I am part of the Foursquare effort to give a voice to people of color and those in our urban communities.”

—Antonio Sims, senior pastor of True Worship Church (Ferndale Metro Foursquare Church) in Ferndale, Mich.

“It’s basically a program for those who want to become pastors in urban and multicultural contexts,” Antonio explains. “We want to prepare people with the right message and equip them to be effective in different cultural dynamics.”

Staying connected with Foursquare has been a purposeful process for Antonio, and it’s clearly a part of God’s plan for his life.

“The leadership has allowed me to do what I’m passionate about, sharing the gospel my way and just being myself,” he affirms. “I feel like I am part of the Foursquare effort to give a voice to people of color and those in our urban communities. I believe we are headed in the right direction, and I feel that God is driving things.”

Few people walk into a church one Sunday and decide to call it home, especially if the whole idea of church is foreign. People are more often drawn to individuals who have something special about them, and they become the door to the body of Christ.

“In the summer of 1998, a good friend of mine had significantly changed and started inviting me to church. After a few invites, I finally accepted, but mostly because I had a crush on her,” recalls Travis Mielonen, now a church-planting missionary in Poland with Foursquare Missions International. “That first Sunday service didn’t go the way I expected, though. My friend wasn’t there when I arrived, and when she did show up, she was with her boyfriend!”

But Travis decided to stick around for the service anyway and got a chance to meet the youth leaders, Bob and Leanne Kaskes, and Mark Smith. Their warmth immediately made him feel welcome and accepted, and he knew that was a place he wanted to be. Thus began Travis’ journey with The Foursquare Church and, more important, his path to knowing Jesus.

While still in high school, he took a missions trip to the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, serving with Ken Pretty-On-Top, senior pastor of Spirit of Life Light House for the Nations (Crow Agency Foursquare Church). It was there that Travis felt for the first time that God was working in him. “Seeing how this church family truly was, and is to this day—a lighthouse for God—deeply resonated in me His grace,” Travis affirms. A few months later, he surrendered his remaining doubts and committed his life to Christ.

Having not grown up in The Foursquare Church, or any church, for that matter, Travis was compelled, and still is, by the consistency and authenticity of the Foursquare family.

“Although we aren’t perfect, the people of Foursquare are genuine, always willing to seek God and are full of grace,” he says. “In each of the ministries I’ve served, whether in Washington and Oregon or out here in Poland, there has always been a focus on relationships and connecting with the community.”

Travis’ commitment to and passion for Foursquare’s initiatives has grown, due in large part to the encouragement and mentorship offered by the church’s leaders. “As someone who didn’t grow up in the church, the focus on spreading the gospel, making disciples and equipping the entire church for ministry is key for me,” he explains. “In my leaders, I’ve found a loving accountability, a graceful love of discipleship and a hunger for people to personally encounter Jesus.”

There are currently no Foursquare churches in Poland, but Travis, his wife and children, and his ministry team aim to change that. They are currently in the midst of a five-year plan to plant a church in Kraków. In a city of 2 million people, only about 1,000 regularly attend Protestant church services.

“Polish church leaders don’t trust one another. The stronghold of past hurts between churches continues to create tension and limits the ability of the greater church to work together,” Travis says. “We hope to break through those interdenominational barriers and demonstrate to the Polish people that the church is an inclusive, cooperative and forgiving community.”

“Bringing people together in [community] service helps build relationships, which I believe is the best gateway to the gospel.”

—Travis Mielonen, Foursquare credentialed minister and missionary in Poland

To begin this process, Travis and other like-minded leaders are starting a Serve the City (STC) program in their community. Already present in cities throughout Europe, STC is a coalition of congregations and non-profit ministries that believes they can serve Christ by serving their cities.

“It’s a nonthreatening community service opportunity where we can invite people from all kinds of groups, and not necessarily religious ones,” he states. “Bringing people together in service helps build relationships, which I believe is the best gateway to the gospel.”

But Travis and his team are not lone Foursquare workers in these initiatives, left to fend for themselves in the post-Christian European landscape. Their sending church, East Hill Church Family (Gresham Foursquare Church) in Gresham, Ore., has provided invaluable support and keeps them in touch with the local congregation and with the North Pacific District.

In addition, Travis and his team are making new connections each day. “We are more and more connected with Foursquare Europe, as well, which has many activities, church-planting seminars and more throughout the year,” Travis says. “The same values of the U.S. Church are also evident here in Europe. The relevancy of love, grace, faith and hope are making an impact within and out from The Foursquare Church here.”

Aside from community service and church-planting activities, Travis and his family are working on learning the Polish language and connecting with their neighbors. “We tell people we have a five-year-minimum commitment to our ministry in Poland, but we are prepared to be here our whole lives if God calls us to that.”

When Keith Jenkins realized there was a problem, he knew just where to turn.

The 10-year Marine was pastoring Fresh Winds, an independent church in Eugene, Ore., and decided to preach about the importance of authority to his “rag tag” congregation of 50 or so.

He recalls, “I wanted my church to have authority, but I realized that I didn’t have it in my own life.”

Looking back on a decade of military service, Jenkins understood the concepts of authority and chain of command. But as he looked at Fresh Winds, he realized that he was accountable to no one. “There was no covering or correction,” he says.

That revelation frightened him, and he saw that the church’s independence kept it from the benefits of being part of a larger community. “I realized,” he explains, “that things were only going to go so far if I was always going to be the smartest man in the room.”

Keith turned to spiritual leaders he admired: several local Foursquare pastors and, notably, Steve Overman, senior pastor of Faith Center (Eugene Foursquare Church) in Eugene, Ore. They had invited him to gatherings in the area, where he had been impressed by their openness to others and their encouragement.

“They made me feel welcome even before I became Foursquare,” Keith remembers more than a decade later. “It was amazing. I was struck by the sense of brotherhood we shared.”

Realizing that Foursquare was a biblically sound movement, Keith decided that it was the place for him. Fresh Winds transitioned from being an independent congregation to becoming a Foursquare church. He served as lead pastor at what became Jubilee World Outreach (Eugene West II Foursquare Church) for 13 years, seeing membership grow to around 700, before moving to Southern California as Foursquare’s missional director for the former Greater Los Angeles District.

Keith stepped down from that role after five years in 2014 to take full-time responsibility as lead pastor of New Life LA (West Adams Foursquare Church) in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Coco, began ministering at the church in 2010, seeking to bring renewed life to a once-vibrant congregation that had dwindled to around 45. Attendance has grown almost tenfold, and a Spanish-speaking church is being incubated.

“They made me feel welcome even before I became Foursquare. I was struck by the sense of brotherhood we shared.”

—Keith Jenkins, lead pastor of New Life LA in Los Angeles

Now 48, Keith sees that fruitfulness in ministry in clearly linked to alignment with a larger body. “There is something to being part of a tribe,” he says. “There’s strength, there’s agreement, there’s wisdom.” There’s also safety, he adds: “You can’t imagine how many [Foursquare] churches would have lost their physical locations during the economic downturn if they had not been part of a denomination.”

But those practical benefits were not what drew him to Foursquare; they were the result. The appeal was the relationships, exemplified by Steve Overman, who modeled a different kind of leadership. “He was the bridge,” Keith says. “He could literally be the smartest man in the room, but he is always more curious than convinced. Not that he doesn’t have strong convictions, but he is not polarizing.”

Then there is Wayne Cordeiro, senior pastor of New Hope Oahu (Oahu South Foursquare Church) in Honolulu. When he was in Oregon on ministry trips, he invited Keith to share devotions with him, and he quickly became Keith’s mentor.

Keith continues to appreciate the relationships he has formed, and his enduring Foursquare identity is deeply rooted in the movement’s missional DNA that was instilled by Foursquare’s founder, Aimee Semple McPherson. Keith affirms: “It still resonates today.”

Anyone new to Foursquare who wonders if there really is room for him or her without some kind of history in the movement needs to look no further than Gary and Tammy Dunahoo for an answer.

Though now widely respected as senior leaders—with Tammy making history as the first woman to be appointed the denomination’s general supervisor—they are “first-generation” Foursquare.

They have found space for their callings and giftings by both closing in on the things that are most important to them while fulfilling responsibilities within the Foursquare movement.

The Dunahoos grew up in a classical Pentecostal denomination, serving as associate pastors, district youth directors and senior pastors, and were very involved in the organization. They decided to make a transition after struggling for some time over important ministry values and doctrinal differences.

Most of the people outside the denomination with whom they sensed a deep connection and whose ministries they were being shaped by were Foursquare leaders. Among these were Jack Hayford, Ted Roberts, Ron Mehl, Daniel Brown, Jerry Cook and Jim Hayford. And so a process of discussion and discovery began that led to the Dunahoos’ leaving their denomination and lifelong relationships, to join Foursquare.

Their first assignment as newly licensed Foursquare ministers in 1996 was to a church that had only three remaining members. After being in full-time ministry for 14 years, the Dunahoos took jobs within the community to support the “restart.” Having seen the church re-established, they moved to Arkansas, where they planted and sponsored four churches during the next 14 years.

Gary developed a reputation as a turnaround pastor and church planter, while Tammy began serving as a district supervisor and national leader. She then became interim general supervisor for the national church, a move that led to their return to Southern California. She was confirmed as general supervisor in 2010, and Gary now serves as lead pastor of Lighthouse Church (Newbury Park Foursquare Church) in Newbury Park.

Moving from the edge of Foursquare to its heart has been a journey of intentionality. Once they had decided that Foursquare was a fit for them, they jumped in with both feet. “We had a mindset that when you enter, you do so as a servant, at the back of the room,” Tammy says.

They also attended everything they could: retreats, district conferences and events, divisional meetings and the annual convention. “We have always had the mentality to be involved wherever we have been,” notes Gary.

From their experience, Tammy offers the following advice: “If people come in and sit back and wait to be invited, they are probably going to be disappointed. Like any organization, people have their networks and friendships established and may not always notice new people. You can’t sit back and wait for somebody to seek you out. You have to get engaged.”

While the relationships they enjoy in Foursquare are very important to them, this is not what cements them in the movement. They had sacrificed relationships in their former church stream to follow what God had laid on their hearts—an initially “painful” separation from people they loved. But true relationships remained intact, and they have established wonderful relationships within Foursquare.

“You can’t sit back and wait for somebody to seek you out. You have to get engaged.”

—Tammy Dunahoo, general supervisor of The Foursquare Church

What anchors them in Foursquare is their belief system, values and mission, which are aligned with what Gary describes as Foursquare’s “grace-filled Pentecostalism” and a commitment to interdenominational and worldwide evangelism.

“Mission, values and beliefs are most important to us,” Tammy explains. “Relationships have been an overflow of being in the family, but they are not why we joined.” With that in mind, she encourages newcomers to Foursquare to “be really clear about why you have become Foursquare, and then get involved and contribute. Relationships are a natural result of serving together.”

Tammy and other national leaders see continuing to make room for new arrivals as an important area for Foursquare as a movement. “We must clearly articulate and live out who we are so people know if they want to belong and partner together in the mission we have been given,” Tammy asserts.

While denominations have been in decline, Tammy says that “churches are networking together whether through informal or formal association, network or denomination—for the sense of accountability, connectedness, covering and partnership in mission.

As I step into my new appointment as a Foursquare Missions International (FMI) missionary to El Salvador, I can’t help but wonder, “How in the world did I get here?”

I’m 24, I graduated college less than a year ago, and to top it off, I’m a pastor’s kid (or PK) from a rural, small-town Foursquare church: New Life (Vinita Foursquare Church) in Vinita, Okla., pastored by my parents, Kevin and Shannon Baker. Don’t get me wrong, I love Vinita, but there’s not a lot of aspiring that goes on there. I also love being a PK, but if you don’t know what it’s like being a PK in a small town, let me paint a picture for you.

Imagine one of those small, glass fishbowls with one little goldfish swimming around in it. Then imagine it sitting in the middle of a room with, I don’t know, let’s say 100 people watching it. That was my siblings and me. That goldfish represents the small-town PK with all eyes watching, at all times.

No wonder PKs often finish poorly. I mean, who wants to deal with that kind of pressure? And then, on top of that, we see all the pressures our parents deal with in ministry. We see and experience the sacrifice that it is to be in full-time ministry, and to do without, because our parents have chosen to help others instead of themselves.

There is another side to the story, of course. As a PK, I saw people come to know Jesus as their Savior. I saw God provide miraculously when ends just weren’t meeting. I saw people healed of physical and spiritual diseases. I saw broken hearts restored, dreams fulfilled, sorrow turned into joy. I experienced the presence of God on a regular basis. I learned so much.

Something I never dreamed of doing has now become something I can’t imagine not doing. … God knows us so much better than we know ourselves.

Most important, I finally realized that my salvation is not based on church or religion or my parents, but on my personal relationship with Christ, and knowing Him in a real and deep way. It wasn’t until more recently that I was really able to process my experience as a PK and come to this conclusion.

I admit that I went through the typical PK rebellion, and gave my parents a few (possibly many) gray hairs. I was absolutely determined to be my own person, and nobody was going to tell me who I should or shouldn’t be. When I graduated high school, I spent a semester at Foursquare’s Ignite program, but I was way too rebellious for that.

When I returned home, my parents practically begged me to go to Oral Roberts University (ORU), but I wouldn’t even consider it. I wanted to go to a secular school, and that I did. It wasn’t until I was miserable because my teachers were so liberal and most of my relationships were really shallow that I considered switching colleges. I decided to pray about it and ask God what I should do because my plan wasn’t really working. Guess what He told me? “Go to ORU.” God’s pretty funny.

In August 2011, I started my first semester at ORU. I declared my major as Spanish because it was the only class I liked. I never would have imagined that God would call me to be a missionary in a Spanish-speaking country. I thought I would teach or translate. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to travel to different countries to share God’s love with the world.

April 19, 2013, I was sitting in chapel at ORU when God told me that I would be a missionary. I have a note recorded on my phone from that day at exactly 11:45 a.m. that says, “I know without a doubt that I am called to do missions.”

A huge part of why I am where I am today is because of the spiritual leaders God has placed, and continues to place, in my life.

Approximately two years ago, I had never even been on a missions trip. Today, I have been on seven missions trips, and I am about to become a full-time missionary to El Salvador with Foursquare Missions International.

Something I never dreamed of doing has now become something I can’t imagine not doing. Through all of this, I have learned that God knows us so much better than we know ourselves, and that doing anything but God’s will for us is absolutely miserable. I have also learned that we absolutely cannot determine our future based on the way others view us. Our future is completely in God’s hands, despite our failures and shortcomings.

We have to not only believe that about ourselves, but believe that about others, as well. If I had only listened to what others thought about me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. But I chose to listen to what God thought of me, and many times that was reiterated through the people I surrounded myself with: friends, professors, leaders, mentors.

A huge part of why I am where I am today is because of the spiritual leaders God has placed, and continues to place, in my life to invest in me and the building of my character. For that, I can’t thank Him enough.

When I moved to Los Angeles, I was in a season of transition. I had just ended a three-year relationship, I had just been laid off, and I had been living in my grandmother’s house in Orange County, and she had recently passed away, causing tremendous grief and also necessitating that I find somewhere new to live.

Within a few months, God cleared the slate in my life and dropped me in Los Angeles. I moved in with my brother and his wife temporarily and began going with them to their church, Christian Assembly (Christian Assembly L.A. Foursquare Church) in Eagle Rock, just a few miles north of downtown L.A.

And so what began in a transitional phase of life soon became part of my regular routine and the center of community in my life. Christian Assembly was unlike any church I’d been to; the people were genuine and warm, and really wanted to know me. I soon got involved in a life-group and then started serving at the church’s café after Sunday night services. I met a girl who would become my roommate for over three years at one of the young adult retreats in my first few months at the church. I now live a mile from the church, and have been attending and serving there for over four years.

I have been blessed by the authentic community at Christian Assembly, and the vulnerability with which the church leaders and pastors live their lives. I’ve also been encouraged by the pastors who have prayed for me, supported my passions and given me counsel on how to tackle problems that have come up.

One thing I love about Christian Assembly is that it is concerned with the world outside the church walls. Personally, I have a passion to see an end to human trafficking, and it’s great to know my pastors are also concerned with this global issue. Girls around the world are being sold like products, and ever since I first learned about this, years ago, it started a fire inside me, and I’ve felt I have to do something about it.

When I started hearing about slavery and sex trafficking, I naturally looked at my skillset and talents for a way to engage. The problem was, my interests didn’t seem to line up with making a difference. I’m not a social worker, lawyer or psychologist. I’m someone who’s interested in fashion, trend analysis, wordplay and blogging. My interests felt shallow in the grand scheme of things. For years, I felt powerless and thought there was nothing I could do.

In 2009, everything began to change, and I didn’t even know it. I was bored and came up with the idea of wearing a dress every day for a month. When I realized the next full month was December, the name “Dressember” came to me and, because I love words, the deal was sealed.

I realized something that started as a silly idea, born out of boredom, had become a global movement. I started to realize the power of an idea.

So I did it; I wore a dress every day for a month. And never planned to do it again. The next year, a handful of girlfriends brought it up and wanted to do it with me. So we did. By the third year, women I didn’t even know were participating in it, and I thought, “OK, people aren’t just humoring me; this is a good idea.”

And then I saw what the Movember campaign was doing, raising millions for prostate cancer research through men growing mustaches in the month of November, and I thought, “Maybe I can use this to raise some money for anti-trafficking.” So, in its fifth year, 2013, I aligned Dressember with International Justice Mission and decided, “We’re gonna go big, we’re gonna aim high, we’re gonna try to raise $25,000”—which was a huge, scary goal.

And then we hit my huge, scary goal on the third day of our campaign, and what had started as a few girls wearing dresses for fun became a community of over 1,200 women in 32 countries who collectively raised over $165,000—over six times my original goal. Last year, we doubled our participation at over 2,600 women registered, and nearly tripled the funds raised, at over $465,000.

God is unfolding an incredible adventure in my life, and it’s been so encouraging to feel the support and prayers of my pastors.

I realized something that started as a silly idea, born out of boredom, had become a global movement. I started to realize the power of an idea.

God is unfolding an incredible adventure in my life, and it’s been so encouraging to feel the support and prayers of my pastors. One of my pastors is also a member of my board, and has helped in countless ways to shape the nonprofit foundation that Dressember has become. I feel so blessed to see how God placed me at Christian Assembly, alongside people who want to know and support me as I pursue His heart.

A longtime professor, author and award-winning educator, Doretha O’Quinn credits her many achievements to a key decision to pursue Foursquare credentials.

She took that step while majoring in theology at Life Pacific College (LPC, then called Life Bible College), prior to spending a year on the mission field in Panama. Not only does Foursquare represent her faith community and the people joining her on life’s journey—Doretha’s ordination credential confers legitimacy on her leadership.

“I’m honored by it,” says Doretha, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Southern California’s Vanguard University. “It affords me many opportunities to speak in [non-Foursquare] churches. Foursquare training is recognized as legitimate.”

She and Michael, her husband of 41 years, are assisting ministers at The Rock (Anaheim Foursquare Church) in Anaheim, Calif. Her entry into Foursquare life came as a teenager when she attended a Foursquare Crusaders youth retreat. Afterward, she wound up at West Adams Foursquare Church in Los Angeles. With Pastors Marvin and Juanita Smith as her spiritual mentors, she became a leader in Crusaders. At 18, she received a divine call to prepare for ministry.

“I didn’t even know what that was,” recalls Doretha, now a mother of four and grandmother of eight. “I just wanted to teach.”

Despite thinking of enrolling in a teachers college, Doretha followed God’s direction to LPC. There she got involved in ministry groups, worked in the ministry office, and started her development in Christian education under the tutelage of Dorothy Jean Furlong, a longtime faculty member well-known for her expertise in Christian education, who in her storied career also served as academic dean.

Doretha has taught leadership courses to educators, government officials and business leaders worldwide.

After returning to the States from Panama, Doretha took several post-graduate courses to obtain a teaching certificate. She taught initially at a Christian elementary school before taking three years off, during which time she gave birth to her two oldest children.

During the break, the elementary school extended an invitation to become its principal. When she returned to work, Doretha also pursued a master’s degree in education and administration.

This new role proved crucial to her career. While she was a principal, LPC asked her to teach two courses, which led to an opportunity to serve as an adjunct professor at Biola University. Eventually, she decided to obtain her doctorate in intercultural education, studying how students from different cultures learn.

Doretha has taught leadership courses to educators, government officials and business leaders worldwide. Her audiences have included parliament officials from four African nations, and leaders and expatriates in six countries on that continent. She also has mentored a pastor in Martinique, and has spoken at a women’s conference in South Africa.

Her doctoral studies paralleled a transition from secondary to higher education. After teaching at several universities, last year Vanguard hired her as its chief academic officer.

Doretha’s faith is integral to functioning in what is a highly visible and often pressure-packed position.

“I look at everything through the lens of my faith,” she says. “That is true whether it’s having peace in the midst of turmoil, confidence, or knowing my work is an assignment from the Lord.”

Her many achievements include being named “Outstanding African-American Educator of the Year” by Phi Delta Kappa, and writing or contributing to two books, including Silent Voices, Powerful Messages: The Historical Influence and Contribution of the African-American Experience in the Foursquare Gospel Movement (published by The Foursquare Church).

“The church should take the lead in showing the world how to live in diversity, instead of the world showing us.”

—Doretha O’Quinn, assisting minister at The Rock in Anaheim, Calif.

While at an age when many contemplate retirement, Doretha continues to press ahead in the cause for racial reconciliation. She longs to see the vision of Revelation 12 (every tribe, nation and tongue joining together) come to pass.

“At the end of the day, I think we’re going to be surprised at what we see in the kingdom of God,” Doretha says. “The church should take the lead in showing the world how to live in diversity, instead of the world showing us.”

Again, this is where Foursquare has played a central role in her life. Years ago, Foursquare Missions International Director Jim Scott and his wife, Melinda, were instrumental in working with students of different ethnicities when such a move was controversial.

“Their love and desire to engage people in difficult conversations was powerful,” says Doretha, who after those talks would later serve a term on Foursquare’s board of directors and as a trustee. “I truly appreciate them.”

My West African ancestors were musician warrior priests. When the tribe went into battle, the musician priests would go out first to clear the battlefield of evil spirits.

Then, in the 1800s, the tribe was converted by Methodist missionaries. My grandfather was an organist for the Methodist church in Accra, Ghana. This legacy of music is in my family’s DNA.

I was always interested in the creative process of music. I started piano when I was 4, learned the drums at 9 and picked up guitar at 12. As a child, I used to sing in the choir at church. But I never heard the gospel. I wasn’t an atheist; I just thought God was busy with His administration of the universe.

When I was 15, I got this job on Tin Pan Alley in London. I met Reg Dwight, who was 16 at the time and would one day be known as Elton John. We later played together with the band Bluesology.

Fast forward to age 33. I met Chester Thompson while he was working with Phil Collins. We were both professional musicians, but he wasn’t going crazy. He had a peace and solidity about him. And I thought: “This guy and his wife got something. Whatever it is, I want it. I need it.”

One day in 1982 he called and said: “Why don’t you come to church today? It’s Easter.” I’d tried everything else, so why not church? I wasn’t looking for Jesus, but I was looking for answers.

When we got there, I thought, “This can’t be church.” You see, the church I grew up in was from the 12th century. The pews were old; the stained glass windows were old. People were pickled in religion.

So I walked into this Foursquare church—which happened to be The Church On The Way (Van Nuys Foursquare Church) in Van Nuys, Calif., where I now serve as worship elder—and people were happy and hugging each other. They had drums and a big Yamaha mixing console, and I thought: “OK, my friend Chester has brought me to a surprise gig. Any minute the Grateful Dead are going to come out and blow us all away.”

Then the band started playing, and I heard God’s voice: “Caleb, it’s time for you to come home to me today. I have a new life for you.”

A lot of people say what you do is what you are; but that’s not true. What you do is out of who you are ... with God.

Now here’s where I think things are changing a lot. For a long time, I think church has been oblivious to outside musicians. Back in the day, there was an intense sacred and secular division. But here’s the thing: The Bible says Jesus supped with the publicans and sinners. He probably heard some really good music and just maybe tapped His foot. And the sinners actually enjoyed Jesus’ company.

All this to say, church people need not be afraid to go and see a good musician playing in a bar or restaurant. And they can go up and say, “Man, you sound great.” Musicians love that because most of the time they’re thinking whatever they’re doing is falling on deaf ears unless there’s thunderous applause. You don’t even have to talk about church; just strike up a relationship.

For those who are musicians, a lot of people say what you do is what you are; but that’s not true. What you do is out of who you are. When you make a mistake—and you will—all you have left to stand on is who you are with God.

God didn’t save me because I was a great guitar player. He saved me because I’m created in His own image, just like you, and He’s never given up on that. In the end, what defines you is a simple question: What does God think about you?

Grace Gonzalez knew since age 2 that she wanted to work in the medical field. She was convinced that her calling was to care for people and impact lives, and decided at a young age that she would do this by being a delivery nurse. But after completing a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and only one year shy of finishing her bachelor’s degree in nursing, doors started closing. She asked God, “If this is the desire you placed in my heart, why aren’t you allowing me to do this?”

Not long after, Grace was offered a management position in the second largest Wells Fargo branch in the bank’s district, where she had only begun working less than two years before. She had been promoted four times within that time—a rare accomplishment, as employees are usually required to work a full year in each position before being promoted.

Raised as a pastor’s kid—her parents pastor New Beginnings (Oviedo Foursquare Church) in the Orlando, Fla., area—Grace prayed. She understood this was an amazing opportunity but would only accept her manager’s offer on one condition: “If you can prove to me that I can find value in what I am doing and that I can make a difference, then you have my commitment,” she told him.

She accepted the job, and as she worked, she found herself helping employees and even customers meet professional and personal goals. She helped one teller gain a desired promotion, for example, allowing him the income he needed to support his family. She helped a customer cut his current debt by $200 a month so he could start start building a savings account. God had answered Grace’s prayer.

“God showed me that it is not about what you do, it is about how you do it—how you utilize your platform of influence to be able to make a difference,” Grace explains. “To be a nurse was my desire. His desire was for me to help people and be an influence.”

Today, at 26, this young game-changer continues to lead as a branch manager, carefully observing those around her and developing their strengths. She is known for promoting those under her supervision. In her first year as manager, she created 15 promotions within her branch.

“When people found pride in what they did, they began to perform even better,” she explains. When asked how she does this, she says, “I show an interest in them and in their success.”

“Jesus walked with people, not within church walls. We make the biggest impact by who we are in our everyday lives.”

—Grace Gonzalez, Wells Fargo branch manager and Foursquare member

Grace says that what she does shows the power of loving people versus managing people. It is important for her that every one of the 22 employees on her team is seen as an individual. So, she personally connects with each of them, getting know them and finding out what motivates them. She asks them questions such as: What do you want to be known for this year? Where do you want to be professionally? Where do you want to be personally? Then she helps them reach their goals.

Theresa Jordan, a personal banker in her team, says that every morning Grace is full of excitement and energy as she encourages the team for the day, and that she lives what she teaches.

“She has changed my life tremendously,” Theresa shares. “Seeing how she handles difficult situations. She’s passionate about helping people. She puts herself in their shoes.”

Grace knows what she is doing is not something new. It is what she sees in the lives of Jesus and Joseph.

“Jesus walked with people, not within church walls,” she says. “We make the biggest impact by who we are in our everyday lives.” About Joseph, she says: “No matter what position God placed him in, he chose to be the best in that position. Prisoner or slave, not only was he the best at it, but he chose to be the better person. He took the higher route.”

It is with this heart that Grace walks in her calling. Though it looks different than what she first imagined, her dream to care for people is being lived out as she leads people through processes of finding new purpose, motivation and life.

If Kelly Tshibaka had her way, she would be home helping raise five children and devoting more time to Mount Vernon Foursquare Fellowship (Mount Vernon Foursquare Church) in Alexandria, Va. Yet in early August, her ascent up the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., landed her an opportunity to serve as a senior leader in the Office of Inspector General with the U.S. Postal Service.

“God keeps wanting me to serve in government,” says Kelly, who started her career at the U.S. Department of Justice in 2002 and later worked as Counsel and Chief Investigator for the Office of Inspector General. “He keeps giving me crazy opportunities in my career. He has told me, ‘I’ve made you a Deborah. I’ve made you a mother to a nation.’ It surprises me that, in His plan, I’m more valuable to His work here than at church. People tell me things they can’t tell their pastor about.”

Despite her impressive job titles the past 13 years, the one she cherishes is co-pastor of Mount Vernon Foursquare Fellowship. She and her husband, Niki, planted the church in 2006 after mentoring from Daniel A. Brown, then supervisor of what was called the Capital District. Daniel had heard of their help with a Foursquare church plant in Cambridge, Mass., while both were attending Harvard Law School. He wanted to know if they would like to plant in the District of Columbia area.

“We were lawyers, not pastors,” Kelly recalls. “But he offered to take us out to dinner, and who can pass up a free dinner? Over the next four years, and many free dinners, Pastor Daniel intentionally discipled us to plant a church.”

Niki does most of the preaching, and handles such duties as overseeing the budget, providing spiritual counseling and coaching leaders through the licensing process. Together, he and Kelly have developed a variety of leaders. Among other things, they have been key in the Foursquare credentialing of 11 new pastors, sponsored seven new church plants and helped an architect become a fulltime missionary serving street kids in Haiti.

“I led two six-week studies at the CIA called ‘How to Study the Bible’ that were largely attended by non-believers.”

—Kelly Tshibaka, co-pastor of Mount Vernon Foursquare Fellowship in Alexandria, Va.

Kelly has helped lead Mount Vernon’s spiritual formation and developed the church’s operational aspects. Her church duties include preaching, leading discipleship groups and adult Bible studies, and directing the children’s and women’s programs.

Still, her leading spiritual duty comes in the marketplace. Though emphasizing she avoids being obnoxious, she is still vocal about her Christian identity while at work. That includes leading discipleship groups at work, reading the Bible and discipling people. One of her disciples later resigned as a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department to become a pastor on staff at a Presbyterian megachurch.

“I’ve led Bible studies and started Christian fellowship networks at work,” Kelly says. “I led two six-week studies at the CIA called ‘How to Study the Bible’ that were largely attended by non-believers.”

Indeed, Kelly feels her leading assignment is to pastor people at the agency where she works. An example is what happened the time she walked through the CIA on a break and made eye contact with a man. Feeling the Holy Spirit’s leading to talk with him, when she walked outside he followed. The man told her he was looking for a chaplain and felt he was supposed to talk to her.

Kelly replied that she had experience talking to God. She suggested they sit down for 10 minutes and make notes of what they sensed the Lord was saying. At the end of that time, their notes matched. That gave him vital direction regarding a work dilemma, which would also affect his marriage.

Kelly sees “divine appointment” written all over such contacts. “One friend who was part of my ‘How to Study the Bible’ course is of another faith tradition and had always thought things about it were lacking,” Kelly says. “I was the first Christian willing to answer his questions about Jesus.”

Such stories show how God has His people everywhere, especially in the marketplace. Kelly thinks more believers should make their presence known.

“One other thing that surprises me is how few Christians at work are open about it,” she says. “That makes me sad. I’ve been attacked pretty brutally, so I understand why they remain silent. But I speak up anyway.”

Windy Veach faithfully serves her local Foursquare church and supports her husband, David, in his appointment as supervisor of the Northwest District. But her passion for ministry has another side, too—feeding a lifelong passion to teach children and work within the education system.

As a second grade teacher for a low-income public school, Blix Elementary School in East Tacoma, Wash., she finds ways to minister to others in a similar teaching role.

What drew you to teaching?

I always wanted to be a teacher, and my high school implemented a program where I would go to the local grade school and help a teacher. That experience really fed and sealed my lifelong desire to be a teacher.

How has your local Foursquare church supported you?

Jon and Wendy McIntosh of Grace Church (Federal Way North Foursquare Church) work amazingly with elementary schools in Federal Way, Wash. At the very end of giving out supplies to their schools, they let me come and glean. I’ve gotten scissors, glue sticks, highlighters and countless supplies that many of my students can’t afford. Jon and Wendy’s thoughtfulness and generosity have been a huge blessing.

How can church leaders support church members sent into teaching?

I’ll go back to what the McIntoshes have done. As a church, they adopted several public schools. Ultimately, it’s about children who need supplies, support and, most of all, volunteers. I would love to see our churches adopt schools and be their superpower, their hero.

What advice would you give to those sent to teaching?

Surround yourself with people who are going to rally for you. It’s rewarding but hard work, and you need a great support system, whether it’s family, friends or other teachers.

Their fun-loving, entertaining personalities fill Honolulu’s airwaves before the sun peeks over the island each morning. The hosts of HammerTime, Krater 96.3’s flagship morning radio show, Gregg Hammer, Shawnee Hammer and Davey D see each day as an opportunity to live out their faith on the air.

“It’s a secular station, so we can’t preach on the air. But the show is about our lives, so we share about how we all go to church on Sundays,” Shawnee says. “And I think people can really hear how much we love each other—hopefully that’s God’s love shining out.”

With more than 50 years of collective broadcasting experience, these three never thought they would be hosting the same show. “In fact, Gregg and I used to work for competing stations during the same time slot,” Davey notes.

Shawnee shares that, five years ago, she and Gregg weren’t even sure they would be married for much longer, let alone working together each morning. “But God redeemed and restored our marriage,” she says.

So when Krater approached Gregg and Shawnee about starting a morning show after Gregg had left his former station, they knew God was orchestrating something big.

“We were totally on board with the idea because we had such a renewed relationship,” Shawnee says. “The whole show was really a God thing—He brought the three of us together for His purpose.” The three have been teaming up to host HammerTime for the past two years.

“We made it clear that we were not going to do the kind of show that Gregg came from, which was full of gossip,” Shawnee explains. “We wanted to be entertaining and funny, but without being detrimental to our walk with God.”

For Gregg, covering what’s happening in society on the air is another chance to live out his faith. “We try to bring attention to issues without coming off like we’re picketing against things or hatemongering. Instead, we do it in a gentle and kind way,” he says.

“The whole show was really a God thing. He brought the three of us together for His purpose.”

—Shawnee Hammer, co-host of the HammerTime radio show in Honolulu.

Davey attends New Hope Windward (Kaneohe Foursquare Church) in Kailua, where Pastor Dave Barr looks for ways to cultivate Davey’s skillset.

“I'm trained in a secular industry, so I never would have thought that I would end up on stage at church,” Davey shares. “But I’ve been up there doing announcements and even offering messages. It’s been great to use my talents for God’s purposes.”

Similarly, Gregg and Shawnee have had the opportunity to share with their congregation, C4 Christ Centered Community Church (Diamond Head Foursquare Church) in Honolulu, pastored by Fernando Castillo, who also serves as supervisor of the Hawaii District.

“C4 was the first place Gregg and I were able to share the testimony of our restored marriage,” Shawnee says. “We’ve all been blessed by our churches to be able to serve and to use the stories God has given us to share with others.”

In addition, Gregg recently became a credentialed Foursquare minister and has joined the teaching team at C4.

For Gregg, Shawnee and Davey, ministry doesn’t stop at the walls of their church buildings. Instead, it continues as they spend time with family, invest in their communities, and as they step up to the HammerTime microphone each weekday morning.

“We know we can be a light to others by using our lives as the example,” Shawnee says. “You don’t have to constantly hit people over the head with Scripture—you can live out that Scripture by loving someone who has hurt you or by having patience and kindness. That’s really what we focus on—trying to be the example that Jesus gave us in our everyday lives.”

It all started out as a joke—a college football player trying out for the school musical because his friend thought it would be amusing. He didn’t care if he got the part. He’d never acted, and, quite honestly, he was just goofing around.

But one week later Juan Alfonso, then a freshman at Azusa Pacific University, walked into his coach’s office and quit the sport he loved to focus on a new dream: his acting career.

“That was sort of the beginning in my journey in the arts,” recalls Juan, a member of Media City Church (Burbank Foursquare Church) in Burbank, Calif., who 12 years later is making a name for himself in Hollywood and finds he has been sent to influence the acting community for Christ.

Dominican born and U.S. raised, the 32-year-old actor credits his diversity for shaping him into a more versatile performer. Upon arriving in Southern California’s Orange County with his parents and younger brother at age 8, he encountered the culture shock, the language barrier and the peers who bullied him because they weren’t accepting of his “Latino-ness.”

“We heard it all, the name-calling, spit on, everything,” shares Juan, who found comfort in his younger brother and in comedy.

A fan of comedian actor Jim Carrey’s work, Juan thought, “He’s making people laugh, I want to make people laugh.” But before having a steady career, he lived through the same challenge thousands of struggling actors face: finding a way to pay the bills. “There was a process of time where I had to work [at night] to be able to audition during the day,” he says.

Juan and his cousin launched a party planning business that took off. But he recalls it felt like he was away from where God wanted him to be. So he made the decision to trust God with his finances and career, leaving the nightlife. Media City Church, where he attends with his fiancée, Danielle, was crucial in his determination to trust God’s provision.

“It was the encouragement that I got from the church to really make that decision to step out in faith and trust God,” he explains. “Now I’m able to just live off of acting, and it’s been quite a journey. God has been so great at taking care of me. We all have a role to play, and I think a pastor’s role is one of the most important when it comes to sending disciples to ministry,” he adds.

“I just do my job, love people, show the light, and surprisingly people open up to me.”

—Juan Alfonso, actor and member of Media City Church (Burbank Foursquare Church) in Burbank, Calif.

Juan is now living his dream—he was recently cast on the CBS sitcom Mom, for example, where he performed in front of a live audience alongside actors such as Anna Faris and Allison Janney.

Whether it’s through his performance or everyday life on the set, Juan sees acting as his ministry. “I just do my job, love people, show the light, and surprisingly people open up to me,” he says.

One of those people is 23-year-old Moises Martinez, who met Juan on the set of a commercial. “Juan was very welcoming, and he appreciated I was looking to learn and understand my role,” he says. Moises relocated to Los Angeles from Texas to pursue his own dream. The young actor, who meets with Juan regularly, says the way his friend stepped out in faith with his career is inspiring.

Juan and his future bride plan to launch a children’s arts ministry at Media City Church. He wants to equip children and parents for the journey they will embark on, while promoting the arts.

“And who knows, maybe the kids will be able to minister to people through the productions at the church, and change lives,” he says. “They will see that you can do your part to tell the Good News by using your gifts.”

God began preparing Chanda Crutcher, early in her life, to work with senior citizens. “Growing up,” she says, “my grandparents were my favorite people and instrumental in the path I chose.”

What became a career was a passion all along. “I started as a caregiver in a nursing home, then worked in corporate America as a nursing home administrator for many years,” shares Chanda. “But even as a little girl, I was always involved with older adults.”

Years of healthcare experience and a heart for disabled and disregarded senior citizens started converging in Chanda’s life. God was preparing her for a new venture.

“I was driving down the road, and I saw this vision: Life was on one hand and death on the other, and our older adults were in the middle,” she explains. “Many had never heard the gospel, and those who had were articulating to us that they felt abandoned by the church. I saw a window of opportunity to help these individuals finish well, and that’s where American Senior Assistance Programs, Inc. (ASAP) started.”

Statistics in the corporate world were not on their side, though. Most data on small businesses agrees that nearly 50 percent of them fail within the first five years. Building a God-given dream, however, doesn’t rely on probability. When deciding where to pour her time and energy, Chanda lays down a solid foundation of prayer and fasting. “I’m seeking the ‘God idea,’ not just another ‘good’ idea,” she asserts.

Now, nearly 10 years later, Chanda and her ASAP team have experienced incredible growth and accomplished tremendous goals, not only helping seniors and their families, but also creating a safe, family friendly work environment.

“I think the greatest thing people can say is that they work for a faith-based, for-profit business,” she states. “For us, business is also ministry.”

“No area of my life is exempt from God’s grace, provision, wisdom and council, and that has been an invaluable and integral part of my business model.”

—Chanda Crutcher, founding director of American Senior Assistance Programs, Inc. (ASAP).

Many of the clientele that Chanda and her staff serve either have, or are caring for, someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and Chanda has found that very often the first activity to drop off is going to church. More recently, she is noticing that an increasing number of her Huntsville, Ala., clients in their 70s and 80s are agnostic; but for the ASAP team, this is a blessed opportunity.

“When people know you care about them, they eventually want to know why,” Chanda says. “And when you get to that point of why, it opens the doors wide open for us to share Jesus,” she shares.

Chanda’s experience as a CEO and her connection to Foursquare—she serves as missional pastor of Restoration (Huntsville Foursquare Church) in nearby Madison—led her to Life Pacific College (also called Life Bible College), where she learned a vital lesson about being a business owner.

“No area of my life is exempt from God’s grace, provision, wisdom and council,” she asserts, “and that has been an invaluable and integral part of my business model.”

This principle has affected every part of ASAP right down to their director of First Impressions, who also serves as the company’s intercessor. “Her priority is to cover us in prayer, and our staff go to her for spiritual intercession,” Chanda explains. “One area I have learned not to slip up in these 10 years is keeping God at the forefront with prayer.”

When people come to Chanda for corporate startup advice, her first question is always about where their dream business is focused. If they say they don’t know, then her advice is also a challenge.

“Ask God to break your heart for what breaks His, and He will build on that foundation,” she advises. “If your passion takes you down an entrepreneurial path, then run down that road full speed.

“But personally,” she continues, “I couldn’t see myself making the sacrifices I’ve made for our company’s growth if God hadn’t broken my heart and given me a passion to help older adults finish well. Don’t compartmentalize God—let Him into every area of your life, then let your passion drive your process.”

Read more about Chanda’s personal story in a candid article she wrote for foursquare.org, titled “God’s Miraculous Grace.”

Two dynamic Foursquare women, Norma Perez-Morin and Rosalinda P. Vint, have answered the call of being sent across Los Angeles and to other California locations to provide loving and Christ-like care for thousands of children raised in the foster-care system, from little babies to troubled foster youth who end up in the prison system.

Roughly 400,000 children under the age of 18 are in the U.S. foster-care system today, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Amazingly, 20 percent, or 80,000 of these kids, live in Greater Los Angeles, an area that comprises numerous Foursquare churches as well as the central office.

Norma Perez-Morin, co-pastor with her husband, Javier, of Sycamore Park Foursquare Church in Los Angeles, closed her San Dimas real estate practice in 2013 to found the nonprofit Orphans Among Us. Today she networks with churches, government agencies and private organizations to place children in godly homes and train adults as foster parents.

“I’ve connected with 120 churches, and we are training 40 prospective foster parents and 23 people who are becoming mentors to older youth,” says Norma. “Our church has hosted orientations with [individuals in] county government, where more than 400 people have learned how to become foster or adoptive parents.”

Norma and Javier themselves have fostered numerous kids, offering them a loving sanctuary from an overburdened system. “On average,” Norma says, “a foster child will live in 15 to 20 homes between ages 9 and 18.” Such instability is linked to another bleak reality, she adds: “Nationwide, 75 percent of inmates and 80 percent of prostitutes have been through the foster-care system.”

Foursquare President Glenn Burris Jr. believes The Foursquare Church can lead the way in foster-care ministry. “When I met with Glenn and General Supervisor Tammy Dunahoo,” notes Norma, “they were moved by the statistics and want to see our churches change the numbers.”

“On average, a foster child will live in 15 to 20 homes between ages 9 and 18. Nationwide, 75 percent of inmates and 80 percent of prostitutes have been through the foster-care system.”

—Norma Perez-Morin, co-pastor of Sycamore Park Foursquare Church in Los Angeles

Changing the numbers is the goal of Rosalinda P. Vint, an assisting minister at LightHouse Church (Newbury Park Foursquare Church), who left a corporate career to found the Newbury Park-based nonprofit Women of Substance & Men of Honor, Inc. (WOSMOH) in 2000.

“We work with kids ages 12-24 who have crossed over from foster care to juvenile justice or prison,” says Rosalinda, a former FedEx senior executive. “We go into juvenile halls and probation camps and some prisons in California to share God’s love and provide transitional and leadership classes for young men and women.”

Earlier this year, Rosalinda’s success with California’s troubled youth led to an invitation from the White House to meet with President Obama. Accompanying her was James Anderson, a former San Quentin inmate discipled through WOSMOH who today is program coordinator for the California nonprofit ARC (Anti-Recidivism Coalition).

James is one of more than 3,000 young people Rosalinda has reached through WOSMOH—though she views each as being equally important. “I don’t see them as a number,” she says, “but as a person with a heart.”

Rosalinda herself grew up in foster care, in Los Angeles County, where she suffered physical and sexual abuse. Yet she succeeded in life partly due to her last two foster parents, a vibrant Christian couple who demonstrated unconditional love for her.

“I can relate to the feelings of abandonment and loss of hope these kids have,” she says. “None of them woke up and said, ‘Today I am going to be an awful person.’ Many times they are hurting so badly they act out. My goal is—save one youth at a time.”

Involvement by churches and individuals is vital to successful foster-care ministry. If you would like to help, email Norma Perez-Morin or contact Rosalinda P. Vint through her website.

On Dec 10, 2014, I didn’t wake up to go to work. My husband, Michael, called 911, and when the paramedics arrived, they realized something was very wrong. At the hospital, they determined I had suffered a major stroke, and there was a 99 percent chance that I wouldn’t make it out of surgery.

The subsequent hours aren’t personally known by me, but I’ve learned from my husband, kids, family and friends that because of the power of God and so many prayers, a miracle was done—not only did I wake up, but I wanted to go back to business!

In the emergency room, family, friends and staff from Foursquare’s central offices, where I work to serve pastors, gathered to pray for me as they waited for the diagnosis. When the surgeon entered the room and pulled my husband aside, he told Michael of my one percent chance of surviving surgery, and that if I did survive, it may not be in a way he would have hoped.

Michael gathered my sister and our kids, and told them to come kiss me goodbye. He did not at that point tell them of the dismal survival prediction. After the surgery, the doctor returned with the news that I had survived, and that it was now a waiting game.

My brother, his wife and son arrived from Portland, Ore., as soon as my surgery was over; they had left as soon as they got the news of what had happened to me. He, my sister and Michael stayed by my bedside in the hospital.

When the surgeon entered the room and pulled my husband aside, he told Michael of my one percent chance of surviving surgery, and that if I did survive, it may not be in a way he would have hoped.

I am overwhelmed by the amount of support I received throughout this journey. It started with the tidal wave of prayers that were lifted up on my behalf around the world. The Foursquare central offices pulled together to support us however they could. 

There were countless visits at the hospital. I was there for one month and never spent a night alone. My family was provided with dinners for two months. I wasn’t able to eat for three months, but the aroma of these amazing meals helped me make this a goal ... that I gratefully have reached.

I had amazing doctors, nurses and therapists. I was glad to share with them the shining light of God’s love as they cheered me on along the way and taught me how to overcome the issues caused by the stroke. Since then, my speech therapist has joined us at church.

I learned to walk again, talk again, eat again, flip a page, sign a paper ... oh, so many things! God is the only one who can explain how far I’ve come. It was He who took the one percent chance of survival diagnosis and flipped it around.

I was glad to share with them the shining light of God’s love as they cheered me on along the way and taught me how to overcome the issues caused by the stroke.

Now I am at my “new 100 percent.” There are some things I still can’t do, and some things I will never do, but what I can do is a big celebration to me and to those around me. I am a living testimony of the power of prayer.

I’m back at work in my role with The Foursquare Church in Los Angeles as the assistant corporate secretary. My service includes assisting in the production of the annual report and church directory, processing annual credential renewals, and assisting with the annual cabinet, executive council and convention meetings. I am a director for Echo Park Evangelistic Association, which promotes the work of Foursquare’s founder, Aimee Semple McPherson, and I get to connect with our movement’s ForeRunners around the country.

God is so good!

I have not always been a Christian. I was Wiccan for about 10 years, from around age 16 to 25. This was not some phase. I took the religion seriously, just as I do my Christian walk today.

I was high priestess in the local group I was involved in. I devoted myself to the pleasing of false gods and goddesses. After some time, though, I found the religion left me empty and nervous. In most pagan religions, you have to constantly appease the gods and goddesses with all kinds of offerings and praise, else they might cause you to have a horrible life and bad fortune.

I did all I could, and in my time of need, I had no comfort from these gods and goddesses, only loneliness and depression. This is the sad lie I lived with for years. I was hopeless. After a very emotional night that brought me to the point of giving up, I prayed for God to answer me, any god or goddess, just something real. I prayed that whatever was real would reveal itself to me, and I would then follow the rest of my life.

The next day, a Bible appeared in my work mailbox without explanation from anyone. In addition, a Christian song came over the radio, and someone also spoke a word of knowledge over me, explaining God had bigger plans for me than I could imagine. I knew my prayer was answered by the one true God and not the manmade gods that could never answer my prayer because they were merely demonic representations to keep me astray.

I was hopeless. I prayed that whatever was real would reveal itself to me, and I would then follow the rest of my life.

I searched for churches, going to all kinds and feeling something missing from each one. I came to Foursquare after much research for a denomination that was biblically sound, diverse, focused on missions, and that embraced family.

When I first walked through the doors of Westside Church (Chesapeake West Foursquare Church) in Chesapeake, Va., I not only was embraced as a long-lost sister, but also my whole family felt this was where we were meant to be planted. This was my first real encounter with a Pentecostal/charismatic church, and seeing people so open to the Holy Spirit was refreshing and moving.

I attend the prayer meetings on Sunday mornings; praying for one another in time of need has opened me up to the Holy Spirit in a way I never imagined possible.

Westside is a true family environment. My four children all love going to church and interacting not just with their own age groups, but also with seniors and other adults. Westside is big on family integration, which means simply doing things as a family and not segregating by age.

Praying for one another in time of need has opened me up to the Holy Spirit in a way I never imagined possible.

Quickly after coming to Westside, we joined and looked for opportunities to serve. My husband and I became the middle school youth leaders. Our aim is to empower them in God’s truth so they will not be led astray as I once was. This has been a blessing to me in that I have really been challenged to dig deeper into the Bible and the timeless message it has for all, no matter the age.

Soon after we began this ministry, I felt God calling me to attend college and become the young adult leader. Leading the young adults has been tremendously rewarding, as I am helping them see how the Bible applies to them and the importance of discipleship in their personal walk.

I am currently attending a Foursquare-aligned college, New Hope Christian College in Eugene, Ore., via their online program for church leadership, and have found my ministry opportunities to relate to my education in uncanny ways. I am able to apply my education while volunteering as a ministry leader in real ways.

Our aim is to empower [youth and young adults] in God’s truth so they will not be led astray.

This helps my education continually be reinforced and serve the ministries I run and help in to a greater capacity. I am also involved in Westside’s women’s ministry, and I help with the dance ministry, as well.

Westside and Foursquare at large have given me the support to flourish and begin to see how God can use me as I find my place in His big picture. I am so thankful for this church and am pleased to say, “I am Foursquare.”

Our family knew God was amazing, but in summer 2015 we had the actual experience of desperately needing His goodness, mercy and love even more than we normally do. Our daughter, sweet Avarose, got sick, and we were given a scary diagnosis: 90 percent chance that she had multiple sclerosis (MS).

Avarose, our ballerina, had somehow become sick on our summer family trip. By the time we got home, she was being admitted to the hospital for tests. After the initial MRI came back, we were transferred to Stanford Children’s Hospital.

We had joined Santa Cruz Hope Foursquare Church in Soquel, Calif., pastored by Danny Bennett, just that June. I reached out to Danny and his wife, Jenny, and other church leaders, as well as my friends and family, for prayer. I texted Joe Gruber, an assisting minister at the church, right away and asked for prayer. The leadership team got back to me right away to let me know that everyone was praying. I can’t tell you how supported I felt, knowing that so many were praying for Avarose.

After three days and dozens of doctors, my husband, Andrew, and I were taken into a very brightly lit room with whiteboards on every wall. The doctors sat around the table with us while they began to explain that Avarose had a 90 percent chance of MS.

Everyone in that room was in tears, including the doctors. They had all fallen in love with Avarose. Andrew and I just held each other and cried. It was the worst moment of my life so far. But God had a plan.

Everyone in that room was in tears, including the doctors. … It was the worst moment of my life so far. But God had a plan.

The next day, I felt like a superhero. Even though the diagnosis was scary, God had given me a clear vision that Avarose was healed. While laying hands on her one afternoon, I was given the gift of knowing, sensing and spiritually seeing Jesus next to me. He placed His hand in mine, and then led my hand and His hand to touch Avarose. He told me that all confused cells had left her body. Then He told me that I could believe Him or not. I believed Him.

Later that afternoon, after the 20th doctor had been in to see Avarose, she grabbed my arm, looked me directly in the eyes and declared: “Mom, there is absolutely nothing wrong with me, I promise!” I told her that I was in agreement and that we just needed to wait on the doctor’s orders to go home.

Two days later, Avarose was able to go home with her scary diagnosis, paperwork and medication. God continued to give me strength, and I continued to believe Avarose was healed. I asked for more prayer.

We waited two weeks, believing God, for our hugely anticipated appointment with the most highly respected doctor of neurology at Stanford. He was the doctor who had so confidently given us the MS diagnosis, and this was to be our first time seeing him in his office to discuss Avarose’s future treatment. What God did shocked all of us!

The doctor told us that some of the many tests they had run at Stanford had all come back, and they were all negative. One of the tests was an MS indicator, and we were thrilled this test was negative. Then he told us that actually one test had come back positive.

The reality of God’s goodness, mercy and healing had cleared any remaining doubt. God had healed her.

Avarose had tested positive for a common virus, but in rare cases, this virus looks like MS. He explained that given this test outcome being positive and the other indicator test being negative, Avarose would probably never be in his office again. He told us that he might like to see her in a year, but probably never again.

Celebrating God and His healing of Avarose, we left the office and went home to resume normal life again. It took a bit to shake the worry off, but finally the reality of God’s goodness, mercy and healing had cleared any remaining doubt. God had healed her.

I am thankful for the support of my church family during this time. Avarose is back at ballet, living her normal life. As for me, I teach Holy Yoga at the church. After the first Sunday we had visited the church, I met Pastor Danny, shared my personal testimony, and he agreed that Holy Yoga would be great. So that’s what I do, every Friday night at 7 p.m. God is good!

I first saw Yaseer Handall at Foursquare Connection 2014 in Dallas, when he and his wife, Monique, gave their testimony. I turned to my wife and said, “This couple is like us.”

What they were saying, and how God had led them to serve Native Americans, really resonated with us for native Hawaiians and Polynesians.

After convention, we’d planned a missions trip to the Hopi reservation in Northern Arizona with Jack Lankhorst, senior pastor of Christian Life Center (Arlington Foursquare Church) in Riverside, Calif. When we walked into the place where we would be staying, guess what couple we ran into? The Handalls.

That trip, and then later at First Nations Cry Out, we really got to know Yaseer. There are many similarities between Native Americans and Polynesians in their cultures, their way of thinking and their perspectives.

Yaseer came to Hawaii in January, and we started praying through what God wanted for Foursquare Connection 2016—being held May 30–June 2 in Honolulu—and the Lord gave us Ezekiel 37:9-10.

The next day we were talking, and I was thinking: “Man, we’ve got to do something. But what?” I knew Yaseer wanted to pray for the convention center, so while we were praying and meditating on the Ezekiel passage, I said, “Dude, we’ve got to pray to the four winds like the scriptures say.”

This was the inspiration for what we did the next day with the video, praying over the four corners of Oahu. Speaking as a native, we’ve always had this feeling of inferiority. So I think this prayer was like saying: “No. We’ve been given this land. God purposefully allowed us to be born native to this place. He’s called us to breathe life back into these people who feel dead or forgotten.”

There are pastors around the world who need to get together in dialog, pray about this and be united.

But I also think it’ll be a confirmation to different pastors that we’re not just alone on an island. There are pastors around the world who need to get together in dialog, pray about this and be united.

I think this is so important to God—it’s not just a novelty—but I also don’t want misunderstanding that we, as the First People, are trying to silo ourselves away from the bigger body. It’s a support of the bigger body, and it’s also to help encourage native ministries to embrace what God is doing as our part of the bigger body.

So, this is my prayer for Connection 2016 in Hawaii:

“God, I just thank You for this opportunity to really open up the seas as You bring so many people to our island in the middle of the Pacific. That you will isolate us here to symbolically separate and sanctify ourselves from the busyness or preconceived perceptions about You and Your kingdom.

“Open our eyes and the ears of our hearts to hear You clearly. You spoke to Ezekiel, and we’re asking that You breathe into areas of our lives that we thought were dead—culturally, spiritually, mentally, emotionally—that You breathe life into these slain, these dry bones. That You not only raise up these areas in our lives, but raise them up in unity with others.

“So Lord, bring about a breakthrough, a new understanding, and a new revival that starts with us and in our hearts individually. Let us see with new eyes, let us hear with new ears, the vision that You have for Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.”