Multicultural Report

To read or download the pdf version of this report, use one of these two buttons:

2022 Multicultural Report for EFCA Central Conference   Jan. 5, 2023

Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.  For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of his hand. ~Psalm 95:6,7

Humble prayer characterizes Godly worship.  Kneeling is a physical expression of an inward posture before our maker.  The Lord delights to show his power in our humility as “the sheep of His hand”.  Please read this multicultural report of 2022 in a spirit of humble worship for the great things He has done among all people in EFCA Central in 2022.

For the last 4 years, Renato Jimenez, Worku Geremew, Andre Turner, George Tluanga, and Brad Wos have served as your EFCA Central Acts 13 Multicultural team to multiply church within a church locations. As a team, we have seen our multicultural locations multiply from 13 in 2017 to 40 locations in 2022. The 3 primary multicultural church planting models are the integrated model, the incubator model, and the independent model. The 40 locations are primarily integrated and incubator multicultural models. As a staff, we have agreed to begin to pursue an independent multicultural model for 2023.

At the start of 2023, we also humbly ask you pray Ephesians 2:10.  Pray we “kneel before the Lord our maker” and trust him to paint his “poema” of workmanship to specifically plant a prototype multicultural church in the city of St. Louis.  Our EFCA staff have been learning from the EFCA multicultural model of Edge City, NYC.  You can visit their website at edgecitychurch.com for more information.  St. Louis is one of the fastest growing foreign born cities in America.  The Lord has sent his global ambassadors to St. Louis.  Please pray for the Ambassador City EFCA Immigrant Church plant project in St. Louis to multiply international disciple makers.

Rejoicing in the arrival of Rev. George Lal Nun Tluanga from Myanmar Burma
Thank you for praying and waiting with us on the green card visa for George and his wife Cte!  We rejoice in the arrival of George and Cte in Columbia MO on December 15, 2022.  The picture to the left was taken at Compass EFCA in Columbia where Pastor Craig Kidder and Brad are celebrating in worship the arrival of the Tluanga family.  Immigrant Hope has been outstanding to help us process, pray, and wait for their visa for 3 years.  Pastor George was the Evangelical Free Church President of Myanmar overseeing 150 churches before accepting the call to plant multicultural churches here in the EFCA Central.  George will pastor the Columbia Mizo Church project that has been meeting at Compass EFCA for the last 4 years.  George also serves as your resource to learn to love our Buddhist neighbors.  There are 30,000 Myanmar Burmese refugees in Iowa and Missouri so please contact George to come and speak at your Church on loving your Asian neighbors at: [email protected]

Please pray for George and his wife to find housing, furniture, and a car in their new city of Columbia.  Pray too for George’s daughter, Elizabeth, in her studies at Trinity in Chicago.

Rejoicing in the ordination of Rev. Renato Jimenez with Summit EFCA in Alta, IA
Rejoice in the Lord as Renato Jimenez (Pictured seated in the center with his wife, Nelly) was unanimously approved for ordination as our first homegrown Hispanic EFCA Central ordained pastor on October 19th.  Renato serves as the Multicultural Director and Campus Pastor of Summit EFCA in Alta, Iowa.  What an honor to walk with Renato these last 6 years and serve Jesus together by loving the sojourner on our Acts 13 All People team.  January 29th, Brad and George plan to travel to Summit EFCA to preach at Renato’s ordination service.  Please join us in congratulating Renato on his ordination and his vision to multiply Spanish speaking pastors in the EFCA Central through EFCA Gateway ministry training.  For more information Spanish EFCA Gateway please email: [email protected]

Renato will not be at our EFCA Central Conference in March.  Renato and a team of 12 will travel to Spain for a two-week mission outreach.  Please pray for the Spain mission!

Please also pray for the 13th annual Latino Family camp at Hidden Acres August 11-13, 2023. Make this your year for your Church to attend the camp to love our Latino families!

Rejoicing in the Reach Global Africa Disciple Making Partnership with Worku Geremew
Yes, that is a Hidden Acres shirt being worn by one of our Kenyan partners in Nairobi! Rejoice with Worku Geremew (pictured in middle) and Brad as they traveled to Kenya March 10-20 to partner with Reach Global partner Lifeway Mission. In 2022, Lifeway Mission planted 2200 churches in 18 countries in East Africa.  Our EFCA Central leaders saw disciple making in community modeled by Lifeway Mission led by Dr. Aila Tasse.  Pastor John Richardson of First Free of St. Louis was one of the key promoters of the trip.  First Free St. Louis has officially adopted the Samburu people and is committed to making annual mission trips to Kenya. If you want to learn more on Disciple Making please contact Worku Geremew: [email protected]

Please also pray for Worku as he mobilizes disciples through Faith and Work in St Louis.

Rejoicing in the National African American Mission Conference with Andre Turner in D.C.
Rev. Andre Turner and Lenard Johnson from Truth & Grace EFCA in St Louis are pictured in D.C. while attending the National African American Mission Conference in June 2022. McLean Bible Church hosted 350 leaders from 27 mission agencies with a beautiful community of great commission vision of Revelation 7:9.  Andre and Lenard also attended in November the National Mosaix Multicultural Conference in Dallas.  The networking of both of these conferences have built a structural framework for African American led mission across the street and around the world.  Please pray for the new St. Louis Ambassador City Church plant to draw from this African American led network especially for University ministry collaboration in 2023.

Please pray for Pastor Andre as his wife, Lola, was called home to Jesus in April 2022 after a 3 year battle with a brain tumor. Pray Psalm 90:14 that the Lord will satisfy Andre with his steadfast love that is new every morning. Pray for credentialing for Andre in 2023.

Rejoicing in the arrival of Abigail, the first granddaughter for Brad & Patty Wos
In December, Brad celebrated 6 years with the EFCA Central and his 2015 Honda CRV turned over 192,000 miles. What an honor to serve you on the EFCA Central team to multiply churches among all people. As we started this annual report the key prayer request is for the 2023 St Louis Multicultural Ambassador City Church plant project.  For those of you who are grandparents you understand the outside catalyst dynamics of how to raise up the next generation. Please pray for the Lord to mobilize a multigenerational, multicultural, multilocation disciple making culture that Loves the Sojourner in St. Louis. Please also pray for Brad as he is writing his Doctor of Ministry Thesis on Diaspora Church planting at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis with a planned graduation of May 2024.

If you or your church desire to be on ‘Mission across the Street and around the World’ please email Brad at [email protected].  There are many multicultural ministries that are rooted in life-on-life disciple making such as EFCA Gateway, Immigrant Hope, Faith & Work Cohorts, or attending a Multicultural Church Planting training in St. Louis.  Please email your Acts 13 leaders how we can serve you in 2023.

Submitted by Rev. Brad Wos                      EFCA Central Multi-Cultural Director