2020 Multicultural Report for EFCA Central Conference Jan. 12, 2021 “Barnabas, Simeon of Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, and Saul.” Acts 13 Acts 13:1 shows us a picture of a beautiful community of 5 multicultural leaders in the church at Antioch. The Church reported in Acts 11:21 ‘the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord’. We see the mutual humility of these 5 multicultural leaders working together for the Kingdom. In the quarantine of 2020 God brought together 5 leaders in mutual humility to seek The Lord’s Kingdom together in an Acts 13 team in our EFCA Central for Mission across the street and around the world. Renato Jimenez, Worku Geremew, Andre Turner, George Tluanga, and Brad Wos served as the Acts 13 Multicultural team for our EFCA Central in 2020. As a team we pursue this Multicultural mission to empower multicultural leaders in 2020. To Empower Multi-cultural leaders to follow Jesus in their walk, work, and worship to plant All people churches through teams & systems that multiply networks to All People both across the street and around the world.

Zoom cohorts is the best way to summarize 2020 Multicultural ministry. April Warfield, the EFCA National Multicultural Director, is pictured here leading one of our Multiethnic Conversation Cohorts. The Pandemic Quarantine and George Floyd Murder were the two major cultural events of 2020. The Cohorts are facilitating empowered leaders and speaking grace to heal our culture.

Empowering leaders to multiply disciples is our plan to reach All People in our EFCA Central. Please pray for the 13 Million people in our EFCA Central in 4 states. Join us in the Great Commission to multiply All ‘Ethne’ to follow Jesus in our walk, work, and worship. Pray for the 5 leaders of our Acts 13 team are missionaries that raise support.

Brad Wos has served as our EFCA Central Multicultural Director for 4 years and is based in St Louis Mo. On Nov. 18, 2020 Brad finished an 18-month clinical trial for Leukemia and was given a report of complete remission! We praise Jesus for Living Proof of the power of prayer! Brad travels the entire district to seek All people with you.

Brad was also officially ordained as Reverend Brad in the EFCA on Feb. 29, 2020 with a very Multicultural service at First Free Chapel in St Louis with both Mike Shields and Cal Swan attending. Brad led two 8-week Multiethnic Cohort trainings in 2020 via Zoom and trained 32 leaders to facilitate multiethnic conversations. Brad also participated in and led an 8-week Faith and Work cohort training of 12 leaders. In September Brad started a 10-month EFCA Theological Gateway to begin the credential process for 5 multicultural leaders.

Brad only drove 24,000 miles (Avg. is 41,000 a year) in 2020 due to the quarantine but managed to speak or preach on 19 Sundays via zoom or in person to cast a Multicultural vision to our Churches.

In 2021, please pray Luke 15:4 for our main goal that we “Go after the 1”. Pray for our Acts 13 team as we make disciples intentionally among the marginalized and invisible people of our cities. Pray for the 4 quadrants of the city of St Louis on both sides of the Mississippi River. Pray for Northwest Arkansas Church planting. Pray for Sioux Falls South Dakota and Native American Church planting interns. Pray for the Faith & Work cohorts to multiply in 3 more cities in 2021 as a post quarantine outreach goal. Pray for more interns, we trained 4 interns in last 4 years.

Renato Jimenez has served as our EFCA Central Hispanic Director for 3 years and is based in Storm Lake . Renato and his wife Nelly as you see in the family picture have 8 beautiful children. Please pray for the Gospel to multiply through their family. Pray and support the Cosecha EFCA Church plant goal to double our Hispanic Churches by 2025 to 200. Our EFCA Central currently has 5 Hispanic Churches with a goal to double to 10 by 2025. Please pray for these 5 Hispanic Church in our EFCA Central and our National Hispanic Church planting boot camp April 22-24 in Denver Colorado.

1. Iglesia Nueva Vida. Sioux City, IA - Pastor Aurelio López 2. Iglesia Summit en español. Storm Lake, IA - Pastor Renato Jiménez 3. Iglesia Nueva Esperanza. Orange City, IA – Pastor Jesús Alvarado 4. Iglesia Grace. Eagle Grove – Pastor Isai Guerrero 5. Iglesia Comunidad de Cristo. Sioux Center, IA - Pastor Carlos Perez

As we reported last year Renato was given a building and $100K to plant a campus location of Summit EFCA in Storm Lake. The Church recovered from Covid twice in 2020 but is still growing well. Renato is also hosting an EFCA Gateway Theological training with 12 leaders preparing for credentialing.

Latino Family Camp was held in August 14-16 at Hidden Acres. We had three different churches leading worship and our speaker was Luis Martinez. It was a blessing to have Luis back to see that this ministry continues strong. We still had 250 people attend camp during the pandemic. This is a ministry that we are using as a tool to identify, train and send people to plant new churches. Please join us for the 2021 Latino Family camp on August 13-15. Our speaker is Rafael Oropeza. We partner together with church planting in . Benjamin Rivera will lead a live concert on Friday August 13. Renato and Nelly train interns for ministry in their home and have trained 10 Interns over the last 3 years. Renato has established a partnership with Rio Grande Bible College in McAllen to train interns and currently is training 3 interns now in Church Planting. Please pray for a Church planter and financing for Springdale Arkansas for 2021. Worku Geremew has served as our EFCA Central African Diaspora Director for 2.5 years and is based in St. Louis. Worku pastors Rise Together EFCA with decades of experience discipling immigrants and refugees. Worku disciples foreign-born leaders in Faith & Work through 3 companies: Rise Together Resale Shop, Rise Together Cleaning company, and Rise Together Woodworking. Rise Together is bringing the healing of Jesus Christ to ethnically and economically diverse people in St Louis and beyond! In 2020 Brad & Worku have partnered with the Center for Faith & Work in St Louis to multiply a new woodworking company. Worku is also beginning an Ethiopian Coffee import business through his extensive network in Ethiopia.

Please pray for these 2021 goals for Worku and our African Diaspora Faith & Work: • New woodwork company to train and create jobs for 65 people. • 3 new Disciple Making groups with a job development program. • Core group to start multiethnic Church in South city. • Begin an airport shuttle business to create 6 new jobs. • Partnership of thrift store with likeminded ministries in . • Help 8 homeless people move into apartments. • Find 5 new customers for the cleaning program. • Start a prayer walk around the ministry center. • Multiply African led Faith & Work Cohorts across the EFCA Central.

Andre Turner has served as our EFCA Central African American Director for the last 2 years and is based in St. Louis. Andre has pastored Truth & Grace EFCA for 4 years and is also planting a new church in Lovejoy Illinois. Lovejoy is named after Elijah Lovejoy and was the first African American town in the USA. Andre has started a transportation company in 2020 as a Faith & Work initiative for community employment and disciple making Monday through Saturday. In 2021 Andre is helping to coordinate our East side of St. Louis Church planting network and community development.

Please pray for the following goals for Andre in 2021: • Transportation company disciples and trains 6 leaders and is self-sustainable. • Resale Store opens in Lovejoy Illinois for the flourishing of 5 families. • The FAM mortgage outreach helps 2 families purchase their own home. • 4 Faith & Work Cohorts started that results in 25 leaders trained to start a business. • Community Development funding and partnership to start a new 501c3. • Lovejoy Church Plant building purchased in 2021 and 30 core people in Church. George Tluanga has served as our EFCA Central Burmese Director for 1 year and is based in Kale Myanmar. George pastors the Mizo Church of Columbia Missouri that meets at Compass EFCA. Since November 2019 we have been waiting for George to receive his Visa that was delayed due to Covid. George has faithfully preached and led funerals over Facebook Live and YouTube with an 11,5 hour difference. George is weekly preaching at 2am in the morning in Myanmar to serve the Columbia Mizo church the word of God. Immigrant Hope is processing George’s visa and we are planning on a May or June Visa approval. George and each of our Acts 13 leaders all raise their own support so please pray for his funding.

George models our mission to take the gospel across the street and around the World. In September 2020 George led a medical team to the Dai people, an unreached demon worshipping people in the mountain region. A 10 Hour motorcycle trip to the mountains saw 15 Dai people come to faith in Christ during Covid-19. Please pray for George and 2021 Church planting for 25,000 Burmese people in our EFCA Central. Please also pray for George & C-Tay daughter Elizabeth who has been accepted to study at Trinity in Chicago and is needing an additional sponsor to support her studies.

Our EFCA Central Staff is here to serve you to Go After the 1 lost sheep in 2021. Please pray for our Acts 13 team in our 2021 Goals for Multicultural Church Planting. 1. Arkansas & South Dakota to both host an intern/planter to begin a Multi-cultural plant. 2. Acts 13 Multi-Cultural leadership team to add 2 more leaders on the team: Chinese, South Asian, or Native Indian 3. Multiply Faith & Work Co-horts to build a network of Bi-vocational pastors in 4 cities. 4. All Acts 13 team members to attend Support raising & vision casting boot camp. 5. Pipeline of 25 multicultural leaders to multiply All people churches in EFCA Central. In 2021 make it your goal to email Brad Wos at [email protected] so our Acts 13 team can help you ‘Go After the 1’ in your community and city. Our Acts 13 Multi-cultural team of Church planters is here to serve you to love All People in your community. We have a virtual Cross Cultural training Saturday for your Church leaders to become community catalyst to be Disciple Makers among All people. Pastors please also join our Acts 13 Church planting prayer teams for your city.

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