IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST HAS SET US FREE. Galatians 5:1
OUR VISION Every believer LIVING FREE & FRUITFUL in Christ WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH. Proverbs 29:18a When the Father looks out over the spiritual landscape of America, what does He see? What is His heart for His people? Neil T. Anderson, founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries, wrote: Several years ago, I did some research I asked the same question to 50 conservative Christians who came to me to talk about problems in their lives, How many of the following characteristics describe your life: inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry, and doubt? Every one of the 50 answered, All six It is evident to me that many believers are still confused about their spiritual identity in Christ and its implications for their daily lives. We are struggling with the behavior aspect of our growth: who we are in Christ It is my observation that no more then 15 percent of the evangelical Christian community is completely free. These people consistently live a Spirit-filled life and bear fruit. The other 85 percent are struggling along fruitlessly. More extensive research conducted by George A. Hurst, MD, FACP, FCCP and others, has shown dramatic reductions in depression, anxiety, fear, and other mental disturbances through the teaching and discipleship of FICM. Real change is happening! You can read more on the FICM- USA website at https://ficm.org/about-us/ under the research tab. This Ministry was founded, with the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to transform lives. So, what is the purpose of FICM-USA? What is our vision? Recently the Board of Directors has earnestly sought the Lord to help us succinctly express our Ministry passion and vision. We think the following statement says it best: Every believer living free and fruitful in Christ Every believer every child of God across the nation; no follower of Jesus gets left behind Living a walk, a journey, a continuous lifestyle; not a one-time experience Free burdens drop off, sin s entanglements are removed; life, love and laughter return Fruitful a life of meaning, purpose and eternal value birthed to transform culture In Christ the only source of all good; abiding in Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit A vision should stir the heart, quicken the imagination, generate creativity, initiate innovation and give inspiration and energy to all that we do. This vision challenges us to discover new depths of humility and dependence and invites us to soar with prayers that touch Heaven. That s what compels us to get out of bed each morning and what we often think about when we go to bed at night. As you look through the next few pages, we invite you to ask God to open your eyes to see the great things Jesus has already done, as well as the challenges we face. And, if you yearn for what we yearn for, please ask God if He would have you partner with us. Rich Miller President, FICM-USA
FREEDOM IN CHRIST MINISTRIES International Here in the United States, we are thankful for our heritage as the birthplace of FICM in 1989 under the leadership of founder, Dr. Neil T. Anderson. And we are grateful to be global partners with all the other FICMI nations, praying for one another, and pooling our collective wisdom and experience in developing even more excellent discipleship resources for the Church that Jesus is building all around the world. LOOK, I TELL YOU, LIFT UP YOUR EYES, AND SEE THAT THE FIELDS ARE WHITE FOR HARVEST. John 4:35 FICM is in its 30 th year Over 5 million FICM resources sold worldwide COUNTRIES WITH FICM REPRESENTATIVES COUNTRIES WITH LEADERSHIP IN TRAINING 15 countries are in process of opening new ministries Representatives in 31 different nations Resources are translated into 44 different languages New resources for children and parents coming out in 2019 PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THIS DEAR BROTHER S STORY OF REDEMPTION BECAUSE HE HEARD THE MESSAGE OF FREEDOM AND FORGIVENESS AND HOW IT I S C H A N G I N G T H E W O R L D A R O U N D H I M. I was one of seven children living in Chad with my family, when in 1973 at age six my father was martyred for his faith. Thirteen pastors were arrested and imprisoned at that time. All died, refusing to renounce their faith. One died in prison and the other 12 (including my father) were buried alive. After this tragedy, our mission relocated us to Nigeria. I joined the Nigerian army in 1991 to avenge my father s death. But God had another plan. A better plan. It took me 37 years to forgive the murderers from my head followed by another eight years to understand that real forgiveness comes from the heart. I struggled with anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness until 2012 when I came across FICM teachings on dealing with the past. Forgiving from the heart created a path for me to know, understand, worship and obey God from my new position and identity in Christ. I was set free by Jesus and transformed through the renewal of my mind. Vengeance was gone. Serving on the FICMI Board gives me opportunity to touch real spiritual needs in Africa. Many pastors have retired due to suffering stress and burnout. As I take them through The Steps to Freedom in Christ, God is transforming many lives, impacting our society at large for the Kingdom of God. COUNTRIES WITH ACTIVITY STIRRING COUNTRIES WITHOUT FICM ASSOCIATES What an incredible God who took an angry, hateful, vengeful young man and transformed him into a messenger of our forgiveness and freedom in Christ to the nations through FICM. Ibrahim Dikko, Nigeria
FREEDOM IN CHRIST MINISTRIES USA 30 years of working to see Every believer living free and fruitful in Christ 275 Community Freedom Ministry Associates Over 125 Community Freedom Ministries in 34 states 722 students enrolled in CFM University (online training institute) in its 25 Field and Office Staff first 8 years EVERY BELIEVER in the United States LIVING FREE & FRUITFUL WE HEAR BEAUTIFUL STORIES EVERY DAY OF GOD CHANGING LIVES THROUGH THE FRUITFUL MINISTRIES OF OUR FAITHFUL STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS. THIS ONE COMES FROM A DEAR LADY MINISTERED TO BY ONE OF OUR REGIONAL DIRECTORS OF PRAYER. My journey as a born again Christian has been a rollercoaster of fears, rejections, insecurities, regrets and shame, in the midst of occasional joy and blessings. Sadly, I only felt good when my performance was good and I thought I d earned God s love. Many, many times, I felt like He was disappointed or angry with me. Because of this skewed perspective, throughout my life I battled depression. Earlier this year it had come to the point that I was contemplating ending my life. I thought it was the only way out from the choking weight of despair. Our church had been going through the Freedom in Christ course and so I called my pastor and he suggested I go through The Steps to Freedom in Christ. In April, 2018 I went through the Steps. Because of the abuse I had suffered as a child, Step 3 on forgiveness was the longest and toughest for me. I cried and cried. STATES WITH FICM ASSOCIATES STATES WITH NEW FICM ACTIVITY STATES WITHOUT FICM ASSOCIATES That day Jesus began to move powerfully to change me. I am now learning how to fight the lies that want to hold me captive. I no longer feel like I am on a rollercoaster. I know I am loved, accepted and forgiven by God, and sealed with the Holy Spirit on my good days and my bad days. The negative emotions are being replaced by peace and joy. Before, I could barely understand God s Word; now I am soaking it up like a sponge. The Lord has been so good to me. I am now planning on enrolling in CFMU to be equipped to help others discover the incredible freedom that I now have in Christ. Glory to God! Dolores Pia Macri
GROWTH and expansion We are grateful for the dynamic growth that we have experienced in FICM-USA over the past 8 years. But, our nation is vast about 330 million people and thousands of churches. We still have no official presence in 16 states; presence in some others is minimal, and our urban areas are crying out for life, hope, vision. If we are to reach EVERY BELIEVER in the U.S., there are several immediate 2019 needs for which we have no available resources. We need to help our newly found Hispanic Ministry Director begin work. We need to greatly expand our social media outreach which can impact thousands of believers and their leaders. And, we desperately need to hire at least one more person in the Knoxville national office. Our current staff (only 4.5 persons) is terribly overburdened. They just can t handle any more! Will you prayerfully consider helping in this area? TOTAL FUNDING NEED: $40,000 SO THEY WILL BE CALLED OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE PLANTING OF THE LORD, THAT HE MAY BE GLORIFIED. THEN THEY WILL REBUILD THE ANCIENT RUINS, THEY WILL RAISE UP THE FORMER DEVASTATIONS; AND THEY WILL REPAIR THE RUINED CITIES, THE DESOLATIONS OF MANY GENERATIONS. Isaiah 61:3b-4
LEADERSHIP development Any ministry or organization is only as strong as its leaders. When leaders are free and fruitful in Christ, they lead with boldness and authority. Every ministry needs leaders like that and FICM-USA is no exception. As FICM-USA continues to grow and expand, God is building strong leaders in this Ministry at the local, state, regional and national levels. Through the developmental pipeline of CFM University, we are amazed at the quality of leadership that God is raising up to oversee areas of Prayer, Ministry Expansion and the Care and Training of our people all across the nation. To spearhead this continued leadership development, the FICM-USA President needs to be out there in the field praying, imparting vision, strengthening relationships, and building trust and confidence with our 300 staff and volunteers who serve faithfully in the trenches. The President of FICM-USA (like all our Field Staff) raises his own financial support for his salary. This is a great financial blessing to the Ministry. But it would be too much to also expect the President to raise the funding for all his ministry expenses. FICM-USA needs to provide the funds for the President s travel to numerous prayer, expansion, and care and training events in all 7 U.S. regions in 2019. We need all our people living free and fruitful in Christ. FICM s President is the pivotal player in this endeavor, but there is currently no financial pool to fund his crucial leadership development efforts. We need your help in meeting the President s travel and ministry expenses projected for the next year. YOU THEREFORE, MY SON, BE STRONG IN THE GRACE THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS. THE THINGS WHICH YOU HAVE HEARD FROM ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MANY WITNESSES, ENTRUST THESE TO FAITHFUL MEN WHO WILL BE ABLE TO TEACH OTHERS ALSO. 2 Timothy 2:1,2 TOTAL FUNDING NEED: $35,000
C O M E T O M E, A L L W H O L A B O R A N D A R E H E A V Y L A D E N, A N D I W I L L G I V E Y O U R E S T. T A K E M Y Y O K E U P O N Y O U, AND LEARN FROM ME, FOR I AM GENTLE AND LOWLY I N H E A R T, A N D Y O U W I L L F I N D R E S T F O R Y O U R S O U L S. FOR MY YOKE IS EASY, AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT. Matthew 11:28-30 PRAYER and care Several years ago the Lord gave FICM-USA a strong mandate to take better care of our people on the field. It is so easy for them to become discouraged, disheartened and even disillusioned with life and ministry. The enemy wants to isolate our people, destroy their fruitfulness and take them out. We refuse to let him! Through our newly developed Cohort strategy (for students enrolled in CFMU) and Mentoring focus (for new CFMU graduates) we are taking Christ s mandate seriously. But there is still much more to be done. Our people in the trenches need to get away, renew ministry relationships, rest, be refreshed, learn, receive additional training and most importantly be fervently and intentionally prayed for. Would you help provide the funds for 6 regional retreats and strategic prayer initiatives in 2019? BUT THE FRUIT OF THE S P I R I T I S L O V E, J O Y, P E A C E, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, G O O D N E S S, F A I T H F U L N E S S, G E N T L E N E S S, S E L F - C O N T R O L ; AGAINST SUCH THINGS THERE IS NO LAW. Galatians 5:22-23 TOTAL FUNDING NEED: $45,000
F O R T H U S S A Y S T H E L O R D G O D : BEHOLD, I, I MYSELF WILL SEARCH FOR MY SHEEP AND WILL SEEK THEM OUT. AS A SHEPHERD SEEKS OUT HIS FLOCK WHEN HE IS AMONG HIS SHEEP THAT HAVE BEEN SCATTERED, SO WILL I SEEK OUT MY SHEEP, AND I WILL RESCUE THEM FROM ALL THE PLACES WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN SCATTERED ON A DAY OF CLOUDS AND THICK D A R K N E S S I W I L L S E E K T H E L O S T, A N D I W I L L B R I N G B A C K T H E S T R A Y E D, A N D I W I L L B I N D U P T H E I N J U R E D, AND I WILL STRENGTHEN THE WEAK Ezekiel 34:12,16a the FINDING ELIZABETH project THE FINDING ELIZABETH PROJECT IS BIBLE-CENTERED AND EMPIRICALLY-BASED. IT UNITES A PROVEN RECOVERY PROCESS WITH THE REDEMPTIVE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH US IN THIS PROJECT WILL DIRECTLY HELP S E X T R A F F I C K I N G V I C T I M S C L A I M T H E I R F R E E D O M I N C H R I S T. Although rescue of these dear ones is important, true liberation comes from the added initiatives of recovery and redemption. Our goal is to see victims thought patterns and memories transformed through God s truth and the identity He gives us as His children. We want to place (for free) 100 Human Trafficking Recovery kits in 100 safe houses, shelters, and recovery centers across the U.S. They are being developed by FICM-USA youth and young adult specialist (and founder of GenerationFreedom), Chris Campbell. Will you prayerfully consider partnering with us? TOTAL FUNDING NEED: $40,000 TOTAL RAISED SO FAR: $3,875
I am so thankful to the Lord that FICM continues to expand under Rich Miller s leadership here in the United States, and Steve Goss internationally. Imagine how excited I am to regularly receive emails, texts, and letters from people who have been set free from their past and who have discovered their new identity in Christ. All our home offices in various countries are financially independent, and all our ministry staff raise their own support. We believe God s work done God s way will never lack God s support. We do, however, let our needs be known and trust God to move upon the hearts of those He wants to join us in our ministry of helping every believer live free and fruitful in Christ. Thank you for prayerfully considering investing in FICM-USA and, most of all, for lifting us up in prayer. We couldn t be bearing fruit across this nation and all over the world without you. Neil T. Anderson FICM Founder 9051 Executive Park Drive, Suite 503 Knoxville, TN 37923 Recipient Name 1234 Happy Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37323 DONATE online BY VISITING WWW.FICM.ORG/DONATE Questions? Email us at info@ficm.org or call (865)342-4000