PAOC Mission Link: Celebrating 10 Years

[Tue, June 02, 2009]
by Stacey McKenzie and Philip F. Kniesel

Prolific. Obedient. Faithful. These are just a few words that describe the work of Mission Link, the former German Branch of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. With a foundation laid over the course of seven decades, God’s groundbreaking work through their faithful members is powerfully evident as one looks back over all that has been accomplished. At the end of 1999, the German Branch churches were formally integrated into The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Under their new name, PAOC Mission Link, they continued their overseas missions work for the 10-year mandate established by the General Executive of the PAOC. This June, Mission Link celebrates a rich heritage and the end of a decade well spent for God’s glory.

Origins: Revival fire

When the PAOC was granted its charter in 1919, German farmers scattered throughout the prairies had heard of the Pentecostal revival. They wanted to experience firsthand the thrill and power of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and gathered in one another’s homes for prayer to ask the Lord for a similar outpouring. God responded—and powerful marks of His enduring work through this revival have continued to be made since then. A German minister from Edmonton, Reverend Schneider, agreed to come to Wiesenthal for a service. Tent meetings were started on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 1919. Over the next few months as Rev. Schneider preached, crowds packed the tent every evening. Many people found Jesus Christ, experienced a healing touch from the Lord, and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In early December of that same year, the first German Pentecostal church in Wiesenthal was dedicated, with Rev. Schneider as its pastor.

To the ends of the earth

In the late 1920s and 1930s, German people immigrated to Canada from Eastern Europe and settled in Alberta, where they experienced salvation in the ongoing revival. In 1934, there were ten German churches in the province of Alberta. Their first conference was held on July 8, 1940, at which the German Branch was formally founded with the intention of joining the PAOC.

During the late 1940s and 1950s, World War II spawned a large number of refugees. When Canada invited immigration, we became the new home of many ethnic Germans who had temporarily settled in West Germany or Austria. Many of them came from families with a Pentecostal heritage, and churches in Edmonton and Winnipeg experienced a notable increase in attendance.

A keen focus on missions quickly became an important element in the churches of the German Branch. A resolution was accepted at their conference to start a world missions fund and to work in co-operation with the PAOC’s Missions Department.

In due course, the German Branch began supporting its first appointed missionaries, who headed for Japan (1953) and Tanzania (1955). Thus started a succession of 37 missionary families to East Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala, Germany, Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia. The outcome of their work is extraordinary.

The first Kiswahili Bible school in Tanzania was opened at in 1968. The school was then moved to Mwanza in 1976 and upgraded to Bible college level in 1988, at which time theological studies were offered in English. In every region where The Pentecostal Assemblies of God worked, a regional Bible school also operated, allowing those unable to attend the main Bible college to receive theological training in their own areas at minimal cost. The Pentecostal Assemblies of God in Tanzania now has over 2,000 churches.

In response to a burden that the Executive of the German Branch felt for German-speaking people living in South America, the Branch supported the appointment of missionaries to Argentina and Brazil. A Christian orphanage for abandoned Brazilian children was started in Ivagaci, which eventually developed into a complete training centre that gave a boost to many disadvantaged people. In the meantime, Europe was not forgotten. While the political climate did not allow for the appointment of missionaries, the German Branch supported national pastors in Poland, Yugoslavia and East Germany as well as a Bible school in West Germany. Sri Lanka was also given some much needed attention. Missionaries were appointed to begin the work of instructing and helping national pastors. Some leadership was given to The Pentecostal Assemblies of Sri Lanka, and a Bible school was started. A missionary couple was also sent out to Guatemala to minister to the needs of the people there.

When the German Branch was amalgamated into the PAOC Fellowship, a door opened that allowed their missionaries to begin branching out into other PAOC mission fields—South Africa, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Kenya. Mission Link also had an open door to do missions work in Indonesia and other Asian countries. The legacy of the German Branch—and its brainchild, PAOC Mission Link—serves as a continuing example for us of the ways in which we are called to make a difference in a broken world that desperately needs the gospel and demonstrations of God’s enduring compassion and power.

Legacy of hope

The Starehe Children’s Home in Tanzania now takes care of 116 children. In addition, 225 children living with relatives in that country are being sponsored through ChildCARE Plus. At the Home of the Good Shepherd in Brazil, there are about 55 boys receiving shelter, food, clothing and vocational training, and a home for girls is being built nearby. In Guatemala, our missionaries saw the need for a vocational training centre for the children graduating from ChildCARE Plus Schools. Over many years, the William Cornelius Vocational Training Centre (WCVTC) was built, then dedicated in January 2007. Numerous students have already graduated, making a difference in many lives. In Rwanda, Mission Link helped build the Christian Life Assembly in Kigali, a beautiful and flourishing international church. Mission Link also presently supports 12 missionary families around the world, one Bible college and 10 regional Bible schools. It offers assistance to national teachers and pioneer workers in Tanzania, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Slovenia, Ukraine and Vietnam. To accomplish all this, Mission Link’s annual budget runs between $2.5 to $3 million.

Thanksgiving celebrations will be taking place on June 4 and 5 at Southside Pentecostal Assembly and Millwoods Pentecostal Assembly, both located in Edmonton, Alberta. As Philip Kniesel, chairman of Mission Link, commented, “Untold numbers of lives have been changed for eternity through the ministry of our dedicated missionaries. We want to thank God for what He has enabled us to do.”

Special Update: There is a proposal for Mission Link, with the involvement of Rev. Philip Kniesel, to continue to serve the wishes and needs of its long-standing donors in directing funds to various mission projects.

This article appeared in the June 2009 issue of testimony magazine, a monthly publication of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.