MISSIONS UPDATE from Charlie and Chris Hanak, Pender's own homegrown missionaries.
Charlie is serving as the Regional Director for the Americas for Ambassadors for Christ International (AFCI). Chris assists Charlie with AFCI Focus on the Heart ministries in the Americas and in other regions as requested by AFCI National Directors. Together they have served as missionaries in the Nations of Paraguay and Peru, and have visited these fields yearly during the past 33 years.
Today, we will look at their service in the country of Peru.
Chris Hanak has an ongoing ministry with her Focus on the Heart (FOH) women’s ministry led locally by Luisa Cardenas. These past few months they have held training in several denominations including the Methodist churches. Chris Hanak will visit to train more FOH facilitators in February 2023.
Construction of the Cristo Redentor School in Chimbote
The Cristo Redentor School (Christ the Redeemer) was started in the Villa Maria Methodist church in the city of Nuevo Chimbote, Peru to aid poor barrio children. This is a private Christian school that emphasizes love, education, and faith. After two years, the school outgrew the church and moved to a nearby location where a four-story education building was built to eventually be a primary school and high school. This school year ended in December of 2022 with 167 paying students in the grades of kindergarten through 6th grade. Charlie Hanak led 16 short term mission teams to help build the school. The school now has a library, computer room, science room, central office, and sports patio with cover. Pender UMC sponsored at least 10 short term mission trips helping with the construction of this school.
Seven Methodist churches and Sunday School classrooms have been built in and around Chimbote, Trujillo, Huancayo, and in the Amazon Jungle.
Charlie and Chris Hanak have put together a team of 4 couples in Chimbote to minister to the churches in this City of 1 million people. These couples are the Ambassadors for Christ International (AFCI) Peru team. In 2022, the team received Alpha ministry training from the Alpha South American coordinator and Chris Hanak. Over half of these people are extremely poor and live in small bamboo huts. Additional outreach includes marriage seminars and preaching in local churches. These ministries will help spread the Gospel of Jesus throughout the area.
