(November 12, 2000)

From her earliest recollection, Deborah M. Gill, pastor of Living Hope (Assemblies of God) in North Oaks, Minn., wanted to spend her life working for God.

"If He hadn’t called me, I’d been willing to be a volunteer," she says. "There was nothing I wanted to do more than follow Jesus."

Deborah M. Gill

Naomi Dowdy

Marigold Cheshier

To pay the bills she became a junior high school band teacher after attending the University of Minnesota. As she followed God’s call, she obtained a Ph.D. and filled several ministry and teaching positions around the world. Though she did not realize it at the time, these experiences were preparing her for pastoring Living Hope, a church in the suburbs of the Twin Cities.

One of the first things she did when she arrived at Living Hope two years ago was help transform it into a cell-based church. Since doing so, the number of conversions per year has tripled and five cell groups have resulted. Gill believes the cell groups are effective and successful because they are founded on relationships.

"Retention is very high because it [the cell group] is based on relational evangelism," she says. "When people come to the Lord through relationships, they tend to stick."

Developing cogent relationships and leading others to Christ have always stirred Gill’s heart. While in high school she held a Bible study and 40 of her classmates accepted Christ. The first student to accept the Lord now attends her church, which meets in a middle school theater.

"Part of my life’s mission statement is to be a best friend of Jesus," says Gill, "and to lead others in becoming the same."

In 1976, Naomi Dowdy, an Assemblies of God missionary, was evangelizing in Singapore when a small church asked if she would stay and pastor them. Dowdy was reluctant, but she agreed to stay for six months. Twenty-four years later, Trinity Christian Centre has grown into one of the largest churches in Singapore. Each weekend the church ministers to thousands of people.

"I agreed with God to be a missionary," says Dowdy. "Then came this opportunity [at Trinity]. I knew I had to say yes or walk out on the plan of God."

In the years since, the church has become an ever-expanding, missions-minded, cell-based church. In Singapore and other countries the church has trained thousands of pastors to make the transition from being traditional churches to cell-based churches.

"God has spoken to us as a church to release what He has given to us to the nations," says Dowdy. "Community transformation leads to city transformation, which eventually leads to nation transformation."

Dowdy met God when she was 9 years old, but strayed from Him until she was in her mid-20s. After coming back to the Lord, she left a promising computer career for the mission field.

"I just went by faith, without support," she says of her trek to the Marshall Islands.

A few years later she came into the Assemblies of God. Today, Trinity Christian Centre operates a seminary where 300 students are enrolled. They broadcast the message of Christ’s love throughout Asian countries, including India and China, via radio and television and have given millions of dollars to missions.

"It is amazing to see what God has done," says Dowdy. "Faith is key. We walk by faith not by sight."

Marigold Cheshier, an Assemblies of God evangelist, began preaching at her father’s church when she was a child. When she was 13, several churches called and asked her to come and speak. Her summer break that year was spent traveling from church to church telling others about Christ.

"When I was a child, I was very conscious of the things of God and I loved Him with all of my heart," she says. "I love people, and I love preaching."

Cheshier and her family are no strangers to pain and suffering — nor are they unfamiliar with God’s healing power.

While the Cheshiers were pastoring in Louisiana, their then 7-year-old son, Mike, accidentally lit himself on fire. Though his injuries left him with scars, his life was spared. Fifteen years ago, Marigold’s doctors told her to go home to die because inoperable tumors had ravaged her body.

"God had a plan to heal me as a testimony to people we minister to. I now tell people through the name of Jesus I was healed," says Marigold. "Our testimonies are the springboard so that God’s name can be glorified."

Marigold and her husband, Michael, also an A/G evangelist, and son Mike spend most of their days on the road evangelizing in America and Africa.

"God will never ask us to do anything that He will not equip us to do," she says. "I love to evangelize and reach those who are hopeless. Our dependence is on Him."

— Kirk Noonan