We have Moved!

In and effort to upgrade our systems and cut costs, we began a process in 2012 that led to the closure of our small office in Gilbert, Arizona.   Our mailing address is now in Colorado Springs, but work is dispersed.

• Paraclete Associates, as always, live wherever works best, and work where the Lord opens doors.
• Our operational systems are all online.  
• Our operations staff, most in Colorado Springs, work from their homes and connect on a shared phone system, by teleconferencing, and occasional get-togethers.  
• Donations go straight to our bank.  
• Our accounts are in Idaho.  
• Our documents and records are in "the cloud."

It's a new way of working for us, but we want contacting us to be as easy as ever.  Our email and web presence are unchanged.  Our old address and telephone information will still reach us, but here is our new contact information.

Business Office:
PO Box 63450
Colorado Springs, CO 80962-3450

Donations:
PO Box 912576
Denver, CO 80291-2576

Online:
www.paraclete.net
info@paraclete.net

Telephone:
(719) 302-2500

Operations Manager, Bill Eckert
bill@paraclete.co
Direct: (719) 224-7090

Glen Volkhardt, CEO
glen@paraclete.co
Direct: (719) 387-4030

Paraclete Associates Served on these Boards in 2012

Albanian Bible Institute

American Council of Asian Christian Academy, India

Aphesis Group Ministries

Austrian Church in Mödling, Austria

Bridge Builders International

COICOM

Elizabeth Presbyterian Church

Go Ye Fellowship

Global HelpNet

Hope of the Harvest

International Church Ministries

Light International

MMI

NationQuest

New Creation Community Church, Springdale AR

Oak Park Avenue Baptist Church, Berwyn, IL

Olive Technology

Olive Tree Counseling Center

Palm Missionary Ministries

Paraclete (CEO is associate and ex officio member)

Pink Girl, Ethiopia

Riverside Community Church

Russian Christian Radio, Estes Park, CO

Women in Ministry in China

Organizations Served by Paraclete in 2012

4th Memorial Church, Spokane, WA

Acts One Eight

Albanian Bible Institute

Alongside Asia

American Council of the Asian Christian Academy

Aphessis Group

Asian Christian Church Planting

Asian Christian Church, Grade School,House of Joy, Library, Medical Center

Athletes in Action Staff, Glendale, AZ

Barabas International

BEE World

Bibles for India

Biola University

Bridge Builders International

Buckhead Comm. Church

Caleb Project

Campus Crusade for Christ

Care ConneXion, Confer.,Beaverton, OR

Catalyst

Center for Integral Mission

Church Miniistries International

Church Plant, Varna Bulgaria

Cirkev Bratska, Zillina (Slovakia)

COGWM

COICOM

Compassion

Cornerstone Bap. Church

Cornerstone Church of Silicon Valley

Crossroads Bible Church, Denver, CO

Decatur Bible Chapel

Desert Life Ministries, Scottsdale, AZ

Desert View Bap. Chu.

Discovery Foundation, Palo Alto, CA

Escuela de La Puerta Abierta Church

European Christian Mission, Ireland

Evangelical Church of India

EV Free Church, Klamath Falls, OR

Evangelical Theological Seminary, ACA, India

Evangelikale Church of Bregenz, Austria

Evangelikale Freikirchliche Gemeinde, Austria

Faith Bible Church, Glendale, AZ

Far Eastern Broadcasting Company

Fellowship Bible Church, Tulsa,Ok

FIRE [Orissa]

First Baptist Church, Fountain Hills

First Bap. Church, Yucaipa,CA

First Presbyterian Church, Colorado Springs, CO

FLMI

Free Methodist Church Fundacion Emanual, Perera, Columbia

GEM Greater Europe Mission

Glen Eyrie

GMI

Go Ye

Global HelpNet

Grace Bible Church, Lawrenceville,GA

Grace in God's Hands

Granada Presbytrian Church, Coral Gables, FL

Ganada Day School

Grayson United Methodist Church, GA

Gwinnett Comm. Church, Duluth, GA

Haiti Pastor's Endowment Trust, Hinche, Haiti

Hayate Abdai

HCJB Global

Hope Christian Church

Hütteldorf Baptist Church, Vienna Austria

ICTA

Iglesia Amor Del Padre

Immanuel Bap. Church, Wausau,WI

InquisiCorp

Institute for Biblical Community Development

International Church Ministries

International Teams

Interserve

Irvine Community Church

John Brown University

Johnson Ferry Rd. Bap.Church, Marietta,GA

Kazak Network

Kids Alive

King Philanthropy Group

La Puerta Abierta Church, Buenas Aires, Argentina

Launch Ministries

LeRouche

Life Impact

Life Point Christian Fellowship

Light International

Lighthouse Community Church, McHenry, IL

LightSys.

Lviv Oblast Baptist Churches, Ukraine

MAF

Maple Plain Comm. Church

Middle East Fellowship

Ministry of The Harvest

Mission Conextion of NW

Mt. Hermon Christian Conf. Center, Mt. Hermon, CA

Mountain Springs Church

Multnomah University

NATIONQUEST

Navigators

Nazareth Baptist Church

New Comm.Church, Braselton,GA

New Harvest Christian Fellowship

New Life Church

Nicodemus Community Church

North Ave. Presbyterian Ch., Altanta, GA

Northpoint Comm. Church,Alpharetta,GA

Oak Park Bap. Church, Berwyn,Illinois

OCI

Olive Technology

Olive Tree Counseling Center

OMF

Open Doors

Palm Missionary Ministries

Paraclete

Peachtree Rd. Presbyterian Church,Atlanta, GA

Peninsula Bible Church, Palo Alto, CA

Perspective on the World Christian Movement

Portland Rescue Mission

Potter's Inn

Praise International

Prespectives on the World Christian Mission

PWOC

R&R and Step Closer Recovery Ministries, Palo Alto, CA

Rabka Baptist Church, Poland

Radiant Church, Gresham, OR

ReachGlobal

Released Ministries

Riverside Comm. Church

Rual Pastor's Fellowship, Tombe Gateau, Haiti

Russian Chrstian Radio

Scofield Memorial Church, Dallas, TX

Servant Partners

Sierra Madre Cong. Church, CA

Siloam Springs Bible Church

Skyview Presbyterian Church, Denver, CO

South Asia Now

South Hills Community Church, San Jose, CA

Springs Rescue Mission

St. Paul Cultural Center

St. Paul Union Church

Squim Community Church, Squim, Washington

Stone Comm. Church

Sudan Interior Mission

Talitha Koumi Evangelical Churches of Bangladesh

The Mission Exchange

Thriftsmart Arizona

Torre Fuerte Church of God

Trinty Forum

Unnamed Bangladesh Entitiy

US Center for World Missions

Voyagers Church

Warren Comm Fellowship, Warren, OR

Waterstone Church, Denver, CO

WaterStone

WEA Mission Commission

WEC [Patrick Johnstone]

Wellstream

Win1040

Women of the Harvest, Denver, CO

Woodmen Valley Chapel, COS, CO.

Worldwide Fistula Fund

Wycliffe

Young Life Staff, Surprise, AZ

Youth with a Mission

The Miracle of Growth~by Glen Volkhardt

It would be fair to say I’m a wannabe farmer. I remember planting corn with my grandmother as a little guy and seeing the “thicket” that resulted from not following her instructions. From that early experience onward, I’ve had an appreciation of the miracle that takes place between planting and harvesting. Some would say what I call a “miracle” is really just the force of nature. I understand
their argument, since growth happens “naturally” all around us, but it still is amazing to me.

Farmers might say I discount their part in the harvest. I’m not saying the work of the farmer is irrelevant. There are many ways I can destroy a harvest! It is just that there are processes that underlie the farmer’s work over which he has no control—or even much understanding. Would the field of corn be there without the farmer’s work? Of course not! Then did the farmer make the corn grow? Well, not exactly. Other forces were at work, more powerful than his own.

Jesus used many farming stories in his teaching because agriculture contains great examples of the balance between God’s work and our work. Jesus taught that our spiritual lives have both elements. We don’t grow spiritually without exerting effort at sacred spadework, weeding, fertilizing, and watering. But do we cause our spiritual growth? Obviously not! Just like on the farm, when spiritual growth takes place, we can look back and remember our hard work, yet still marvel at what God has done.

Growth is our theme in this edition of the Paraclete Perspective--the growth of Paraclete and the growth of the church around the world. We want to introduce the team members God has brought to us in the last year. As in the case of the farmer, we worked hard to recruit these people. Also like the farmer, we
look back and marvel at where they came from and how God directed them to Paraclete before we knew anything about them.

These new associates begin their Paraclete ministries at a time when the church around the world is growing at an astonishing rate. My wife, Shelly, and I marvel at the growth in our beloved Latin America, where we served for 20 years. In 1979, when we began service in Ecuador, if we had received a vision of the size and reach of the church of 2012, we would not have been able to believe it. The growth that we have seen in the span of a single generation is staggering.

Our new Paraclete associates step into this environment--not just in Latin America, but also in a setting of dramatic church growth around the world. It is a harvest season. It is a time of growing pains for the church. It is the perfect setting for the experienced specialists who form Paraclete. It is the right time for Paraclete’s commitment to coming alongside those who are working in the field.

Mark and Cindy Irwin

As career missionaries, we have been privileged to assist the local church in Latin America, countries of the former Soviet Union, and the U.S. Our goal has been to build up the body of Christ so national

believers will be motivated and committed to train others to follow Him.

We served 25 years in missionary broadcast ministries. For more than a decade, we have been honored to help Muslim-background believers. For the past three years, we’ve been reaching out to disciple people from Muslim backgrounds in the U.S. Now, the Lord is leading us to turn our full focus toward ministry among Muslims who have left their homelands.

Later this year, we plan to move to Europe to join a group of Muslim-background believers. They’ve start new fellowships and train new church leaders. We will work with a group already helping to establish fellowships within their home country in the Middle East and among emigrant communities in Europe.

You can partner with us in ministry by praying for us as we…

• Move to Europe in late 2012
• Learn a new language
• Acclimate to the culture in which we will work
• Assist the church so they can make disciples more effectively
• Mentor current/future church leaders

Donate to this ministry.

Pat Russell

In a city in China, women gather from various places for a weekend retreat. Though they do not know each other, they mutually desire a deeper connection to God and women who
are leaders in other Christian communities. For the next 18 months, they will leave family, work and ministry to meet regularly.

I’m part of a leadership team that guides and teaches these wonderful women. I desire to lead them into a more intimate relationship with Jesus so they will fully experience the depth of His love for them in every season and know how to care for their soul in the midst of their very busy, pressed lives. This is my work with Paraclete.

After a year and a half, the women have tools to strengthen their souls, and have deep friendships with other women. I do not minister to create a dependency, but to build them up in Christ. I pray they will be able to do the same for others. In the process, my own soul is encouraged by their courage
and openness to the work of Christ, no matter the cost.

Linda Swanson

Our God, who doesn’t waste anything, is amazing! He has taken my history as a Mission Aviation Fellowship missionary, my experience at a retreat center for clergy, and my roles as a retreat speaker, writer, editor, spiritual director, and administrator and placed me with Paraclete to care for pastors, missionaries and people in my congregation.

I'm privileged to serve as a speaker and organizer at several retreats each year. My husband and I travel to Kalimantan, Indonesia, to speak at the annual MAF staff retreat. We lead marriage retreats for clergy and lay people, and I travel with Women of the Harvest to put on retreats for missionary women. As a writer and editor, I come alongside Paraclete, Link Care Center, Women of the Harvest and Metro Community Church to assist with newsletters, brochures, blogs and web site content. My blog, Journey in Process , gives me the opportunity to encourage and mentor women around the world. Spiritual direction is another component of my caring role. Skype and the Internet allow me to have significant conversations with missionary women. My home is a safe place to meet with women from my congregation.

God has blessed me with a place to serve that fits the gifts and experiences He has given me. I’m thankful for the people who pray and give so I can serve. What a wonderful God! What a wonderful team!

Donate to this ministry.

Gary and Sandy Wittevrongel

In February, we became Paraclete Associates. We’re very excited to come alongside missionaries, mission teams and nationals with a message of grace, healing, and identity in Christ. While ministering in our previous mission agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I was asked by a young believer, “What do you do here?” I told her it was easier to describe my effect than what I do. She asked, “Then what is your effect?”  I responded, “When I spend time with believers, they rise up and take their place in the
Kingdom of God. Then, they outdo me in everything! That’s my effect.” With a smile she said, “That’s a good effect!”

We had been working at the time as team leaders for a church planting team, but over the next several years, our mission organization recognized our effect was valuable for other missionaries and teams. They asked us to broaden our coaching audience. We are humbled and delighted by the results. Now, with Paraclete, we have an even broader scope of ministry.

Julie Field

Julie comes to Paraclete after 24 years of retail sales management, and eight years of full-time ministry and non-profit management. A licensed minister, she adds rich education to her experience; M.A. in Cross-cultural Leadership from Fuller Seminary, and holds certificates in Mediation, Human Resource Management and TESOL.

A missionary with the heart of a pastor, “Julie cares for our souls”, says Bamlaku Dessie, an emerging leader she mentors in Northern Ethiopia. Julie comes alongside “Simply the Story, Oral Bible Inductive Style,” as part of a leadership team that teaches workshops around the world. Julie is excited to help lead women’s conferences in Northern Ethiopia and Kenya. Only 30% of Ethiopian girls complete high school. Overcrowding in the classes, lack of community support and traditional cultural expectations do not give girls the opportunity to complete their education and become the women they were created
to be.

PinkGirl targets high school girls with a tutoring program, life skills classes and provides educational assistance to impoverished Ethiopian young women. Today, the pilot program supports over 110 girls on four Compassion International/Ethiopian church campuses in Northern Ethiopia. Julie is the Executive Director and is truly in her “sweet spot.” (PINK-Power In Knowledge)