WINNIPEG, MB-Sadness and celebration mixed freely at the 13th biennial General Assembly of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) in Canada, held July 1-6 in Winnipeg.

Just days before the event that drew hundreds of delegates from across Canada, 21-year-old James Pyles, the son of C&MA president Franklin Pyles and his wife Gay, was killed in a car accident while serving on a short-term mission trip in Israel.

The death came as a shock to the Alliance community as they rallied not only to conduct church business, but also to launch a new initiative aiming to make missions an even higher priority.

The "Four S" initiative, "Silk, Sun, Sand and Spice," focuses on strategic areas for mission in some of the most needy areas of the world.

"Our Canadian mission leaders felt themselves keenly pressed by the Holy Spirit to more intentionally involve our missionaries in the church planting and nurturing among the least-reached people of the world," said Ross Reid, vice chair of the C&MA board, reading the report from the president in Pyles’ absence.

The Silk Road includes areas of northwest China and eastern Turkey through Iran to Tajikistan, where missionaries will work to facilitate an "indigenous, sustainable church-planting movement."

Caribbean Sun covers Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela and the Caribbean Islands where pastors are taking part in Bible college courses, mentoring and job training.

The Desert Sand region covers North Africa where the C&MA hopes to place 25 workers by 2010, including areas in Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Libya and Egypt.

The fourth area, Asian Spice, encompasses China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mynamar and southeast Asia where missionaries are working to establish national churches.

Passion cooling
During a public service on July 3, evangelist and C&MA board chair T.V. Thomas called on the denomination to rekindle its passion for missions.

"I believe our missionary heart is beating weaker," said Thomas. "I suspect our passion is cooling off and our commitment to world evangelization is waning." He noted three indicators of the trend: lower numbers of personnel aiming for careers as missionaries; lower funding for missions and lower numbers of those praying for missions and missionaries.

Missionaries in contact with the Canadian church have noted the same disturbing trends, he said. They use phrases such as "less interest in missions," "low attendance at events with missionaries," "ignorance about what the C&MA is doing in missions," "less time given to missions in worship services," and "little or no intercession for missionaries."

Two critical steps must be taken to revitalize passion for missions, said Thomas-the rekindling of a deep biblical conviction that people really are spiritually lost and the regaining of a bold confidence in the power of God to transform lives.

To be true
Those realities must happen, Thomas said, "if we are to be true to our roots, true to our heritage and true to our biblical mandate."

As of May 1, the C&MA in Canada counted a total of 307 international workers around the world, including 13 new workers who will be leaving Canada this summer for various international destinations. Many will be working within "Four S" countries, some of which are restricted access areas.