LEMA Institute - Leadership Education Mission Alliance

06/12/2026

EMBRACE THE PROMISE- A Reflection on the Promise of the Holy Spirit by Rev Cody Kuehl at the 2026 All Nations Pentecost Service.
Many Christians believe that the promise of the Holy Spirit made through the Old Testament Prophets and our Lord Jesus Himself had been fulfilled on the Pentecost Sunday, 2000 years ago. On that special Sunday, celebrated as the Birthday of the Church, the early disciples were filled with the Holy spirit and where heard speaking in foreign languages, "declaring the wonders of God". While this fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit empowered the church to reach all Nations with the gospel, the promise is still active for us today and need to be fulfilled in us. The promise to be given a new heart; to be guided by the Holy Spirit; to be comforted, taught and counselled by the Holy Spirit etc are still active and ongoing for us today. Pastor Cody, therefore invited God's people to embrace these promises and to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Cody Kuehl is the Senior Pastor at the GR Church in Grand Rapids ( https://gr.church/ ). Watch out for details of this inspiring and insightful reflection to be soon published at the LEMA Institute Blog. The All Nations Pentecost Service is an annual worship service of God's diverse church family, comprising churches from different denominations, cultures and traditions, organized by the LEMA Institute and held at Calvin University Chapel, Grand Rapids.

06/12/2026

EMBRACE THE PROMISE- A Reflection on the Promise of the Holy Spirit by Rev Cody Kuehl at the 2026 All nations Pentecost Service.
Many Christians believe that the promise of the Holy Spirit made in the Old Testament through the prophets and by the Lord Jesus Himslef was fulfilled on the Pentecost. On that special Sunday, celebrated as the Birthday of the Church, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke in foreign Languages declaring "the "wonders of God". Though the Holy Spirit now fills the universe, having been poured out on this Pentecost Sunday, the early church being empowered to reach All Nations with the gospel, the promise is still active for us today and need to be fulfilled in us today. The promise to be guided by the Holy Spirit, to be led, to be comforted, counselled, to be taught etc. by the Holy Spirit are still active for us today. Pastor Cody, therefore invited God's people to Embrace these promises and to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.

Rev Cody Koehl is the Senior Pastor at the https://gr.church in Grand Rapids. Please, watch out for details of this inspiring and insightful reflection in the LEMA Institute blog to be published soon.

06/04/2026

IT WAS ALL JOY AT THE 2026 ALL NATIONS PENTCOST SERVICE.
Great music, diverse worshippers from "All Nations" and denominations were present and most importantly, the Holy Spirit filled us with joy; we rejoiced together as one body of Christ, we celebrated our unity in the Holy Spirit and we gave thanks.

Please, enjoy some of the photos and watch out for uplifting and inspiring updates on the All Nations Pentecost Service held at Calvin University Chapel.

05/27/2026

THE SUNDAY AFTER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Even as the world system seeks to divide us, God calls us to unity. The Pentecost provides an opportunity for us to forge unity and collaboration among our churches. Since this year's Pentecost fell on the Memorial Day weekend, the 2026 All Nations Pentecost Worship is fixed for May 31, the Sunday after the Memorial Day at 6PM. Venue: Calvin University Chapel, Grand Rapids. Come, let us celebrate the "Birthday of the Church" together.

Featured Praise teams include Mangojeo, Singing Hims and Xpression of praise and Dance

05/24/2026

TODAY -some will say Happy Birthday Church! Why? It is the Pentecost Sunday when the disciples of Jesus, gathering in Jerusalem received the Holy Spirit, uniting them and empowering them together as a church to reach ALL NATIONS with the gospel.

NEXT SUNDAY EVENNING! Area Churches in Grand Rapids will celebrate that unity in the Holy Spirit, the Birthday of the Church and empowerment to reach the nations at the ALL-NATIONS WORSHIP to be held at Calvin University Chapel in Grand Rapids.

See you next Sunday for the ALL-NATIONS WORSHIP

05/13/2026

BRINGING THE NATIONS TO JESUS
On that first Pentecost Sunday following the resurrection of the Lord, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early church, empowering the church to reach the Nations with the gospel. Some call this day the Birthday of the Church.
Last Year, over 15 churches in Grand Rapids came together and celebrated this day at the All-nations Pentecost Sunday Service organized by the LEMA Institute. During this intergenerational event, the young children brought the flags of the nations to the cross, symbolizing the nations coming into the kingdom of God under our Lord and King Jesus. Ther Young also participated in worship through liturgical dance led by the group -Xpressions of Praise and His Dance. Both the young and adult experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit and were filled with joy and praise.
This year, at Calvin University Chapel, at 6:00 PM, May 31, Young children, Youth and Adult worshippers will gather again to celebrate this important day in the life of the church.
ALL ARE INVITED!

05/12/2026

LEMA RECEIVES PRAYERS AND ENCOURAGEMENT
LEMA presented at Classis Muskegon- a gathering of area pastors and Council delegates in the Christian Reformed Church in North America - CRCNA. Pastor Joshua highlighted the great need for pastors' training in Africa and even among immigrants in the US. Estimated more than70% of pastors in Africa do not have ministry training. LEMA exists to change that! At the request of the church leaders, The President of LEMA spoke about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and called on the churches in the US to continue to seek and pray for unity. One of the founders of the LEMA Institute - Gregg EseOghene Shewan was one of the leaders present at this important gathering of pastors and leaders.

The Leaders prayed for LEMA., for the teachers, the students and the mission fields in Uganda, Nigeria and the US.

05/06/2026

Preaching leads to new friends
Last Sunday, Pastor Joshua shared LEMA Updates and preached at Heritage Christian Reformed Church, Kalamazoo during their Mission Emphasis Week. He made new friends from Indonesia featured in the photo. These friends came for their daughter's graduation at the University of Michigan.

03/01/2026

The Church in Nigeria and Uganda needs well-trained leaders.

LEMA students are ready to serve.
They simply need partners.

Your generosity:
✔ Keeps a student enrolled
✔ Strengthens local churches
✔ Advances the gospel

Today is the day to invest in the future of the Church.

Sponsor a seminary student now.

https://www.lemainstitute.com/sponsor-a-student-1
https://www.lemainstitute.com/nigeria-students

Sponsor a LEMA Student Sponsoring a LEMA student is an opportunity to make a direct, lasting impact in the life of a future Christian leader. Your support helps provide theological training, mentorship, and practical resources that equip students to serve their churches and communities with confiden...

02/27/2026

Several LEMA seminary students in Nigeria and Uganda are still waiting for sponsorship.

Without support, some may need to pause their studies.

Let’s not allow financial barriers to stop a called leader.

Will you step in today?

https://www.lemainstitute.com/nigeria-students
https://www.lemainstitute.com/sponsor-a-student-1

Sponsor a LEMA Student Sponsoring a LEMA student is an opportunity to make a direct, lasting impact in the life of a future Christian leader. Your support helps provide theological training, mentorship, and practical resources that equip students to serve their churches and communities with confiden...