There is hope in Christmas
Christmas is upon us and there is hope in Christmas. When we look back in 2025, hope is something that we really need this year. Over the course of the last 12 months, we have seen much turmoil in the world, with unresolved wars, natural disasters, political uncertainty, heartbreaking tragedies and the storms in our own lives whether they are financial, relational, or health related. I, for one, understand the storms as I have been diagnosed with colon cancer which has now spread to my liver. But there is hope and we are reminded of that every year at Christmas.
At CIM, we continue to spread the hope of Jesus Christ. Through our partnership with House of Mercy in Ukraine, the gospel is being preached to the Romas, even though we can not physically be there because of the war. House of Mercy gives an update with the Roma ministry as 2025 draws to an end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls29poy5TEs They continually give hope to the Romas in tough times. Consider giving financially to the Roma Ministry this Christmas season. We also expanded our Roma Ministry to Serbia and North Macedonia sending a team in September and October sharing about the hope we have in Jesus Christ. And we continue to spread hope with our partnership with the Evangelical Church of Ghana in Western Africa.
We have hope because no matter what is happening around us, God remains in control. We may not understand why things happen the way they do, but everything is unfolding according to the Lord’s plan. The very first Christmas, it did not make sense why Mary, a teen-age girl was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. It didn’t seem fair that Jesus had to be born in a manger, but God was in control, and because of that, we received the gift of hope through Jesus Christ which continues to this day through many generations.
This hope is available for all who accepts. The gift of Jesus Christ is for everyone but it needs to be accepted. At CIM, as we share the gospel, cross-culturally, we give many opportunities for people to people to accept this gift, but it needs to be accepted and used. I have received many gift cards in the past for Christmas presents. Unfortunately, I have not used them all, because I just put it away, and when I did try to use it years later, it had expired. The hope of Jesus Christ never expires, but we need to accept it.
And finally, there is hope because of Emmanuel. Though not the proper name for Jesus, it does define who He is. Emmanuel means “God with us”, not apart from us or distant from us but God with us. In Jesus Christ, God became man. He has two natures: human and divine. He will give us all that we need: salvation. John 1:14 states, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
That is hope. So, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this year, let us not forget this hope and share it with others. From all of us at CIM, we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
A STM trip to Ghana is tentatively scheduled for July 12-28, 2026. If you are interested in applying or want more information, please email us at contact@cimcanada.org
Rev. Isaac Quan
Executive Director, CIM Ministries
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November Financials 2025
1. General Fund - for general and administrative purposes, such as staff salaries
2. Designated Fund - for specific ministries in different field locations as designated (cannot be transferred between funds)
*All financial figures are in Canadian dollars and rounded to the nearest dollar
Pray With Us:
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. The invasion rages on and innocent lives are lost each day. Pray for House of Mercy as they take care of refugees, physically and spiritually. Pray for peace talks and for a ceasefire. There has been much confusion regarding this process. Through it all, people in the Roma villages are still getting baptized and dedicating their lives to Jesus. The challenge for the churches is that many young men are fleeing the country.
Pray for the pastors and teachers that we support in Ghana. Pray for fruitful ministry and God’s provision for each pastor’s family needs. Pray for Pastor Simon in the Tinjase area as he has suffered a relapse from a stroke and can not talk right now. Pray for his elders who have been taking care of him. Unfortunately, two of them were in a motorcycle accident and were injured.
Pray for Janice as she continues with her ministry as our International Worker in Ghana. Pray for the Christmas season ministry activities. Pray for campus ministry missions outreach in January. Pray for their family as they prepare to transition to Kpandai early next year (around March).
Pray for the search for new board of directors for 2026.
Pray for the finances of CIM Ministries. The economic situation in Canada may become very unstable with the uncertainty of a tariff trade war with the United States resulting possibly with less donors. Pray for new donors and a healthy general fund to run our ministries. Praise God that our financial situation has improved over the last year. In order to run our ministries effectively, we are currently seeking monthly donors. We encourage donors to give to our General Fund so we can distribute the funds where the needs are the greatest. Click here to donate.
Pray for CIM USA as they are still looking for an Executive Director and Director of Ministry.
Pray for healing and the immunotherapy treatments for Pastor Isaac as he has been diagnosed with colon cancer spreading now to his liver.
Pray that we will all have an opportunity to share the gospel message this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.