The summer issue of Alliance Life magazine features a reflective piece on how local, neighbourhood-based presence is increasingly understood as essential to the Christian and Missionary Alliance's global mission strategy — not as a consolation for those unable to serve overseas, but as integral to God's work everywhere. Lorie Huneycutt, writing in the July–August edition, describes how she and her husband were redirected from plans to serve in West Africa two decades ago when their daughter was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Rather than framing this as a detour, she argues that the same God who calls workers to cross oceans also calls them to cross the street.
The article reflects a broader shift within the C&MA, which counts approximately 400,000 members in the United States, toward recognising neighbourhood presence — in urban centres, rural communities, and wherever believers find themselves — as authentically missional. Huneycutt draws on the well-known words of missionary Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there," applying them to the local church context with fresh urgency. For a denomination that has long sent international workers around the globe, the piece underscores that mission is not defined by geography but by faithful presence wherever God has placed his people.
Drawing on decades of experience in local ministry, Huneycutt maintains that faithful Christian witness does not require a passport. The article highlights how the C&MA's church planting and community engagement efforts increasingly emphasise long-term, incarnational presence in specific neighbourhoods as the foundation of gospel work. Whether in suburban America or a West African village, the call remains the same: to embody Christ's love in the particular place and among the particular people where one lives.
Source: Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA USA) — cmalliance.org/everywhere-even-here/
