DECATUR, GA (ANS) -- When my wife Norma and I began ASSIST Ministries more than 24 years ago, one of our first projects was what we called a “Sister Church Program,” which was a way that a Western church could link-hands with an overseas church so they would learn from each other.

Dan and Norma Wooding (left) meeting with believers in Cuba

We started in Cuba and Norma and I traveled to the communist island to profile churches there and when we got back to the States, we began to seek out American churches to link with them.

One of our first linkings was with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, California, which we twinned with a church in Cuba and soon a team from the church traveled there, not only to bring moral and spiritual support, but also to be blessed by the wonderful Cuban believers.

Shortly afterwards, several other Calvary Chapels signed up and sent teams to Cuba and one of them even started Calvary Chapel of Havana. Soon, Cuban pastors were also visiting their sister churches in Southern California, and long-standing friendships were begun.

Our sister organization, ASSIST Canada, also joined in and they concentrated on Nicaragua and were regularly sending teams of Canadian Christians to that Central American country, and some of them helped build churches there as well as providing support for indigenous ministries.

Unfortunately, eventually the US side of the work began to peter out when, in some cases, pastors changed and the new leader decided to not continue with the linking.

Rev. Dr. Sidney R. Holston

So I was delighted to discover that Church Twinning International, Inc. (USA) based in Decatur, Georgia, has been co-founded by the Rev. Dr. Sidney R. Holston, who described the project as “twinning today and winning tomorrow.”

He says, “The purpose of Church Twinning is to encourage congregations though separate by culture and distance, to 'assist' each other with the building of the church as a whole. He says he bases this on the commission by Jesus when he sent the disciples out two by two, according to Mark 6: 7 which says, ‘And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits.’” (King James Bible.)

Some time ago, Billie Cheney Speed of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote an article about the program called: “‘Twin’ churches joining hands around world to share a faith.”

In it, Speed wrote, “The Rev. Sidney R. Holston of Decatur, Georgia, believes that the concept of ‘twinning’ in which an American church joins with a church of another country to exchange ideas and resources, could help solve some of the world's problems.”

“For example, if each church in the United States had acquired a twin church in Africa a decade ago, the crisis facing that part of the world might not exist today, Holston said.”

He was quoted as saying, “We would have been aware of the hunger and the political problems. And perhaps we could have done something to help the people before all this reached extreme proportions.”

The story continued, “Holston is president of Church Twinning International as of the early 1980’s.... If he had his way, he would twin every church in the United States with a church in the Third World.

“While he is convinced that twinning promotes a link between churches through confession of a common faith in Jesus Christ, he also sees it as an opportunity for two groups of people with entirely different cultural backgrounds to get to know each other better. ‘And one could even say that such unity could aid in fostering better international relations,’ he said.

“The church twinning concept was introduced to Holston by Andrew Crakye Denteh Ghana in September 1981 and then to Dr. G. Murray Branch, pastor of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama in October 1981.”

The story went on to say that Holston, and Branch “accepted the idea and decided to help the minister from Ghana, visiting the United States at the time, implement it.”

“While the focus now seems to be on Africa, Holston stressed that church twinning is needed in other parts of the world.”

“He noted that while the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Church is a twin to the Feden Church of Ghana, the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Decatur is in a twinning ministry with three churches in Jamaica.” In July 1988, Dexter Church Family twinned with Calvary Methodist Church family in Accra, Ghana West Africa.

“The Reverend John E. Talford, pastor of the Trinity Presbyterian Church for 17-20 years, said his congregations of 750 members are working with two churches in the Montego Bay area and another in the Sommerton community.

“Last summer, he and a team of his members went to their twin churches in Jamaica and conducted a week of evangelism services.

“‘During that time we had an opportunity to meet with the people, spend time in their homes and observe their needs’, he said.”

“‘It is a beautiful island but it is poverty-stricken,’ he said. ‘And we returned with a desire to do something to help the people there.”

“It was decided that members of the Presbyterian Trinity Church, along with others who might want to lend their skills, would return to Jamaica to participate in one to two week workshops.”

“Talford said cosmetologists, nurses, clerical workers, child care, storytellers; people who can conduct Bible schools and others who want to help may join the team.

“‘It is an exciting ministry because it gives us an opportunity to participate their culture, share their beliefs, look at their strengths and accept their participation,’ Talford said.”

Sadly, since the story was written, Dr. Branch and Rev. Talford are deceased.

Now Holston would like to introduce courses in American and Canadian seminaries so that students can learn about church twinning and the first course began at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

The summer of 2010 saw the Interdenominational Theological Center present this new study course titled “The Introduction and Principles of Church Twinning” by ITC Professor Dr. Marsha Snulligan Haney, Rev. Dr. Arthur Carson, Jr., pastor at Springfield Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia and a member of the ITC New Study Course Program and Committee, and Rev. Dr. Sidney Holston co-founder Church Twinning International, Inc.

This course was incorporated into the “Introduction to Missiology” which is a required course, and additionally the class was introduced to increase cultural awareness and spiritual growth.

“It combines economic interest and creates innovative programs and projects that further exchange cooperation and fellowship,” says Dr. Holston.

Holston says that his motto is: “Twin 2 Win 4 Ever God's People Around the World.” I couldn't say it better!

For more information on “Church Twinning”, you can contact the Rev. Dr. Sidney R. Holston at ctiusa@webtv.net 

Dan Wooding, 71, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 49 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries. Dan recently received two top media awards -- the “Passion for the Persecuted” award from Open Doors US, and as one of the top “Newsmakers of 2011” from Plain Truth magazine. He is the author of some 45 books, the latest of which is “Caped Crusader: Rick Wakeman in the 1970s.” To order a copy, go to: http://www.amazon.com/CAPED-CRUSADER-Rick-Wakeman-1970s/dp/1908728302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335474883&sr=1-1 .