Never in his wildest imagination did Bruce ever think that one day he would be organizing South African Crusades that reach some of the poorest of the poor, but that is exactly what God has done. Glory to Jesus!

It all began with Bruce meeting Pastor Martin Tivane of Northwest Province.  Bruce spoke at Pastor Tivane’s church, and following the service Pastor Tivane asked Bruce if they could do a crusade service for all the surrounding villages the following weekend. Bruce thought, “Who could possibly organize something of that magnitude in only six days?” Still he agreed and when he arrived the following Sunday there were thousands seated beneath a collection of old army tents, hungry to hear The Word of God for their lives.

The kingdom results that morning were spectacular, and Bruce remembers thinking about Martin just as he did with Regardt van den Bergh who directed Matthew, “I’m going to be spending lots of time with this man.” Sure enough God had birthed a kingdom partnership, and since that 2002 day, Bruce and Martin together have conducted three crusades/year.

And the testimonies are mind-blowing! Scores and scores of salvations–we’ve had to plant numbers  of local churches where there were no churches to follow them all up! There has been healing of bodies, hearts, relationships… Families are restored, and on and on. Truly, this work has become a cornerstone of Marchiano Ministries and one of Bruce’s deepest passions.

Heartbreakingly, in March 2011, the Lord saw fit to take Martin “home” following a long fight against cancer. it was quite a shock to Bruce, but currently he is working with Martin’s widow to move forward in the work that he and her precious husband, who was Bruce’s dearest friend, birthed and developed. 

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Kiddies Crusades

“Kiddies Crusade” is a term that brings such a smile to our MarchMin faces, not only because of its unique-ness, but because of where it came from and how this ministry started.  To make the long story short, thirty-plus years ago, Bruce’s assistant, Sharon Puterbaugh, felt the Lord promise her, “One day you will teach African children about Jesus.” Through life’s many turns, the years went by and the years went by…

Then, during one of the first crusades, Bruce noticed the huge number of kiddies in the crowd, and his wheels started turning.  He had a thought–”Why not put on a simultaneous crusade for the kids–one where they’d hear the Gospel on their little kiddie level.”

Being a teacher by profession, Sharon was the obvious person to turn to, and the rest is history.  One evening Bruce sat at her kitchen table and said, “I’ve got this idea… Kiddies Crusade.  Can you put something like that together?”  Little did he know he was opening the door for the fulfillment of God’s promise to Sharon decades earlier.  Is God amazing, or what!  Glory to Jesus!

So Sharon and the team of African “kiddies teachers” that she trained began serving thousands of children, leading them to Jesus, grounding them in Jesus…  Children’s ministry was virtually unconsidered in these African churches, but now Sharon has turned all that around, teaching the leaders to prioritize the children and how to lead them–even teaching mothers how to properly care for them.  It is a work that is deeply precious to March Min–reaching the children.  Recently we branched into practical care for children orphaned by AIDS (http://www.facebook.com/ChristmasShoes#!/pages/Christmas-Shoes/151982811505023), so our work with kiddies grows and grows.  Glory to Jesus!