Our Journey
Discover how our organization has evolved to serve communities through faith and education.
Our Journey
Discover how our organization has evolved to serve communities through faith and education.
1980-1984
FHL Global Vision Begins to Form
The vision for Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries goes back to the seminary days (1980-1984) of its founders, Tim and Jill Geoffrion. At that time, God first put foreign mission work on their hearts, and Jill spent two summers in Africa as a short-term missionary (in Zaire, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in Malawi). During many years in the pastorate and teaching in colleges and seminaries in the United States, the sense of call to teach teachers and ministers abroad as well as home only grew for both Tim and Jill.
1995-2005
From 1995-2005, Dr. Tim Geoffrion served for ten years in executive leadership at Family Hope Services, now known as TreeHouse. In his roles as Program Director and Executive Director, he was instrumental in developing a training program that increased the capacity of staff to lead with greater spiritual vitality and to serve more effectively in their ministries. He also oversaw the development of a program to replicate the TreeHouse model of ministry by training staff from other nonprofits. Meanwhile, Jill was in the process of publishing seven books in as many years (1999-2006) on the use of the labyrinth as a prayer tool, especially with Christians in mind.
First Ministry to At-Risk Youth & Parents
2002 - 2005
Ministries Move National and International
In 2002, Dr. Tim Geoffrion first began extending his vision for spiritual leadership development to international settings. For three successive years, he conducted 2-3 day seminars for 15-20 Christian leaders and spouses in Sofia, Bulgaria, at the invitation of another nonprofit, INTEGRA. There, he discovered that pastors from developing and underdeveloped countries are hungry for biblical teaching, spiritual nurture, leadership training, and encouragement.
In 2005, drawing on his training through Shalem Institute on spiritual leadership and his own experience as a leader and teacher at TreeHouse, Tim published The Spirit-Led Leader: Nine Leadership Practices and Soul Principles (The Alban Institute, 2005). As doors continued to open for Tim and Jill to reach international audiences, this book became the standard text for their workshops and seminary courses in seven different countries. Meanwhile, Jill's books established her as one of the premier experts on the Chartres labyrinth and labyrinth prayer globally.
2006
Developing Greater Depth and Expertise
In 2006, Tim began a sabbatical in order to explore developing a global teaching ministry. During this time he was certified as a life coach and created a spiritual life coaching practice that, together with his books, has become foundational for teaching on Spirit-led leadership and for coaching pastors and Christians leaders around the world.
2007
Launching the Global Ministry
In January 2007, Drs. Tim and Jill Geoffrion accepted a longstanding invitation to teach at a seminary in Yangon, Myanmar. They taught 60 seminarians, lectured on Christian spirituality, and preached in local churches.
Then, in October 2007, they traveled to Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Tim led a Pastors’ Leadership Conference for 30 pastors from different denominations in collaboration with the Anglican Church of Congo, HEAL Africa, and Christ Presbyterian Church (Edina, MN). Jill led prayer sessions using creative methods for prayer in conjunction with the leadership training. On the trip, their hearts went out to the Congolese, five million of whom had died through war, disease and starvation over the previous ten years, and who are still experiencing thousands of violent rapes and murders every year in the country villages. Yet, through their experience in the DRC, Tim and Jill saw clearly that by equipping pastors and other Christian leaders, they would be able to reach thousands of more suffering people through them
The enthusiastic response from both the Burmese and the Congolese, combined with a growing sense of calling to global ministry, led the co-founders to take the next step in formalizing the outreach. On February 5, 2008, this ministry was officially incorporated under the name Faith, Hope, and Love International, which was soon changed to Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries. After establishing the legal and financial foundation for the work, Faith, Hope, and Love Global began steadily expanding the scope of its reach on four different continents. Up until now, workshops and seminars have been conducted in eight different countries. Today, the ministry focuses on Myanmar, the Myanmar-Thai borderlands, and Eastern Congo.
Thank you for listening to our story and for considering joining us in our mission to “teach, inspire, and encourage followers of Christ, equipping them to serve God more effectively as Spirit-led leaders.”
In Christ’s service,
Tim and Jill Geoffrion, Co-Founders
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