India
We began working in India in 1976. We have numerous churches in India, an orphanage, and a flourishing Bible College. “Life Bible College” is now an accredited 4-year degree college, the pride of this ministry! It was pioneered in 1980 with only a little “tuk-tuk” (golf cart) taxi to help fund it! Most of our churches are in very rural settings, including areas that have been under severe persecution for their faith.
The memories we have shared...
Malawi
The work in Malawi began in 1993. There are so many churches here we can’t keep track of them! Every time we go back there new churches have formed in houses, under trees, and everywhere. The churches multiply due to a lack of transportation for the people to get to the churches so they form one of their own in each village. Malawi is a hungry church, both spiritually and physically so whenever we go into this country we try to take Bibles and/or grain to them. We desperately need a full-time missionary in Malawi. When I asked them what they need the most, they said; “Please send us a missionary to live with us and teach us God’s Word!” This is unusual because most of the countries start listing all of their physical needs, but our people in Malawi are really hungry for the Gospel first and foremost. We are currently developing a Headquarters property at Nchalo where ministry and practical development will take place. This property currently serves as a place of worship, an early learning center, and Bible Training Center.
Mauritius
Our Mauritius work was pioneered by our founder Jack Lockwood in 1975 when he boarded an airplane and went to the Island without knowing a single person nor the language! God miraculously led him to Reckraj Rajasur whom we trained and sent out to help us spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Reckraj is still the President of our congregations on the Island. Many of them meet in homes, garages, and businesses because the strict Catholic government doesn’t like to grant Protestant churches land. Mauritius is one of the most beautiful countries we work in, with gorgeous beaches, rolling hills, and sugar cane fields!
Mozambique
We began working in this country also in 1993. Our Mozambique churches are split between the far north & the far south. We have to reach the northern ones from the Malawi side. We still have a lot of work to do in this country, many of our churches need roofs and/or church buildings.
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
Romans 10:14
Philipines
We currently have churches in the Trento area on the far southern island of Mindanao. One of the churches is located in the middle of a rice paddy! The people are so very poor yet incredibly hospitable! The Filipinos love to have us visit them so they can be fed the Word of God, and then they can feed us their delicious food!
Our Poland work was established in 1990 when Eliezar Urbach (a Polish Messianic Jew) contacted us and said he had a friend (Janusz Grabiec) who had pioneered a home church and needed a covering & fellowship with an organization. Eliezar also owned a huge building that he wished to donate his portion of ownership to us. We purchased the other half from his son, began fixing it up, and the home church started holding services in it. Thus began one of the most amazing churches in Life Centre Ministries! They have since joined with another home church in Skoczow, and have continued fixing up the building bit by bit. It has been a HUGE undertaking because the building is over 100 years old and was actually confiscated by the Nazis during the war so it was full of bullet holes and in terrible shape (just look at the before and after pictures below). Our Polish church has a heart for reaching out to the lost. They have started an outreach into Ukraine (see that country page), they have visited and ministered in our churches in South Africa, and now they are holding open worship meetings once a month where souls are being saved! Although we only have one church in this country, it is a church that brings us so much pride and joy!
Poland
South Africa
Our mission work began here in 1968. We began by pioneering our mother church in Port Shepstone and have branched out all around the country. Three generations of the Lockwood family have spent a combined total of 22 years in this country, learning the languages and the cultures so that it has become a second home to us. So much so that DeAnna has become a dual citizen of the USA and South Africa, which affords her the best of both worlds. South Africa is the grassroots of Life Centre Ministries and we are very proud of the work we have accomplished in this country. We have churches ranging from 30 to 300 people, meeting in homes, schools, small churches, and large beautiful church buildings! Our churches in South Africa have also begun to send out mission teams into other countries in Africa and help build churches, hold crusades, and establish new works.
USA
The Life Centre Ministries world headquarters is based in Elizabeth (a suburb of Denver), CO on a beautiful 35-acre property. This property was a marijuana growing facility that had been run down and was an eyesore to the community when God gave it to us for a “steal” in 2010. We spent months giving it a facelift with the help of various church groups from Colorado and Kansas. The community was so astounded at the dramatic change that the neighbors began to pull into the driveway and ask who we were & thank us for fixing up this high-profile property that had been so sadly neglected!
Zambia
Our ministry in Zambia also began in 1993, making it the third country in Africa that was pioneered — that’s why we call that year “The Africa Explosion”!! We always say that Zambia has the most adorable children (although we find them irresistible in every country we work in). We have dozens of churches in this country. Many of our churches here also need to be completed as they will build them with sticks, plastic, bricks – whatever – in order to have a place to begin worshipping!
Democratic republic of Congo
We began working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo years ago but lost contact with our churches during the political unrest. We are currently in the process of finding and resurrecting the ministry in that country. There are still a lot of challenges involved in working in this country so it is a slow process.
Ukraine
This outreach was started by our church in Poland. About four times per year a group from the Life Centre Ministries church in Poland travels to Ukraine and takes in food and supplies to the elderly Jewish shut-ins. Many of them live in very poor and filthy conditions. They do this in cooperation with a Jewish Synagogue in Lutsk. They are showing the love of Jesus to the Jews in the Ukraine and souls are being saved in the process!
Life Centre Ministries celebrated 50 years of world missions on July 6th-8th 2018. A weekend conference with the theme “Building Big People” was hosted by the mother church in Port Shepstone, South Africa. Representatives came from nine of the twelve countries we currently work in: the USA, South Africa, Poland, Ukraine, India, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Mauritius. Not present was the Philippines, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The three-day event boasted flag ceremonies, international speakers, world worship, African dance, and delicious food! There was a women’s tea, men’s forum, youth rally, and children’s workshop. The event ended with an International Ordination, Vision presentation, and Communion. The past accomplishments were celebrated and the vision for the future was embraced!
50 Years of Service
40757 County Road 21
Elizabeth, CO 80107
USA