Lydia Circle Ministries
Making and multiplying growing disciples
About Us
"So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
Our Mission
Our mission is simple: train women in spiritual discipleship and evangelism. Our vision is to equip women in Africa to become spiritual leaders within their families, communities and local church.
Our Strategy
We send Lydia Circle trainers from the US and African nationals to hold conferences in rural churches. These trainers present foundational Christian beliefs that are easily understood and remembered through visual aids and tools. These visual tools assist in evangelizing as the Holy Spirit works to deliver the life changing message of Christ. The conference participants are then sent out equipped and accountable to disciple others in their community.
Our Founder
Melinda Dykstra and her husband Tim have 4 grown, married children and 3 grandchildren. In 2005 she participated in her first outreach to Zambia, Africa and became ‘hooked’ on African missions. She has since participated in outreaches held in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. Melinda has been called since 2010 to work specifically with the women in Africa through the organization she started called Lydia Circle. With Melinda’s God given talents and strong drive, U.S. based Trainers and indigenous woman leaders help her conduct training and the mentoring of African women in discipleship, emotional and physical well-being, relationships with children and husband, and how to pass on the good news of Jesus Christ to others.
Core Beliefs
Here's what we believe
Scripture
We believe that the Bible is God's written revelation to man and that it is verbally inspired, authoritative and without error in the original manuscripts. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; John 10:35; Matthew 5:18). It is our sufficient and final authority for faith and practice.
God
We believe that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Father
We believe that the Father is the one true and living God. He is the Creator, Sovereign Ruler, and Preserver of all things whether visible or invisible.
Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of our Lord, Christ Jesus. Jesus is God incarnate, and was manifest in human flesh. He was like us in all ways except for one, being free from sin. (Isaiah 9:6-7) (John 1:1-14) (John 5:22-23) (John 8:54-58) (John 10:30). We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He led a sinless life, took on Himself all our sins, died and rose again, and is seated at the right hand of the Father as our mediator and advocate. We believe that Jesus Christ made a full payment for the sins of the whole world by shedding His own blood upon the cross as a perfect and sufficient sacrifice. We believe in the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 24:1-44) (John 14:1-3) (Acts 1:9-11) (I Corinthians 15:20-24) (I Thessalonians 4:15-17) (I Thessalonians 5:1-3) (II Thessalonians 2:1-4) (Titus 2:11-13).
Holy Spirit
We believe in the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit, that He performs the miracle of the new birth in an unbeliever and indwells believers, enabling them to live a Godly life. (Acts 5:3, 4; Titus 3:5; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18).
Man, Free Will, and Sin
We believe that all men everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God, and need to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through His shed blood on the cross. Through Jesus Christ, God freely offers grace to all mankind; enabling all who turn to Him pardon and cleansing from sin.
Resurrection, Heaven, and Hell
We believe there will be a resurrection of the body for both the saved and unsaved dead. For those who are saved, they will be in the immediate presence of God. For those who are not saved, they will be cast into the lake of fire, or hell.
The Church and its Unity
We believe that the Church is the universal body of Christ composed of all true believers in Christ, with Christ as its head. All true Christians are members of one another and should love one another, build each other up in the faith, and obey Christ ’s great commission by reaching the whole world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.