Say Hi to Christy English

According to the Global Commission Partners, more than 40% of the world's people groups don't have sufficient access to the Gospel. That is 3.28 billion people. That is a lot of people hungry for the life-giving bread of Jesus. Christy English has a passion for these people. Her heart breaks for those that still need to hear the living Word of God. She has made it her mission to be an influence in reaching these people through missions at home and around the world. 

Christy serves as the Missions Specialist for the PennDel Women. She wants to be a resource to women's leaders everywhere to help develop their church's mission strategy. She is passionate about promoting PennDel home and foreign mission projects and is ready to help train women and teams for missions. 

 "I am simply a girl in love with her Savior," she says. If there was only one thing Christy had time to share with you, that's it. Simple as that. Her heart is for people to see Jesus in her. 

Women's ministry holds a special place in Christy's heart. She believes that every woman is created with a purpose and has been given a voice. She wants to help women understand that. She says that every woman has "something valuable in their hand that God wants to use in building the kingdom of God beyond their wildest hopes or dreams." She is available to advocate for, train in, and promote women's ministry, missions, foster care, and adoption. Christy is a Pastor with her husband, Mark, at Christian Life Center (CLC) in Bensalem, PA. 

So, where did it all begin? How did Christy become so passionate about what God placed on her heart?

Christy gave her heart to the Lord at eleven years old. Her parents just divorced. She says, "My mom, sisters, and I were very broken and hungry for the love and acceptance of Christ. We all went down to the altar together, and I have forever been changed." That's the moment she accepted Christ during a revival at a small country church, Bethel Assembly of God in Dorcas, Florida. That one moment changed every moment after that. 

Christy walked through many seasons and decades with the Lord that refined her heart to love with His love and see the way He sees. But, one moment, in particular, set her on a specific course. A moment that changed her forever after. All women have "those moments" they never forget. But then, a fundamental heart shift occurs. The moments that shape, mold, and define. The moments change the way we see God, ourselves, and others. These are the moments we can invite God to touch and heal. And then share with others, passing them on as pure gold because they allowed us to understand God's pure love for us. 

For Christy, this defining moment came with her baby girl Hannah Faith. She was born a cardiac baby. Hannah Faith went to her heavenly home at seven days old. 

Christy says, "I had to decide what to do with that kind of pain and disappointment. Finally, my husband and I decided to grow better and not bitter, to serve Christ in the valley just as we had served Him on the mountain top, and to trust God to use Her precious seven days of life for His glory."

Christy made a declaration to herself. She never wanted Hannah's memory to be something that remained unspoken and closed off, hidden from God, growing cobwebs. She didn't want it to be a thorn, that when touched, it would only make her bleed and cry. But instead, she let the God of the universe touch it. She invited Him into that most vulnerable, raw, and painful place. She says, "Jesus met me at this empty place." And from there, she realized Hannah's life had a purpose beyond her seven days.

God did what only He could do: healing and transformation. Beauty from ashes. It was through this healing that Jesus opened her and her husband's hearts to adoption and orphan care. She says, "Our faithful God has allowed us to adopt two exceptional children, Grace and Elijah." In addition, it set Christy and her husband on a pathway to advocate for orphan and adoption awareness.

Mark and Christy helped raise funds to open an orphanage in India's worst ragpicker slum. They named the orphanage after their angel in heaven, "Hannah's House of Hope." They continue to support several other orphanages. They have continued to promote adoption and fostering throughout their 25+ years of ministry. They have seen countless families transformed by the power of God's love through adoption and foster care. "There is beauty and purpose in pain. With Christ, dead things rise, offering hope and life beyond what we can imagine." 

Christy says, "If I never gave Jesus my pain, I never would have known the depth of God's love or understood His plan to use our lives--even the hard parts--for His glory." So Christy has a great desire to see other women give Jesus their pain, to understand just how deep His love runs for them. 

Looking back as a seasoned warrior, Christy can strip it all down to the one thing that matters most. When it's all boiled down, this is what she wishes she knew as she took her first baby steps pursuing God's call: "That the most important thing I would ever do was draw close to Him, plant myself in His Word, and worship at His feet. Everything else, every skill set, every ounce of education, every title or promotion is just stuff to be used for His glory. He only wants us. Rest awhile in His presence. Breathe Him in. You are enough, Christy."

God only wants us. It's sobering when we live in a world that glamorizes and praises everything we can do and offer and give. But the Lord of the universe just wants us. 

Christy is a powerful mother and a praying grandmother. She is married to her husband now 31 years. She retired early from teaching English in middle and high school in this season of ministry. They currently live in the Greater Philly Area in Langhorne, PA.  

Their daughter Sarah has been married for seven years, and just adopted their first grandbaby, Laurellye Lou. Sarah is finishing her Master's in counseling, and her husband, Tyler, teaches in high school and college. Grace is getting her degree in social work and hopes to use her story of adoption to make a difference in the lives of children. Elijah is a brainiac and loves Jesus with all his heart. He enjoys the PK life at CLC, plays basketball, and is a leader on his debate team.

 Now Christy is becoming a spiritual Godmother to many others. After decades of service, she and her family have seen God move supernaturally. Now, she says, "God is moving me into a season of mentoring and raising spiritual daughters."

Her hope for the mission's department of PennDel Women is that every woman in every church will lock arms and do their very best to support their district home and foreign missions projects. "We can do so much more together than we can do separately. We are expecting a shift as the opportunities to share the Gospel is now."

 As a young Pastor's wife, Christy experienced some tough conversations as the church grew. For example, Christy wanted to give women from a domestic violence center free admission to a conference. But a group of women shut down the idea. Finally, Christy said she had to step in because she knew this didn't represent God's heart. 

She was counseled by another Pastor's wife, who became her mentor. She said, "Christy, you may have to correct or rebuke, but always wrap your arms back around the individual(s) and pull them back in close to you." In taking that advice, those same ladies that she corrected became her strongest leaders and champions for the hurting and broken. So powerful. That could have gone very differently. But instead, God's love and truth prevailed, and women grew better together.  

The right mentor is powerful. The right leader is life-changing. The right voice in your life is transformational. Christy takes these roles very seriously and invites God into every decision she makes and conversation she has. Christy wants to champion other leaders. She wants to help them walk in the same areas she has already stepped into. Christy has learned so much wisdom over the years as God so graciously taught and instructed her. She would tell her younger self, "All the struggles are worth it. Keep going. Do not grow weary. Trust. Trust. Trust. He's got you! Every little thing is going to be all right!" 

Christy can't go back in time and tell her younger self. But she can tell you. And she wants to spend the rest of her days sharing. She wants to tell other sisters in Christ just starting their race or running shoulder to shoulder. One dream she has for 2022 is that mission trips begin again in force. She wants to see women's teams serving on the mission field all over, offering the hope and light of Christ in the dark regions of the world. She wants our mission teams to support our missionaries on the ground.  

She implores every woman to go on a mission trip. She says, "Experiencing missions firsthand is life-changing and opens our eyes to God's love for His people around the world. I also love the sisterhood time. Women's trips are like sleepovers serving Christ with your besties for a solid week of maximum capacity ministry. I highly recommend it. There is no better way to build a church in love with God's heartbeat than to participate firsthand on a mission's trip."  

If you travel with Christy on a mission trip, you will find she is a huge foodie! She loves adventure-eating. One of their favorites is Guru's Indian restaurant in New Town, which graciously adjusts the heat just for them because they are self-proclaimed "spice wimps." They also love Dante and Luigi's Italian restaurant in Philadelphia.

 If it's not already clear, Christy is all about relationships. When she is not in church and serving people, her life is about her quality time with family. She loves cooking at home and sharing the kitchen with her kid and friends. She says, "I love celebrating life in significant ways--birthdays, holidays, and special occasions." She loves capturing these special moments by taking pictures. She is currently reading "God Does His Best Work with Empty" by Nancy Guthrie. One thing that surprises people is that Christy worked at Disney while attending Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. She worked on Space Mountain and got to work with butterflies every day when she went to work!

That isn't a complete surprise because it seems like magic follows Christy wherever she goes. It's this magical beauty of a life surrendered to the One who loves us most: Jesus. Christy lives a life sacrificed for the King, and He exceeds her expectations daily. She craves to share that love with every brother and sister she meets and keep advocating for all the passions God placed on her heart. 

Email at missions@penndelwomen.org or Facebook messenger at Christy Castner English is the best way to connect Christy.