General Conference | July 26-29, 2022 | Black Mountain, NC This month, please meet three more conference speakers, Lois Tupyi, EMC’s very own, Dr. Jim Harriman, as well as Jonathan and Lisa Moore. Lois Tupyi is the Executive Director of Love INC of Treasure Valley. She has worked with the Canyon County based affiliate since April 1999, when she served as its first Clearinghouse Coordinator. She accepted the responsibility of Executive Director in January 2002, and has led the local non-profit organization since then. In 2005, Lois was asked to become a trainer for the National Love INC organization. In this capacity, she has coordinated and led large group trainings locally and nationally to meet the training needs of developing affiliates. In 2011, she joined the National Love INC board for a brief time giving input on the restructure of the Love INC Movement. Love INC of Treasure Valley’s campus is a training site for people in all stages of their Love INC Ministry growth as well as others interested in learning more about Redemptive Compassion. Lois is an inspiring speaker and educator at area churches and communities across the nation, frequently traveling to share her passion for the Biblical call to wholistic help. Lois is an Idaho native. She and her husband Basil live on, and manage a small Hereford ranch in Wilder where they enjoy the rural lifestyle. She has three adult children and fourteen beautiful grandchildren. Lois is an accomplished author. Her published works include the best-selling devotional, “Selah: Pause and Consider,” which blends personal worship and daily Bible reading with praise music, and beautiful photography. She has also written three books which explore a Biblical philosophy regarding wholistic help to the poor; they are “Redemptive Compassion,” “The Wagon Principle,” and “Compassion with Redemptive Power.” All of these materials are available individually for purchase online. Simply “Click HERE" to purchase any and all of her works. You can also find specially bundled toolkits for individuals or faith communities interested in helping people improve their lives, rather than just sustaining them in a lifestyle of need. During one of the afternoon sessions at General Conference 2022, Lois will share how to build resources in people, not just give resources to people.
That difference is deeply explored in “Redemptive Compassion.”
The Kerusso – December | 2021
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
The Kerusso - December | 2021
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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
General Conference | July 26-29, 2022 | Black Mountain, NC (continued) Dr. Jim Harriman is a graduate of Asbury College (now University) and Asbury Theological Seminary. He received his Ph.D. in Old Testament Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Jim was a missionary with World Gospel Mission (Assignment: Paraguay) from 1988–1994. He has been a member of The Francis Asbury Society since 1997 and currently serves as their Director of Latin American Ministries. Jim preaches in churches and camp meetings across the United States and internationally. In August, 2012, Jim took on the responsibility of being the International Representative for the Bolivian Evangelical University in South America. He also is involved in the area of development for the school. He serves on the university’s Board of Directors, representing The Francis Asbury Society and leads the university’s capital campaigns. Dr. Harriman has been an Ordained Elder in the Evangelical Methodist Church for many years. He is the son-in-law of the late Rev. Gordon and Ruth Johnson. Currently, Jim resides in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on the Bolivian Evangelical University campus. He has two grown children, a son-in-law, and two grandkids, Paris and Paxton. Rev. Harriman will be serving as a conference speaker during two of our evening worship services, including the Ordination Service on Wednesday night.
Youth Ministry Jonathan and Lisa Moore will be the featured Youth Evangelists during General Conference 2022. Jonathan is a passionate witness for Christ! Max Edwards met Jonathan at Asbury Theological Seminary, and studied along-side him for three years as part of an Intercultural Studies / Church Planting Cohort, from which they both graduated in the Spring of 2018. At the time, Jonathan was serving as Youth Pastor at a large UMC in Columbus, Georgia. He is a gifted speaker, with a strong desire to call young people (and adults!) into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Jonathan and his wife Lisa are talented musicians, and have previously traveled for 15 years as Music Evangelists, producing over a dozen custom CD projects. Together they hosted a Middle and High School student conference with 15-20 churches from all over the southeast. They will be leading worship in our evening service on Thursday night, as well as ministering to our students throughout the Conference as Youth Ministers. Lisa attended Oklahoma Baptist University and has a degree in Music Education. Jonathan has a Bachelors in Marketing from Columbus State University and a Masters in Intercultural Studies/Church Planting from Asbury Theological Seminary. They are currently planting a brand-new ministry, CityScape Church in Columbus, GA.
Jonathan and Lisa have been married for 24 years. They have two children, a daughter, Gabi (13) and a son, Jazz (12).
The Kerusso - December | 2021
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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
Business As Missions - Budapest, Hungary A Report from Aaron and Shannon Depue, OMS Missionaries Aaron and Shannon DePue were long standing (and deeply rooted!) members of Covenant EMC in Morgantown, WV. Two years ago, they accepted God’s invitation, sold everything, and moved their family of five to Budapest, Hungary to work in full time missions. The Lord has been faithful and provided His peace in this difficult transition. Their children, Isabella(17), Blayne(16), and Avalynn(14) have adjusted well with friends and activities at the International Christian School of Budapest. They all sometimes miss the mountains of West Virginia, but take great comfort in the fact that they are exactly where God wants them to be. Shannon and Aaron serve as the Business as Missions Coordinators for Europe and the Middle East. Shannon is also the Chairperson of the Hungary Field Committee, while Aaron is earning his Executive MBA at Central European University. Business as Missions (BAM), or social entrepreneurship, is the idea that business and ministry can work together to share the gospel and support the church. They believe that the role of business in ministry is to successfully balance profitability with investment in the spiritual health of the community. Whether through a coffee shop or a school, Christian businesses can help the church share the gospel with the world and provide assistance for organizations, religious institutions, and individuals to help the abandoned and forgotten people of this planet. The Depues are building BAM in Europe in three ways: 1. Business Management: Oversight of the day-to-day operations to ensure good stewardship of God’s resources. 2. Business Consulting: Teaching business owners to be good stewards of their finances, resources, time, and ministry. 3. Business Development: Developing new business opportunities and new ways to support existing ministry. One of their projects and the focus of this report is the American Preschool Academy in Budapest, Hungary. This American style preschool will provide English learning, Christian based, childcare for middle to upper class Hungarian Families. This project has special significance for the Depues because they co-owned and operated a similar school in West Virginia for 12 years prior to moving to Hungary! This school will generate $200,000 per year in profit which will be reinvested into Summer English camps, discipleship programs, and community impact ministry. Currently this project is in the fundraising stage and has raised half of the $1.6 million needed. Read on to see how you can be a part of this project. Jay Dunnuck, Vice President of Development with OMS has provided the following fundraiser information as of 9/28/21: 2021: $1:$1 Matching Grant from a foundation for all funds raised in 2021 up to $300,000. The foundation has also made a completed gift of $100,000 to lead this effort not included in the $1:$1 match commitment | We have raised $99,609 so far in 2021 | We have a commitment from a family foundation for a $100,000 gift in 2021 | This leaves $100,391 remaining to be raised in 2021 to maximize the available $300,000 matching grant | Assuming the Lord blesses us with the remaining $100,391 funds in 2021, the total amount raised in 2021 will be $700,000 which will be enough to fund the initial property purchase. 2022: $1:$1 Matching Grant from the same foundation for funds raised in 2022 up to $450,000. The funds raised in 2022 will be used to renovate the property to prepare it to function as a high quality preschool as well as provide first year operating funds | OMS is currently working with a major donor development consultant to design, plan, and execute a campaign in 2022 to fund the matching grant opportunity for 2022 | Lord willing, if all funds are raised to maximize the matching grant opportunity in 2022, that will result in a total of $900,000 raised for the preschool project in 2022. If you or your church family are interested in being a part of the American Preschool Academy fundraiser project, contact Jay Dunnuck at OMS by email at jdunnuck@onemissionsociety.org or call 317-565-6341.
Click this link for a promotional video: https://vimeo.com/onemissionsociety/review/540366644/b29a9fdc3f
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The EMC is Alive in Mexico!
Submitted by, Rev. Bill Walker, GBWM Chairman The Mexico Conference of the EMC is focusing on new church plants and church revitalizations. I am excited to tell you about a young congregation under the leadership of Pastor Jeronimo Salazar, in the small city of Garcia. Jeronimo and his wife Nereida have dedicated their lives to serving God in the pastoral ministry. They are passionate about winning souls. I have been a guest in their home years ago when they were serving a small church in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. I saw their commitment—mirrored in other EMC pastoral families in Mexico—and witnessed their very simple lifestyle in less-than-ideal conditions.
Updates From Around The World Mexican Evangelistic Mission
Presently, Jero and Neri (as their friends call them) serve in the small city of Garcia, Nuevo Leon to the northwest of the sprawling Monterrey metropolis. (You can probably find it easily on Google Maps, if you’re curious.) They followed the Spirit’s leading to plant a church there and got started about six months before the global pandemic. Of course, we all know about how adversely that has affected everything. By August of 2020 they were forced to stop meeting. Thankfully their congregation, “Elim Christian Church” has now reopened, and meets in their rented home. Jero and Neri have also started a new outreach on the outskirts of Monterrey, about 30 minutes from their home. It is challenging for them to go back and forth since they rely on public transportation. God is blessing their efforts and people are getting saved! They recently baptized four new believers. One of them, a young lady named Kenia, had a heart problem, and her doctors had given her only months to live. Kenia had only been a believer for about four months when God healed her completely! She is of course overjoyed and relieved, and her doctors were also speechless and astounded. What a great witness to the truth of the Gospel by the power of God! This reminds me of Acts 13:12, when Paul and Barnabus were preaching in Paphos on the island of Cyprus, speaking to the proconsul Sergius Paulus. He believed the word of God when he saw the power of God. Let’s praise God for healing our sister Kenia and pray for the salvation of her doctors and many others! Another family was also saved and brought into the Church. They were all baptized. One woman, Graciela, was bound to a wheelchair. She was also baptized on her confession of faith. Sadly, Graciela contracted COVID and passed away about 2 months ago. Here we see the greater miracle—she was ready to meet the Lord Jesus! This mortal life will end one way or another; the ultimate objective for the believer is to be ready when our time comes. 1 Corinthians 15:55 mocks mortality: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Most pastors in our international conferences live humble lives, and struggle to make ends meet. Pastor Jeronimo and Nereida are no exception. Let’s pray for them and their family. Their second eldest son, Adrian has some health issues with dizziness. The doctors are trying to diagnose his condition. Adrian can work, so we are thankful for that. Pastor Jero works in construction to support his family, but that work is not steady right now.
Jero and Neri, and other EMC pastors in Mexico, could do other things and perhaps have a more comfortable lifestyle, but they are following God’s call on their lives, and with that comes great sacrifice. Let’s praise God for their faithfulness and follow their example.
The Kerusso – December | 2021
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
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1st EMC, Sweetwater, TX Celebrates 70 Years! Submitted by, Mrs. Phyllis Morris, Church Secretary
The genesis of the First Evangelical Methodist Church of Sweetwater, Texas, as an organization was September 2, 1951, following a revival meeting conducted by Dr. J. H. Hamblen in the Sweetwater City Auditorium. The agenda was straightforward and simple with a resolution to form a church according to John Wesley’s doctrine and teaching. There were twelve charter members, with nine more members joining the very next week. During the days that followed, stewards and trustees were elected, Evangelical Methodist Women and EM Youth were organized, and Mrs. Robert Clark (Della) was selected as the church pianist, where she cheerfully and faithfully served for 50 years. Along the way, seventeen special men of God have served as pastor at Sweetwater EMC: Rev. Raymond A. Seay, Rev. A.G. Birmingham, Rev. Donald G. Taylor, Rev. Jack Wease, Rev. Calvin R. Vass, Rev. Arthur L. Slye, Rev. D.G. McCarty, Rev. James Townsend, Rev. Kenneth Bruner, Rev. Fred Largent, Rev. William Mayo, Rev. David Resinger, Rev. Kenneth Wray, Rev. Robert Perkins, Rev. John Gentry, Rev. Shane White, and Rev. John Swift. Praise God for these men and their families. On Sunday, October 24, 2021 the church celebrated its 70th anniversary. The celebration began with a breakfast of assorted fruits and breads as well as beverages in the beautifully decorated Fellowship Hall. The intricate Bible story table runners were hand embroidered by the oldest living member. Out of town guests as well as current members attended the meal. Following breakfast there was a time of Praise and Testimony that was both inspiring and sometimes humorous with anecdotes and fond memories. Wayne Welch and his wife, Jean attended. Wayne gave his heart to the Lord at Sweetwater EMC while he was stationed at the Radar Base (presently the location of Texas State Technical College), and was later called into Christian ministry. Memories were shared by several granddaughters of J. C. and Jeannette Morris (charter members), and former youth directors, Ricky and Tina Banks who testified and sang for the church. Current pastor, Reverend John Swift gave a stirring message after which there was a delicious meal in the fellowship hall. Jocelyn Decker, great granddaughter of the Morrises, sang a special song accompanied by her father, Jake Decker. After the morning service there was a celebration that included an anniversary cake, cards, and calls from many previous members, friends, and pastors. The church was delighted to hear from so many. Praise God for His blessings and faithfulness!
Are You Saving The Dates?
EMC General Conference July 26 - 29, 2022
The Kerusso – December | 2021
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”