Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
Let’s Grow After deliberation and prayer, the focus word I am offering for the coming year is “GROW.” Some folks are probably saying, “Grow! Yay! It’s about time we get a-move on, and talk about what’s important. The book of Acts has examples of the church growing dramatically, sometimes by the thousands in one day. Yes, that’s what we need … BIG NUMBERS. Then we will know for sure that God is pleased with us, and we will be the subject of blogs, and vlogs, and magazines, and ...” No, wait. That’s not exactly what I mean by “GROW.” In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossian church, he indeed encourages them to grow. But when we examine what his goals for them were, we see that Paul wasn’t primarily targeting UPWARD growth, as in having greater and greater structures, and tools, and mechanisms. Nor was he primarily targeting OUTWARD growth, as in having more and more outlets, preaching points, and attendees. Don’t misunderstand me to say that those things are not to be desired. They are. As a denomination, we want to be more capable, more flexible, more equipped. And we want to have a greater number of churches, and outreaches, and members. YES! We want all of those things, but the issue is how we best achieve them. Do we set our primary focus on a greater number of churches? Do we set our primary focus on a better set of tools? Let’s read what the Holy Spirit actually inspired the Apostle Paul to write: “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:7 nlt) The direction encouraged by Paul was “DOWN.” “Let your roots grow down …” When Jesus told his Disciples the parable of the soils, He described several undesirable things that could happen once good seed was sown. Among them was a set of plants that grew quickly, but didn’t have a sustainable future. Matthew records Jesus’ words about them this way: “But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems …” (Matthew 13:21 nlt) What we need to remember is that we aren’t in a sprint here. Upward goals and growth without the essential beginnings of downward growth are sure to fail. We must be sure that we have grown DOWN “into him” (Jesus), so that we have a firm foundation for when trouble comes, and a source of nutrients to truly sustain the upward and outward growth that will come when we are careful to put first things first. Growing DOWN means aspiring to holiness - - Christlikeness. It means unity. It means love. It means humility. It means preferring others. It means forgiveness. It means purity. It means kindness. It means patience. It means wisdom. It means listening. It means honesty. It means working on character first, rather than working on a press release, or resume. It means seeking the fruit of the Spirit before the gifts of the Spirit.
~ Max Edwards
The Kerusso – January | 2022
The Kerusso - January | 2022
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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
EMC General Conference 2022 July 26 - 29, 2022 |
2022 Conference Speakers
General Conference Registration is a 2-Step Process
Dr. Ed Stetzer serves as the Dean of the School of
EMC GC2022 Registration
Mission, and Leadership at Wheaton College, and as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy
Click the link above to register for the conference, including all children’s and youth activities, and the optional banquets. or email:
Make Plans Today!
Graham Center. He will be teaching and preaching in two conference sessions.
kparsons@emchurch.org
Lois Tupyi is the Executive Director of Love INC of Treasure Valley. Lois is an inspiring speaker and educator for the Biblical call to wholistic help. She will be sharing at conference on how to build resources in people, not just give resources to people.
AND Click this link for: Ridgecrest Reservations to reserve your lodging and meal tickets
Dr. Jim Harriman has been a member of The Francis Asbury Society since 1997 and currently serves as Director of Latin American Ministries. He is an ordained elder in the EMC and will be preaching in two conference worship services.
or call: 800-588-7222
Jonathan and Lisa Moore serve together in both music and youth ministry. They are currently planting a brand-new ministry, CityScape Church in Columbus, GA. They will be leading worship during one of the evening services and serving throughout the conference as youth ministers.
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Important GC2022 Reservation & Registration Information RIDGECREST RESERVATIONS: *This reservation is separate from your General Conference 2022 Registration.* Your lodging for 3 nights and the 8 conference meals will be included in the Ridgecrest reservation. You will make your own lodging/meal reservation directly with Ridgecrest. To secure your reservation you will need the first night’s lodging fee for a deposit. Final payment for the remaining nights and meal tickets will be payable to Ridgecrest when you arrive at the conference. ROOM RATES AND OTHER COSTS: CLICK HERE to view and/or download a conference cost summary. MEAL PRICING: Children ages 5 and younger are free with a paying adult, children ages 6 - 11 years old will pay the child rate of $56 for 8 meals, and children ages 12 and older will pay the adult rate of $96 for 8 meals. That covers all 8 meals during the conference. *The online reservation page is not reflecting the ages and pricing correctly. Ridgecrest is aware of this. Simply choose the correct number and age for each child in your family and the appropriate pricing will be applied at the reservation office.* RIDGECREST RESERVATIONS can be done online by clicking this link GC2022 Ridgecrest Reservation or by calling the reservation line at 800-588-7222. If you are reserving multiple rooms or if your group plans to share rooms, it will be best to call the reservation line and they will be happy to help you. Early reservations help us determine if we need to adjust our contracted number of rooms with Ridgecrest. We appreciate those of you that can plan ahead with us.
GENERAL CONFERENCE 2022 REGISTRATION: *This registration is separate from your Ridgecrest reservation.* Everyone planning to attend General Conference 2022 must have both a registration with EMC and have a room/meal reservation with Ridgecrest. All voting adults coming to General Conference will pay a $45 registration fee. Voting adults are either: a) Members of the Conference ... all active OR retired credential holders (other than Local Preachers), or b) All delegates 18-years or older, representing a local church. Non-voting guests such as spouses, children, colleagues will need to register but are not required to pay the $45 fee. CHILD/YOUTH ACTIVITY FEE: We have planned a robust program for youth and children. A highly recommended team - “DEEP Ministries” will offer a staffed nursery and Kid’s Kamp for pre-schoolers through 5th grade. You’ll read more about them in next month’s Kerusso. The youth program will include organized outdoor activities, as well as great music and teaching, led by Jonathan and Lisa Moore. There is an activity fee of $15 per child with a $45 per family maximum. Registration into these programs is an option in the online form, and any activity fee must be added to your total registration. OPTIONAL BANQUETS: A Ladies’ Lunch and a Men’s Breakfast are available for $15 per person. This fee is an upcharge to the lunch/breakfast fee on your Ridgecrest meal ticket and will be collected by EMC at the time of your conference registration. Both banquets will be buffet style and will take place during the scheduled meal times. They are geared to adults, but are open to children 5 years or older with a parent. To reserve a banquet seat, fill in the appropriate section on the registration form. Please be aware there are only 80 seats for each banquet and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. ONLINE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS OPEN: As you prepare to register, keep in mind that in this one form, you will be asked about Adult attendees, as well as Children and Youth, AND the optional banquets. There is also a question about how you’d like to receive the packet of reports, either in a printed binder or in an electronic PDF bundle.
Use this link to register today: EMC GENERAL CONFERENCE 2022 Your General Conference Registration is NOT COMPLETE until your payment has been submitted. Registration payments can be made by mailing your check to EMC Headquarters at P.O. Box 17070, Indianapolis, IN 46217, or by clicking this link to: PAY YOUR REGISTRATION ONLINE
Contact Karen Parsons at 252-339-1414 or kparsons@emchurch.org for registration questions and assistance.
The Kerusso - January | 2022
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
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The Heavenly Promotion of Spiritual Giants Rev. Max Edwards, International General Superintendent “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15
All of us across the EMC were in shock the morning of November 10th at the news that Rev. Dr. Lal Duh Awma and his bride, Pi Ro Siami were ushered into God’s presence. We are deeply comforted by the fact that the LORD was not. For reasons not known to us, God in His consummate wisdom called them home. The loss to the EMC and to us personally is nearly indescribable. In my opinion, Dr. Awma was the most humble man I have known. He personified the Scriptural admonition to "consider others better than yourself." My one regret is that I never heard him preach. He always preferred us in preaching settings, but I would have loved to have heard him. I told him that I would be asking for him to do so, next time I came to Myanmar, and he smiled and said that "we would see.” He was both wise, and gentle, and I have been shaped by his demeanor, his faith, and his godly leadership.
A Tribute to Friends and Faithful Servants Rev. Bill Walker, GBWM Chairman “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:8 Rev. Dr. Lal Duh Awma and his wife Mrs. Ro Siami were part of the EMC journey in Myanmar from the very beginning. Dr. Awma (pronounced “OH mah”) was in the original group that received Dr. Williamson on his first trip to Myanmar. Dr. Awma proved to be a visionary and was always a key person in the connection between EMC Myanmar and EMC USA. He was an excellent leader, minister, and friend. He was a humble man of integrity and was in his 2nd term as General Superintendent of the Myanmar Conference of the EMC. Since July 2021, Mrs. Ro Siami had been struggling to recover from the effects of COVID-19. She went back in the hospital around November 7th and was on oxygen. On November 10th, Dr. Awma and his wife were both instantly killed when the oxygen bottle in her hospital room exploded. Their only son, Lal Tlan Liana, was also in the room. He barely survived and was badly burned. Thankfully, he is recovering from his injuries and has returned home. What a painful and shocking thing to happen to the Awma family, and to the global EMC family! We watched their double funeral via a zoom connection with heavy hearts and tears. What a loss for all of us—what a gain for the “great cloud of witnesses” of Hebrews 12:1 I remember meeting Dr. Awma on Lisa’s and my first trip to Myanmar in February 2015. We were discussing his seminary studies and he showed me his dissertation book. I was fascinated and did not realize I was holding up the rest of the group who was in the truck ready to go eat lunch! He was a quiet and unassuming individual yet was a man whom people followed with confidence. He also had a sense of humor. After struggling to keep up while interpreting for Rev. Kevin Brouillette, who tends to preach fast and passionately, Dr. Awma nick-named him “Pastor Take-off.” We all just rolled laughing, including Rev. Brouillette. We have many memories of him, mostly surrounding our visits to Myanmar or him attending General Council meetings here in the US. We were ever impressed with the numeric and spiritual growth of the EMC Myanmar Conference under his skilled and Spirit-filled leadership. We loved fellowshipping with him at Tin-Tin’s restaurant, where visiting groups from the US take meals in the city of Tahan, Myanmar. Mrs. Judy Edwards shares the following about Ro Siami: “One of the first things that comes to mind when I think of my sweet friend is her sweet, beautiful smile. The joy of the Lord was always evident in her countenance and in her life, even though she faced many difficulties as a Christian woman in Myanmar. She was a woman of prayer and great faith who wanted to see others come to know Jesus. She was active in and passionate about ministry to women and evangelism. She was hungry to study God's Word herself and wanted to pass on that hunger to others. She wanted to provide opportunities for other women to be discipled in God's Word. She was a humble leader who gave of herself and touched many lives - mine being one of them.” Rev. Dr. Lal Duh Awma & Mrs. Ro Siami are survived by three daughters (Ro Thang Puii, Zâr Zo Liani, Van Lal Zuiin), one son (Lal Tlân Liana), nine grandchildren, and many relatives. Their lives ended abruptly and unexpectedly, but they were prepared to meet Jesus face-to-face. What a glorious and joyous moment that must have been for them! They leave a legacy of godliness, faithful service, and pursuit of Jesus Christ; they are worthy examples for all to follow. Pray for the family as they grieve, and for the EMC Myanmar Conference as they elect their next General Superintendent in February.
“Well done, good and faithful servant[s].” Matthew 25:23
The Kerusso - January | 2022
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
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ATTENTION ALL CREDENTIAL HOLDERS! IT’S TIME AGAIN FOR ANNUAL REPORTING. The reporting requirements were changed a couple of years ago, and now there is only one form to be completed by all credential holders - the Individual Ministry Report Form. And for Senior Pastors of EMC Churches there is just one other, our Local Church Report which does not ask for as much statistical detail as our old reporting forms. They are ONLINE forms, so simply CLICK HERE to go to the reporting page on the EMC’s website, and select the link for either the ministry report or the church report. Please note - you cannot save a partially completed report; each report must be finished once you start it. If you must exit your web browser before finishing, you will need to start over. Once submitted, your report will automatically be emailed to the General Conference Secretary AND to your Conference Superintendent. The single, redesigned ministry report works for ALL credential holders, so no matter what your current role or credential status is, this new report gathers all the information we need. While it is the case that Superannuated and Supernumerary Elders are not explicitly required to report, we certainly welcome them to complete a ministry report should they desire to do so. And for those of you who are indeed Superannuated but have stepped back into a Senior Pastor’s role, we strongly encourage you to submit an annual report. The idea of being released from a reporting requirement stems from the assumption that a Superannuated Elder has retired from active service in pulpit ministry.
The one Local Church Report is to be filled out by every Senior Pastor of an EMC church, regardless of their credential status. As always, the first parts of the local church report gather data regarding attendance, participation, conversions, and membership. The latter parts are for reporting the financial information for the previous year. ONLINE PARTICIPATION OPTION CONTINUES FOR 2021 A change made to the report in 2020 was the addition of one data field for those pastors who wish to report a number that reflects their estimated online participation. Most or all of our churches stream their weekend services through one online vehicle or another. Participation in online services has become a normal option for many people. The field that allows for the reporting of online participation is NOT a required field. How each pastor goes about estimating that number may be different. There are many different metrics that could be used, so we are leaving that to your best judgment, asking that you be consistent with whatever method you choose to use. Thank you for your cooperation in completing your 2021 reporting requirement.
*PLEASE COMPLETE ALL REPORTING BY JANUARY 31, 2022*
The Kerusso - January | 2022
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”