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The Kerusso – January | 2025 Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”

To Whom Will We Listen? It Matters Greatly!! Max Edwards In the second of Paul’s pastoral letters to Timothy, the Holy Spirit inspired him to describe the condition of things as humanity approaches the end of the present age. In part, he notes, “3 the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 niv) Stark, isn’t it? In plain and simple words, the prediction is that people will intentionally turn from truth to myth. “They will TURN THEIR EARS AWAY …”. That fallen tendency in us to turn away from truth is the reason God instructed ancient Israel to pray repeatedly, “Hear O’ Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” (Deuteronomy 6:4 niv) This twice-daily prayer is called the Shema, which means “to listen.” There is one reliable source of truth - - one source that deserves our committed attention, and HE is the LORD GOD. In Psalm 81, we ﬁnd a deep and passionate lament on God’s part. He knows that when we do not listen to Him, and follow His voice, we expose ourselves to danger, distraction, and destruction. These are His thoughts: 8

Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me! 9 You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god. 10 For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will ﬁll it with good things. 11 “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. 12 So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas. 13 Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!

Listen Psalm 81:13

“If my people would only listen to me …”

We mustn’t allow our selﬁsh and stubborn wills to govern us. We, who call Jesus LORD must guard against the seductive voice of our covetous and self-worshipping culture. This must not be the condition of the people called Evangelical Methodists!! This year, I’ll be reminding myself that there is only one safe path … only one safe voice. We’ll be talking about it in our Journey meetings around the country, and I’ll be writing about it in future Kerusso articles and Tuesday Briefs. We must listen, and listen carefully. Our stability and our eﬀectiveness rest on our commitment to do so.

The Kerusso – January | 2025

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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”

From the Desk of the General Secretary/Treasurer Rev. Brian Hammond

NEW OFFICE HOURS FOR 2025 Beginning in January, the EMC Headquarter’s regular weekly office hours will be: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (EST) You can reach me or another staff member during these days and times by calling our office at 317-780-8017. On Fridays, I will work remotely, so you can reach me directly by calling or texting my cell at 724-333-2163. You can also reach me by calling the office number and pressing two at the prompt. If I don't answer, leave a message, and I will return your call after our phone system notifies me.

CHURCH & CREDENTIAL REPORTING I have written about this in my last two Kerusso articles, so I will briefly remind you about it this month. Your church and credential holder reports are due by the end of this month. If you have any problems or questions, don't hesitate to contact me or Karen Parsons. Here is the link: Credential/Church Reports - The Evangelical Methodist Church STATISTICAL & FINANCIAL REPORT TOOLS We provide statistical and financial reporting tools to help you with reporting each year. You can download the Excel worksheets on our website here: Church Forms and Downloads - The Evangelical Methodist Church

DUE DATE: 1/31/2025

The Kerusso – January | 2025

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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”

Jon Tellifero – Louisiana

Excerpts from Pastor Jon’s 2024 Ministry Report I currently serve Mercy EMC (DeRidder), Beulah EMC (Calhoun), and Faith Methodist Church (West Monroe). Together they constitute the Cypress Charge. The Cypress Charge exists to birth three full-time congregations. Mercy Chapel is a new church start and in its third year of ministry. It began in a home, then quickly moved to the Ignite Center, a small conference center. They are currently looking for their next worship center and working hard to call a full-time pastor. Worship is the heart of the church and commitment to communicating the good news through the Word creatively and convincingly, provides the platform for Biblical faith and discipleship. The Bible provides the blueprint for how we conduct our ministry. It informs us about saving grace, the Spirit-filled life and how we engage our “neighborhood”. Biblical teaching is strategic for Mercy to develop into the disciples of Christ God wants. I lead a Wednesday Bible study at a local Mexican restaurant. Also, Peggy Chisholm leads Sunday afternoon fall and spring semester Bible studies that attract both Mercy members and the community. This congregation has a vital outreach to the community. We share our faith with residents of a nursing home, Westwood Manor, about 8 times a year. We co-sponsor Wreaths Across America, recognizing deceased veterans. Mercy also provides funding for foster children, Operation Christmas Child, as well as our regular conference support. Mercy began with disaffiliated Methodist looking for a new church, but we have expanded our outreach, receiving into membership beyond our Methodist background. We are growing a new, vibrant congregation. Today we are a mature adult congregation that is praying about reaching every soul in DeRidder, whether children, youth, families, or single persons. Our target is to share the gospel in our "Jerusalem."

Robert Jackson – North Carolina

Excerpts from Robert’s 2024 Local Preacher Ministry Report I wish to thank my church body for their prayers and support as I continue this ministry journey. I also want to thank Pastor Sean who always has his door open to me and serves as a great mentor, friend, and supporter. Starting a journey of faith at this point in my life has brought challenges. I am so happy that many mature Christians are by my side cheering me on. Since last year’s Annual Conference, where my church voted their approval for me to continue this journey, I have met several milestones and have started on new goals. In February of this year, I was interviewed by the Board of Ministerial Relations and approved for Admission on Trial. This is a two-year period of continued growth and education that will, when completed, result in ordination as an EMC elder. This journey thus far has not been smooth. Many personal issues this year have interfered with my education schedule. I am praying, and asking for your prayers, for God to make clear to me his path for this journey and ultimate outcome. Although I have been preaching in the Albemarle area since 2006, since I started my education journey [as Local Preacher] in July 2021, the tempo has picked up significantly. In 2024, even with personal issues that took me out of the pulpit for 3 months, the Lord has been faithful opening doors for me to preach at 7 different churches or facilities, including Pasquotank Prison, preparing and delivering 34 sermons. I prepared and taught a class on Christian Perfection for the Chesapeake EMC. I officiated one funeral service this year. In addition, I have served the elements of communion at one church this year but have also served them several times to individuals within hospitals or home bound. I have felt very compelled to serve in a care and counseling model of ministry. I previously was accepted to Samaritans Purse for disaster relief support. I feel compelled to serve as a Billy Graham Chaplain, which I feel is more aligned with where I feel led. There are some minor education requirements for this. Again, due to personal issues this effort is temporarily on hold. Upon continued support from my home church, I will continue this Local Preaching effort. I ask for prayer as I seek God’s guidance on my path forward in ministry.

The Kerusso – January | 2025

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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”

EMC Journey Sessions

2025 Journey 2025 Registration is Open! There are some new details in the registration process. Each Journey will have an online registration form with its own link and QR Code. Your registration and payment will be made at the same time through the online form. The link provided below will take you to a registration page where you will choose the Journey you would like to register for. Registration will remain open until two weeks before each Journey. The 2025 Journey registration fee is $50 and includes two evening meals. For children 17 years old and younger, there is no registration fee but please include them on your registration form in the appropriate section. Your payment must be made to complete and submit your registration. Credit card or electronic check are acceptable forms of payment. Contact Karen Parsons (252-339-1414) with any questions or for assistance with your registration. Use the provided link or scan the QR code to register today!

2025 Registration Link

Journey 2025 Theme - “GOD ALONE” Special worship times in each Journey will challenge and encouraged us to fervently pursue the Lord in all aspects of our lives. There will be quieter moments for more intimate connection with God, as well as vibrant corporate worship. We will spend time in God’s Word and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us personally AND what He is saying to the EMC as we acknowledge that HE alone is worthy of our worship.

Guest Speaker - Dr. Matt Friedeman Dr. Friedeman has been a professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary since 1987 where he currently chairs the Evangelism and Discipleship Department. He has authored several books and has written a regular newspaper column, in addition to being a talk-show host on American Family Radio. We could not be more excited about having Dr. Friedeman speak to us!

The Kerusso – January | 2025

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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”

Strategizing in an Honor-Shame Culture Bill & Lisa Walker, GBWM Co-Chairs

In July 2024, Lisa and I took a team on Mission Exposure Monterrey. One of the things we did in partnership with our EMC congregations that week was to help clean a corner lot in San Blas of Garcia (a bedroom community outside Monterrey). You may recall that we wrote about that day of ministry with Elim EMC in the September edition of the Kerusso. We also interviewed church planters Jeronimo and Neri Salazar and posted the video on our YouTube channel @theThreadEMC. You can watch that video here. Pastor Jeronimo shared that though they are in a good location, they’d like to acquire the corner lot just half a block down the street. This particular property had been abandoned for a long time, was in very bad shape, overgrown, and full of trash! Pastor Jeronimo doesn’t know the owner, and the person never comes around. So, he devised a plan to get the owner’s attention: clean up the lot, even though he had not been asked to do so. That’s what the Mission Exposure team did as part of our ministry with them. The idea is that the owner will hear that someone has cleaned up his property, and he’ll come around looking to see what’s going on. That will be Pastor Jeronimo’s chance to talk with the owner and talk about renting or even purchasing the property for the Elim EMC. In the United States, such a thing might constitute trespassing! But this is Mexico! To Americans, cleaning someone else’s property without being asked to do so seems like a fool’s errand. But this is Mexico! American culture is “innocence-guilt,” whereas Mexico is “honorshame.” Click here to learn what that means. If you’re scratching your head, let me point you to biblical precedent in 1 Samuel 25. David had taken care of Nabal’s flocks and belongings without being asked. It’s not recorded, but 25:7 makes it clear that this was the case. When the sheep-shearing time came around (read this as money-making time), he asked Nabal to reciprocate. This was normal in their culture. Unfortunately, Nabal was a rascal and refused. Nabal acted DISHONORABLY. Nevertheless, we can see the principle of ingratiating oneself with another person with pre-emptive honor. This is not a biblical mandate for all places, but it is a cultural strategy. Israel and Mexico are both honor-shame cultures. Let’s pray that he responds HONORABLY so there can be a path forward for the Elim EMC to acquire this lot!