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2020
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The Kerusso – February | 2020 Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
2020 EVENTS DESIGNED JUST FOR YOU! 2020 EMC Journey Gatherings Register 5 lay delegates for $200 and bring 3 more for free! REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Event Registration: $40/person
Journey 2020 Schedule (All locations)
Includes 2 Evening Meals
Click here to register: Journey 2020 Registration
Or email: kparsons@emchurch.org
Send checks to: EMC HQ, P.O. Box 17070, Indianapolis, IN 46217
Or pay online at EMChurch.org By Clicking Here Registration & Payment deadline is 2 weeks prior to each Journey
Thursday Evening: 3:00pm 5:00pm
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Check In Begins Supper On Site - Included in Registration
6:15pm
6:30pm
Worship Service
Friday Morning: 8:00am 9:00am
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10:00am 10:00am
EMW Breakfast Coffee / Fellowship Time
10:00am 11:15am
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11:00am 12:00pm
Worship Service Lightning Round - for Afternoon Breakouts
12:00pm
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2:00pm
Lunch - on your own
Friday Afternoon: 2:00pm 3:00pm
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2:45pm 3:45pm
Breakout Session #1 - 3 options Breakout Session #2 - Same 3 options
4:00pm 5:00pm 6:30pm
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5:00pm 6:15pm
Roundtable Problem Solving Supper On Site - Included in Registration Worship Service
Saturday Morning: 9:00am 9:00am
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10:30am 10:30am
L. I. F. T. Conference Session - for laity Executive Session of the Clergy
10:45am
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12:00pm
IGS Presentation / Ordination
(See page 2 for additional information specific to each location)
AMP2020
Journey 2020
Get Your Required CEU’s and Enhance Your Preaching in One Amazing Event
Four Convenient Regional Locations Please Bring Your Lay People!
March 24-26 | EMC Headquarters Click here to Register Or email Karen Parsons: kparsons@emchurch.org
Haltom City, TX Lake Elsinore, CA Eugene, OR Rutherford College, NC
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April 23 - 25 April 30 - May 2 May 7 - 9 June 4 - 6
Click here to Register
The Kerusso – February | 2020
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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
Whole New Life Christian Church, Venice FL A letter from Mrs. Carol Stackhouse Dear EMC Family, We at the WHOLE NEW LIFE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, would like to let everyone know that we are a planted Evangelical Methodist Church in Venice, Florida. My husband, Rev. Rick Stackhouse and I attended the Planter’s Boot Camp at EMC Headquarters in September of 2019, and came home ready to plant. Rev. Rick is a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC. Our church embraces the Wesleyan Holiness Movement. We are leasing a facility from a Seventh Day Adventist Church who worships on Saturday. We appreciate the relationships we are building with the congregation and their Pastor. Our first service was December 1, 2019. Conference Superintendent Rev. Kevin Brouillette, his wife Carolyn, and their daughter Sarah were in attendance and celebrated with us. What an exciting service! Our service is blended with old hymns as well as new contemporary music. Our band and sound technicians are made up of several volunteers. Pastor Rick plays the guitar and I play the keyboard as we both lead the song service. Rev. Max Edwards visited us on January 19th, 2020. What a blessing to have the support of our General Superintendent. As you know, there are many needs in starting a new church. We ask you to keep us in your prayers. Any donations to our ministry would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. May God richly bless you, Carol Stackhouse (941) 241-8627 Whole New Life Christian Church, 9605 Bladesmith Lane, Bradenton, FL 34212
Welcome Chet and Debra Kwiat - Arizona City EMC Chet and Debra Kwiat were officially installed as pastor and pastor’s wife at Arizona City EMC on January 12, 2020. Pastor Chet began serving the Lord in Children’s Ministry at Union Gospel Mission in Seattle, WA. He would later serve as the Youth Pastor at Duvall EMC in Duvall, WA. Over the next several years, the Lord moved he and his family from Washington to the Washington DC area, Pennsylvania and Maryland where Chet served and worked. Then in 1982, the Lord led them to Spring Hill FL to start a Wesleyan Church. After pastoring in Florida for three years, God called them to the Senior Pastorate all the way back at Duvall EMC where they served for 17 years. As a part of the EMC, Chet served on several district and national boards, as well as some time as the Northwest District Superintendent. After a personal family crises, Chet resigned from the pastorate and moved to Zambia, Africa to work on a mission farm organizing a Bible school to train local men to serve as pastors and leaders in their church. At the end of a year, he returned to Duvall, WA where he married Debra. Debra’s walk with Jesus did not truly begin until her mid 30’s. After spending almost two decades living for herself, walking in extreme negativity and despair, she found herself at the lowest point in her life, and finally cried out to God. She has been learning about and walking in God’s mercy, love and forgiveness ever since. She counts her husband as one of the greatest blessings in her life. Shortly after their marriage, Chet and Debra moved to Bellingham, WA and opened a fitness center but after suffering a brain aneurysm, Chet could no longer work full-time and they sold the business. During his recovery, Chet and Debra began seeking the Lord about their next steps. Those next steps have led them to the Senior Pastorate at Arizona City EMC, in Arizona City, Arizona. They are looking forward to many opportunities to share the hope and love of God with those who are lost, hurt, and broken; so they too, will have a life that is filled with the desire to have an intimate relationship with Jesus. These words God spoke to Israel are now made true even for Chet and Debra:
“Forget the former things, do not dwell in the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
The Kerusso – February | 2020
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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
Mission Haiti 2019 - Real Love Ministries International Submitted by Pastor Russ Van Nest, Crosslink Church, NC
As 2019 closed and 2020 began, EMC Pastors Jonathan Reece (US Director) and Russ Van Nest (Ministry Catalyst) with Real Love Ministries International (RLMI) led a team of 10 individuals from various churches and denominations on their annual Mission Haiti trip. RLMI seeks to Engage, Equip and Empower the beautiful people of Haiti as a mission demonstrating the Real Love of Jesus Christ. RLMI is celebrating 10 years of ministry in 2020! The core ministries are: an Orphanage, Widows Mite, Real Love Academy, Real Love Medical Clinic, and Word of Life-Real Love Church. Crosslink Church (NC) has served as the "mother-church" in the United States and RLMI has been endorsed by the EMC General Board of World Missions. The team arrived in Haiti on Saturday Dec. 28. That night, we joined in the final service of a week-long crusade held by Word of Life-Real Love Church. Pastor Jonathan spoke on letting our lights shine and giving out of our need based on 1 Kings 17:8-16. The next morning we attended a special ordination service at Word of Life. Pastor Solner, the lead pastor and Assistant Pastor, Dieuseul, and Worship Pastor, Oswald were ordained to lead the new church launched last October. The mission is to reach non-Christians and those outside of the church in Haiti. Other highlights of our week of ministry included: •
Taking 16 children from the Orphanage on a Christmas shopping outing for new clothes and celebrating at a special dinner for our staff of 35 (soon to be 43) Haitians who carry out our ministry everyday in their country.
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Visiting widows and bringing Blessing Bags of supplies to them.
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Mobile medical clinics to 2 of the 3 rural villages that we partner with: Crochu which is our newest village and Thomazeau, plus we hosted one in our medical clinic building in our home village of Minoterie.
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Unloading our shipping container full of school desks, school supplies, other supplies and medical equipment (including an Ultrasound Machine donated by Samaritan's Purse) and furniture for our new medical clinic.
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We are working hard to open the Real Love Medical Clinic in Minoterie this March. It will be open for patient services 3 days/week and community health initiatives (Clean Water Program, Maternal/Infant Nutrition Programs, etc.) 2 days/week plus, Lab and Pharmacy services 5 days/week. Access to quality healthcare is limited throughout Haiti, especially in rural areas. This clinic will also support our mobile clinics in our 3 partner villages. In addition, we are excited to announce that 2 new widow homes (1 in Minoterie and 1 in Thomazeau) will be built in the coming months. This will bring the total to 7 new homes for widows constructed since we launched the program in 2017.
If you would like to serve with us or offer your financial support to this vital ministry in Haiti, one of the most impoverished countries in the Western Hemisphere, please contact Pastor Russ Van Nest at russ@reallovehaiti.org. You can learn more at reallovehaiti.org and connect with us via Facebook (REAL Love Ministries International) and Twitter and Instagram (reallove_haiti).
The Kerusso – February | 2020
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Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
Riverside EMC Missions Team - Philippines 2019
Submitted by Pastor Brian Gordon, Riverside EMC, Salem, VA Who in their right mind would want to spend Christmas Day packing up to load a van at 1:00am for 30 hours of travel by bus and plane, and travel to a time zone 13 hours ahead? Ten of us raised our hands and raised the funds to do just that, traveling from Riverside EMC in Salem, VA to the Philippines for 7 days (excluding travel) of medical clinics, youth rallies, worship services, and relationship building. One must admit there are times in the middle of a 15 hour flight when you wonder if it is worth it! But it is! Every minute of travel is worth it to experience the blessing that is the Filipino people. Riverside’s Missions Team was an eclectic blend of ages, personalities, and talents. Our youngest team member is a 14 year old in 8th grade, and our oldest is a retiree in his 60s. One of our team members is profoundly hard of hearing. God truly knit our team together, as it was amazing to watch as God used each team member’s talents and stage in life to reach and build relationships with a wide variety of people. It was a blessing to watch the team work together, whether it was teaching small groups during the youth rallies, or helping at various stations during the medical clinics. Christie, who is hard of hearing, connected with Pastor Eric and Mona Ramirez, who are working towards beginning a deaf ministry. Mike, the oldest member of our team, was known everywhere we went as “Lolo,” a Tagalog word meaning “grandfather.” Hannah, our youngest team member found out very quickly that teenagers are teenagers wherever in the world they happen to be! Every member of our team experienced the gracious hospitality of the wonderful Filipino people, a people rich in love and rich in faith. We packed a lot of ministry into 7 days! On the first day we arrived, we participated in an affiliation service in which 13 new churches affiliated with the EMC. We also participated in two medical clinics, two youth rallies, and our team divided up and attended several of our EM Churches for Sunday morning worship. One thing is clear from our time in the Philippines. We need to learn from them. We can learn from their faith. We can learn from their resilience. We can learn from their spiritual tenacity. We can learn from their kindness. Perhaps the greatest blessing our team experienced on this trip was the time spent with Pastor Jun and Marlene Mateo. They are such wonderful trip hosts and are a true blessing to the EMC and to the Kingdom of God.
Special EMW Offering - February 23, 2020
Our youth are our future. Help us, help them to be successful! The Evangelical Methodist Women will be receiving a special love offering for the EMW Scholarship Fund on Sunday, February 23, 2020. Please be praying about how you and your church family can join the EMW in supporting our EMC youth. You may send funds (marked EMW Scholarship Fund) through the offering at your local church or you can send your offering directly to: EMC HQ, P.O. Box 17070, Indianapolis IN 46217