IN THE KNOW with Bill and Lisa Walker Your EMC Missions update—JULY 2026 General Conference! If you were at the 34th EMC General Conference, you know it was probably the best we’ve had in a long time! We were thrilled to Je# Gadiano, Lungisa Nyangane designee for Lian Sailova host delegates from 3 of Eric Ramirez our 4 Global Conferences: Mexico, Asia Pacific, and South Africa. We heard the report from our Myanmar General Superintendent on pre-recorded video.
Isaias Flores
New global partner: We are excited about GRIAC, which will apply to join the EMC later this year. Several representatives from G.R.I.A.C.—which means “International Group of Christ’s Friends” in French—attended the Conference. During the gathering, Rev. Edwards consecrated Rev. Henri Kadima of Apex, NC, already an EMC Elder, as the GRIAC General Superintendent/Bishop. He also consecrated Rev. Theophile Mpetembe of Montreal, Canada, also an EMC Elder, as Assistant General Superintendent/Bishop. Multilingual worship: We all worshipped Jesus in English, Spanish, French, and Tagalog during Thursday morning’s missions emphasis session, led by EMCers from diYerent backgrounds: siblings Jason and Theresa Mpetembe from Divine Peace Church in Montreal, Canada (GRIAC), Luis Peralta from EMC Scio, NY; Anabel Valencia from River of Life EMC in Roseville, CA; and Elva Mares, wife of the Mexico General Superintendent. The morning session culminated in a time of prayer as we collectively cried out to God for our brothers and sisters in our Global Conferences, by gathering around the flags representing these nations where EMC has ministry.
Thank you for visiting our INTERACTIVE MISSIONS DISPLAY! We relished sharing treats and souvenirs with the delegates and guests at the conference: tea leaf salad and hot Royal Tea from Myanmar, cajeta and spicy tamarind from Mexico, garlic chips from the Philippines, and jerky and nuts from South Africa. We hope you enjoyed these tastes from the EMC around the world and took home some of the free souvenirs! Above all, we desired for you to have a chance to interact with the delegates from our Global Conferences. Are you ready for the FULL EXPERIENCE? Join us on MISSION EXPOSURE! (We expect 2 trips in 2027!) New Friends! We love how our global connections promote understanding and friendship. Pastor Clayton Gentry of Shelbyville, IN, and Pastor Jeff Gadiano of Manila, Philippines, found brotherhood and camaraderie while eating lunch at the home of Rev. James and Grace Coulston. Pastor Jeff writes: “Meeting Pastor Clayton was a special blessing during my visit to Shelbyville, Indiana. Our walk through the neighborhood became an opportunity to exchange ministry experiences, strengthen one another in faith, and build an international friendship in Christ. It is exciting to see how God will use him for His glory.” The Walkers are deeply grateful for the renewed opportunity and affirmation by the General Conference to continue serving as your EMC missionaries and co-Chairs of the Board of World Missions. We are also excited to have new Board members working with us and offering guidance as we continue this journey of developing the EMC global family and fulfilling God’s call on our lives! HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY EMC Mexico: Finally, we wrap up this edition letting you know we are off to the Mexico EMC 100th anniversary. Accompanying us are Rev. and Mrs. Max (Judy) Edwards, Rev. Aaron Withrow, as well as former missionaries Rev. and Mrs. Vernon (Ruth) Perkins and Rev. and Mrs. Colin (Dana) Conner (also representing Rev. and Mrs. Jack (Sandra) Conner), and Rev. and Mrs. Troy (Jenny) Gentry, representing Revs. John and Paula Gentry, who will be missed at the celebration. News on this celebratory event will be in the August edition of ITK!
…and now you are IN THE KNOW! Scan the code or copy the link to support the Walkers: https://emchq.churchcenter.com/giving/to/bill-and-lisa-walker