The Kerusso | 2024 April

The Kerusso – April | 2024

2024 Resurrection Offering

Bill Walker, Board of World Missions, Co-Chair

HE IS RISEN!! We have just celebrated Jesus’ Resurrection and victory over death. As we continue to rejoice in this season and track toward Pentecost, please include a focus on missions in your giving.

We continue to receive the Resurrection Offering through the end of May.

If God has blessed you with the ability and faith to give, please consider participating in this special Board of World Missions effort. Your offering this Resurrection Day will help with needs our Global Conferences have beyond their normal conference budgets or financial abilities. Some examples may include:

• Myanmar: Relief for refugees or helping Chin missionaries open new areas of ministry

• South Africa: Pastor’s School scholarships or operation costs

• Mexico: Paying teachers at the Life and Truth Bible Institute or helping pastors who are struggling financially

• CFAN: Business as Mission projects like busses or agriculture

• Asia Pacific: Pastor relief or church planting workshops and young leader development

• USA: Assist in operational expenses for your EMC missionaries, Bill and Lisa Walker

We already have a matching challenge! An anonymous donor is offering to match the first $10,000 that is given, so this is a wonderful opportunity for your gift to be doubled!

We will count gifts received for the Resurrection Offering through the end of May. You can give through your local church or directly by sending your check to:

EMC Headquarters PO Box 17070 Indianapolis, IN 46217 or online at www.emchurch.org.

You may also scan the QR code on the page 5 flyer with your phone’s camera.

May God bless you as you give!

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen!” Luke 24:5-6

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

Journey District Meetings Update

Wes Mackey, USA Conference Superintendent

Spring is upon us and I know that you all have been very busy going into and now following Resurrection Sunday. As I look out my office window this morning, the sun is shining and the earth is waking to another glorious Spring!

I’m thinking about the recent past and wanted to give a brief update on the Winter/Spring Journeys.

In February we were together in Arizona City, Arizona. Our churches in the Phoenix area came together as one body and did an amazing job of hosting and welcoming us to sunny Arizona.

Then in March we headed to Eugene, Oregon. The weather forecast was NOT AS SUNNY, but the Gilham Community congregation was very warm and welcoming. It was a great privilege to be part of the ordination service for Aaron and Eric VanWoert.

Both Journeys were very well attended and the preaching, teaching and worship were amazing. I have been told by several of you that, “this has been the best journey we have attended in years.”

God has truly shown up and now we look forward to two more opportunities to gather together as one family. In April we will be in North Carolina, and in May we head to Texas for the final gathering.

I pray that each of you are able to join us as we worship together, renew old relationships and foster new ones.

I look forward to seeing you! - Wes

Journey 2024 Continues!

The JOURNEY REGISTRATION fee is $45 per person with a group rate of $40 per person for 5 or more attendees. Registration includes two suppers and one continental breakfast.

There is no registration fee for children under 18 years of age, but please provide their name(s) and age/grade on your registration form to help us plan for their attendance.

Click Here for a detailed Journey schedule.

To register, please use this link for an online form: Journey 2024 Registration or email Karen Parsons (kparsons@emchurch.org) for registration/payment assistance. Up Next: Elizabeth City EMC, Elizabeth City, NC

April 25 & 26

820 Old Okisko Rd Elizabeth City, NC 27909

due April 11

76522

Registration & Payment due May 2

DebraMiller– Arizona

Excerpts from Pastor Debra’s 2023 Ministry Report

I praise God for His goodness and mercy, and for all the wonderful people involved in the ministry of the church. We have had so many blessings and have added several to our congregation. What a joy to see the light of God coming alive in people’s hearts.

We are still involved in the community with Blessings International and the soup kitchen, serving Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for 10 years now. Our church youth group was involved in the community Thanksgiving dinner program this year which fed around 250 people. Thank you to all our volunteers – for your love for others.

I am called on to bring the City of Eloy’s council meeting invocation about three times a year and serve on the board of the Eloy Ministerial Alliance as the Secretary/Treasurer. I am currently part of the EMC General Board of Ministerial Relations.

Our outreach to the community, the Love of God and love for people are what drives this church to do all it does. We want people to know God’s love and forgiveness. Our missions giving is one way we represent God in our wide world – we currently support 8 missionary outreaches, giving $8,916.00 this year. We sent 130 Samaritan’s Purse Shoeboxes. We had 23 children for Angel Tree Prison Ministry.

Our Youth Camps are always a highlight. Several years ago, we determined it was best to do family camps instead of just youth camps. It has worked very well for us. It keeps costs lower so more can attend and parents and guardians also receive the benefit of being able to participate. Thank you for all the volunteers who worked at camp this year – we had 20 adult volunteers.

I want to thank my AV team that was started this year. During Covid we started doing the services live on Facebook and that has continued. We appreciate all their hard work. I want to thank the Praise Band for all their sacrifices. We were so blessed to have baptized 19 people this year and dedicated 5 children to the Lord. Our God has been so good to us.

JaredWinslow–

NorthCarolina

Excerpts from Pastor Jared’s 2023 Ministry Report

I have pastored now at Community EMC for two full years. I post all my sermons on our church Facebook page for anyone who is unable to attend our services, or for those who want to look back at past sermons. My wife Hannah and I enjoy spending time with, and getting to know better, each of the members of our small congregation. We regularly visit those who are unable to attend services, and visit to comfort and pray for any who have lost loved ones, as well as sending sympathy and get well cards. As the Lord helps me, I do all I can to meet the spiritual needs and foster the spiritual growth of each member in our congregation.

We have our Sunday school an hour before services, taught by the chair of our Stewards Board. And I lead our weekly Wednesday Bible Study and Prayer meetings, currently meeting at the parsonage. My prayer for our members is that we all continue to grow closer together in our relationship to God and each other as we study, pray, and worship together, like Jesus said so that we will be one.

We planned and carried out our biggest evangelistic outreach yet, this past September, setting up a booth at Thomasville’s Everybody’s Day Festival, where many of our members participated in distributing Gospel and church information. Quite a few locals said they would visit our church.

BobPerkins–Oregon

Excerpts from Pastor Bob’s 2023 Ministry Report

God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help. Psalm 46:1

The Lord watches over us, He keeps us from harm. The Lord will watch over our coming and going both now and forevermore. God has been faithful to us and we have been here for four years. My vision for 2024 is that we pray together, work together, and seek God's direction for our church. “Together Everyone Accomplishes More.”

In 2023: Challenged our people to read through the Bible in a year; Lenten Lunches were a blessing; Baptized two recently. May we stay the course, stay in faith, stay in an attitude of expectancy.