The Heritage Learning Center Continues to Serve the EMC
Max Edwards
The Heritage Learning Center (HLC) is the largest space for hosting events in our EMC Headquarters office. It serves as a flexible space with enough resident technology to host both in-person and online seminars. There was a time when even our annual General Council meeting had to be held offsite due to space constraints, which meant greater expense and less connection to our denominational “home.”
You can Click Here to read more about the HLC on our website. While you are there you can also find a short informative video about it and our vision for its use.
There is a permanent fund established to ensure a sustainable future for the Learning Center. This year end would be a great time to consider giving something to the HLC Fund, so that training events like the Haggard School of Ministry, and our recent Leadership Training Event (AMP2024) might continue to inspire and equip men and women for ministry.
Any individual or Local Church may send a gift to the Heritage Learning Center Fund, and if desired, dedicate it to a loved one, a longtime pastor, a superintendent, a family member, a beloved lay person or couple, or spiritual leader
There are 4 levels for giving to the Heritage Learning Center:
Level Four: Any amount will be appreciated and recognized. All donations will be receipted, and duly recorded.
Level Three: A $500 gift in memory or honor of someone, with an engraved brass plate mounted prominently in the Center.
Level Two: A $2,500 gift in memory or honor of someone. Level Two giving will be honored on a special inscribed plaque.
Level One: A $10,000 gift in memory or honor of someone. Level One giving will have a laser portrait sketch displayed.
To give online: CLICK HERE TO LINK TO OUR GIVING PORTAL or send your gift directly to: Evangelical Methodist Church, P.O. Box 17070, Indianapolis, IN 46217.
AMP2024 Leadership Training
The most recent event to be held in the HLC was AMP2024, a preaching and leadership training event. It was a huge success, and we were blessed by many wonderful and impactful speakers, including special guests Bill and Gloria Gaither! It was held from October 16-18.
What people have told us about AMP2024:
“Very inspiring and enjoyable.”
“The leadership slate was perfect. Lyon and Smith gave us the amazing breadth of the ‘gospel horizon.’ Wade gave the thoughtful, excellence of a pastor, Anderson clearly taught us the value of our story, the Gaithers challenged us with vibrant worship, a nd Max Edwards made clear how important pastors and preaching are.”
“It was a great event. Thank you for having it. I've been blessed by it.”
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
From the Desk of the General Secretary/Treasurer
Rev. Brian Hammond
Annual Reporting
Last month, I reminded you about the end-of-year reporting requirement for Evangelical Methodist Churches and all credential holders. According to the EMC Discipline, those reports are due by the end of next month, January 31st.
As I mentioned last month, the report form link and function have changed significantly this year, so following the instructions we provided on the website and the form is essential. But if you still need help, don't hesitate to reach out to me or Karen Parsons.
Pastors, would you do us a favor and check with the credential holders in your care to make sure they know to file their report? Here is the link again: Credential/Church Reports - The Evangelical Methodist Church
Clergy & Church Resources
Since we are nearing the end of the calendar year, I thought it would be helpful to provide you with some clergy finance and tax resources.
The first is an older PDF from Ministry Works by Brotherhood Mutual, entitled Payroll and the Church: 5 Things That Ministries Get Wrong. Even though it was written several years ago, it is still relevant for churches today.
Use this link to open the PDF: Tax Issues Churches Get Wrong (The chart on page 8 references overtime rules. There has been much press about a new FSLA overtime rule instituted by the Department of Labor for all salary employees. You should know that a Texas Federal Court recently vacated those changes, undoing them nationwide!)
The second is a website that I frequently visit called The Pastor's Wallet. It has been an excellent resource for answering clergy finances and tax questions. I think you will find their information helpful, as I do.
Check out their website here:
The Pastor's Wallet - Equipping pastors to master their personal finances
The last resource is the website of our auditors, Capin Crouse. They have lots of free resources for nonprofits, and if you sign up for their e-news and alerts, you will be notified of the free webinars they offer throughout the year. The ones I have attended that I found very helpful were on IT Security and Fraud Detection. These resources are free and beneficial, so I think they are worth your time. Check out their website resource page here: Nonprofit Resources - CapinCrouse LLP
End-of-Year Giving
As a non-profit, religious organization, your contributions to the Evangelical Methodist Church Denomination are most likely tax deductible (see your tax advisor for any limits on deductions). To be deductible on your 2024 tax return, your contribution check must be written, dated, and postmarked on or before December 31, 2024. Your online gift must be submitted before December 31, 2024, as well. We will hold our books open through the first week of January 2025 so we may issue a 2024 receipt from contributions written, dated, and postmarked in 2024.
Thank you for your faithfulness in supporting the ministries of the Evangelical Methodist Church.
EMC Journey Sessions 2025
The dates and locations for our annual regional meetings are set for 2025! It is always such a blessing to gather with our pastors, credential holders, church people. All of the EMC Superintendents will be at each meeting, and we are working now to set the programming that will include something of interest to both credential holders and lay people alike. Most will be able to drive to these meetings, and we very much want to see nearly 100% participation!
The overall theme of the Journey meetings will be “GOD ALONE.” There will be special worship times in each of the four locations during which we will be challenged and encouraged 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.
Dr. Matt Friedeman has agreed to be our guest speaker at all of our Journey meetings!
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!
Important Registration Details:
Journey registration is not yet open but will be ready in early January. There are some new details in the registration process. Each Journey will have an online registration with its own unique link and form. All registrations and payments will be made through the unique link and form. All payments must be made at the time of registration to complete the registration. Payments can be made by either credit card or electronic check. Contact Karen Parsons (252-339-1414) with any questions or for assistance with your registration.
2025 Journey Registration fee: $50.00 – includes 2 Evening Meals
No Registration Fee for Children 17 Years Old and Younger but Please Include Them on Your Registration Form
Board of World Missions
Bill
& Lisa Walker, GBWM Co-Chairs
Daniel chapter 3 records the account of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and their ordeal with King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. It’s a powerful lesson about being faithful to God. These three young Hebrew men were confident that God COULD save them, but they were willing to die for God if necessary. Come what may, they refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s gold idol. Many of us have experienced hardship and, at times, significant hardship. Praise God for each one who has come through victoriously!
You are probably aware of the hardship in Myanmar. Nearly four years of civil war have decimated the country’s economy and population. I’ll skip the political aspect to highlight the faithfulness of the EMC leaders, pastors, missionaries, and laity.
Many have fled the country (especially the youth, to avoid being forced into the Junta military), and untold thousands are internally displaced. Normal pastoral ministry is impossible in some places, and so is normal living, for that matter. A dozen or so EMCs have been forced to suspend operations, with no idea as to when they might be able to reopen. The travels of the General Superintendent have become dangerous and expensive. The inflation rate is 28% compared to 3% before the war. Some EMC members’ houses have been destroyed. One EMC family lost two children directly related to the fighting. There are many other heart-rending stories.
On the other hand, we are inspired by the faithfulness of the Church and the success of the Gospel! Lisa and I regularly receive reports of new believers being baptized; maybe 3-4 at a time, but sometimes 20-30, or more!! Many conversions seem to come from the area that has suffered the most Paletwah. Since the war started, EMC Myanmar has organized one mission field into a district and opened three new mission fields! Against all odds, they are growing. They are not giving up!
I have no idea how they function day-to-day with rampant unemployment, runaway inflation, frequent mortal danger, scarce medical attention, and closed churches (resulting in greatly diminished tithes, difficulty paying pastors, and very little conference support). I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that each day is a miracle. Yet they press on.
We rejoice when we can send money to buy Bibles for new believers! Thank you for giving to this ongoing project! We have sent thousands of dollars for relief over the past few years again from your faithful giving.
Let’s pray together fervently that God will restore peace to Myanmar. Pray daily for the EMC there, and other Christian churches, too. Pray for Superintendents, pastors, missionaries, lay leaders, and members. Pray that God will continue to empower them as they “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
You may join our regular prayer meeting via ZOOM each Wednesday at 10 PM Eastern time. If you are not receiving the weekly EMC Missions Prayer list, contact me for the list and ZOOM link. billwalkeremc@gmail.com
Tim O’Neal – Texas
Excerpts from Pastor Tim’s 2023 Ministry Report
Our church attendance as well as giving has significantly improved. We have had multiple salvations, baptisms, weddings, and funerals. The spiritual state of the church is well and growing. I also serve as president of our local CEF chapter, and I serve as chaplain and Board President for the West Odessa Volunteer Fire Department. This past year we adopted a homeless ministry for Christmas to support. We have monthly potlucks to encourage fellowship, and we have an active church consistently inviting people to church and looking for opportunities to minister to those around them.
Tad
Stinson – Oregon
Excerpts from Pastor Tad’s 2023 Ministry Report
After our church returned to the blessed rhythms and secure expectations of church life in 2023, we reflected on the impact of Covid over the previous 2 years and remembered important truths about Christ’s Church… 1. Christian fellowship should never be taken for granted. 2. Christian friends are among life’s most precious gifts. 3. Prayer is the most powerful tool we have in this life. Prayer has become an ever-present part of our lives, becoming an integral practice in our families, our public interactions and our worship and fellowship.
In the coming year we have 3 main objectives… Our congregation is aging, and we must bring young families and children into the church. Yes, I am concerned that Peninsula Community continue as a vital institution in our community, but above all I want to see pre-Christians be saved and live more abundant lives here and enjoy the beautiful fellowship of God forever in heaven. This will come through personal evangelism, outreach to our community and the prayers and love of our church. This year we will expand our Sunday school program and have a more advertised and expanded Vacation Bible School. We also want to have more community activities, inviting the families of our community to engaging fun events.
We will add a mid-week worship/communion service. John Wesley believed in the importance and blessing of celebrating Holy Communion regularly. He received the sacrament throughout the week and rejoiced in the remembrance of what our Lord did for us in His passion and sacrifice of Himself…
To strengthen our community and outreach, we will be greatly expanding our visitation ministries. Pastor Aaron Van Woert will be focused on deliverance ministries, helping individuals to overcome negative forces in their lives, while Pastor Eric Van Woert will focus on sharing God’s love through visitation and personal evangelism. Not only will we be seeing our shut-ins and sick more regularly, but we will be communicating with the pre-Christians of our community with “door to door” visits. In our culture in the United States individuals no longer seek out a local church to attend, the church must aggressively in love reach out and reintroduce them to the Savior of the World. Peninsula Community Church is so very blessed. We must share our blessings to th e lost of Moses Lake, Washington.
A couple years ago, Max began to share with me some of the exciting things he was reading in Ministry Reports from our credential holders. He wanted to share highlights across our EMC Family and asked me to create a Kerusso page and draw out excerpts to share. I began to do so and what a joy to read about what’s happening in our churches/ministries. The only downside is limited space so I have to edit down significantly and can’t share everything! As the Prayer Department Leader, the information also helps me know how to pray for a church. I’m sure Max & I are not alone in our enjoyment of reading about what God is doing and having more knowledge of what we can pray for!
So, I want to encourage you (especially if you hate to do reports) that your report is important! What God is doing in your church can encourage a pastor when he/she is feeling discouraged. It can motivate someone to follow through on what God has been speaking to them by reading about how you/your church are doing that. We are spread far and wide and we need ways to stay connected and informed as a larger church family… this information can help us rejoice with, struggle with and pray for our fellow EMCers. God is moving all around the world through the EMC! Praying for you, Judy
“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called – His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.” Ephesians 1:18-20