We’re Looking Forward to EMC’s General Conference 2026
Pastor Max Edwards
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS! We know that July of next year feels a bit far away, but we also know how quickly church calendars get jammed full of camp dates, VBS, Summer picnics and other fun activities. SO PLEASE write General Conference 2026 on your planning calendars now – July 21-24.
THE EVENT REGISTRATION LINK WILL BE OPEN IN EARLY 2026.
This event is going to be great! The speakers that have committed to come share with us are going to bless your socks off. Rev. Carla Sunberg is one of six Nazarene General Superintendents and is a deeply respected voice in Wesleyan Holiness circles. She will be preaching two of our evening services.
You can read some of Rev. Sunberg’s thoughts in her “Reflecting the Image” Blog (Link here). In her August 2024 blog, she wrote about us as “living sacrifices” crawling off the altar: “Sadly, far too often we try to separate out our “secular” and “religious” life. Paul would never have recognized this type of a spiritual life because it is the whole of the human which is transformed, even in this lifetime. The result is a total transformation in worldview, one that is ruled by righteousness and the presence of the Spirit.
All of this sounds wonderful, and it is very good. But if this is true, then why doesn’t the church, and therefore the world, experience more of a transformed Christianity? The problem is that living sacrifices can keep crawling off the altar! We can’t just climb up on the altar on Sunday morning, but spend the rest of the week somewhere else. The call to the Christian life is the call to lifelong transformation, but that requires daily placing ourselves upon the altar. The greatest temptation we will face is to climb off that altar for a day, or maybe just a week, then a month, and suddenly a year goes by and you are a long way away from where you had been.”
And we are so excited to be able to share Rev. Karl Vaters with you! His insights into church health and revitalization are
Pastor Vaters writes: less than 1% of the books and blogs about how to do church ministry. Small churches are no better and no worse than churches of any other size. But they have been the most neglected, especially when it comes to pastoral trainin
We want to help fill that gap. We exist to help small churches thrive. That’s not just a slogan want to see better, stronger, healthier small churches, led by passionate, prayerful, capable, innovative and loving pastors. believe being small is not a problem to fix, but a strategy God wants to use.
Most small church leaders have not been told that on that message, we will have done what we set out to do.”
Excerpted from Pastor Vater’s website: h7ps://karlvaters.com/start-here/about-us/
Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
34th General Conference
From the Desk of the General Secretary/Treasurer
Rev. Brian Hammond
A New Way to Give Online Has Arrived!
You should have heard by now, but we have switched to a new online payment processing company, Planning Center. This change will enable a smoother giving experience, enhanced security, and lower processing fees. Our current giving platform will be phased out over the next two months, so please take some time now to make The Switch.
If you don’t already give to the EMC online and would like to start, now is a great time to begin!
Key Details About The Switch:
The transition has started and will continue over the next two months.
If you have recurring donations set up in our current system (Suran Systems), please delete them and set up a new one in our new system (Planning Center Giving).
Important information and instructions for switching and setting up your giving are on our website at: THE SWITCH Our team is here to help! If you have any questions, contact us:
HQ Office – 317-780-8017
Brian Hammond – generalsecretary@emchurch.org
Karen Parsons – kparsons@emchurch.org
James Coulston – jcoulston@emchurch.org
We appreciate your continued support and patience during this transition. Your generosity makes a lasting difference for the kingdom! Thank you for being a vital part of our online giving supporters.
EMC Youth Camp – Pittsburg, TX
Submitted by, Mrs. Jody Swanner, Crossroads, Marshfield, MO
One hundred sixty-eight people entered Camp Shiloh in Pittsburg Texas for the EMC Summer youth camp, “Answer the Call”. The camp was held June 2-5, 2025. Those in attendance came from the seven Refuge Ministries campuses in Central and West Texas, Grace Church in Haltom City, Texas and Crossroads EMC in Marshfield, Missouri. There were forty junior campers in grades 3-6, sixtysix senior campers in grades 6-12, four babies and fifty-six Adult Leaders and Volunteers in attendance.
Camp Shiloh is located on Lake Bob Sandlin and provided opportunities for fishing, swimming and canoeing. Campers also enjoyed playing volleyball, tether ball, gaga ball, and crafting during their free time. Planned games and activities were organized by students from Dallas Baptist University. Volunteers from the different campuses of Refuge Ministries prepared meals for the entirety of camp. They are the unsung heroes who put in countless hours behind the scenes to keep students fed and happy.
The junior campers gathered twice a day for video worship and lessons from Pastor Roger Burns of REM Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Students learned about their identity in Christ and were challenged to get rid of sin, know the truth and show the light of Jesus. Arts Collective, which is made up of ministry students attending Christ For The Nations in Dallas, provided live worship for the Senior Youth sessions.
Campers were inspired by a different speaker each service. Jason Smith, the Youth Pastor for Grace EMC, started them off Monday evening speaking on the call to Salvation. On Tuesday morning Russel Cochran, the executive campus pastor for Refuge Ministries Copperas Cove, spoke on the call for spiritual growth. That evening, Pastor Colin Conner from Grace Church delivered a message on answering the call to ministry. Pastor Jennifer Cochran of Refuge Ministries encouraged the youth to answer the call to serve others Wednesday morning. Finally Joe Davis, the Youth Pastor for Refuge Ministries in Copperas Cove taught on the need for Sanctification and Holy living.
Time for quiet reflection and group discussions were scheduled into their daily activities. Although there is no way to quantify the impact on the lives of all in attendance, we know that several students made first time commitments to Christ and many others re-dedicated themselves to the Lord. Students truly accepted the call to salvation, growth, sanctification, service and ministry; to God be the glory!
Blessings from the November and Resurrection
Bill & Lisa Walker - GBWM, Co-Chairs
Missions Offerings:
As we approach the time of the November Missions Offering, the Board of World Missions is excited to report that the money you and others have given in the past is making an eternal difference. Psalm 126:5 Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy!
In July 2025, the EMC Mexico Global Conference held its youth camp, with a record attendance of 130. The theme was “Transformed by Love,” with the key scripture of Psalm 57:18.
Many were saved, and 9 were baptized! About a month after camp, we recorded the testimony of some of the new believers, and we will be publishing them soon on www.youtube.com/@thethreadEMC!
Thank you for your investment in the ministry of the EMC in Mexico! Pray for Rev. Josue Perez and his wife, Ruth. They are pastoring in Monterrey, Mexico, and leading the Conference Board of Youth Ministry. They are excellent leaders!
The EMC Myanmar Global Conference has also put your offering to good use! As you know, a number of our churches have been closed because of intense fighting in the 4-year-long civil war. Nevertheless, the EMC in Myanmar does not shrink back!
Despite all the hardship, they have three active mission fields in their country. Rev. Sailova, the General Superintendent, reports that since January 1 of this year, they have baptized nearly 150 new believers! All of these have been converted from Buddhism to follow Jesus, and several dozen are from the fierce Arakan tribe!
Praise God for these faithful missionaries! (We must be careful not to name or identify them.)
JohnPhillips,III– NorthCarolina
Excerpts from Pastor John’s 2024 Ministry Report
This past April marked 14 years as pastor at Welker’s. I love being part of this church and community. I am grateful for the love, fellowship, and unity I feel. We are an aging congregation, but we do not have to be a stagnate congregation! I encouraged the church in July to faithfully commit itself to 40 days of prayer and fasting for our church. God has blessed our finances as a result and is meeting our material needs as a church.
We continue to hold our Men’s Breakfast, with some men from the community joining us regularly. We had spaces at the Spring and Fall Farmer’s Market and were able to speak to several vendors about the church. We gave out water and offered prayer for those who asked. We supported Compassion International, Troy & Jenny Gentry (OMS), EMC Missions, and the Pregnancy Network this past year and plan to continue. We attended Love Life events on Saturdays at the abortion clinic.
Our motto is still “Love God. Love Others. Serve the World.” The mission statement of our church says, “Welker’s Crossroads EMC exists to love God through vibrant worship, to love others through Christian fellowship and making disciples who grow in their faith, and to serve the world through compassionate ministry.” I would like to work on improving attendance at our Wednesday night 5Q Discipleship and our Sunday evening Bible Study currently going through Church History. We are planning more fellowship opportunities and community events with our breakfasts, Community Easter Egg Hunt, Trunk or Treat, and visits to local festivals.
BenWilkins– Tennessee
Excerpts from Pastor Ben’s 2024 Ministry Report
It has been my privilege to serve Grace Community Church. I am in my 12th year as pastor! Anne and I share the Apostle Paul’s feeling for the church in I Thessalonians 1:2-3 “We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our attendance is strong! God is adding to His church!
One of the highlights of our year was our annual BBQ and Soul in June. We praise God for a special gift of $5,000 left to our church for the BBQ and Soul event in the will of one of our wonderful members, John. Even out of the grief in his sudden passing in a tragic traffic accident, God brought blessing also. We used the extra money to invite Bear Man Ministries to share their testimony and saw many decisions for Christ. We are grateful our Superintendent, Aaron Withrow and his family were able to attend this year and served alongside us. The Jason Foree Band provided the Memphis blues to entertain, and Ken and Dorthy White cooked up the BBQ that always has everyone talking! Thanks to all who worked so hard to make it happen! I felt like the Lord directed me to have the baptistry filled and ready for people to be baptized. None of the people who made decisions at BBQ and Soul wanted to be baptized, but God later opened the floodgates and with Superintendent Withrow and his family staying in town to baptize two of their children, God began to move others to make professions of faith and be baptized. We have seen a total of 15 baptisms this year, more than any year since I have served here!
I feel like the best thing we accomplished this year was to begin serious evangelism training! Ron Surgeon is a Licensed Professional Counselor here in Memphis, with a heart to train people to share the gospel and has trained people from over 35 countries. He came here several times to teach us a simple, biblical, effective method for sharing our faith. We have seen several professions of faith as a direct result of sharing that plan of evangelism. By God’s grace, we will continue to do evangelism, disciple-making training, going from house to house and other places, wherever the Lord leads us. I would like us to set a goal that everyone shares the Gospel with at least one person in 2025.
Our community Egg Hunt celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus and sharing the Gospel was great again this year. We had another wonderful Drive-Through Candy Palooza, praying the Gospel and blessings over every family that came through. Our Ladies of Grace and Men’s Breakfast meetings continue to build up our brothers and sisters. Kingdom Kids is still touching the lives of our little ones. The Youth ministry is still reaching many young people in the neighborhood and beyond. The Gathering on Wednesday evening is going strong! Our Adult Sunday School class continues strong teaching of the Word of God each week! Overcoming Abuse God’s Way continues to partner with our church providing extremely vital ministry to women in our church as well as many others! In 2025 I hope to see our church read through the entire New Testament together! You will see a schedule each week. As we read through it, I will be teaching through it as the Lord leads. We believe God is going to expand our ministry in many ways in 2025!
