Doing Church Ministry - International Ministerial Fellowship

SUMMER 2015
®
Doing
SMALLER
Church Ministry
in a 21st Century World
Future home of The Sanctuary Church
Lake Charles, LA
“International Ministerial Fellowship®” , “Serving those who serve others®” and the IMF Cross Logo are Federally registered service marks of International Ministerial Fellowship.
© 2015 International Ministerial Fellowship. All rights reserved.
In a world of transitory and shallow relationships, small church
people seem better able to reject the allure of “more is better.”
Rev. Lonnie Dufty
IMF Director of
Missions Ministries
MORE IS NOT
ALWAYS ENOUGH
In a recent TV commercial, the man leading
children in a discussion is a gifted teacher able
to establish rapport with children. Using an
inductive approach, he is discussing with them
the relative merits of “more or less.” Suddenly a
precocious girl of about eight years proclaims
unequivocally, “More is better. I want more.”
Cut away to a map of the United States
portraying the national coverage of a popular
cell phone company. Point proven; based upon
geographical coverage, this wireless company
asserts itself as being the superior service
provider.
The “more is better” way of thinking often
shows up not only in the commercial world
but also in our church culture. A multitude of
books and church growth reports are written
and seminars put on to instruct ordinary and
smaller church pastors on how they can grow
CONTENTS
2More is Not Always Enough
3 The Significance of Smaller Church Ministries
4 To Finish the Course Well
5 Serving God and Country
6A Mini-Megachurch With a Passion for Missions
7Church Planting in Rural Japan
8Timeless Gospel Music in a New Church Plant
9Part-Time Pastor, Full-Time Servant
10Good News in Any Language
11 The Lights Are Always On
12 A Last Farewell
15 Show Us Your Church!
16A Legacy Well Learned
17 A New Season
18 Jesus is Their Foundation
19 A Church Without a Building
20 The Shekinah
21 BFP Ambulance Presentation / Legacy Ad
22 Living Memorials
23 Welcome / Missionaries
2
A GATHERING
their church to the next level. Larger churches
are often presented as the ideal, leaving many
pastors of smaller congregations (80% of all
churches) feeling inadequate and wondering
how long they can continue in church
ministry. The problem is so pervasive that
missiologist Ruth A. Tucker (author of From
Jerusalem to Irian Jaya) wrote a responsive
book titled Left Behind in a Megachurch World:
How God Works Through Ordinary Churches.
What is an “ordinary” church, and does it
have a place in our modern American society?
Accurate statistics are hard to arrive at and
interpret, but it seems about 80% of American
churches range from extremely small to
“ordinary”-sized churches. A recent
®
CONTENT EDITOR
Tracey Finck
Serving Those Who Serve Others
PO Box 100, Navarre MN 55392-0100
MANAGING EDITOR
Becky Tracey
CONTRIBUTORS
Pastor Randy Alonso
Rev. Ron Brovold
Rev. Lonnie Dufty
Tracey Finck
Rev. Cheryl Hauer
Pastor Frank Masserano
Marianne McDonough
Joy Newborg
Pastor Phyllis Pottorff-Albrecht
Jean Swenson
Becky Tracey
(Continued on page 6)
International
Ministerial Fellowship
PUBLISHER
Rev. Frank Masserano
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Mudville Design
Barna Group report stated megachurches
represent about 2% of churches and 25% of the
church-going public. Churches of around 400
attendees are said to represent about 50% of
the church-going population. Another report,
released by Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of
Lifeway Research and missiologist, reveals the
important role of rather small gatherings –
24.5% of Americans (six million) – looking to
small groups of 20 people or fewer for spiritual
nourishment and rarely, if ever, attending a
larger body. Some reports suggest a trend away
from large churches to small bodies.
What keeps smaller churches going? Let
me refer to my home church in rural Decatur
County, Iowa. New Salem Baptist church
was started in 1858 with 22 people. Current
attendance is around 50 to 70 people on a
Sunday. It is located in what has been
referred to by the Minneapolis StarTribune
as “the poorest of Iowa’s 99 counties.”
952.346.2464 • Fax 952.346.2480 • www.i-m-f.org
®
A Gathering of Godly Affection (otherwise known as the Gathering) is
a magazine published periodically by International Ministerial Fellowship.
POSTMASTER: For address changes and name removals, please
send the entire address panel and mailing label from the Gathering to
Gathering Magazine, International Ministerial Fellowship, P.O. Box 100,
Navarre MN 55392-0100.
If you are interested in submitting an article to be published in the
Gathering, please mail or fax a copy of your article (no more than 750
words) to Editor, Gathering Magazine, IMF (address above). Submissions
are subject to review by the IMF Editorial Committee. Committee
decisions are final. The contents of this publication and other Fellowship
bulletins, publications or announcements are subject to change without
notice.
“International Ministerial Fellowship”, “Serving Those Who Serve
Others” and the IMF Cross logo design are federally registered service
marks. © 2015 International Ministerial Fellowship. All rights reserved.
A GATHERING is the official magazine of International Ministerial Fellowship.
From the Desk of the President
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
Pastor Randy Alonso
IMF President
SMALLER
CHURCH MINISTRIES
The work of the Lord, is work. Because it
is, we’re here to encourage you and serve
you. There is an army of support in the
IMF family. You are never alone! I pray this
issue of the Gathering finds you strong and
well. And, if by chance you are dealing with
some kind of difficulty, may the content of
this issue provide you some degree of the
encouragement you need.
We are highlighting the significant
work that is accomplished by smaller church
ministries in this issue. It is an interesting
subject to explore. We are told in Acts that
the church was established by Jesus. It grew
to include His Apostles, 12 people. Then
will build His Church and the gates of Hell
shall not prevail against it. He never said he
wanted each fellowship group to include a
minimum number of participants.
Though size isn’t mentioned as a
criterion for a healthy fellowship, Acts
2:42-47 does mention ten other signs of a
healthy fellowship, and these should be part
of the life of congregations of all sizes. These
characteristics include teaching, sharing,
fellowship, worship, communion, goodwill,
prayer, salvation, awe, and miracles.
The early Church exercised these
characteristics in two places: the Temple
Courts, where there was room for 50,000,
The Church: All those whom Christ died to redeem, all those who
are saved by the death of Christ…that must include all true believers
for all time…” (Hebrews 12:1) — Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
it expanded into the prayer meeting in the
Upper Room, with 120 participants. And
then the first converts caused a burgeoning
of the universal Church to 3,120 “members.”
But note that Luke is not describing a
particular congregation. The Book of Acts is
telling the story of the entire Church of Jesus
Christ on the Earth.
Wayne Grudem, in his text Systematic
Theology, has an even wider vision. He states
that the Church is “all those whom Christ
died to redeem, all those who are saved by
the death of Christ…that must include all
true believers for all time…” (Hebrews 12:1)
The size of one group of Christians that
meets together for worship and fellowship is
never mentioned in Scripture as a seminal
definition of its being. Smaller or larger,
each church has significance because it is
a part of the Church. Together we are the
Bride of Christ. Our goal is the growth of the
worldwide body of believers. Jesus said He
and their homes, where there was room for
family and a few neighbors. We can exercise
them with our congregations wherever God
sees fit for us to meet.
At our church in Melbourne, Florida,
where I serve as Teaching Pastor, I often
say to guests, “Central Life is a not a perfect
church but it is a healthy church.” Spiritual
growth and health are often hard to pinpoint.
If we use the above listed ten characteristics
as measurements of health, we’ll be less
tempted to measure our congregations by
their size.
The work of the ministry is filled with
all kinds of expectations, most of which are
man-made, unhealthy and non-biblical. The
size of our churches and ministries easily
fall into this category. Instead of asking how
many people attend, let’s ask instead, how
healthy is the group you are working with?
Does it make sense that if we pay attention
to the dynamics of spiritual health we see in
the Church of Acts 2, we will produce greater
value in the lives of people for Kingdom
sake? Imagine how powerful the house-tohouse fellowship must have been. It was
the spiritual backbone of the Church as the
believers loved each other in the spirit of
Jesus, and more and more people continued
to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
In the various environments of your
ministry, how would you rate the spiritual
health based on these characteristics? For all
our planning ahead, tweaking of services and
marketing of our ministries, we can’t afford
to neglect what allows for life-changing
power through the Holy Spirit.
May we all be encouraged where we
serve today, making sure we are focusing
on the things that produce health. As you
read through this issue, may God thrill your
heart as you hear of the significant work that
comes out of the IMF family worldwide.
Together we’re better, and we’re making a
difference.
Grace and peace,
Randy Alonso
Pastor Randy Alonso is an IMF Ordained
Minister and serves in Melbourne, Florida
as Teaching Pastor of Central Life, a nondenominational ministry with three campuses and
plans for two more in the next two years. Randy is
a graduate of Baptist Bible College in Springfield,
Missouri and holds a Doctor of Divinity degree
from Master’s International School of Divinity in
Evansville, Indiana. He also serves on the Board
of Directors for Bridges for Peace (USA) whose
worldwide headquarters are in Jerusalem.
SUMMER 2015
3
Then, to serve their call faithfully and to finish
their course well… –2 Timothy 4:7
TO FINISH
THE COURSE
WELL
My brother, Jon, took up running some
time ago. Over the years he has competed
in a number of local marathons, and is still
running at the age of 58. I truly admire
him for doing something as amazing as
running well over twenty miles at a time.
He prepares for each marathon months in
advance, logging countless miles leading
up to each race. His motivation for running
is the deep satisfaction of completing
something few people (especially those
his age) can do. Yet even with all the joy
and deep satisfaction he receives, he is
reminded of the not-so-pleasant part of
running marathons—the extreme pain
and discomfort he feels during the last
several miles of each marathon. With
each stride, every muscle in his body cries
out in pain pleading for him to stop and
forgo finishing the race. Regardless of the
physical and mental anguish he endures
near the end, the deafening cheers from the
crowd lining the course give him that extra
kick and perseverance he desperately needs
to press on to the finish line and complete
the race.
Like my brother, IMF chaplains have a
desire to run the good race set before them.
The passion they have to serve the spiritual
needs of our military personnel, healthcare
patients, prisoners, etc. has no boundaries.
Yet bringing the gospel to the masses rarely
comes without its own struggles. More and
more, our chaplains are feeling the pressure
to “conform to the patterns of this world”
(Rom 12:2). The struggles our chaplain face
today can be compared to the severe pain
a runner faces during the final miles of a
4
A GATHERING
marathon. The apostle Paul shares:
Do you not know that in a race all
the runners run, but only one gets the
prize? Run in such a way as to get the
prize. Everyone who competes in the
games goes into strict training. They
do it to get a crown that will not last;
but we do it to get a crown that will
last forever. Therefore I do not run
like a man running aimlessly; I do not
fight like a man beating the air. No, I
beat my body and make it my slave so
that after I have preached to others I
myself will not be disqualified for the
prize. (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
IMF proudly stands in the gap for
our military and civilian chaplains so they
can fulfill the call the Lord has placed
upon their lives. We are the ones praying,
encouraging and daily caring for our
chaplains, enabling them to persevere in
the difficult times and not grow weary or
fall by the wayside, unable to finish the
race. Think of IMF as the ones cheering our
chaplain on to not lose heart, challenging
them more than ever to press on through it
all and finish strong. We are reminded:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by
such a great cloud of witnesses, let us
throw off everything that hinders and
the sin that so easily entangles, and
let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes
on Jesus, the author and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy set before
him endured the cross, scorning its
shame and sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God. Consider him
who endured such opposition from
sinful men, so that you will not grow
weary and lose heart. (Heb. 12:1-3)
It is with great pride that we cheer
our chaplains on to finish strong the race
that God has set before
them—salvation!
Rev. Ron Brovold,
is an Ordained Minister
of IMF. He is a graduate of Bethel College
(BA) and Luther Seminary (MA) in St. Paul,
MN. As V.P. of Chaplaincy Services, Ron
oversees and cares for our military and civilian
chaplains and is IMF’s Executive Endorser
for all branches of the U.S. military and
civilian chaplaincy. He also developed and
implemented a local police chaplains’ corps
and oversees the IMF Ministry Center and
grounds. Ron can be reached at 952-346-2464
or [email protected].
SERVING GOD
AND COUNTRY
When Jon Wymer
was deployed
to Iraq in 2006,
he was focused on
serving his country as
a soldier. Thoughts of
combating the enemy,
destroying military
targets and firing weapons
energized him. That’s exactly
what he was trained to do in
the National Guard, but in a
way, he was trying to escape. As
a descendant from a long line of
pastors, Wymer felt pressured to
join the ministry; however, it was
the last thing he wanted to do with
his life. The Army was a better fit.
As an Army officer at a base located
outside of Baghdad, Jon was responsible
for his platoon of men: running patrols,
guarding the base, confronting combat
in all its ugly realities. He saw firsthand
the damage the war was inflicting on his
men, their fears, loss, isolation from their
loved ones and insecurities about their
future. Many were young men from rough
backgrounds, looking for a sense of purpose
and struggling with emotions they were illprepared to deal with or even understand. On
the front lines, “conversations about spiritual
things are more front-of-mind,” says Wymer.
He believed God was showing him how he
could serve these men in a more significant
manner, in a way he felt he could actually
accomplish.
After returning to the United States,
Wymer went back to seminary and earned
his master’s degree in religious and pastoral
studies. He also attended a chaplain officer
leadership course that is required in order
to become a chaplain in the US Army.
Currently a Major serving as a chaplain in
the Nebraska Army National Guard, Wymer
sees his role as not just serving Christian
soldiers, but as supporting all soldiers. He
helps soldiers who are struggling with real life
issues such as how to have healthy romantic
relationships, manage their money, set goals,
pursue a career and deal with crises such
as death, loss, divorce and redeployment.
His role allows him to be a godly witness to
those who do not go to church, free to talk
about God with those who seek his counsel.
He believes his veteran status provides him
“Our community
is a better place
because the church
is here.”
a solid platform from which to reach other
soldiers and gives him a level of credibility
that another pastor might not have with
them.
In January, 2010, building on his
commitment to serve others, Wymer also
became the Lead Pastor at York E-Free
Church located in York, Nebraska, not far
from the Nebraska Army National Guard’s
headquarters. While serving as both
chaplain and a pastor in a small town has
its challenges, Wymer believes one of the
reasons it has been so successful is that the
church views his chaplaincy as an extension
of its own ministry. The church can impact
their community and make a difference in
the lives of soldiers through their support of
their pastor in this additional role. Church
members continually pray for Wymer and
his ministry work, and Wymer keeps his
members updated about what he is doing as a
chaplain. This collaborative spirit goes a long
way toward allowing him to serve in both
positions with minimal conflict.
Spurred on by Wymer’s example, his
church’s zeal to impact their community for
God has intensified, evidenced in several
respects. This year the church decided to
invest 7% of their offerings to help their
community in unique ways. Wymer explains
that since the church is a non-profit, they are
not taxed as a business would be. Instead,
they are voluntarily paying this amount to
build-up their community, to invest in what
the residents are already passionate about. So
far they have contributed to the American
Cancer Society, sponsored a race car at a
local dirt track, and made plans to “adopt a
street.” In addition, the church donates an
additional 5% to foreign missions. “Young
people,” Wymer says, “do not understand
giving the first fruit of their income to God.”
It is important for the church itself to be a role
model.
The church has also developed small,
relationally-focused groups called “growth
groups.” These groups help families become
connected with each other and build
relationships within the church. It is a place
where they can have financial needs met,
receive prayers and counseling from mature
members, and serve one another.
Wymer attributes his team-building
leadership style to his military background.
“Team” is a concept he hopes to foster within
the church and among its members. His goal
is for it to be said that “our community is a
better place because the church is here.”
Chaplain Jon Wymer
is an IMF Ordained
Minister and can be reached at
[email protected].
SUMMER 2015
5
A MINI-MEGACHURCH
WITH A PASSION FOR MISSIONS
Marty and Tricia Bownik pastor The Edge
Christian Fellowship, which meets in their
home. The basement is set up with a sound
system, two flat screens for projecting lyrics
or videos, rows of chairs facing a podium,
and a keyboard as well as space for
the worship team.
It pretty much
looks just like
what they think of
themselves as: a minimegachurch. Well, not
many megachurches
have a barking beagle
as the greeter. But the
Bownik’s approach
to ministry is similar
to what you’d find in a megachurch—just a
cozier setting and fewer people.There may
come a time when this congregation senses
God directing them to rent, buy or build.
Meanwhile they are content to meet in the
Bownik’s home, which frees them to direct
their resources to missions.
March is missions’ month at the Edge,
and each year they have a special focus. A
couple of year ago, they launched Bibles into
North Korea—literally. The only way to get
Bibles across the border from South Korea
at the time was to attach them to helium
balloons and let them fly over. People in
the congregation raised money for 1,500
Bibles in the Korean language, and then put
handwritten notes in each one. They also
raised money for 250 “portable churches”—
backpacks filled with
evangelistic supplies
which were smuggled
in to encourage the
underground church.
This year
they worked with
Global Servants, an
organization that
runs orphanages for
girls at risk of being
forced into sex trafficking in
Thailand and Ghana. Global Servants is led
by fellow IMF members Dr. Mark Rutland
and his daughter, Emily Leatherbarrow.
Emily manages the fundraising in the States
from the offices outside Atlanta. She flew to
Minnesota to spend several days with The
Edge congregation and officially recognize
their significant contribution. This little
church that averages 35-50 people on a
Sunday morning had set out to raise $4,000
to cover the needs listed on Global Servants’
website: four laptops, a generator, dresses for
MORE IS NOT AWAYS ENOUGH
People drive from miles around to
attend this small church; hundreds have come
to know Jesus over the decades. Generations of
missionaries have received financial support,
my wife and I included (I preached my first
public message in this church). Challenges
have been met and overcome: a declining rural
population, some people leaving to try a new
church plant, bi-vocational pastors and pastors
seeking to push unpalatable notions. In spite of
the challenges, the church always seems to have
children, newly baptized believers and godly
pastors and leaders committed to reaching the
lost with the message of Christ. Surely God
must be in this place!
Depart rural Iowa for Minnetonka,
Minnesota, where my wife and I now live. Even
6
A GATHERING
132 girls, shoes for 120 girls, and an industrial
washing machine. Families in the church
chose their own ways to help raise money.
Some gave up going out to eat for the month
and contributed the money they saved. Some
members lost “pounds for the persecuted”
and found people to sponsor them. Others
sold items and gave the proceeds to the
project. By the end of March they had
$10,000 plus four laptops. It was something to
celebrate!
Another way The Edge spreads its
ministry beyond its borders is by streaming
their Sunday services and Wednesday
night Bible studies on Internet radio via the
Spreaker app. One of their members, a truck
driver, was on the road one Wednesday night
and pulled over to a truck stop just as Bible
study was starting. He asked another trucker
there if he wanted to join him for the Bible
study. He did. And at the end, the “visitor”
wanted to pray to accept Christ.
The Edge Christian Fellowship is good
evidence that a church doesn’t need to be
large to make a big
difference in the
Kingdom.
Pastor Marty Bownik
is an IMF Ordained
Minister. He can be reached
at [email protected].
(Continued from page 2)
here in the city we have small congregations.
Closest at hand is a new church meeting in
Hopkins High School. A little further away is
a small Jewish house of worship; we often see
a family walking there and back. I compare
these two bodies to my home church and their
nearest alternative, an Amish congregation
attended by people arriving via horse and buggy.
I also think of the small congregations I served
in Iowa, Minnesota, and Japan as a pastor and
missionary. What do these small bodies have in
common? All things considered, large and small
congregations have the same kind of hurting
and needy people. I have served in and attended
large congregations, but somehow it is the small
congregation that speaks most to me of what
Christian community is. In a world of transitory
and shallow relationships, small church people
seem better able to reject the allure of “more
is better” and live prophetically together as
companions on a spiritual journey. For people
such as these, more is not enough.
“For where two or three gather in my name,
there am I with them.” —Matthew 18:20
Rev. Lonnie Dufty, IMF Director of
Missions Ministries, is a graduate of St.
Paul Bible College (Crown College) and
Bethel Theological Seminary. In addition to
traditional missionary activities, he and his
wife Cindy have been tentmakers in English
teaching and IT. Lonnie can be reached at
952-346-2464 or [email protected].
CHURCH PLANTING IN
RURAL JAPAN
Rural Japan is largely unreached with
the Gospel. The urban centers have been
evangelized to a greater extent, but only one
in three rural towns has a church. That leaves
1800 towns with no Christian witness.
Dawn Birkner’s vision is to change that.
After working 14 years in the United States as
a scientist doing human health and ecological
risk assessment, Dawn awakened to the much
greater spiritual risk of the many unreached
people on our planet. And as she made herself
available to serve God, He called her to be
a pioneer church planter in places with no
Gospel witness. She has been following that
call for the past 14 years.
Her current project, begun in 2012, is
planting and pastoring a multi-site church,
called Kita Sanriku Christ Church, with 5-6
worship centers in four towns in northeast
Japan. But this is a long-term project. Rural
churches in Japan average 20 years in the
making. Even urban church plants take an
average of 10 years. And fully planted, long
established churches average 25 members in
rural areas, 35 in urban.
Seven years is the average time it takes a
typical Japanese person to become ready to
accept Christianity from the first time they
hear the gospel. One woman came to Dawn’s
church after simply receiving a flyer, which
seemed highly unusual. But it turned out that
she had been exposed to Christianity since five
years earlier, so the seed had begun to grow in
her heart. During the tsunami four years ago,
this woman lost her mother. She herself was
in the water but was able to survive in an air
pocket near the top of the ceiling.
Dawn began meeting with her one-onone to talk through her questions. After a few
months, she came to faith and expressed an
interest in being baptized, but she could not be
baptized in the ocean because of her traumatic
experience in the tsunami. Finally they found
a deep river, and Dawn baptized her.
Since the tsunami, Dawn has also been
doing relief work, coordinating volunteers
and short-term missions groups. Tens
of thousands of Japanese in tsunami-hit
regions still live in temporary houses. After
four years, only half of the displaced people
in Dawn’s area are back in permanent
homes. The temporary houses are like tiny
trailers, all connected in long rows which
then form neighborhoods. Eleven of these
neighborhoods are within the region of
Dawn’s church. One way she and relief
workers in other regions reach tsunami
survivors is with a Mobile Café that comes
to the temporary housing neighborhoods.
In addition to meeting practical needs at the
mobile cafes and during visitation, Dawn
spends time in listening ministry—inviting
individuals to tell their story and share what
they’ve suffered or their fears about the
future. This is a first step in letting people
know they are cared for. As people move
out to permanent housing, she continues
relationships through visitation and
community activities.
The people of Japan need church planters
like Dawn, people who are there for the long
haul. Dawn has been planting churches in
Japan for nearly 14 years. She knows the
people and is patient with their pace of change.
She also knows her co-workers on the field
and finds innovative ways to encourage
them. In 2011, Dawn founded the Rural
Japan Church Planting Network (www.rjcpn.
upgjapanmissions.com). She continues to
coordinate this group, which now has well
over 100 participants including missionaries
and pastors, plus many overseas who pray for
rural Japan. The network does research on
unchurched areas in Japan, builds awareness
of the missiological needs, conducts seminars,
connects and encourages members, and
facilitates urban/rural partnerships. The next
RJCP seminar will be held in 2016.
How does Dawn hold on to her hope and
vision given that the work is difficult and slow
and the fruit is so long in coming? The truth
she grasps is this: “Success is faithfulness, and
faithfulness is success. None of us controls the
nature of the soil. Who was more successful
in God’s eyes, Jeremiah, who saw few if any
results, or Jonah, who saw the entire city
of Nineveh repent? Our goal should be to
someday hear God say, ‘Well done, good
and faithful servant.’” Dawn recommends
Liberating Ministry from the
Success Syndrome by
R. Kent and Barbara
Hughes.
Dawn Birkner is
an IMF Ordained Minister
and be reached at [email protected].
Dawn is RJCPN’s coordinator and Japan Field
Director of the mission agency Reaching Japan
Together Association (RJTA).
SUMMER 2015
7
TIMELESS
GOSPEL MUSIC IN
A NEW CHURCH PLANT
Pastor W.H. Yarbrough grew up in Memphis
and graduated from Humes High School in
1955, two years behind Elvis Presley. Both
played guitar and sang, and W.H. remembers
jamming together in the school band room
and performing in some of the same variety
programs. In fact, the Sun Records Museum
in Memphis displays a program from one of
those variety shows that features the names of
both Elvis Presley and W.H. Yarbrough.
Music was everything for W.H. in
those days. His senior year, he performed
in honkytonk clubs around Memphis six
nights a week. Later, he had his own band and
continued to play in clubs. Once, when they
were performing at Hernando’s Hideaway in
Hernando, Mississippi, Elvis, Scotty, and Bill
(the trio who performed on Elvis’ first record)
came down and performed with them.
After graduating from high school, W.H
met Harold Jenkins (who later changed his
name to Conway Twitty). The two performed
together at supper clubs and hit it off so well
that they made a pact. Whichever one made it
big first would take the other one along.
During high school, W.H.’s father didn’t
mind him playing at clubs but insisted that he
attend church once a week, despite the fact that
he had no interest in God. W.H. picked Bethel
Assembly Church, an independent church
with a worship band he could play in. And it
didn’t hurt that the pastor’s daughter, Carole,
was a classmate he had his eye on.
During his first year of college, W.H.
continued to attend Bethel Assembly. Under the
ministry of Carole’s father, Frank Masserano,
Sr., he not only gave his heart to Jesus, but also
felt called to preach. (Frank Masserano, Sr.
founded the original International Ministerial
Fellowship. Carole’s brother, Frank Jr., is the
current General Overseer.) W.H. and Carole
were married in 1958.
Soon after sensing the call to the ministry
and transferring to Mid-South Bible College,
8
A GATHERING
W.H. received a very different kind of call. It
was a phone call from an agent offering him a
ten-year contract with a recording studio.
Torn, W.H. took his Bible out to the front
steps and prayed for the Lord to show him
which way to go. He opened to Colossians, and
his eye fell on the first verse of chapter three:
“If you then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above.” Well, he thought,
rock and roll is not from “above.” So that was
his answer. He told the Lord he would become
a preacher. It was settled.
Just at that moment, while he was still
sitting on the front steps of his house holding
his Bible, a new Mercury pulled up in front
of his house. Conway Twitty got out and said,
“I’m going to New York and want you to come
with me like we agreed. Come on!” W.H. said,
“I can’t go. I’m going to preach.” Conway said,
“More power to you. That’s what I used to do.”
Soon after, W.H. got a call from his buddy
Jack Clement, who said, “I’m chief engineer at
Sun records now. I want you to come down,
and we’ll finish that project we started in my
garage.” Again, W.H. said he had different
plans now because he was going to preach.
Through the years, W.H completed his
education by earning a Master of biblical
studies, a Doctor of Ministry in biblical studies,
and a Ph.D. is eschatology. Carole graduated
from McNeese University with a BA in piano
pedagogy and vocal education and holds a
Master’s degree in worship music.
W.H. and Carole spent ten years traveling
and doing music ministry before starting a
church in North Little Rock, Arkansas, in
1968. In 1976, they resigned from that church
and traveled in music ministry for three years
before going to Westlake, Louisiana, on the
edge of Lake Charles, where they pastored for
25 years. Over the years they have recorded
10 albums and been involved in radio and
television ministries.
In 2004, W.H. resigned from the church
in Westlake. He and Carole intended to
continue doing music ministry and traveling,
but God had other plans.
A group of twelve retired people asked
W.H. to lead a prayer meeting and Bible study
for them, so he and Carole opened up their
living room on Monday nights. Soon 30
people were coming, and they needed a larger
space. They decided to rent space in a nearby
shopping center and to change their services to
Sunday mornings. In 2008 they incorporated
the church, calling it The Sanctuary.
Currently, 100+ people gather on
Sundays, and they rent a larger space in a
different shopping center. Meanwhile, they’ve
been saving money to build. Three years ago
they paid cash for a four-acre lot, and for an
architect to design the sanctuary (see cover
photo). Recently they broke ground for the
new sanctuary. Currently they are negotiating
to purchase seven additional adjacent acres.
Two years ago, a young couple
volunteered to start a youth ministry in
the church. They had originally come to
The Sanctuary hurt and discouraged by an
experience in another church, and they asked
W.H. to mentor them. Now they have healed
and are grateful for an opportunity to give
back to the church. There are over 25 kids in
the youth group now.
One thing that draws people to The
Sanctuary is the Southern gospel music. W.H.
believes at some point, as the church grows,
they will offer a contemporary service to draw
more young people. In the last four years, the
church has seen 180 first-time conversions.
W.H. insists that it’s a miracle of God. “No one
follows a 78-year-old man,”
he says, “unless his
name is Moses.
I haven’t done it.
God has.”
W.H. Yarbrough is an
IMF Ordained Minister and can
be reached at [email protected].
PART-TIME
PASTOR,
FULL-TIME
SERVANT
Being bi-vocational has advantages. Ray Lockery
comes to ministry with first-hand knowledge of the
working world.
Pastor Ray Lockery is Senior Pastor of
Destination Church and Ministries (an IMF
Alliance Church) in Fairfield, Connecticut.
He is bi-vocational, spending around 20
hours a week pastoring his church and
40 hours a week as a full-time access
administrator for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
He wouldn’t be able to pastor the church, he
says, if it weren’t for his wife Linda being his
co-pastor and essential sounding board. He
is also blessed with a part-time worship and
preaching pastor, Kevin Fischman, who has
been with him since 2001. Once a month
either Kevin or Linda will preach the Sunday
sermon, but Ray is the primary preacher. Ray
is proud of his core leadership team including
Pastor Anthony Totilo, who leads Bible
Studies, Kinley Pink, who serves as Executive
Administrator, and Kinley’s husband
David, who leads “A New You,” a 10-week
restoration and recovery ministry.
Ray and Linda also have a counseling
ministry called Truth and Peace Counseling,
with an office in their home. They primarily
do marriage counseling but are quick to
clarify that “marriage is not a disease.” They
counsel people struggling with issues that
negatively impact their marriages.
Being bi-vocational has advantages. Ray
comes to ministry with first-hand knowledge
of the working world. In his younger days, as
a bar and restaurant owner and bartender, he
experienced a side of life that helps him relate
to the trials of his parishioners.
There are also challenges that come with
being bi-vocational. The obvious one is the
severe limitation on his time. Wearing such
different hats also affects a pastor’s identity.
Ray might go 2-3 days in a row without doing
anything ministry related, so he thinks of
himself as primarily an access administrator
(his day job). Then he will jump back into
ministry either for a scheduled event or to
deal with an unforeseen issue. He needs to
instantly switch hats and see himself as the
Senior Pastor of the 60 adults and 35 kids in
his congregation.
Destination Church rents a band
concert hall on Sunday mornings. During
the week, this venue hosts touring bands
that stop in Fairfield to perform for a few
nights. On Sunday morning, members of the
congregation put a sign cover over the bar
and put out their church coffee machines.
Sunday school kids take over the Art Center
of the facility. Older kids meet in the green
room, and the prayer team makes use of
another side room. Worship takes place in the
200-seat concert hall, with the worship team
making good use of the grand piano and the
state-of-the-art sound system. A professional
sound technician is part of the rental package
(since the equipment is too valuable to trust
to amateurs). So this small church enjoys
high quality sound. In addition to piano,
guitars and a Cajun drum accompany the
voices worshiping God from this concert hall
on Sunday mornings.
Like pastors of small churches
everywhere, Ray finds himself from time to
time being the one to make the coffee or take
the offering to the bank or give someone a
ride to church. At the same time—like pastors
of small churches everywhere—Ray enjoys
the rich opportunity to deeply know each
member of his congregation and be able to
listen to each one’s story. Isn’t that the reason
many people choose small churches? They
want to know and be known by their pastors.
One resource that Ray has found
invaluable in discipling church members,
training leaders, and providing video
resources for small group Bible studies is
called RightNow Media. He pays $90 a
month to give everyone in his church access
to Christian teaching and inspiration. Even
parenting resources like VeggieTales movies
are included. As the pastor, he has the ability
to hide or block materials from any speakers
he disagrees with theologically. Some of
the training videos come with follow-up
tests that he could assign if he wanted to be
sure his leadership team worked through
a certain program. In addition, he can
post his own videos and make them into
training programs for his people. At www.
rightnowmedia.org you can see a two-minute
video that explains what the program offers.
Resources like these allow small churches to
“bring in” speakers who would otherwise be
unaffordable.
In addition, Ray uses resources like
SermonSpice.com and WorshipHouseMedia.com
for sermon clips and backgrounds to keep
his worship services relevant and engaging
for his people. He uses all the resources at his
disposal to keep the eyes of his congregation
on their ultimate
Destination.
Pastor Ray Lockery
is an IMF Ordained
Minister. He can be reached at
[email protected] or 203-321-5414.
SUMMER 2015
9
GOOD
NEWS
IN ANY LANGUAGE
Indonesian Good News Church of Los
Angeles has around 100 adult members plus
30 kids. Services are held in Indonesian,
since around 90% of their members speak
Indonesian as their first language. Some
people drive 90 minutes one way to come
to hear the Word of God preached in their
language and to fellowship with people who
share their ethnicity.
For English speakers, ear pieces are
available which are wirelessly connected to a
translator who sits in the back of the church
speaking into a microphone.
The church began in 2006 as a group
of ten to fifteen people studying the
Bible together weekly, led by Pastor Eddy
Fances. This small nucleus of believers held
evangelistic meetings for three Saturdays
in a row to reach out to the Indonesian
community. Thirty people accepted Christ
through that outreach, and they asked for
a church. So the core group rented a room
in the Duarte Inn in the city of Duarte, Los
Angeles County.
Fifty or sixty people came to that first
Sunday worship service, and the church
has been going strong ever since with Eddy
Fances as their pastor. Over the next seven
years, as the church grew, they continued
to move to larger spaces for their worship
services. In January, 2014, shortly after
celebrating their seven-year anniversary,
they bought a church building (built in 1955)
with $500,000 they had collected in their
building fund started six years early. They
owe $600,000 on the building still, but are
very glad to have dedicated space for worship,
Sunday school and all their other activities.
In February, after celebrating their eighth
10
A GATHERING
anniversary, the church added a Sunday
evening contemporary worship service.
The young people of the church go on
annual missions trips within the United
States to share the gospel through music,
evangelism, and visitation.
In the future, the church hopes to offer
a service in English in order to reach out
to the neighborhood surrounding their
building. At the same time, they hope to keep
the Indonesian language and culture alive
for the Indonesian community of the Los
Angeles area. This is a challenge since even
the Indonesian children of the church prefer
English. In fact, the Sunday school program
is currently run in English.
Pastor Eddy Fances grew up in
Indonesia and first came to the United States
in 1993 to earn a Master of Theology degree
at International Theological Seminary in
Los Angeles. The following year, he began
his Doctorate of Ministry, long distance,
through Reformed Theological Seminary in
Jackson, Mississippi, finishing in 1995. He
returned to do Christian work in Indonesia
for three years. In 1998, he returned to the
United States for another year of study, and
then in 1998 accepted a call to be the assistant
pastor of New Life Baptist Church in the Los
Angeles area, where he served until 2006.
Each year, Pastor Fances returns to
Indonesia for several weeks, sometimes
taking people from his church with him.
While in Indonesia he leads evangelistic
meetings and does training for Christian
leaders. Eddy has written 14 books for
Indonesian pastors. Some of these books
are paragraph-by-paragraph expositions
of particular books of the Bible.
Others are Christian reflections and
illustrations—all designed to help Christian
leaders and pastors understand God’s word
more deeply and prepare effective messages.
The Christian Church in Indonesia is grateful
for support from other nations. Around 10%
of the more than 250 million people who live
in the Republic of Indonesia are Christians,
while over 85% are Muslim.
One young woman from Indonesia, with
a background in Islam, moved to the Los
Angeles area. Her boyfriend brought her to
Indonesian Good News Church, where she
heard the gospel and—after a year of learning
and struggling with doubts—accepted it.
Several years ago she was baptized.
Another man joined the church because
Pastor Eddy visited him eight years ago when
his wife passed away. The man’s great nephew
attended Good News Church and alerted
the pastor to the need. Eddy led this man to
the Lord and baptized him. Now, at age 95,
this man is an active church member and is
growing in the Lord.
Each fifth Sunday, the church takes a
second offering. The amount collected goes
to the Diaconic Ministry to help people
with practical needs. The church also helps
members who are called to ministry with
tuition for seminary.
In all these ways, Indonesian Good News
Church of Los Angeles is doing its part to
share the Good News of Christ in
Los Angeles County, in
Indonesia, and in
all the world.
Pastor Eddy Fances
is an IMF Ordained
Minister and can be reached
at 909-524-1108 or [email protected].
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way
fulfill the law of Christ.” –Galatians 6:2
THE LIGHTS ARE
ALWAYS
ON
Can a small church make a big impact
in a local community? Blessed Hope
Church in Lincoln Park, Michigan, is
doing just that. Pastor Gary Schippling
and his wife, Crystal, believe their church’s
calling is to be Christ to one another and
to the community, as well as uniting area
churches for the work of the Kingdom.
God has a way of preparing each of us
for our unique ministries. Gary was not
ordained until age 57, but God used his
years in management to develop in him
the multi-tasking skills he would need. His
involvement in multiple music ministries
has provided valuable experience in
working with other believers, including his
volunteer staff.
Seven items form their direction and
work: worship, prayer, study, fellowship,
service, mercy, and evangelism. Gary is
predominantly a preacher, Bible teacher,
and community liaison. Crystal oversees
the worship team and the “mercy” side of
the ministry (food pantry, etc.), and Patti
Flanigan is their prayer minister. Gary
adds, “We all are involved in the janitorial
and grunt-work side of things.”
Blessed Hope’s lights never go out.
In partnership with other churches and
ministries, Blessed Hope serves meals
twice a day Monday–Saturday, and once
on Sunday. The food pantry opens three
days a week. They provide basic clothing,
along with space and products to freshen
up and do laundry. Limited temporary
shelter is available on cold days. They also
connect people in need with programs that
may help them.
On April 1, 2015, the church, the
City of Lincoln Park and the Lincoln Park
Farmers’ Market launched the Lincoln
Park Community Gardens at Blessed
Hope. Church and community members
can use plots to help with food sourcing.
A local agency is donating plants that
will provide fresh produce for their food
pantry and meal service.
Blessed Hope graciously opens
their newly acquired building to the
community. Several recovery groups meet
there. They share space with a church
plant, New Wine Community Church.
Blessed Hope houses HIM—Hogs in
Ministry (Christian motorcycle group),
ChristCycles (bike ministry), Families
Against Narcotics (minimizing addiction,
with board member Elizabeth Johnson), a
Judo club and other groups.
Music plays a big role in their outreach
ministry. Mission Studios, a recording
studio run by Sean Morse, shares their
building. William Reynolds runs a
monthly Christian music coffeehouse
called The Mission. Various Christian
artists join him in presenting a free venue
for coffee, great music, and fellowship.
This summer, they will host three outdoor
concerts with area musicians, free to the
community.
Being a small church is not without its
challenges. Gary says, “Perhaps the most
frequent challenge is helping people
realize they have something significant
to offer. We also must work against the
perception that upscale surroundings and
worship teams are what matter about being
a church.”
However, smaller churches enjoy many
benefits such as the ability to start new
endeavors more easily. Smaller churches
often possess a special bond between
members that helps them “Carry each
other’s burdens, and in this way fulfill the
law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Gary says,
“I believe the best benefit is the family
atmosphere where our members know
each other well.”
Blessed Hope places emphasis on
being a member of the Body of Christ,
and there is no formal process for joining
the church. They do, however, encourage
people to commit to a written Covenant
if they are serious about belonging to the
Body.
Gary says, “While the church is
important to us, we do not focus our
members on Blessed Hope, as if it were
a club. We are invited by Christ Himself
to join His entire body of believers! That
relationship is far more important to truly
following Christ than being a member
in good standing at
Blessed Hope.
Pastor Gary
Schippling attended
the University of Michigan
and pursued his theological training through
various institutions and experiences. He was
ordained by IMF in June 2012. Gary and his
wife Crystal can be reached at 313-388-1499
or [email protected].
SUMMER 2015
11
On November 1, 2014, Sister Iris Masserano went home to be with her Lord Jesus
Christ. She was 101 years young.
A LAST
FAREWELL...
SISTER IRIS MASSERANO
On November 1, 2014, Sister Iris
Masserano went home to be with her
Lord Jesus Christ. She was 101 years
young.
Iris had served as an evangelist,
pastor, radio preacher and pastoral
caregiver for over 80 years. She and her
husband, Pastor F.C. Masserano, Sr., were
co-founders of International Ministerial
12
A GATHERING
Fellowship (IMF). She was known in
most all the hospitals in the Memphis
area as “Sister Iris” and was at Baptist
Hospital when Elvis Presley was brought
into the emergency room. She was
quoted in The Memphis Commercial
Appeal newspaper as saying that her
family “knew him real well; ‘Our
children went to school with him.’”
Dr. James Sanders, Old Testament
and Intertestamental Studies professor at
Union Theological Seminary, wrote a
book titled God Has a Story Too and
referenced Iris in the opening pages. He
later wrote, “I came to faith in Christ at
Iris’ altars.” Many people were touched by
her life of service, and she was beloved as
a saint of God.
Iris came from humble beginnings.
Her father Otto was a barber, and she
lived on Utt Street in Bicknell, Indiana. Her dad loved
to play the violin, and Iris loved music and loved to
dance, but she gave her heart to Christ as an 11-year
old in her bedroom. The Holy Spirit convicted her, and
after that she only danced in the Spirit. She attended a
Pentecostal revival and experienced what she called the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Her
mother, Mamie Viehe, was cautious and went to the
revival without Iris to check it out. At the close of the
service she heard a little red-haired Irish boy praying in
perfect High German, praising God and worshiping the
Lord. That was enough for Mamie. After that Mamie
allowed Iris to follow God’s call to Christian ministry
even as a young teenage girl.
Iris preached her first sermon when she was 13,
and during a two-week revival in Sullivan, Indiana,
she turned 14. After that she and Sister Agnes Pearce
traveled the Midwestern states preaching, singing,
and praying for the sick for seven years before Iris met
her future husband, young Frank Masserano, Sr. His
father Ches was an immigrant from Italy and was in the
grocery business.
Frank and Iris planted Bethel Assembly Church,
an independent Pentecostal church in Memphis,
Tennessee, and co-pastored it for 45 years. There were
good days and difficult times, but as long as Ches was
alive and in the grocery business, they always had plenty
to eat.
Iris never had a lot in life, but she would give
anyone who needed help all she had to give. When
evangelists came by the house, she could whip up a
delicious meal in no time at all. Her fried chicken and
peach cobbler were always in demand.
Frank and Iris organized International Ministerial
Fellowship in November, 1958. For many years they
held a Thanksgiving Convention each November, which
was the catalyst for the members of the Fellowship to
gather. Worship, preaching, missions, meals and fellowship
were at the center of the Convention with three services a
day.
Pastor F.C. Masserano, Sr. died in October, 1981,
and Frank Masserano, Jr. was asked by the leaders of the
Fellowship to serve as president. He agreed and has served
IMF with his wife Carol for the past 33 years.
Sister Iris began a weekly radio broadcast after her
husband died and preached for the next twenty years. She
had a faithful following until the station was purchased and
turned to an all music format. Iris could preach, pray, sing
or “shout” and dance in the Spirit as the anointing of the
Lord would come upon her and the congregation. Hers was
a life of faithful service.
(Continued on next page.)
SUMMER 2015
13
A LAST FAREWELL... SISTER IRIS MASSERANO
The following excerpts were written by Frank Masserano, Jr., and read at her funeral at
Bolton Full Gospel Church November 3, 2014, by Frank Masserano III (Chet) on behalf of
his father, mother, family and International Ministerial Fellowship:
Sister Iris was an evangelist, pastor,
teacher, radio preacher, musician,
and pastoral caregiver for over 80
years. The only title she ever claimed
was “Handmaiden of the Lord.”
Dad and Mom founded Bethel
Assembly Church in 1936 and
pastored together for 45 years. After
Dad’s passing Mom was on the radio
weekly for 20 years until someone
bought the station and turned it into
an all music format.
They also founded International
Ministerial Fellowship in 1958,
incorporated it in 1960, and after Dad’s passing Carol and I moved the
Fellowship from Memphis to Minneapolis in 1985 and re-chartered it.
Today we have a beautiful facility, 14 employees, 1300 members, and
we are debt free.
Any success we have achieved over the years is due to the biblical truths,
love of church and pastors, hard work, and careful stewardship of our
resources which we learned from them.
My most precious memories of Mom are:
Morning Bible reading at the kitchen table and her prayers for her
children as we went off to school.
Her afternoon prayer time daily, about 3:30 p.m. in her bedroom, on
her knees and on her prayer rug by her bed. Her door was closed, but
as I came in each day from school, I could hear her praying for Dad,
the church, and the people’s needs.
The hundreds of early Sunday morning times she got up before
everyone else, fried chicken or made another Sunday lunch, reviewed
her Bible class notes and her sermon notes, dressed the kids, and went
off to church to teach a ladies class and preach a Sunday sermon.
Thousands of sermons I heard her preach, songs sung, and prayers
prayed for individual people.
In later years, her sitting in her rocking chair reading her Bible and
praying.
Those years have passed and are now gone. They were great. The thing
I will miss most are her daily prayers for me. I learned to pray listening
to my mother’s prayers. I re-pray them often. It’s a legacy.
14
A GATHERING
In Mark 14:3-9 Jesus visits Simon’s
house. While eating, a woman
believed to be Mary, the sister of
Martha and Lazarus (John 12:18) came up to Jesus, opened an
alabaster box of precious ointment,
and anointed Jesus’ head. This
angered some who said, “It was very
costly and could have been sold and
the money given to the poor.” Jesus
rebuked them and said, “Leave her
alone. She has done a beautiful
thing here. The poor you will have
always, but I will not always be with
you.”
And then he said these words, “She has done all she could and hereafter
whenever the Gospel is preached, all over the world men will speak of
what she has done in her memory.”
Whatever else may be said about “Sister Iris,” it must be said she did all
she could do for her Jesus.
Let us also be faithful to complete our call and labors for Christ. I close
with the words I heard so many times over the years, “Always love
Jesus.”
One of Iris’ favorite gospel songs was Let the Lower Lights Be Burning:
Brightly beams our Father’s mercy
From His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore
Let the lower lights be burning!
Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor struggling, fainting seaman
You may rescue, you may save.
One of her favorite poems was Finally Home:
But just think of stepping on shore—And finding it Heaven!
Of touching a hand—And finding it God’s!
Of breathing new air—And finding it celestial!
Of waking up in glory—And finding it home!
Iris will be missed. She was a true pioneer for her time. Many lives are
richer because she passed our way. May she rest in peace.
SHOW US YOUR
CHURCH!
We recently asked some of our IMF Senior Pastors to “Show
Us Your Church.” As we celebrate our smaller churches,
we’d like to share photos of some of them with you.
Ft. White United Methodist Church
Ft. White, Florida
Senior Pastor: Michael Brecheen
Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ
Limassol, Cyprus
Senior Pastor: Sophocles Christodoulou
Indonesian Good News Church
Baldwin Park, California
Senior Pastor: Eddy Fances
Foundation Community Church
Trenton, Ohio
Senior Pastor: Scott Fussnecker
The Floodgates
Newport News, Virginia
Senior Pastor: Russ Hopkins
Destination Church and Ministries
Fairfield, Connecticut
Senior Pastor: Raymond Lockery, Sr.
Word of God Fellowship
Rosenberg, Texas
Senior Pastor: David Shows
Grace Fellowship at Burlington
Burlington, North Dakota
Senior Pastor: Gregg Smith
First Congregational Church
Rio Vista, California
Senior Pastor: Ella Ray Toscano
York E-Free Church
York, Nebraska
Senior Pastor: Jonathan Wymer
SUMMER 2015
15
“Small church pastors must be
willing to roll up their sleeves
and get involved in every aspect
of the church.”
A LEGACY
WELL
LEARNED
Twelve years ago, Gregg Smith and his
wife Regina Gail joined Grace Fellowship
in Burlington, North Dakota, after its
pastor invited Gail to use their building for
intercession. The Smiths, both air traffic
controllers, attended another church in
nearby Minot, but that didn’t matter to Pastor
James Shackelford. He was all about God’s
kingdom and prayer. That impressed Gregg.
“I had been praying for a man I could
look up to and asked him to mentor me. We
spent the next ten years together,” Gregg says.
During that time, he became the Associate
Pastor and then Senior Pastor when
Shackelford retired two years ago.
Gregg enjoys small church ministry.
“In a large church, the pastor may not know
his people very well,” he says, “but I know
every single one of mine. I know their stories,
strengths, weaknesses, struggles, and joys.
Some would say that’s not necessarily a good
thing, but it is for me. I wouldn’t want it any
other way.”
Grace Fellowship began as a Southern
Baptist church in 1986 but gradually
transitioned to IMF seven years ago, a move
Gregg applauds now, especially as the new
pastor. “I don’t know what I’d do without
IMF,” he says. “They are always there for
us.” Dr. Mark Rutland and Pastor Frank
Masserano ordained him in 2011.
Gregg describes the 75 parishioners
at Grace as a closely knit people who love
to minister to their community. Annually
donating one-quarter of its budget to
outreach, every Fall the church collects a
“First Fruits Offering,” dedicated exclusively
to helping whoever has a need. Recipients
16
A GATHERING
include a free health clinic in Minot, but vary
from year to year. Three years ago Minot
suffered a devastating flood, and FEMA set
up emergency trailer camps, one of which
landed next to Grace Fellowship for 18
months. The church provided Thanksgiving
dinners for the 120 families there as well as
Christmas gifts and then Easter dinners.
When the Lutheran church in Burlington
was burglarized, Grace Fellowship gave it
what it lost, $300 its youth group had raised
for children with malaria.
Gregg lovingly likens his parishioners to
a pack of elephants, thanks to the influence
of Pastor Londa Lundstrom Ramsey from
Minneapolis (an IMF Ordained Minister).
When she taught them about elephants at a
conference, he says the congregation “latched
on” to the metaphor, because “elephants will
do everything they can to keep a sick elephant
from falling. They surround it and prop it up,
knowing if an elephant falls, it almost never
will get up again.” Now Grace Fellowship has
an elephant logo. “Everything we do is about
helping people,” Gregg says, and often “we
tend to draw people who have been hurt in
other churches and come to us for healing.”
To Gregg, however, helping people isn’t
a means to increase the congregation. He has
two mainstay beliefs for pastoring a small
church. First, “Do not let numbers define
your ministry. If you equate numbers with
success, you are really going to struggle.”
And second, “Small church pastors must
be willing to roll up their sleeves and get
involved in every aspect of the church.”
Exemplifying that tenet, both Gregg
and Gail help the children’s Sunday school,
a vibrant and growing ministry that gives
kids opportunity to pray privately and in
public, especially in the first 15 minutes of
worship when they pray and memorize the
books of the Bible. “The kids open and close
their worship time in prayer,” Gregg says.
Similarly, the four- to six-year-old children
draw cards from a prayer box and pray for
parishioners’ requests. During the service,
the children sit up front as the worship
leader teaches them to actively engage in the
worship with the adults. Grace Fellowship
does not have a separate children’s church.
Looking toward the future, Gregg
and his elders have initiated ways to attract
more families and younger generations
by including them in leadership roles and
updating the music style. Additionally, they
will host a “Family Fest” for the community
this Summer as well as pray about a new
housing subdivision of about 400 homes
being built next to them.
For Gregg, their priorities remain
strong, with the addition of a deeper focus on
witnessing. “We’re teaching the church that
we need to witness to the lost more.”
Indeed, Gregg learned his lessons well,
as the little church in Burlington continues
to live out a legacy of prayer,
love for people, and
kingdom focus.
Pastor Gregg Smith
is an IMF Ordained
Minister and can be reached
at [email protected].
A NEW
SEASON
After 26 years of ministry, Pastor Mike Brecheen “sat
out for a season,” but then he fell in love with a little
Methodist church in Fort White, Florida.
Founded in 1859 and rebuilt in 1897, Fort
White United Methodist Church enjoyed
a long history by the Santa Fe River, but by
the time Pastor Mike Brecheen met with a
remaining handful of parishioners in 2010,
the church had no pastor and barely enough
money to pay for utilities and insurance.
The congregation didn’t think they
needed a pastor, and Mike, who had
previously served as a local church pastor,
didn’t think he would ever pastor again. “But
it was love at first sight for both of us,” he says.
“I started the first Sunday in September, and
in October, they came to me saying, ‘You’re
not going to leave us, are you?’”
“No,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
On the initial Sunday, when Mike read
the schedule indicating they start at 11 a.m.
and finish at noon, he said, “Well, that may
not happen. You may not beat everyone to
the buffet today, but hopefully we’re going to
glean something from God’s Word that will
keep us on our feet in the weeks ahead.” The
service ended at 12:15 p.m. The next Sunday
Mike apologized for “holding them over.” On
the third Sunday, they took the clock down.
“Now the greeters say to new people, ‘We
don’t get out at 12:00, so if that’s important to
you, you might want to go down the street.’”
Since that time, the congregation has
grown to about 50 people and has increased
its finances substantially, so much so that
it has become known as “the church that
feeds the hungry.” Every Monday, Fort
White Methodist feeds about 40-50 families
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each family receives
a box of food, a Bible, and prayer ministry,
if requested. This “Bread of Life Food
Pantry” outreach has reinvigorated the
church. Interestingly, it has also invigorated
support and donations from the community,
including food drives by two schools and the
post office.
“It’s a no-strings-attached ministry,”
Mike says. “The function is to tell the people
of South Columbia County that God loves
them in a very practical way. It’s not about
how much they go to church or read the
Bible. It’s about how much God loves them.
Period.”
Today the church has a few Methodists
among a combination of Catholics,
Lutherans, Episcopalians, Baptists, and
Presbyterians. Believing that’s what heaven is
like, Mike describes their small church as a
“safe haven of refuge” where people can “be
real and everybody feels welcome.” One
of the advantages of a smaller church, he
believes, is that it is easier to maintain an
atmosphere of personal intimacy. He likes
the sheer simplicity of a smaller church and
doesn’t worry about numbers.
From the onset, Mike’s highest priority
at Fort White has been to preach the Word
of God. “There’s a dearth, a famine of God’s
Word today. We’re preaching everything
but God’s Word. I don’t make any apologies.
The people come here to hear God’s Word,
appreciate it, and bring other people with
them. God’s Word brings healing to spirits,
souls, and bodies. The most exciting thing
to me has been to see the number of people
my age, some older, for the first time raising
hands to say, ‘I want to give my life to Christ.’”
As for the future, Fort White Methodist
Church wants to replace the old fellowship
hall with a multipurpose building where
it can host Wednesday night meals for the
children and families from the schools across
the street. Eventually, plans include preschool
and after-school programs for as many kids
as possible.
The biggest danger for smaller
churches, Mike says, is that they can become
introverted and lose their burden for a lost
and dying world. Quoting Proverbs 29:18,
he says that without a vision, the people
perish, the word “perish” literally meaning
they “turn on each other, find fault, and
bicker.” Additionally, he advises that churches
not focus on growth. Growth is “a natural
occurrence for things that are alive.” Focus
instead on “taking God’s Word at face value
and finding out what God wants you to do.”
After five years, Pastor Mike and
Fort White United Methodist Church are
thriving. “When I met this church,” he says,
“I told them I had no intention of pastoring
again, and now I believe this has
been the best part
of my life.”
Pastor Mike Brecheen
is an IMF Ordained
Minister and can be reached at
[email protected].
SUMMER 2015
17
JESUS
IS THEIR
FOUNDATION
Their church motto “Jesus is My Foundation” is not simply
words to them but a reminder of whom they should
ultimately focus on.
“God’s Stuff” reads the label placed on
the door of the vacant commercial space
available for rent. Pastor Scott Fussnecker
had been researching possible locations for
his growing church, Foundation Community
Church, when he came upon this property
in Trenton, Ohio. Chuckling to himself,
he remembered he had reached out to the
property owner about renting this space
over three years ago but had never received
a response. Still vacant, Scott felt led to call
again. Unbeknownst to him, God had been
busy working behind the scenes.
The property owner, attending another
church, had been challenged by his pastor to
label everything of his as belonging to God.
He took the challenge seriously, labeling all he
owned with these words, including the vacant
property. When he received that second
call from Scott, his heart was prepared, and
he leased the property to Foundation. In
addition, Foundation received approximately
$75,000 in outside donations from local
businessmen, friends and family and an
additional $25,000 from church members,
allowing them to complete the renovations
required to convert the former drug store into
a church debt free. The doors to Foundation’s
new sanctuary opened in December, 2014.
Scott believes it was another God-given
validation of his calling.
If you had asked Scott several years
earlier if he would be planting a church, he
would have emphatically replied “no.” He
had been working in public education for
twenty years and thought he would continue
as a school administrator until retirement.
But God placed a call on his heart to start a
18
A GATHERING
contemporary church in his rural community
an hour north of Cincinnati, and he obeyed.
Four years later, Scott attributes the ongoing
favor and blessings he and Foundation have
experienced to their continued obedience
to God and His leading. Their motto “Jesus
is My Foundation” is not simply words to
them but a reminder of whom they should
ultimately focus on. “This is God’s ministry,”
Scott explains.
The first church planning meeting took
place four years ago in Scott’s living room
with six adults, three of whom were not
even Christians. Determined to trust the
Lord, with a genuine heart to reach people
for Christ, Scott and his wife, Jennifer, were
used by the Lord to lead not only those
initial three to Christ but also their families
and soon other families in the community.
After several months, in October, 2011, the
Foundation Community Church held its first
official church service with approximately 25
people in attendance.
Since then, the church has grown
dramatically, nearly doubling each year.
With over 200 people in attendance, they
now have two Sunday morning services with
plans to increase to three with the possibility
of adding a Saturday evening service. To
help foster its growth, Foundation has four
ordained ministers as part of its leadership
staff of ten pastors and directors, all bivocational and receiving only supplemental
compensation. The best news, Scott says, is
that over 200 people have accepted Christ at
Foundation.
Scott believes God has directed
Foundation to be a contemporary church,
providing a casual, spirit-filled atmosphere,
to reach both the youth and young-minded
adults. They use social media, YouTube
videos and other cutting-edge technology
to communicate with and be relevant to the
youth. The worship team, complete with
several guitars, drums, lights, and amplifiers,
leads the worship with upbeat contemporary
music. Worship is very open, allowing people
to worship in the way they feel comfortable.
The sermons focus on Jesus’ love and having
Him as the foundation of their lives. Scott
states there is not another church like them in
town.
Foundation mainly attracts the unsaved
and unchurched people, who do not know
they are missing out on a relationship with
God, as well as disenfranchised Christians,
who have been hurt by other ministries and
turned away from God. Foundation wants to
change the way people think about church
and how they can have God in their everyday
lives. Rev. Simon Fussnecker, Scott’s father
and Pastor of Adult Ministries at Foundation,
explains it as “same God – new approach.”
Scott believes Foundation benefits
from lessons learned by larger churches:
what works and what mistakes to avoid. He
uses this information and tailors it to the
“Foundation way of doing church.” He also
believes their size still allows him and the
other pastors to know their members on a
personal level. “But make no mistake about
it,” Scott says, “It’s not our desire to stay
small. We believe God is preparing us to be
a blessing to this entire
region!”
Pastor Scott Fussnecker
is an IMF Ordained
Minister and can be reached at
[email protected].
United Brethren Community Fellowship:
A CHURCH
WITHOUT A BUILDING
In pioneer days, many people who settled
small towns realized they did not have enough
townspeople of any one denomination to call
a pastor or build a church building, so likeminded individuals met in homes for prayer,
worship and fellowship. Some of these were
United Brethren Community Fellowships.
As towns became more settled, various
denominations came into those towns and
built church buildings, and the number
of pioneers still meeting in private homes
dwindled, although a small core of families
kept up the pioneer tradition. In the late 1970s,
when leaders of some mainline denominations
began to drift away from the Gospel message,
many parishioners desired to remain true
to the Gospel message but could not attend
services in their historic churches. The number
of people seeking meetings in smaller house
churches began to increase again.
United Brethren Community Fellowship
(UBCF) tries to keep an individual house
church limited to five families or 25 individuals.
Five house churches (25 families or about 125
individuals) make up one Fellowship.
IMF ordained minister Phyllis PottorffAlbrecht has been in ministry since she was
young. She accepted Christ as her savior when
she was eight and immediately began to assist
in a number of church ministries, including
teaching Sunday school. She preached her first
sermon at age 12 and was a camp counselor
during the summers throughout high school.
She began her adult ministry and now leads a
UBC Fellowship in Broomfield, CO.
The families of each individual home
church take turns hosting the weekly meeting.
A home church might be made up of families
whose jobs require them to work on Sunday,
so they may choose to meet on Saturday
afternoon or Thursday evening. Pastors can
rotate from one home church to another.
UBCF follows the Amish tradition of not
acquiring any church property – which means
they don’t have the expense of maintaining a
traditional church building.
Whenever they need a General
Conference meeting (one delegate and one
alternate from each house church), they find
buildings which can be rented in various
locations. It used to be possible for churches
to rent buildings, such as schools, which were
not occupied during the weekend, for larger
gatherings. However, over the past several
years, it has become increasingly difficult
to find school districts that feel comfortable
renting their facilities to churches for meetings.
Currently, when UBCF wish to hold a
large gathering (from 6 to 40 people attending),
they meet at an 18-acre farm in Eastern
Colorado, 12 miles outside the city limits of
the nearest town. There is a large quonset
building on the grounds which can seat many
people. The farm is in a community mainly
focused on wheat farming and cattle ranching.
The nearby towns have well-kept RV parks to
accommodate the custom wheat-cutting crews
which arrive to help at harvest time. Members
can arrive in an RV, hook up at one of the local
RV parks, attend a meeting in the quonset
building on this farming property, and return
home when the meetings are all finished. They
are careful to avoid scheduling large meetings
during the local harvest.
“Old Town” in the area features buildings
preserved from the community’s pioneering
days. This includes an historic church building,
which can be rented for weddings. A number
of UBCF young couples have been married
in that historic old church building. In some
instances, the young couple also chose to drive
away from the church building in a horse and
buggy, rented from local farmers.
As more and more leaders of mainline
denominations drift away from the Gospel,
there are more “house churches” meeting
across the country – probably not calling
themselves United Brethren Community
Fellowship – but following guidelines similar
to the guidelines which UBCF has established
over the years. Rev. Pottorff-Albrecht and
her Fellowship prove you
don’t have to have a
church building
to be a church.
Rev. Phyllis PottorffAlbrecht is an IMF
Ordained Minister. She has earned an
Associate’s Degree in Advanced Business
Administration at Central Business College
(Denver, CO); BS, MS in Pastoral Counseling
and Psychology at Brookvale Brethren
Seminary (Denver, CO); and B.Th, MM, PhD
at Christian Bible College (Rocky Mount,
NC). Rev. Pottorff-Albrecht can be reached at
[email protected].
SUMMER 2015
19
THE
SHEKINAH
Words like glory and light are used to try to capture its
essence, while in Judaism, it has come to be defined
simply as the “divine presence.”
It is almost impossible for our modern
minds to imagine what it must have been
like to actually see the manifest presence of
God as His glory rested on the Tabernacle
or filled the Temple. It is described in the
book of Exodus as fire, cloud and thick
darkness accompanied by earthquakes,
thunder and lightning. Exodus 24:17 calls
the sight of Him a “devouring fire” in the
eyes of the Children of Israel.
These miraculous manifestations
brought comfort to His people Israel.
However, such appearances were so
frightening that those same people covered
their eyes and ears in sheer terror and
begged Moses to mediate for them.
JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN VIEWS
Today, the word that conjures up the
awesome and terrifying presence of God
is Shekinah. The concept has become so
prevalent in both Christianity and Judaism
that it is commonly used in reference to
physical manifestations of God. When
asked to define it, however, Christians
are often at a loss. Words like glory and
light are used to try to capture its essence,
while in Judaism, it has come to be defined
simply as the “divine presence.”
In Jewish thought, it was the Shekinah
that caused prophets to prophesy and King
David to compose Psalms. In addition,
many Christians consider the Shekinah to
be referenced in the Christian Scriptures as
well. It is commonly equated with the Holy
Spirit, and just as it is linked to prophecy
in Judaism, so it is in Christianity: “For no
prophecy ever came by the will of man: but
20
A GATHERING
men spoke from God being moved by the
Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
HIM WHO DWELLS
Shekinah can best be rendered “Him
who dwells.” It comes from the Hebrew
word shakan which means to settle down
or abide. Mishkan (dwelling place), the
word used for the Tabernacle, is also
derived from shakan. There is actually
another Hebrew word for tent that could
have described the physical nature of the
Tabernacle, but this was far more than just
a tent; it was the “dwelling place” of “Him
who dwells.”
There are also several words in the
Hebrew Bible that mean “to dwell,” and
shakan is unique among them. It means to
take up residence within a neighborhood
with the specific purpose of staying for a
long time. It implies intimacy and conveys
the idea of continuity as a member of a
community.
When Solomon built the Temple, he
was overcome with the awesomeness of
God and asked, “But will God indeed dwell
(yasav) on the earth?” (1 Kings 8:27) But
God made His intentions clear: “[T]he
cloud filled the house of the Lord so that
the priests could not continue ministering
because of the cloud; for the glory of the
Lord filled the house of the Lord.” Then
Solomon spoke: “The Lord said He would
dwell (shakan) in the dark cloud. I have
surely built You an exalted house and a
place for You to dwell (shakan) forever”
(1 Kings 8:11-12). Isaiah tells us, “For thus
says the High and Lofty One who inhabits
(shakan) eternity, whose name is holy, I
dwell (shakan) in the high and holy place
with him who has a contrite and humble
spirit...” (Isaiah 57:15).
These are only two of dozens of
instances in the Scriptures where God
reveals His desire to dwell (shakan) with
His people. Clearly, “He who dwells” would
live in intimate relationship with each of
His children as part of a community of
believers who were in it for the long haul.
The Divine Presence (Shekinah) would like
to come and stay (shakan) for a very long
time.
It’s important to note that Shekinah
is a feminine noun. The rabbis say this is
further revelation of God’s heart toward
His children. It was, in times past, the
mother who bathed the baby, bandaged
his scrapes and changed his soiled diapers;
all the while gazing fondly into his eyes
and laughing with delight at his childish
innocence; loving unconditionally. So it is
with Him who dwells.
Rev. Cheryl Hauer
is an Ordained Minister
of IMF and serves as the Bridges for Peace
(BFP) International Development Director
(IDD). Rev. Hauer is responsible to guide the
development of BFP in new geographical areas
and oversee offices in several countries as well
as the International Representative Network.
Cheryl is an author and speaker who teaches
on the Hebraic roots of Christianity, Jewish
Christian relations and the Holocaust. Cheryl
holds a doctorate in religious philosophy. She
resides in Jerusalem.
BRIDGES FOR PEACE
Bridges for Peace USA is a strategic
partner with IMF. Rev. Rebecca
Brimmer, Executive Director and
CEO of BFP is an ordained minister
of IMF, as is Dr. James Solberg,
National Director USA and a number
of BFP staff and representatives.
Presentation of a new ambulance from Bridges for
Peace (BFP) to Heart to Heart (Israeli Red Cross)
in remembrance of Dr. G. Douglas Young, founder
of Bridges for Peace. For more information, go to
www.bridgesforpeace.com.
Invest in
our future.
You can invest in International Ministerial Fellowship’s future.
Become a part of our Legacy Group by making a bequest in
your will, in a revocable trust, or by designating International
Ministerial Fellowship as a beneficiary in your insurance policy.
For more information, contact our General Secretary’s office at
952-346-2464.
If you are over 70 1/2, it is possible to make a tax-free charitable
gift directly from an IRA, 403(b), or 401(k) retirement account and
insure those funds will never be subject to income tax or estate tax.
Consult your IRA or retirement account administrator for details.
International
Ministerial Fellowship
®
Serving Those Who Serve Others
For more information, contact us at 952-346-2464.
SUMMER 2015
21
FLAG FLOWN AT HALF
MAST IN HONOR OF:
Jackie Welander: February 12, 2015
Joyce Schutten: April 9, 2015
Rev. William “Bill” Braden: April 16, 2015
HAVE YOU MOVED RECENTLY? Please be sure to let us know your new address. Thanks!
Living Memorials
“...the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.” Psalm 112:6
I am enclosing a Living Memorial gift of $________________ (amount)
q I wish to let the family know the amount q I do not wish the family to know the amount.
q In memory of___________________________________________________________
q In honor of_____________________________________________________________
Given by:
Please send memorial card to:
Name________________________________ Name_______________________________
Address______________________________ Address_____________________________
City_________________________________ City________________________________
State/ZIP_____________________________ State/ZIP____________________________
Phone_______________________________
Clip, enclose check, and mail to: International Ministerial Fellowship, P.O. Box 100, Navarre, MN 55392-0100
22
A GATHERING
In Memoriam
“...the righteous shall be in everlasting
remembrance.” —Psalm 112:6
Below is a listing of those who have recently
given Living Memorials to IMF in memory
or in honor of friends and loved ones
Roger & Yvonne Engstrom
in memory of Jackie Welander
Joan Ahlstrand
in memory of Joyce Schutten
Robert & Judith Fogarty
in memory of Joyce Schutten
King Technology
in memory of Joyce Schutten
Keely Olmsted
in memory of Joyce Schutten
WELCOME
TO THE FAMILY
The IMF Board of Directors, officers, staff members
and other IMF members welcome the following
new members to the IMF family. Altogether these
new members bring with them numerous years of
ministerial experience along with a wide variety of
educational backgrounds and ministry fields.
ORDAINED
Carl Anderson, Minnesota
Beth Boustead, North Dakota
John Boustead, North Dakota
Yuri Cha, Virginia
William Conard, Minnesota
Bryan Johnson, Georgia
Richard McConnell, Missouri
Lisa McDonald, Minnesota
Charles McElveen, Minnesota
Romy Santos, Minnesota
LICENSED
Mitchell Bihm, Louisiana
Ryan Fox, Minnesota
Cathy Hartley, Illinois
Kay Helm, Virginia
Jeffrey Keen, Virginia
Brian Kiley, Minnesota
Ryan Kilosky, Alabama
Terry Magness, Missouri
Carl Norman, Florida
Eric Ryan, Georgia
Jeremy Woltz, Virginia
SPECIAL MINISTRY LICENSE
Anne Bennett, Arizona
Daniel Bruno, Colorado
Michael Crawford, Minnesota
Steven Cruikshank, Minnesota
Timothy Graff, Minnesota
Charles Jett, Wisconsin
Lisa Jett, Wisconsin
Rhonda Knight, Georgia
Michael Parker, Georgia
Chara Robinson, Virginia
Michael Wiese, Virginia
Michael Yaney, Indiana
COMMISSIONED MINISTER
Michael Bacon, New Jersey
Jessie Kilosky, Alabama
Joseph Krol, Pennsylvania
Matthew Long, Alabama
CHRISTIAN WORKER
Cynthia Hazes, Florida
Megan Renick, Florida
ASSOCIATE MEMBER
Andrew Benedick, Florida
Peter Bergstedt, Minnesota
UPGRADE (Commissioned Minister to Ordained)
Larry Herzog, Wisconsin
MISSIONARIES
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
Rev. Keith Acheson, Canada
Rev. Rebecca Albright, USA-NC
Rev. Naomi Ambridge, APO-Germany
Mr. Brian Anderson, Belarus
Ms. Doneetsa Anderson, USA-MN
Rev. Abel Aureli, Italy
Rev. Dr. Lee Baas, Philippines
Chaplain Edward Baccich, APO-TX
Rev. Fay Badgery, Australia
Rev. Randall Balasky, Japan
Rev. Dawn Birkner, Japan
Rev. Shirley Bland, S Africa/England/USA-CO
Rev. Brian Bluett, Japan
Nancy Bluett, Japan
Rev. Scott Boeser, USA-MN
Rev. Dr. Michael Brands, USA-MN
Pamela Brands, USA-MN
Rev. Dr. Ian Buckley, New Zealand
Rev. Adriano Carrera, USA-ID
Rev. James Cha, USA-VA
Rev. David Choi, Canada
Rev. Young Sik Choi, South Korea
Rev. Sophocles Christodoulou, Cyprus
Rev. Stephanos Christodoulou, Cyprus
Rev. Dr. Steve Cochrane, India
Rev. Robert Coronato, Jr., S Korea
Rev. William Cowen, Canada
Bishop Stella Creaney, USA-VA
Rev. Basil de Klerk, Belize
Rev. Lonnie Dufty, USA-MN
Rev. Robert Dunfee, India
Rev. Daniel Ellrick, Japan
Maxwell Erickson, USA-MN
Rev. Benjamin Fischer, USA-MN
Rev. Lois Fowler, USA-MN
Rev. Carey Freedman, Canada
Gregory Fromholz, Ireland
Rev. Brigitte Green, USA-IL
Rev. David Griffith, Thailand
Rev. Karin Gunderson, USA-AZ
Rev. Paul Gunderson, Philippines
Rev. Sibila Hanzen, Brazil
Rev. Jeffery Herringshaw, USA-MN
Rev. Dr. Mark Herringshaw, USA-MN
Rev. George Hooper, Italy/US-TX
Rev. Patricia Jenson, USA-MN
Beverlee Keck, USA-CA
Rev. Dr. Ronald Keller, USA-MN
Rev. David Knapp, USA-MN
Rev. Steven Kohagen, Switzerland
Rev. Jung Koo, S Korea
Rev. Grzegorz Kopczyk, Canada
Rev. Randy Larson, USA-WI
Rev. Rick Lee, Canada
Rev. Jae Lee, Canada
Rev. Paul Lindberg, Ethiopia/W Africa
Rev. David McDonald, Canada
Rev. Alex Perales, Mexico
Rev. Tyrone Peterson, USA-FL
Chaplain Hernan Pinilla, Japan
Rev. Donald Postell, Malawi
Rev. Daniel Pubols, Japan
Rev. Curtis Quiner, USA-MN
Rev. Todd Rainwater, USA-GA
Rev. Asafa Rakotojoelinandrasana, USA-WI
Rev. Lee Anne Risk, Mexico
Rev. Theresa Roth, Canada
Rev. Daryl Rustad, Tanzania
Rev. Heather Schwalen, Cambodia
Rev. Raymond Sim, Singapore
Rev. Gerald Skifstad, Poland
Rev. Shaji Stephen, India
Rev. Frank Swastek, USA-CA
Rev. Matthew Swigart, USA-MN
Rev. David Tam, Hong Kong
Rev. Dr. Theresa Taylor, USA-VT
Mr. Donald Toth, Japan
Rev. Dr. Godwin Ude, Canada
Mr. Danny Vance, USA-MN
Rev. Jeffrey Weber, USA-MN
Rev. Julie Weber, USA-MN
Rev. Gerald West, Mexico
Rev. Dr. Lyn Westman, Liberia
Rev. Grace Wick, Philippines
Rev. Joyce Williams, Thailand
Rev. Dr. Vaden Williams, Thailand
Rev. Chris Wong, Singapore
Rev. Michael Yaney, Japan
Rev. Harold Young, Hungary
The International Ministerial Fellowship (IMF) Missions Department exists to help IMF missionaries fulfill the Great Commission. We serve both as a support agency for overseas and home missionaries. IMF Missions is distinct in that it serves independent missionaries, while respecting their autonomy and freedom. At the same time, we provide the accountability and support service that overseas workers need. IMF Missions is committed to presenting the ministries of its overseas members
to churches in the United States. We are also dedicated to helping our missionaries strengthen their spiritual and organizational resources. We desire to increase the number of missionaries we serve in order that we may help increase the witness
of Christ throughout the world. If you would like to have more information on any of our missionaries or would like to help support them, please contact Barb Schahn, our Manager of Missions Ministries, at 952-346-2464. Check out our web site at
www.i-m-f.org. If you would like to support any of our missionaries just send a check made out to IMF P.O. Box 100, Navarre, MN 55392. On a separate piece of paper indicate who it is for and we will see that it is appropriately processed.
SUMMER 2015
23
International
Ministerial Fellowship
NONPROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE
PAID
SPRING PARK MN
PERMIT NO. 51
®
Serving Those Who Serve Others
P.O. BOX 100
NAVARRE, MN 55392-0100
www.i-m-f.org
®
Member NAE
Member ECFA
Address Service Requested
BOARD OF
INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
Chairperson
Chet Masserano, Plymouth, MN
2More is Not Always Enough
3 The Significance of Smaller Church Ministries
4 To Finish the Course Well
5 Serving God and Country
6A Mini-Megachurch With a Passion for Missions
7Church Planting in Rural Japan
8Timeless Gospel Music in a New Church Plant
9Part-Time Pastor, Full-Time Servant
10Good News in Any Language
11 The Lights Are Always On
12 A Last Farewell
15 Show Us Your Church!
16A Legacy Well Learned
17 A New Season
18 Jesus is Their Foundation
19 A Church Without a Building
20 The Shekinah
21 BFP Ambulance Presentation / Legacy Ad
22 Living Memorials
23 Welcome / Missionaries
DIRECTORS
President
Pastor Randy Alonso, Rockledge, FL
Treasurer
Fred Stelter, Plymouth, MN
Secretary
Dr. Wyatt McDowell, Powell, OH
Founder & General Overseer
Pastor Frank Masserano, Mound, MN
Chairperson, Board of Elders
Rev. Benton Tippett, Jr., East Palatka, FL
Directors
Pastor Robert Cottingham, Fort Myers, FL
Kristi Moss, Paradise Valley, AZ
Rev. Charles (Chasz) Parker, Jr., Lewisville, TX
Rev. J. Vicente Pérez, Burnsville, MN
Rev. Ken Raymes, Evansville, IN
SUMMER 2015