Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Steven Ballard, Co-Founder of OnlineGiving.org to discuss the changing landscape of the church post-COVID and meaningful ways to use technological tools to create ministry interactions with church visitors and members.
As we come to the season of Advent, we celebrate our God who came to this world to seek after us. During this time of year, we have a unique opportunity to join God in His work of seeking people as we utilize opportunities at Christmas to share the Gospel story through the Three Circles.
Commissioned Global Worker with EPCWO and member of the National Church Health Leadership Team, Thomas Davis, has provided a one-page, front and back, guide to the Three Circles at Christmas and further steps to engage those you share with.
As we celebrate Christmas this year we challenge followers of Christ to share with those around them the entire story of why this baby came to this world!
CLICK HERE FOR THREE CIRCLES CHRISTMAS EDITION PDF
Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Johnny Long, Executive Director of Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church, to discuss the challenges of overseeing ministries at the local church and the exciting mission efforts going on within the EPC.
November is Open Enrollment month for the EPC’s Health Benefit programs. Open Enrollment presents the opportunity for churches to enroll their staff in EPC benefits for the first time or make changes to employee coverages. The 2024 Open Enrollment website provides information on the EPC’s five medical/prescription drug plan choices, as well as dental, vision, and life/disability insurance benefits.
Individual plan details and comparison charts are easily accessed, as well as information on Member Care programs such as chronic condition management, nurse health coaching, 24/7 virtual primary care, and the Healthcare Bluebook. All enrollment or coverage changes made during Open Enrollment will become effective January 1, 2024.
During open enrollment for 2024:
“Our staff and Board of Directors work hard in partnership with our plan administrators to provide high-quality benefits and a variety of member care programs at the lowest possible cost,” said Bart Francescone, Executive Director of EPC Benefit Resources, Inc. (BRI). “Our benefit programs are designed to support the achievement of personal health goals and to provide assurance that medical expenses will be covered should a need arise. With these assurances, it is our hope that EPC ministers and staff will be free to focus their energies on their callings to proclaim the gospel.”
EPC benefit plans are available to full-time employees (30 hours or more per week) of EPC churches, as well as World Outreach domestic workers and chaplains. Benefits are also available to EPC ministers serving out-of-bounds or without call who are continuing their prior EPC medical coverage.
“Anyone new to the EPC—or interested in enrolling in one of our benefit programs for the first time—should contact the individual who handles benefits at their church or organization,” Francescone said. “And as always, BRI staff members are happy to answer any questions someone may have about our programs.”
For more information about the EPC’s 2024 benefit plans, contact BRI at 407-930-4492 or benefits@epc.org, or see www.epc.org/2024openenrollment.
The EPC’s benefit programs are administered through BRI, a ministry of the EPC office of the General Assembly. The BRI Board is a permanent committee of the General Assembly.
Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Bob Garment, Chief Parliamentarian of the EPC, to have an engaging conversation around staying faithful to biblical truth, while also striving for unity in the church, as well as the role policies and procedures can play in creating a vibrant environment for meaningful Christian relationships within the denomination.
Dave Robinson, EPC Teaching Elder, author, and Executive Director of Church Movements at CRU, joins host, Dean Weaver, for this new episode of “In All Things”.
Dean and his guest discuss global church movements and his new book “Unwavering Resolve: A guide for apostolic leadership” an essential guide for church planters, missionaries, pastors and anyone working to share the gospel with the unreached.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Paige Stitt McBride, author and Director of Discipleship and Women’s Ministry at Covenant Church in Sharon, PA joins Host, Dean Weaver, for this new episode of “In All Things”.
Dean and his guest discuss her book “Beauty Not Beheld: A Daily Guard Against the Lies of Self-Love Culture” a devotional that equips believers to discern the cultural lies about identity and beauty and replace them with solid biblical truths.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Episode 100 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” Stated Clerk Dean Weaver moves into the interviewee chair and this time receives the questions instead of asking them.
Special Host Mark Farrell and Dean Weaver, discuss Dean’s faith journey and some of his favorite podcast from the last 100 interviews, as well as his ideas and vision as the EPC enters into the future.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Assistant Stated Clerk, Michael Davis, shares a video explaining big changes in communications at the Office of the General Assembly.
Watch the video above for special information about what’s new at the Office of the General Assembly and then get to know three of the members of the Creative Communications Team of the EPC! Watch their videos and read more about them below.
Beginning with the newest member of the team, we are delighted to introduce Gianna Lazzaro as our Creative Communications Coordinator! Gianna is a proud graduate of Wheaton College, where she earned her degree in English Writing. Gianna’s education at Wheaton equipped her with both writing and communication expertise as well as a deep sense of faith and values, aligning her perfectly with the mission of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Originally from Philadelphia but raised as a lifelong Pittsburgh fan, Gianna now cheers for two teams on Sunday nights despite those who insist she choose between the Eagles and the Steelers. Gianna has a true love of storytelling, which manifests in her creative writing lift as an essayist and screenwriter. Her satirical essay, “How To Write an Autistic Character in 15 Easy Steps,” was honored at the Johns Hopkins Humanities Symposium in 2021 where she presented her piece and sat for a panel of up and coming creative writers. Gianna enjoys reading, hiking, and playing with her new puppy, Peanut.
Savannah Baker serves both the EPC World Outreach and Benefit Resources, Inc. as the Communications Coordinator. In her undergrad, she studied English at Olivet College. There she grew in her love for all things communications.
In August 2023, Savannah and her husband, Bruce, moved from Mid-Michigan, where she was born and raised, to Orlando, FL. This past summer, she began taking classes at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, where is pursuing an MA in biblical studies. Her desire is to use her education to help equip the body of Christ in whatever capacity that may lead.
Savannah is excited to step into this role with both World Outreach and Benefit Resources. She was raised in a Christian home and has always had a deep love for the Church. She is so grateful she now gets to serve in this way.
Ritchey Cable has a deep love for the church as well as a heart for the EPC. He enjoys using creative means, especially in digital media and filmmaking, to reach the culture with the Gospel and challenge current thoughts with ideas from a biblical worldview. He is excited to join the OGA in his new role as Digital Content Lead.
Ritchey was born and raised in Conroe, Texas. He came to faith in Christ when he was nine years old. Later, he attended Baylor University where he met his wife, Melissa, and graduated with a degree in Marketing.
After graduation, Ritchey attended Covenant Seminary and had the opportunity to participate in the early days of EPC church plant, Riverside, in Webster Groves, Missouri.
After seminary, Ritchey accepted a call as Associate Pastor at Grace Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Alexandria, Louisiana. After seven years at Grace, Ritchey became the senior pastor of Gashland EPC in Kansas City, Missouri. During his eleven-year tenure there, he watched the Lord do a compelling work of revitalization.
Ritchey has chaired the Nominating and Church Revitalization Committees at the Presbytery level and currently serves as the Church Health Coordinator of Mid-America Presbytery.
For the last 20 years Ritchey has sought to engage and shepherd the culture through film. Most recently Ritchey completed work on, The Author, a film he wrote and produced, which releases in November. He is shooting a second film later this year.
Ritchey and Melissa have three children, Parker (20), Cooper (18) and Sophie (15) and have loved calling Kansas City their home for the last decade.
Fun facts about Ritchey: In his spare time Ritchey cheers on the Chiefs, runs a 24-hour tech service for his immediate family to troubleshoot all their technological needs, and unfortunately, laughs at his own humor more than anyone else who hears it.
Episode 99 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” Ritchey Cable, an EPC TE who recently transitioned from pastoral ministry into a new season of cultural engagement through film, shares what led him to pursue filmmaking that meaningfully engages the culture from a biblical worldview as well as discusses his new role as the denominations Digital Content Lead.
Host Dean Weaver and Ritchey Cable, discuss the cross section of Christianity and the arts, and the importance of Christians engaging and leading in this arena. They also discuss meaningful opportunities for others in the EPC to share their stories.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
As the world knows, on October 7th the terrorist group Hamas launched a military operation into Israel. The shock waves of the attack are shaking that region and impacting our World Outreach workers and partners. We grieve at the incredible losses and mourn with those suffering across the world. We are monitoring the situation very closely and are in constant contact with our workers. We have already evacuated one of our teams to a secure location. Our workers are safe, and we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure they remain out of harm’s way. As the scriptures direct us, we are praying for the peace of Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:6)
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Gifts to the International Disaster Relief Fund make it possible for us to take action and care for our workers during calamities such as this. Please continue to pray for our workers, for the innocent who are suffering, and for God’s shalom to break through the violence.
Dean Weaver, Stated Clerk of the EPC
Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of EPC World Outreach
Episode 98 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” Tim Filston, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Thomasville, GA as well as blogger at FaithAndDoubt.com, shares his own personal experience with doubt and how Christians can be helpful to those who find themselves in a challenging season.
Host Dean Weaver and Tim Filston, discuss the events that often create questions of doubt and how so often Christians don’t allow for such questions. They delve into helpful and practical ways that we can respond to these opportunities.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Episode 97 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” Carolee Richendollar, the new Director of Benefits Resources, Inc. (BRI), gives some of her history within the healthcare industry and gives details about the variety of benefits available to recipients of the program.
Host Dean Weaver and Carolee Richendollar, discuss not only the details of BRI and the benefits available to EPC pastors and EPC employees, but also the reason the denomination created this system from the beginning. This podcast engages the idea that if leaders of the church are going to care well for others they must be sure to care also for themselves.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Episode 96 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” Doug Resler, Senior Pastor of Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Parker, Colorado and adjunct professor at Denver Seminary explains his work in the Ministerial Vocation Committee’s (MVC) pilot program regarding pastoral effectiveness.
Host Dean Weaver and Doug Resler discuss the MVC’s work in studying three pastoral core competencies: biblical and theological expertise, personal spiritual formation, and organizational and leadership skills. The goal of the project is to gather data to help the MVC develop resources for long-term pastoral effectiveness. Dean and Doug engage some of the current day issues regarding the health of pastors and offer insightful diagnoses, as well as practical advice for the listener.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Joi Williams, Ruling Elder at Hope Church in Richmond, VA and Professor of Applied Engineering Technology at Virginia State University, joins Host, Dean Weaver, for this new episode of “In All Things”.
Dean and his guest discuss her journey to become a Ruling Elder as well as her thoughts and initial impressions as a new member of the EPC’s National Leadership Team.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Rosemary Lukens, Chairman of the National Leadership Team and Ruling Elder for Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, and Victor Jones, Moderator-elect of the 43rd General Assembly and Ruling Elder for Westminster Presbyterian Church join host Dean Weaver, for this new episode of “In All Things”.
Dean and his guests discuss a variety of topics related to how God is working with the denomination at the National level.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Episode 93 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” revisits a season 1 conversation with Lisa Brockman, Ruling Elder for First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Fla., and sixth-generation Mormon who came to faith as a college student at the University of Utah.
This week, host Dean Weaver and Brockman conclude their discussion of her path from a devout Mormon childhood to accepting Christ. Brockman relates how her decision to follow Christ affected her relationships with Mormon family members—especially after she wrote her book, Out of Zion: Meeting Jesus in the Shadow of the Mormon Temple.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Episode 92 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” revisits a season 1 conversation with Lisa Brockman, Ruling Elder for First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Fla., and author of Out of Zion: Meeting Jesus in the Shadow of the Mormon Temple.
In part one of a two-week conversation, host Dean Weaver and Brockman discuss her path as a sixth-generation Mormon—including her childhood dream of a temple marriage—to accepting Christ as a student at the University of Utah. She recounts how her spiritual journey was influenced by Josh McDowell, Larry Crabb, and James Spencer. She also describes coming to the realization that the biblical God is the only God who will not abuse His authority.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Episode 91 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” revisits a season 1 conversation with Bryn MacPhail, Senior Pastor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk in Nassau, Bahamas, and author of Purposeful Pain: What Your Troubles Achieve.
Host Dean Weaver and MacPhail discuss how God uses suffering to make believers more like Jesus. MacPhail explains how repeated pain and suffering—unlike manual labor that develops strength and durability—results in a heavy burden that only being yoked to Christ can relieve. He also provides a list of additional resources on the topic.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Every disaster is a call to prayer. That is where we start.
At this time, we are unsure of what is the best way to help in Maui or what the needs might be in the western part of the US after the hurricane and earthquake.
There are no EPC churches on Maui, so we are looking for the best avenues to assist the people affected by this tragedy. The large relief agencies are there now, and we will be reaching out to them to see how we can connect with them and the people working there now providing services to those displaced.
Regarding the West Coast and Hurricane Hilary, we are waiting to hear back from the two EPC Presbyteries there to see what their congregations’ needs are. Once we know that, we can make decisions on how to assist there.
Many of you have emailed asking how your churches can support those in Maui or those that are affected by the West Coast hurricane. As we pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit on how best to use our resources, we would encourage you to give to the EPC Domestic Emergency Relief Fund. You can mark your donations Maui Wildfires or Hurricane Hilary if you desire. You can give thru this link: https://epc.org/donate/emergencyrelief or thru the QR Code below.
We will keep you informed as we move forward. Please join us in prayer for all of those whose lives have been torn apart by these disasters.
Episode 90 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” revisits a season 1 conversation with Mark Christian, member of the EPC’s Covenant Presbyterian Church in Omaha, Nebr., and author of The Apostate: My Search for Truth.
Host Dean Weaver and Christian discuss his upbringing in Egypt in a family of the Muslim Brotherhood, becoming an imam at age 12, and how a journey of questioning the claims of Mohamed for a deeper understanding of Islam resulted in a failed attempt on his life and ultimately to faith in Christ.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings. Christian’s book is available on request from the EPC Office of the General Assembly by emailing info@epc.org. Supplies are limited.
We are continuing to welcome registrations for our 2023 EPC Pastor-Spouse Retreat, which will be held October 23-27 at Glen Eyrie Castle & Conference Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
As a reminder, this invitation is for all EPC pastors, and if you’re married I hope your spouse will join you for this opportunity to be refreshed by the Lord. Please register by September 15 if you plan to join us!
We will be led on this retreat by the staff from PastorServe, who will encourage us in …
Pursuing Relational Health
Healthy relationships are crucial to our well-being and ability to thrive in life and ministry. “Relationships are where the rubber of the gospel meets the road of everyday life…where redeemed, restored people live the good news.”
But relationships, whether strong or struggling, have been under tremendous pressure in recent years, and those pressures have done something in us and between us.
We’ll unpack some of those pressures and their impact and explore practical ways to strengthen our relationships in every area of life: family, friendships, church, and community. Each day we’ll interact around key practices that lead to relational health, giving an opportunity to consider God’s gracious invitation to grow in and through our relationships.
The cost for this retreat is $550 per person ($1,100 per couple) and includes accommodations for four nights on Glen Eyrie’s breathtaking grounds and 11 delicious meals in the Castle Dining Room.
I hope you will consider joining us at Glen Eyrie October 23-27! For complete information and to register, see www.epc.org/2023pastorspouseretreat. Please register by September 15 to claim your spot!
Grace and peace to you in Jesus,
Annie Rose
Director of Ministerial Support & Development
Episode 89 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” revisits a season 1 conversation with Samuel Sesay, missionary evangelist with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Sierra Leone and President of EduNations.
Host Dean Weaver and Sesay discuss his journey to faith from a Muslim background within the syncretic religious environment of Sierra Leone. Sesay also describes the mission and vision of EduNations, which operates 15 Christian schools with more than 3,500 students in predominantly Muslim villages in the West African country, as well as how the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Sierra Leone—which has witnessed more than 1,000 baptisms in the past eight years—was birthed from the ministry of EduNations.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Episode 88 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” revisits a season 1 conversation with Jennifer Prechter, EPC Teaching Elder who serves as a palliative care chaplain at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, Fla.
Host Dean Weaver and Prechter discuss her journey to hospital chaplaincy, and how her ministry provides opportunity for addressing deep questions of life with unchurched people across a wide spectrum of life experience.
Prechter also discusses how “longing and lament” can help people process tragedies such as a child with a terminal illness, or the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Episodes are available on a variety of podcast platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, and others. Search “In All Things” on any of these services.
The audio recordings also are available on the EPC website at www.epc.org/inallthings.
Pete Roman (dark shirt with guitar) leads worship and serves as Pastor of The Village Church at St. George, an EPC church plant in rural St. George, S.C.
Which came first—the chicken or the church plant? For Pete and Renee Roman, the two were hatched together.
“Our first official service for The Village Church at St. George was under some oak trees on our farm,” Pete said. “We started at eight in the morning because it was summer, and we needed to meet before it got unbearably hot.”
A shady spot under some oaks trees was the first “Sanctuary” of The Village Church at St. George.
After serving in Bulgaria for seven years, in 2017 the Romans returned to South Carolina with their three daughters. Their plan was to make a go of small-scale farming alongside his parents and to plant a rural church in St. George, a community about 50 miles northwest of Charleston.
“One thing that intrigued us in Bulgaria,” Pete said, “is that while it was hard to make connections in the city, when we’d travel with visiting teams to the villages it was easy to talk to people and build relationships.”
The Romans believe those same principles apply in rural America, and set out to create a warm, relational, community church environment. They started inviting neighbors to join them for a Sunday evening Bible study, but soon realized that small-town traditions are hard to break.
“We discovered that in the South, church happens at 10 o’clock on Sunday mornings,” he said. “Even though we had over 20 people who regularly attended our evening Bible study, they all had other churches they went to on Sunday mornings.”
When COVID hit and everyone pivoted to online church, it soon became evident that their home group had dissolved.
“We had three people attending, and two of us were related,” laughed Renee.
They decided to try hosting an in-person service but hold it outdoors to comply with COVID restrictions. People started coming right away—many of whom had been starved for relationships over the months and were seeking community. The church now has about 32 regular attenders, including several children and youth. Most of the attendees are previously unchurched or travel from other communities in the area.
Pete Roman involves all ages in the life of the church.
Renee says there is one young family with two little boys that has been a highlight on their journey.
“The wife started coming to our home group, but the husband was a paramedic so could not make it on Sundays,” she said. “She was really introverted and quiet, and as time went by she came less and less often.”
The Romans continued to see her around town and would always greet her warmly. Then one morning the entire family showed up. The husband had quit his job as an EMT and opened a tire shop, which freed him to come to church.
By this time, winter had arrived and the outdoor service had moved indoors.
Wood stove worship service
“It was the middle of winter, and was getting cold,” Renee said. “We had started meeting in the room where we process chickens, huddled around a wood stove.”
The setting did not deter the young family.
“Once they started coming again, they were all in,” Renee said. “God had been working the whole time. The husband now invites the customers at his store to come to church—and has become quite the evangelist. We have even held our Sunday service at his tire shop.”
Pete added that “it has been exciting to see the hunger that he and several others have to know more. We have a group of five or six guys who meet regularly together for coffee. God just keeps opening doors.”
As they laid the groundwork for the church, Pete contacted the EPC’s then-Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic and talked to Bucky Hunsicker, who was serving as missional executive director.
“He told us they had been praying for someone to spark a rural church planting movement,” Pete said, noting that Hunsicker’s response mirrored his and Renee’s ministry vision.
Family and community are Pete and Renee Roman’s vision for The Village Church at St. George.
“We want to be a small, intentional church that reflects the community we live in,” he said.
Renee said they have “an amazing group of people” who are hungry for the gospel and to learn the Bible, and who have a heart for the community and serving.
“Yet they are normal, messed-up sinners like the rest of us,” she said.
“The people who are coming are not looking for stellar preaching and amazing music—they are coming because it’s a family and community, and they are getting the truth,” Pete added.
The Romans live by a motto adopted from the life of 18th century Moravian reformer Nikolaus Ludwig, count von Zinzendorf.
“His most famous quote is ‘preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten,’” Pete said. “I’ve heard leaders on the mission field talk about their legacy and how they want to be remembered. But if our church stays the size it is … if no one ever knows the name Pete Roman … that’s fine with me. I just want to be faithful to God, preach the gospel, and let the Holy Spirit do His work.”
by Kiki Schleiff Cherry
EPConnection correspondent
