Category Archives: World Outreach

Mike Kuhn, International Theological Education Network Director the guest for “In All Things” podcast episode 82

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Mike Kuhn

Mike Kuhn, Director of the International Theological Education Network (ITEN) of EPC World Outreach is the guest for episode 82 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things.” Kuhn is the preacher for the Tuesday evening worship service at the EPC’s 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit, June 20-22 at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Host Dean Weaver and Kuhn discuss how his spiritual heritage of a missions passion growing up in North Carolina led to several decades serving in Morocco and Egypt among Muslim-background believers, as well as in Jordan during the Syrian refugee crisis.

Kuhn describes how his experience in the Middle East illustrated the biblical definition of hospitality as “loving the other,” as well as how ITEN trains Christian leaders among least-reached peoples.

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.

Jordin Greer, new Assistant Director of EPC World Outreach, the guest for “In All Things” episode 70

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Jordin Greer, Assistant Director of EPC World Outreach, is the guest for episode 70 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things.”

Host Dean Weaver and Greer discuss her role serving EPC congregations as well as World Outreach global workers. In addition, Greer describes how a mission trip to Guatemala crystalized her call to ministry, as well as her desire to empower local churches to fulfill the Great Commission globally and how World Outreach partnerships with churches facilitate long-term relationships.

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.

World Outreach to use three-prong approach for disaster relief donations following Turkey/Syria earthquake 

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A destroyed building leans on a house in the Turkish seaport city of Samandag, which in New Testament times was the port for Antioch and the place from which the Apostle Paul launched his first voyage to Tarsus. (photo credit: AP/Emrah Gurel)

Following a series of devastating earthquakes in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria in February, donations to the EPC’s International Disaster Relief Fund will be distributed among global workers in the region and ministry partners in both countries.

Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of EPC World Outreach, said the three avenues for disbursements are based on long-standing ministry partnerships.

“Our global workers in Turkey have been diligently assessing ways for us to engage,” de Guia said. “God is using the relationships they have built over the years for His glory and for the relief of many, many hurting people.”

Donations also will be sent to World Outreach ministry partners Timothy Two Project International and The Outreach Foundation.

“Timothy Two is an Approved Mission Agency of the EPC, and their international director Steve Curtis also co-chairs the Commission on Evangelism and Missions for the World Reformed Fellowship,” de Guia said. “The Outreach Foundation has a network of churches in Syria and have the relationships to help in areas that are hard for outsiders to get to. Our confidence in these two organizations could not be higher for reaching those affected by the earthquake with both physical needs and with the saving knowledge of the gospel.”

Mike Kuhn, Director of EPC World Outreach’s International Theological Education Network (ITEN), has worked in Syria with The Outreach Foundation.

“I can attest that their relationship with the historic Presbyterian churches of Syria is deep and authentic,” Kuhn said. “I have personally met Pastor Ibrahim Nseir, the pastor of the Evangelical Church of Aleppo, who is overseeing the distribution of these donations. This relationship with Pastor Ibrahim allows the body of Christ to assist believers and others in a place where very little aid is getting through in the aftermath of devastating earthquakes.”

Secure online donations can be made at www.epc.org/donate/internationaldisasterrelief, which also includes instructions for donating by check and text-to-give.

As of February 23, government officials have placed the death toll at more than 47,000 with more than 164,000 structures collapsed or damaged to the point that they need to be demolished.

World Outreach receiving funds for Turkey/Syria earthquake relief as global workers assess best means of impact

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As rescue operations continue in southern Turkey two weeks after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook the region, EPC World Outreach is developing plans to assist with long-term recovery and ministry efforts. More than 46,000 people are reported dead in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, and officials say that number is likely to rise. More than 84,000 buildings are severely damaged, need urgent demolition, or have collapsed.

Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of World Outreach, said a global worker couple in Turkey several hundred miles north of the devastated region is exploring avenues for relief, including setting up relief teams.

“We have World Outreach missionaries on the ground in Turkey who are currently assessing specific ways for us to engage there,” de Guia said. “We have partner contacts in Syria as well and hope to provide details on these efforts soon.”

He added that donations to the EPC’s International Disaster Relief Fund will be directed toward earthquake aid efforts. Secure online donations can be made at www.epc.org/donate/internationaldisasterrelief, which also includes instructions for donating by check and text-to-give.

“I have received many phone calls and emails asking how the EPC was helping with this disaster,” de Guia said. “I am grateful for how God’s love is so evident in our people that they want to help people who are hurting in ways most of cannot imagine.”

Fire, storm ravage World Outreach ministry partner EduNations schools

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The EPC’s World Outreach partner in Sierra Leone, EduNations, experienced two disasters in the past two weeks. EduNations builds and operates schools in under-resourced communities in the largely impoverished west African nation.

On February 2, a dormitory building in their Senior Secondary School in Rokassa was destroyed by fire. The blaze was contained to one building, and no injuries were reported.

On January 24, a storm in the village of Mayatta tore the roof off a building that housed teacher’s offices, staff room, and classrooms for grades 4, 5, and 6. Books, supplies, and furniture were ruined by wind and rain.

EduNations placed the cost to rebuild the damaged structures and replace the lost contents at $50,833:

  • Rokassa dormitory reconstruction: $34,579
  • Rokassa dormitory furniture: $6,658
  • Rokassa student and teacher clothes and belongings: $4,896
  • Mayatta Primary School reconstruction: $4,700

“Thankfully, nobody was injured in the fire, but the damage was catastrophic and left the building demolished and completely destroyed all of the belongings of the 39 staff and students who lived in that dormitory,” said Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk and Founder of EduNations. “In Mayatta, the principal and teachers did their best to rush as many academic and teaching materials to another building as soon as they could, but many books, school and office supplies, and furniture were gravely affected.”

The EPC’s International Disaster Relief Fund is accepting contributions to help EduNations rebuild. Secure online donations can be made at www.epc.org/donate/internationaldisasterrelief, which also includes instructions for donating by check and text-to-give.

“As we have seen in recent months with Hurricane Ian and the tornado in Selma, Ala., the generosity of the EPC when disaster strikes is one of our hallmarks,” Weaver said. “Now it’s our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone who find themselves in dire circumstances.”

On January 24, a storm in the village of Mayatta, Sierra Leone, tore the roof off a building that housed teacher’s offices and classrooms for grades 4, 5, and 6 at the EduNations Hope Academy Primary School.

World Outreach names three to staff positions

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World Outreach (WO), the international missions arm of the EPC, has named three individuals to staff positions at the Office of the General Assembly in Orlando.

Jordin Greer is the new Assistant Director of World Outreach; Torres Kearney joins the staff as Executive Assistant to Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of World Outreach; and Carla Cora will serve World Outreach as Accounting Analyst.

Jordin Greer

Greer comes to WO from Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kan., where she served as a Pastoral Resident. She also served as an adjunct professor at Sterling College in Sterling, Kan., teaching undergraduate students in New Testament and basic Christian doctrine.

Her responsibilities at Eastminster included preaching, pastoral care, and developing and implemented a membership discipleship plan. A Kansas native, she is a graduate of Sterling College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Greer is an ordained Teaching Elder in the Presbytery of the Great Plains with ministry experience in Guatemala, Albania, Macedonia, the Philippines, Spain, and numerous domestic mission projects.

“Missions has been a part of my life since my call to ministry in 2013,” Greer said. “I believe God is the great initiator of mission and has invited us to partner with Him. I am excited, humbled, and extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve World Outreach in whatever way I can.”

Torres Kearney

Kearney joins the WO staff from First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, Fla., where she served as Mission and Discipleship Coordinator. She was a member of FPCO’s Orlando Heart of the City Fellows Program from 2020-2021 and also served at Third Millennium Ministries, an EPC Approved Mission Agency, as an Assistant Project Manager.

A native of Dublin, Ohio, Kearney is a graduate of Grove City College in Grove City, Pa., where she received the prestigious “Senior Woman of the Year” recognition in 2020.

“I am so excited to join the World Outreach team,” Kearney said. “Over the years the Lord has grown my heart for the world and blessed me with different opportunities to pursue this passion. I am grateful for his provision of a position at World Outreach.”

Carla Cora

Cora serves both WO and the EPC Finance Department led by CFO Pat Coelho. She and her family immigrated to the United States from Brazil in 2022, where she was a Managing Partner for D.F.C. Manutenção de Equipamentos Médicos, a medical equipment maintenance company, and served as an Elder at Bola de Neve Church in São Paulo. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Toledo University Center (Unitoledo) in São Paulo.

“I remember once praying and saying, ‘Father, I just want to serve you, please always prepare an opportunity for me. And here I am!’” Cora said. “I love seeing the gospel moving forward and being able to be a part of that in some way cheers up my heart so much!”

“In bringing Carla, Torres, and Jordin onto our team, the Lord has answered a multitude of prayers, and generously provided,” de Guia said. “I’m excited for their passion for the mission and the giftings they each bring to their roles with EPC World Outreach.”

Linda Thompson, wife of former World Outreach Committee Chairman Doug Thompson, dies at 74

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Linda Thompson

Linda M. Thompson, wife of Doug Thompson, died on December 15. She was 74.

In 1983, the Thompsons were commissioned by EPC World Outreach as the denomination’s first overseas church planters. In the 10 years they lived in Toulouse, France, they successfully planted three churches and helped revitalize a fourth congregation. They returned to the United States in 1993, where they served several churches in the Presbytery of the Midwest. In 2020, the Thompsons retired from Ward Church in Northville, Mich., where he had served on the Care Ministry staff. Doug also is a former Chairman of the World Outreach Committee.

She is survived by her husband, Doug; son and daughter-in-law Paul and Betsy Thompson; son Marc Thompson; daughter and son-in-law Monique and Jordan Guelde; and seven grandchildren: Caden, Belle, Evie, Sam, Will, Weston, and Elliana.

Jesus Film executive to speak at GA World Outreach banquet

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Erick Schenkel

Erick Schenkel, former Executive Director of the Jesus Film Project, will be the speaker for the World Outreach banquet on Tuesday, June 21, at the EPC’s 42nd General Assembly. The Assembly will be held June 21-24 at Ward Church in Northville, Mich.

Schenkel’s appearance is “great blessing” that resulted from an unforeseen scheduling conflict with the originally announced speaker.

“I worked closely with Erick for six years, and his passion for reaching the world for Christ is completely infectious,” said Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of EPC World Outreach. “It is a great blessing that he is speaking at our Tuesday evening banquet. As we will all hear on Wednesday as well, he and his family bear the scars of persecution for his commitment to Christ. I have no doubt that what we saw as a scheduling problem, God in His sovereignty had planned all along.”

For more than 40 years, Schenkel served as a church planter, pastor, and missionary to Central Asia and the Middle East. He was Executive Director of Jesus Film Project (a division of Cru) from 2012-18. He holds four degrees from Harvard University, including a PhD in American religious history. He is the author of The Rich Man and the Kingdom: John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and the Protestant Establish Establishment and Everyone, Everywhere: Glimpses of God’s Global Work through People Like You. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have five children and four grandchildren. They continue to serve with Cru and live in Orlando, Fla.

Schenkel also appears at the 42nd General Assembly on Wednesday, June 22, as part of a Leadership Institute panel discussion, “Real Lessons from Real Persecution.” Other panel guests include Andrew Brunson, Setan Lee, Clay Jones, and Brad Strait.

For more information about this year’s Leadership Institute, see www.epc.org/ga2022leadershipinstitute .

For additional World Outreach activities at the 42nd General Assembly, see www.epc.org/ga2022worldoutreachevents.

#epc2022ga

“In All Things” podcast episode 26 explores confluence of student ministry and missions mobilization with Shawn Stewart

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Episode 26 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” features Shawn Stewart, Mobilization Coordinator for EPC World Outreach. This week, host Dean Weaver and Stewart discuss what mobilization is and how he serves the denomination in his role. Stewart also describes some challenges related to finding those whom God has called for service, and how World Outreach is ministering among refugees in the U.S. and around the world. In addition, he reflects on his early days in student ministry, including how he integrated the concept of “holy sweat: the blessing of sweating and serving” into the student groups he worked with.

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.

World Outreach gatherings at 42nd General Assembly present Master Plan, commission new global workers, provide ministry updates

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EPC World Outreach is sponsoring a variety of gatherings at the 42nd General Assembly, June 21-24 at Ward Church in Northville. Mich.

On Tuesday, June 21, the revised World Outreach Master Plan will be unveiled as part of this year’s Leadership Institute. The presentation will be led by Rick Dietzman, Chairman of the World Outreach Committee; Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of EPC World Outreach; and Jason Dunn, Associate Director of World Outreach.

“Our Master Plan outlines our mission, values, and priorities,” de Guia said. “We couldn’t possibly work with every unreached people group in the world that needs to hear the gospel. The Master Plan is our strategy for reaching those who we believe God has specifically called us to.”

Tuesday evening banquet

Ed Stetzer is the speaker for this year’s World Outreach banquet. He serves as Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., where he also serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center.

Stetzer has trained pastors and church planters on six continents., holds two earned master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written hundreds of articles and 12 books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the editor-in-chief of Outreach Magazine, and is the Founding Editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum used by more than 1.7 million individuals each week for Bible story.

Wednesday evening dinner

The Global Worker Presentations Dinner on Wednesday, June 22, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. provides opportunity to hear World Outreach global workers describe how God is using and blessing their work among those people groups of the world that have little to no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Global worker commissioning

On Thursday, June 23, World Outreach will commission its newest global workers during the evening worship service at 7:00 p.m. The speaker for the service is Marcelo Robles, Senior Pastor of La Misión Church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From 5:00-6:30 p.m., General Assembly attendees can enjoy dinner with these new global workers, when they will discuss the ministry God has called them to and share their heart for His Kingdom.

Networking Lunches

World Outreach ministry leaders also will host several Networking Lunches throughout the week.

On Wednesday, June 22, de Guia will again present the revised Master Plan.

On Thursday, June 23, Bruce Anderson and other leaders from the International Theological Education Network (ITEN) will provide an update on ITEN’s ministry around the world. Also on Wednesday, World Outreach leaders will provide an Engage 2025 update on EPC efforts to send teams from each Presbytery to reach those with least access to the gospel.

On Friday, June 24, attendees can find inspiration and resources for reaching their neighbors in the Networking Lunch, “Creative Outreach with Your Community and Beyond.” Shawn Stewart, World Outreach Mobilization Coordinator, will host the discussion.

All GA attendees are invited to participate in these World Outreach gatherings, but registration is required for the Tuesday evening banquet as space is limited. The worship service Thursday will be live-streamed.

For more information about the 42nd General Assembly, including registration, daily schedules, and more, see www.epc.org/ga2022. For details about each of the World Outreach activities, see www.epc.org/ga2022worldoutreachevents.

#epc2022ga

International Disaster Relief Fund receives $437,000 to date

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As of Thursday, May 5, $437,481 has been donated to the EPC’s International Disaster Relief Fund. This amount includes two separate gifts of $50,000 each and nine additional donations of $10,000 or more.

“I should never be surprised at the generosity of the EPC when people are in need,” said Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk. “Our churches and church members have demonstrated God’s love over and over again when the need is the greatest.”

The fund was launched on March 1 in response to the crisis in Ukraine, with contributions to the fund currently being sent to EPC partners in Eastern Europe that are helping with refugee efforts.

Bruce Anderson, Director of the International Theological Education Network of EPC World Outreach, said donations are meeting humanitarian needs, including “tons and tons of food supplies for people who are running out of food. They have no access and are even running out of water.”

He added that some of the money was used to distribute Bibles, Christian literature, trauma kits and medicine, as well as purchasing two vehicles being used for evacuation efforts.

Bruce Anderson

“Our friends have distributed 1 million prayer, Scripture, and gospel booklets that were printed up in the Ukrainian language and distributed inside Ukraine for people who are broken and crying out to God,” he said. “Many of them are not yet followers of the Lord but are turning toward Him.”

Anderson reported that $115,000 in donations recently wired arrived “just in time.”

“Our partner in Poland sent me a text message in which he told me that they had 20 tons of food, medicine, and essential items ready for shipping, but another partner had not sent them the money for the transportation cost. They feel the urgency, right? They know people are dying and are being traumatized, and they are going to send the supplies without having money,” Anderson said.

“So his text says, ‘we prayed this morning about funds NOW—N.O.W. capitals—for this transportation. After the prayer, I opened the account and received the EPC gift for Ukraine. God is great! Praise the Lord for His timing!’”

Anderson noted that donations are not only helping provide material assistance, but also arrived in “God’s time” for those ministry partners “to know, as he said to me, that God is with us and the EPC is with us and we are not alone.”

Click here to donate to the International Disaster Relief Fund.

The purpose of the Fund is to help relieve suffering when needs arise round the world that are outside the scope of the domestic EPC Emergency Relief Fund, which is used for situations in North America.

“In All Things” podcast episode 22 describes EPC Ukraine relief efforts with Bruce Anderson

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Episode 22 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” features Bruce Anderson, Founder and Coordinator of the International Theological Education Network (ITEN) of EPC World Outreach. This week, host Dean Weaver and Anderson discuss how relationships built over more than two decades of ministry in Eastern Europe are providing avenues for donations to the EPC’s International Disaster Relief Fund to be put to immediate use helping people suffering in the war in Ukraine.

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.

“In All Things” podcast episode 16 examines loving Muslims with Timothy Harris

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Episode 16 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” features Timothy Harris, longtime EPC Teaching Elder. Host Dean Weaver and Harris discuss Harris’ life in ministry, including his recent book, Loving Your Muslim Neighbor: Stories of God using an Unlikely Couple to Love Muslim People, and How He Might Use You to Do the Same. The book is available at www.lovingyourmuslimneighbor.com.

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.

EPC World Outreach to hold weekly virtual prayer meetings for Ukraine

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In response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and eastern Europe, EPC World Outreach is hosting virtual prayer gatherings at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern) each Thursday in March. The meetings will be held via Zoom and are available to all with registration required.

Gabriel de Guia

“We held a virtual prayer gathering on short notice last Thursday, and more than 100 people registered,” said Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of World Outreach. “It was a powerful time of intercession, as well as an opportunity to hear reports from the field—glimpses of what God’s people are doing in this crisis to meet the needs of many in Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, and Russia.”

In addition, de Guia said opportunities for assistance were “talked about and prayed over.”

“We have many opportunities to come alongside this gospel work and how the EPC International Disaster Relief Fund will be used in sending resources to those engaged on the front lines,” de Guia explained. He said World Outreach is focusing on three strategic locations to deploy donations to the EPC’s International Disaster Relief Fund:

1. Poland. Bruce Anderson, Director of World Outreach’s International Theological Education Network (ITEN), is coordinating with a long-time trusted ministry partner in Lublin, Poland. Donations would support threefold efforts:

  1. Assisting Christian chaplains in Ukraine who bring medicines, medical supplies, other personal supplies, and gospel ministry to soldiers throughout Ukraine. These chaplains do not carry weapons but need helmets and vests.
  2. Help evacuate disadvantaged people in Ukraine who are at particular risk.
  3. Help provide food, clothing, housing arrangements, and other necessities of Ukrainian refugees coming to Lublin.

2. Hungary. World Outreach global workers who live in Hungary are already housing two families who have fled Ukraine. Opportunities to help other families increase by the moment.

3. Czech Republic. A ministry partner of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tenn., is involved with ministry to refugees in Prague. He is in Prague now, assessing the situation firsthand. Ministry teams are responding to an absence of any organization as busloads of Ukrainians are dropped off at stations with nowhere to go to provide shelter and basic needs.

“There’s constant flux in this chaotic moment and other opportunities will arise,” de Guia said. “But for now, these are the clearest ones for us to engage in based on trusted relationships.”

Click here to register for the prayer gathering. Click here to donate to the International Disaster Relief Fund.

International Disaster Relief Fund launched as Ukraine crisis widens

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The EPC has launched an international disaster relief fund to help relieve suffering when needs arise round the world that are outside the scope of the domestic EPC Emergency Relief Fund, used for situations in North America.

“The crisis in Ukraine is dire, and we are called to help as we are able,” said Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk. “Our existing relief fund is not set up for this type of need. This new fund will provide a way for people to give when disaster strikes in areas where we work but where we don’t have EPC churches.”

Weaver noted that donations to the fund will be forwarded to EPC World Outreach workers “on the ground” in affected areas, international ministry partners, or to appropriate other agencies and organizations at the discretion of EPC leadership.

“The need right now is almost unfathomable with the mass migration of displaced people fleeing Ukraine,” said Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of EPC World Outreach. “Women and children are leaving the country with little more than the clothes on their backs, while the men are required to stay behind and fight. It’s heartbreaking to think that for some of them it is their last goodbye.”

Click here to donate to the International Disaster Relief Fund.

Contributions are tax-deductible, and donations that exceed directly related disbursements will be held for other international humanitarian disaster relief situations.

Thank you for providing help to those in need.

World Outreach offers prayer suggestions for Ukraine

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But the Lord sits enthroned forever; He has established His throne for justice, and He judges the world with righteousness; He judges the peoples with uprightness. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. —Psalm 9:7-10

Scripture continually reminds us that the Lord is enthroned forever; He is in control, establishing His throne for justice. The Kingdom of God has come, despite the chaos and darkness around us. He promises to always be with His people and that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Would you please pray with us for peace in the region, and even more that all those people would know the name of our living Lord and put their trust in Him!

  • Pray for all involved in the region to know the name of our Lord and put their trust in Him. People often turn to the Lord in crises.
  • Pray for peace in the region and wisdom as leaders work toward that peace.
  • Pray for our ministry partners in the region. Some are in the middle of the situation; others are out of immediate harm’s way, but sanctions have closed the movement of funds and ongoing ministry in the area.
  • Pray for all the ministries located in countries bordering Ukraine that are taking in thousands of refugees. These refugees are women, children, and older men (younger men, age 18-60, have been required to remain in Ukraine and be available to fight). Approximately 120,000 Ukrainians have fled to other countries, including Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Czechia (the Czech Republic). This number is expected to swell greatly.

Additional Resources

These articles offer context and additional prayer needs for Ukraine:

Collaboration Team seeks to grow inter-department discussion, ministry efforts

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Led by Michael Davis, the EPC’s Chief Collaboration Officer, representatives from a variety of EPC ministries and committees met via video conference on February 10 to cultivate and enhance ministry efforts. The goal of the monthly meetings is to enhance alignment between the Office of the General Assembly, EPC World Outreach, the Next Generation Ministries Council, the Revelation 7:9 Task Force, and other permanent and interim committees of the denomination.

“God has always made sure that we had a redemptive plan, not just for the here-and-now, but for the generations to come,” Davis said. “In our mission, vision, and every component in which we do our ministry, it’s not just to think about what we are doing now but how it will affect generations down the road.”

He emphasized that the next generation of leaders in the EPC—whether they serve in the local church, on the mission field, or in denominational staff roles—are affected “by what we do now. We are not just seeking to be effective and efficient in aligning the strategic priorities for strategy’s sake. We want to align so we look like a puzzle that’s all together and not separated into our parts.”

Davis also noted the strategic priorities of Multiplication (church planting), Transformation (church health), Global Movement, and Effective Biblical Leadership “are not just a good idea. We are setting the landscape and the trajectory to teach our children, and hopefully their children’s children, how to effectively win people for the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The group discussed ways to identify and enhance alignment, as well as some tactics for collaborating across the various committees and ministry areas.

Joining Davis were Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of EPC World Outreach; Jason Dunn, Associate Director of World Outreach; Greg Aydt, Chairman of the Next Generation Ministries Council; Andrew Smith, Co-Chairman of the Revelation 7:9 Task Force; Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk; Jerry Iamurri, EPC Assistant Stated Clerk; Brian Smith, EPC Director of Communications and Digital Strategies; and Vanessa Mullendore, Strategic Priorities Administrative Assistant.

“In All Things” podcast episode 10 features EPC World Outreach operations with Jason Dunn

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Episode 10 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” features Jason Dunn, Associate Director of EPC World Outreach. This week, host Dean Weaver and Dunn discuss the operational side of the EPC’s global missions arm, including how Dunn’s background as an engineer informs his systems development process.

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.

“In All Things” podcast episode 3 highlights EPC World Outreach with Gabriel de Guia

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Episode 3 of the EPC’s podcast, “In All Things,” features Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of EPC World Outreach. This week, host Dean Weaver and Gabriel discuss Gabriel’s journey to faith in Christ, more than 20 years serving with Cru, and now leading the global missions arm of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

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.

Dean Weaver, World Outreach staff explain 2021 Thanksgiving Offering

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The 2021 EPC Thanksgiving Offering is designated for a World Outreach project to provide Christian literature and other resources to Afghan refugees in the U.S. and Europe. In this brief video, Stated Clerk Dean Weaver, World Outreach Executive Director Gabriel de Guia, and World Outreach Associate Director Jason Dunn describe how donations to the project will be used.

The financial goal for the 2021 Thanksgiving Offering is $20,000. Secure online donations can be made at www.epc.org/donate/thanksgivingoffering. Text-to-give also is available by texting “epcthanksgivingoffering” to 50155 from any smart device. Donors who prefer to send a check should put “Thanksgiving Offering (041)” on the memo line and send to:

Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Attn: Finance Office
5850 T.G. Lee Blvd., Suite 510
Orlando, FL 32822

For help with donations, contact Catherine Rutter, World Outreach Finance Assistant, at (407) 930-4473.

Thanksgiving offering to fund materials for ministry to Afghan refugees

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The 2021 EPC Thanksgiving Offering has been designated for a World Outreach project to provide Christian literature and other resources to Afghan refugees in the U.S. and Europe.

“In the Book of Esther, Mordecai wrote to Esther, ‘for such a time as this,’” said Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of World Outreach. “In the last two months, thousands of Afghans have fled their homeland and reached the U.S. and Europe. God seems to be answering the prayer for Afghans to know Him by opening doors for them to come to us. I was in the Indianapolis airport just last week and saw a group of about 50 Afghan families. There were older people, parents, little kids—the whole spectrum. While they were being led through the terminal by their guides, they were looking around very bewildered. It was very emotional for me, and I said a quick prayer for them. Their situation has to be so, so difficult.”

Contributions to the Thanksgiving Offering will pay for printing and/or reprinting of Christian materials and other media in the Dari and Pashto languages, as well as electronic distribution of the Bible in these translations.

The financial goal for the 2021 Thanksgiving Offering is $20,000. Secure online donations can be made at www.epc.org/donate/thanksgivingoffering. Text-to-give also is available by texting “epcthanksgivingoffering” to 50155 from any smart device. Donors who prefer to send a check should put “Thanksgiving Offering (041)” on the memo line and send to:

Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Attn: Finance Office
5850 T.G. Lee Blvd., Suite 510
Orlando, FL 32822

For help with donations, contact Catherine Rutter, World Outreach Finance Assistant, at (407) 930-4473.

The annual Thanksgiving Offering supports a project approved by the General Assembly each June, alternating between World Outreach and Church Planting/Church Health.

World Outreach webinar to address Afghanistan crisis, opportunity

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In response to the crisis in Afghanistan, EPC World Outreach is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, August 25, at 3:30 p.m. (Eastern). “Afghanistan Crisis and Opportunity: How Your Church Can Respond” will provide answers to the questions of how followers of Jesus can respond to the Afghan crisis and refugees coming to the U.S.

“We will talk about God’s heart for the refugees, how to be in prayer for Afghanistan and God’s Kingdom there, and how we in the EPC can reach out in practical ways to Afghan refugees that are coming to the U.S.” said Gabriel de Guia, Executive Director of World Outreach.

To register for the webinar, go to www.epc.org/afghanistancrisisopportunity

“We want to give specific ways for people to be praying for the situation in Afghanistan,” de Guia added. “One of our workers who is intimately involved in that region and among those people sent us the prayer points below. All of us in World Outreach encourage our EPC brothers and sisters to join us in prayer in the coming days and weeks for God’s glory to be revealed in Afghanistan and among the Afghan refugees.”

Prayers from a World Outreach global worker

  1. Peace of heart. Too many people are crowding the airport and making rash decisions, including believers—albeit they have reason for concern. God is in control and has higher authority than the Taliban.
  2. Relief to internally displaced people. Thousands of Afghans fled their homes to flock to Kabul, only to get caught there now but they are without much food, water, or money. No one is there to help them that we know about.
  3. Civil government. God ordains rulers and kings. The new rulers have the task of running a civil government and society that is stable and peaceful. Even if it is along lines we do not prefer, such laws have not stopped the Church in the past nor will it now.
  4. Protection from fear and boldness of believers. Evacuation is not the best route for every believer nor all Afghans. Looking to the West has become an idol. God is able to protect them and make the Good News to those around them now and protect them even unto death.
  5. Opportunity for Christian workers to Afghanistan. Once there is order there will be a huge need for humanitarian/Christian aid organizations to return. We worked under them before and will likely do so again.
  6. God’s Kingdom to come to Afghanistan. There are no human solutions. Not armies, nor money, nor training, etc. have been able to change their hearts, the real root of the problem. Only God can do that through Jesus.

2021 Leadership Institute: The Israel of God

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In the 2021 Leadership Institute seminar The Israel of God, Mike Kuhn examined an array of passages from both the Old and New Testaments in light of the question, “how we should understand ‘Israel’ biblically?” He also considered three implications regarding the current state of Israel:

First, the identity boundaries of Israel were never ethnic but covenantal.

“The sign of the covenant was the identity marker,” he said.

Second, the Old Testament anticipates what the New Testament teaches—an expansion of those boundaries in terms of both land and people.

Third, all nations are included in the Israel of God—people—and the promised land is a renewal of all creation.

“Jesus, in word and action, gave sufficient indication that the true people of God are those people who believe the testimony about Him and join themselves to him to become one with Him,” Kuhn said. “Jesus is the spiritual progenitor of a new people, a new nation consisting of both Jews and Gentiles.”

Kuhn emphasized that this new nation is the inclusive and expansive continuation of Old Testament Israel.

“The difference is that now the anointed prophet, priest, and king has appeared—God’s eternal purpose for His people is fulfilled in Christ,” he said. “To use the language of Hebrews, the shadow has now given way to the reality. In Christ, God’s purposes are not merely proclaimed, but achieved. Christ is the Israel of God.”

Kuhn serves as Missional Theology Specialist for EPC World Outreach’s International Theological Education Network (ITEN). For more than 28 years, he lived in three different Arab countries: Morocco, Egypt, and Lebanon, where he served as Professor of Biblical Theology and Discipleship at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut from 2012-2018.

The Leadership Institute is an equipping component of the annual General Assembly meeting.

#epc2021ga

Phil Linton reflects on seven years as Director of World Outreach

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Phil Linton

At the end of this month, I will step down after seven years as Director of World Outreach. I want to reflect here on four developments I’ve seen in our work during that time.

Internationalized Church-planting Teams

The EPC World Outreach global workers we send out from North America almost always end up teaming with spiritual brothers and sisters sent out from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. These relationships are rarely orchestrated from denominational or mission agency headquarters, but rather are organic partnerships that grow as disciple-makers from very different cultures discover each other working on the same task directed by the same Spirit.

Second-generation EPC WO Global Workers

By Presbyterian standards EPC World Outreach is relatively young, having sent out its first workers in 1985. But in recent years we have seen adult children (Jackie, Peter, and Josh) from three different EPC WO families return with the EPC into full-cycle church planting among people with least access to the gospel. With these folks we build on the foundation of decades of the very best preparation for cross-cultural ministry.

Repatriated Immigrant Global Workers

The dream of escape to America—the Land of Opportunity—is still very much alive throughout much of the world. Few who have achieved that dream give it up and return to the lands of their birth, but we in EPC World Outreach have several families where at least one spouse fits that description. These families have unusual credibility with neighbors who recognize they are animated by a power greater than material success. Coupling that credibility with a deep understanding of local culture to share the gospel has had a major impact in many cases.

National Church Missional Leaders

As World Outreach Director, I receive several requests each week from Christians around the world, asking for “partnership.” Of course, partnership may have many different meanings, but usually these appeals are for funds to carry out ministry in their communities. As important as these ministries are, I routinely turn down such requests to focus our resources and energies on a different kind of partnership.

World Outreach has developed close relationships with church leaders in Asia and Africa whose eyes are always on the frontiers of their communities. They look beyond where their churches are, to the neighborhoods, villages, and towns where no churches are. They pray for those places; they go to those places; they train and send people to those places; and EPC WO comes alongside to help them. Our efforts here become magnified and multiplied for a hundred-fold effect.

One final note: these developments in World Outreach have been gifts from God through the labors of people other than me. It has been the labors of loving missionary parents which have borne sweet fruit in the lives of our World Outreach MKs. It has been the faithful service of elders in our presbyteries who nurtured relationships with national church missional leaders in places like Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Albania, and Russia. It has been EPC pastors who welcomed and befriended immigrant Christians in their congregations, and then encouraged and guided them to be sent back by EPC World Outreach. And it has been our WO global workers who have recognized “God’s team” in the faces of El Salvadoran, Brazilian, Singaporean, Indonesian, Albanian, etc. brothers and sisters and reached out hands to work together. To all of you, I say thank you for your service to Christ, and for making my work as WO Director a joy.

Grace and peace,

Phil Linton
Director, EPC World Outreach

Gabriel de Guia named Executive Director of EPC World Outreach

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Gabriel de Guia

Gabriel de Guia has been named as the new Executive Director of EPC World Outreach. A member of First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Fla., he has served in a variety of capacities with Cru since 1995. His most recent role was Senior Aide of Development to the Executive Director for the Jesus Film Project, which he has held since 2012. Cru—formerly Campus Crusade for Christ—is an international ministry founded by Bill and Vonette Bright in 1951 and based in Orlando.

“I’m overwhelmed to be selected to lead EPC World Outreach,” de Guia said. “I feel like I’m coming full circle in ministry, as my grandparents came to faith in Christ through the work of Presbyterian missionaries in the Philippines in the 1920s. And now, I just have a grand sense of God ushering us into this great adventure. It wasn’t something I was planning on or dreaming of, but that makes it all the more confirming that this is something God is calling us to. That brings about a ton of excitement.”

Rob Liddon, Chairman of the Executive Director Search Committee and Moderator of the EPC’s 30th General Assembly, said de Guia was the committee’s unanimous choice among a group of “exceptionally strong” candidates.

“Following much prayer and discussion, the nine-member Search Committee unanimously concluded Gabriel to be best situated to lead World Outreach into the second quarter of this century as its Executive Director,” Liddon said. “We are very pleased to welcome him and his wife, Rachel, to EPC World Outreach.”

Over a 26-year missionary career with Cru, de Guia’s other responsibilities have included Advancement (Major Gifts) Officer for the Jesus Film Project, Writer in the Global Communications Office, and Assistant to the President. He also served as College Campus Minister at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind., from 1996-2002.

He has led or helped lead short-term evangelistic mission teams to Africa, Asia, Central America, and multiple locations in the United States. In addition, he has provided direct missionary member care to more than 30 Cru missionary families in East Asia; equipped numerous teenaged children of missionaries in lifestyle evangelism; coached missionary staff in support raising; and served as lead liaison between Cru’s mission partners, mission field directors, and major donors. This effort helped raise millions of dollars for multiple global outreach initiatives.

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk-elect and a member of the search committee, said de Guia exhibited leadership that is anchored in a strong faith and prayer.

“We were all greatly encouraged by Gabriel’s personal commitment to prayer and evangelism,” Weaver said. “His passion for the Great Commission flows from his deep personal relationship with Jesus.”

Johnny Long, Ruling Elder for Hope Church in Memphis, Tenn., served as a member of both the search committee and the World Outreach committee of the General Assembly.

“Going through this process allowed our search committee the opportunity to absolutely find the right person for this role for this time in World Outreach and for our denomination as whole,” Long said. “Gabriel brings superb organizational expertise and excellent interpersonal and organizational communication skills. His experience with technology to advance the gospel will be a huge asset as we continue to grow and expand the outreach capabilities of World Outreach to share the gospel to the most unreached peoples around the world.”

A native of Cincinnati, de Guia’s parents emigrated to Minnesota from the Philippines in the 1960s and later moved to Ohio. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus. He also has participated in numerous professional development opportunities, including Cru’s two-year Senior Leadership Initiative, a Master’s level program offered by invitation only.

The de Guias have been married since 2007 and have three children.

“We are honored with the sacred, holy privilege to step into this avenue of ministry for the sake of the global church,” Rachel said. “We have long appreciated the Revelation 7:9 picture of the throne room of God, and we’ve used that verse as a filter to help discern what God has called us to. For the EPC to be pursuing that vision was confirmation of God’s leading us to this.”

Liddon noted that the search committee was united in “seeking the mind of Christ for World Outreach” during the entire process, which began in 2019 with the NLT’s appointment of a World Outreach Evaluation Team. That committee was tasked with reviewing the goals and strategy employed by World Outreach, as well as the results achieved.

“The evaluation team worked with World Outreach leadership, and it commended the sound and enduring work of World Outreach—past and present,” Liddon said. “At the same time, that team’s report to the NLT proposed a number of changes they thought necessary in light of current cultural and economic developments in the areas WO serves.”

Liddon noted that the search was “a measured, considered process, and yielded quite a number of candidates, all of godly character and impressive backgrounds in Kingdom ministry.”

“I think we all felt,” said Iris A, a World Outreach global worker who served on the search committee, “that the Holy Spirit truly led us through this lengthy decision-making process to come to the same mind and decision.”

Search Committee Member Kevin Cauley, Teaching Elder in the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic and former chairman of World Outreach Committee, said he was “impressed with Gabriel’s humble, prayerful, and Spirit-led approach.”

“He will bring fresh eyes to help World Outreach to see in new ways how we may continue building upon the great foundation passed down from our former outstanding Directors,” Cauley said.

The nine-member Search Committee began its work in October 2020. It was comprised of a variety of EPC Teaching Elders, Ruling Elders, and missions practitioners. Because of security issues related to their work, not all members of the committee were able to be named.

The Executive Director of World Outreach is selected and called by the National Leadership Team for a three-year term, which is renewable. Phil Linton, who has served as Director of World Outreach since 2014, is retiring at the June 2021 conclusion of his current three-year term.

World Outreach is the missions arm of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, with a principal calling to glorify God by starting church-planting movements among least-reached people groups. World Outreach currently has approximately 75 family units serving across the globe.