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Honoring Bishop<br />
Ron Carpenter Sr.<br />
Jesus Can<br />
Heal Leukemia<br />
The Legacy of<br />
Philip List Sr.<br />
June/July 2012<br />
Youth Ministry<br />
Can Make You<br />
Crazy!<br />
Here’s how to stop<br />
the insanity.
Editor in Chief<br />
Dr. Ronald W. Carpenter Sr.<br />
June/July 2012 Vol. 9, No. 6<br />
Publisher<br />
Greg Hearn<br />
CEO, Lifesprings Resources<br />
Executive Editor<br />
J. Lee Grady<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Mégan Alba<br />
Associate Editors<br />
Jamie Powell, Sara Ray<br />
Editorial Committee<br />
Jana DeLano, Nina Brewsaugh,<br />
Annetta Lee, Kimberly Wilkerson,<br />
Kathryn Shelley, Jennifer Simmons,<br />
Sherrie Taylor, Shandra Youell<br />
Graphic Designer<br />
Beth J. Wansley<br />
WEB DESIGNERS<br />
Timothy W. Beasley,<br />
Kalanda Kambeya<br />
General Superintendent<br />
Dr. Ronald W. Carpenter Sr.<br />
Executive Committee of<br />
the Council of Bishops<br />
World Missions Ministries<br />
A.D. Beacham Jr., Vice Chairman<br />
Discipleship Ministries<br />
J. Talmadge Gardner,<br />
Corporate Treasurer<br />
Evangelism USA<br />
D. Chris Thompson,<br />
Corporate Secretary<br />
IPHC Experience (ISSN 1547-4984) Vol. 9<br />
No. 6, is published monthly except in July and<br />
December by Lifesprings Resources of the<br />
<strong>International</strong> <strong>Pentecostal</strong> <strong>Holiness</strong> <strong>Church</strong>,<br />
2425 West Main St., Franklin Springs, GA<br />
30639. Printed in the U.S.A. MMXII. Address<br />
editorial comments to IPHC Experience, P.O.<br />
Box 9, Franklin Springs, GA 30639. Or email<br />
sray@lifesprings.net.<br />
COVER PHOTO: © ThinkStock.com<br />
LSR 2012152<br />
14 Cover Story<br />
It’s time to stop playing the numbers game in youth ministry. God wants us to<br />
focus on discipleship and lasting life change instead. By Tavner Smith<br />
5 Expressions<br />
As he prepares to step down,<br />
Bishop Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr.,<br />
shares his heart’s desire for the<br />
future of the IPHC.<br />
6 My Experience<br />
When Jerry Patterson was<br />
diagnosed with cancer, he never<br />
waivered in his faith. God answered<br />
with an incredible miracle that<br />
astounded even his doctors.<br />
8 Events<br />
Missionary Philip List, Sr.,<br />
dies / IPHC colleges celebrate<br />
commencement / Oklahoma<br />
couples receive a financial miracle<br />
/ SC church celebrates growth and<br />
groundbreaking / SCU Graduate<br />
School launches new degree / M:25<br />
honors veterans at two separate<br />
events / Missionaries dedicate<br />
Turkey church plant.<br />
Plus: News Briefs<br />
12 Special Report<br />
As the IPHC prepares for a leadership<br />
transition, Experience honors Presiding<br />
Bishop Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr., for his<br />
years of service to the church.<br />
18 Emerging Voices<br />
Emmanuel College student Derrick Brown<br />
has a heart to plant a church and reach the<br />
urban population in Chattanooga, Tenn.<br />
20 Global Edge<br />
IPHC missionary Judith Perez has spent 40<br />
years training leaders in Monterrey, Mexico—<br />
and she’s not letting the drug war stop her<br />
from carrying out her calling.<br />
22 E-Resources<br />
IPHC member Annetta Lee uses her creativity<br />
to craft Christian fiction. Her work ignites<br />
readers’ imaginations and sparks a desire for<br />
a deeper relationship with Christ.<br />
23 E-Mail<br />
Letters and commentary from our readers.<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 3
INSTALLATION SERVICE<br />
streaming LIVE OVER THE INTERNET<br />
For streaming details and times see www.iphc.org<br />
July 19, 2012 – 7:00 PM • Hilton Orlando Hotel<br />
Event is open to the public. Service will be available online for those who cannot attend.
A Fond Farewell<br />
Leadership involves making tough decisions—<br />
including knowing when to step down.<br />
By Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr.<br />
B<br />
y now, the majority of the IPHC knows of my decision to resign<br />
as general superintendent, effective July 19. I have received<br />
countless emails, phone calls, voice mails and text messages<br />
with prayers, encouragement, and well wishes. The outpouring<br />
of love and support I have received in the weeks following my<br />
announcement overwhelms me.<br />
The decision to resign was not an easy one. I fully intended to<br />
finish this term, and I would if I felt remaining in office were best. However, I am<br />
confident this is the right decision. With that in mind, I want to share with you<br />
how I arrived at this conclusion.<br />
Many are aware of the fact that I have battled melanoma four times in the<br />
past twenty years. For the last three and a half years, I have been<br />
undergoing treatment at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston,<br />
Texas. That treatment has been and continues to be effective. The<br />
melanoma in my diaphragm is shrinking. My prognosis for recovery<br />
from the melanoma itself is a very favorable one. For this I am very<br />
thankful.<br />
However, in November 2011, I was put on a new medication, and<br />
the side effects have been unbelievably difficult. Those side effects,<br />
along with other health issues, began to interfere with my ability to<br />
carry out the duties of my office as general superintendent. I have<br />
always believed the general superintendent is to lead the troops, not<br />
be carried by them. The uncertainty regarding future side effects, as<br />
well as a great concern for my family, led me to conclude that it is in<br />
the best interests of the IPHC, my family, and me to resign and focus on correcting<br />
my health problems.<br />
I leave this church to the highly capable leadership of Dr. A. Doug Beacham, Jr.<br />
The Lord’s hand has truly been in this transition, as I could not have chosen a more<br />
suitable man as my successor. I believe Bishop<br />
Beacham––with the support of Bishops Gardner<br />
Although I am leaving<br />
and Thompson as the executive committee of the<br />
my post as general Council of Bishops––will continue to provide<br />
superintendent, I am<br />
the visionary leadership necessary for miraculous<br />
expansion and growth of the IPHC in the 21st<br />
not leaving the ministry. century.<br />
Although I am leaving my post as general<br />
superintendent, I am not leaving the ministry. Whether I am serving in the general<br />
superintendent’s office, standing behind a pulpit, or ministering in the “highways<br />
and byways,” I am, as Paul says, a “bondservant<br />
of Christ Jesus” (Romans 1:1,<br />
NASB). I am convinced there are good years<br />
left ahead for Nan and me to continue to<br />
minister out of Greenville, S.C., in varying<br />
capacities.<br />
As I leave office, my heart’s desire for<br />
the IPHC is to see the pure passion of<br />
<strong>Pentecostal</strong> power that was manifested in<br />
the first-century <strong>Church</strong> continue to be<br />
manifested in the <strong>International</strong> <strong>Pentecostal</strong><br />
<strong>Holiness</strong> <strong>Church</strong> of the 21st century. I am<br />
sure that is why God’s first message to the<br />
church from me on the inauguration night<br />
of the 2009 General Conference came down<br />
to three words: be relevant, be dynamic, be<br />
demonstrative.<br />
My bequest to the church is Joel 2:28, 29:<br />
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I<br />
will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and<br />
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,<br />
your old men shall dream dreams, your<br />
young men shall see visions: And also upon<br />
the servants and upon the handmaids in<br />
those days will I pour out my<br />
spirit.”<br />
The Lord then promises<br />
that in this atmosphere of<br />
<strong>Pentecostal</strong> manifestation,<br />
“[I]t shall come to pass, that<br />
whosoever shall call on the<br />
name of the Lord shall be<br />
delivered: for in mount Zion<br />
and in Jerusalem shall be<br />
deliverance, as the Lord hath<br />
said, and in the remnant whom<br />
the Lord shall call” (v. 32). If<br />
the IPHC is to be a church of evangelism<br />
and deliverance in the 21st century, it must<br />
operate in an atmosphere of <strong>Pentecostal</strong><br />
power!<br />
I count it an indescribable honor and<br />
tremendous joy to have served you for the<br />
past three years as your presiding bishop.<br />
The IPHC has been my home since the age<br />
of four. It has indeed been my very life! I<br />
am blessed and humbled to have served in<br />
leadership 33 out of the 47 years that I have<br />
held credentials. The IPHC will always be<br />
my extended family around the world. I leave,<br />
not with a heavy heart, but with hopeful<br />
anticipation of that which is to come!<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 5
I Am<br />
Healed!<br />
When doctors diagnosed<br />
me with cancer, I turned<br />
to the Great Physician.<br />
BY Jerry Patterson<br />
Healed and whole: Jerry Patterson looks forward to many years celebrating<br />
his miraculous healing.<br />
I’ve enjoyed pretty good health most of my life. So I<br />
was surprised when, in September 2011, I began feeling tired all the time. I assumed<br />
it was a fitness issue so I took up walking, improved my diet, and did all the things<br />
we’re supposed to do to get in shape. But the more I worked out, the worse I felt. My<br />
legs began to cramp, I felt tired, and I had no energy whatsoever. I felt like there was<br />
electricity running through my bloodstream. Then, I began having severe pain in my<br />
hands, feet, and legs.<br />
By this point, I knew something was wrong. I went to my doctor to see what was<br />
going on. He couldn’t pinpoint the problem, so he sent me to another doctor. This<br />
man examined me and proclaimed, “You have something serious going on.” By this<br />
time, I was in excruciating pain and could hardly walk. My doctors performed a<br />
barrage of tests, trying to find out what was happening to me. Finally, they referred<br />
me to an oncologist, where I went through yet another round of tests.<br />
6 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience
By February 2012, I’d been in and out<br />
of doctors’ offices more than I ever thought<br />
possible. After weeks of MRIs, EKGs,<br />
and every other test imaginable, I had a<br />
follow-up appointment with my doctor. He<br />
walked into the room and asked how I was<br />
feeling.<br />
“I’m hurting pretty badly,” I said. “But<br />
the Lord was with me when I came in, and<br />
he’ll be with me when I leave. He promised<br />
he would never leave me or forsake me.”<br />
Finally, the doctor gave me a diagnosis:<br />
chronic lymphocytic leukemia, also known<br />
as CLL. I immediately designated those<br />
letters in my mind to represent Christ’s<br />
Lasting Love. I knew he would be with<br />
me no matter what the doctors proclaimed<br />
over my life.<br />
As the church laid<br />
hands on me and<br />
began praying, I felt a<br />
touch from the Lord.<br />
I knew something was<br />
different. From that<br />
day on, I began feeling<br />
a little better each day.<br />
After the diagnosis, my doctor sent<br />
me for more blood tests to determine<br />
my treatment options. He also wanted<br />
to take out some of my bone marrow—a<br />
particularly painful procedure.<br />
Between my diagnosis and my<br />
follow-up tests, I went my church’s<br />
midweek service. I shared my diagnosis and<br />
asked the church to anoint and pray for<br />
me. We are a church that believes in divine<br />
healing!<br />
As the church laid hands on me and<br />
began praying, I felt a touch from the Lord.<br />
I knew something was different. From that<br />
day on, I began feeling a little better each<br />
day.<br />
The following week, I returned to my<br />
doctor to have my bone marrow procedure<br />
and to discuss the results of my blood test<br />
and treatment options. When he walked<br />
into the room, he asked again, “How are<br />
you feeling?”<br />
I immediately told him I’d been<br />
anointed and prayed for by my church. “I<br />
felt the Lord touch me,” I said. “My faith<br />
was good before I came in, and it will be<br />
the same when I leave.”<br />
After some discussion, the doctor<br />
finally said, “I have something to tell you.” I<br />
braced myself, expecting to hear the worst.<br />
Instead, he said, “I have a problem. I can’t<br />
find anything wrong with your blood! The<br />
tests last week and this morning all came<br />
back … normal.” If ever there was a reason<br />
to shout, this was it!<br />
I told my doctor I wanted to see the<br />
proof, so he took me to another office<br />
where he pulled up my medical records. He<br />
showed me the tests, starting in September<br />
2011 when doctors first determined<br />
something was wrong, and going through<br />
that last week in February when my blood<br />
suddenly became “normal” again.<br />
Immediately, my wife and I began to<br />
shout and praise God for this great miracle.<br />
But in the midst of my praise, I was<br />
reminded of the greatest miracle of all—<br />
when Jesus spilled his blood to save me.<br />
Since that time, I’ve been praising God<br />
and telling everyone who will listen that<br />
He has healed me of leukemia.<br />
Regardless of the trials we go through,<br />
we must never forget that “by His stripes<br />
we are healed.” God has promised us that<br />
He will never leave or forsake us, and he<br />
proved that promise to me during my battle<br />
with leukemia.<br />
My experience has only strengthened<br />
my faith. Nothing is impossible for our<br />
God! Now, more than ever, I believe that<br />
the Bible and its promises are true. As for<br />
me and my house, we will continue to serve<br />
the Lord all our days.<br />
Jerry Patterson is a member of South<br />
Henderson PHC in North Carolina.<br />
Godly family: Jerry, his wife, and their<br />
sons believe in the power of prayer.<br />
Have you had the Experience? Send your testimony to Mégan Alba<br />
at malba@iphc.org.<br />
How to<br />
Experience God<br />
Here are five simple steps you can<br />
take to begin a relationship with God:<br />
1. Recognize your need. The Bible<br />
tells us that “all have sinned and fall<br />
short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23,<br />
NASB). All of us are sinners, and we<br />
must admit our need for a Savior.<br />
2. Repent of your sins. Because<br />
God is completely holy, our sins create<br />
a wall that separates us from Him.<br />
By confessing your sins you will find<br />
forgiveness. “Repent” means to make<br />
a 180-degree turnaround. The Bible<br />
promises: “If we confess our sins, He<br />
is faithful and righteous to forgive us<br />
our sins and to cleanse us from all<br />
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).<br />
3. Believe in Jesus. God worked a<br />
miracle when He sent His only Son<br />
to die for us. We don’t have to pay for<br />
our sins … Jesus paid it all! We can’t<br />
work for our salvation. It is a gift from<br />
God, and all He requires is that we<br />
believe. Put your faith in Him. The Bible<br />
says: “For God so loved the world,<br />
that He gave His only begotten Son,<br />
that whoever believes in Him shall not<br />
perish, but have eternal life” (John<br />
3:16).<br />
4. Receive His salvation. God has<br />
given us this free gift, but we must<br />
accept it. Thank Him for sending Jesus<br />
to die on the cross for you. Thank<br />
Him for His amazing love, mercy and<br />
forgiveness. Then ask Him to live in<br />
your heart. His promise to us is sure:<br />
“But as many as received Him, to them<br />
He gave the right to become children of<br />
God...” (John 1:12).<br />
5. Confess your faith. The Bible<br />
assures us: “If you confess with your<br />
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in<br />
your heart that God raised Him from<br />
the dead, you will be saved” (Rom.<br />
10:9). You have been born again and are<br />
now part of God’s family. Tell someone<br />
else what Jesus has done in your life!<br />
This amazing experience can be yours.<br />
Embrace God’s love and receive the<br />
salvation that only Jesus Christ gives.<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 7
SCU’s commencement took place at OKC Faith <strong>Church</strong>.<br />
Eighty-seven students graduated.<br />
Philip and Gailya List ministered in Africa for 50 years.<br />
Missionary Philip<br />
List Sr. Dies Suddenly<br />
List leaves behind a rich legacy of missions and<br />
ministry.<br />
BY Mégan Alba<br />
Rev. Philip List, Sr., died<br />
Wednesday, May 23, at his home<br />
near Princeton, N.C., following<br />
an illness.<br />
The son of veteran<br />
missionaries Bill and Lottie<br />
List, Philip Sr. dedicated his life<br />
to sharing the Gospel in Africa.<br />
Philip and his wife, Gailya,<br />
became full-time missionaries<br />
to South Africa in 1962.<br />
“I first met Philip List when<br />
I was a student at Emmanuel<br />
College and he and Gailya<br />
were young missionaries. He<br />
impacted my life then and many<br />
times since,” said Dr. Harold<br />
Dalton, assistant director of<br />
World Missions Ministries.<br />
He was an apostle, founding<br />
the IPHC in several countries<br />
in Africa, and an evangelist,<br />
successfully reaching the Zulu<br />
and other tribes. He preached<br />
fluently in seven languages<br />
and was conversational in four<br />
more, including Chinese. Prior<br />
to his death, List served as<br />
the senior missionary in East<br />
8 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience<br />
Africa. He was also the founder<br />
and senior pastor of Calvary<br />
Worship Centre in Nairobi. Only<br />
heaven knows the number,<br />
surely in the thousands, that he<br />
introduced to Jesus.<br />
List’s ministry impacted not<br />
only the continent of Africa, but<br />
other missionaries as well. “I<br />
represent a life influenced by<br />
Brother List,” said missionary<br />
Kevin Sneed. “But living in<br />
Kenya, I see hundreds more<br />
lives who were shaped by this<br />
man. He will be greatly missed.”<br />
List is survived by his wife,<br />
Gailya, two daughters, and two<br />
sons. His daughter, Sharon,<br />
and her husband, Ron Wooten,<br />
serve as regional directors for<br />
World Missions Ministries in<br />
East Africa.<br />
Funeral services took place<br />
Tuesday, May 29, at the First<br />
<strong>Church</strong> in Goldsboro, N.C.<br />
The List and Wooten families<br />
appreciate the prayers and<br />
support of the IPHC during this<br />
time.<br />
IPHC Colleges Celebrate<br />
Commencement<br />
Graduates prepare for ministry and service<br />
around the world.<br />
The month of May brought three graduations at IPHC<br />
colleges and universities. The schools reported a cumulative<br />
230 graduates this year.<br />
Southwestern Christian University celebrated their 62nd<br />
annual commencement ceremony on May 5 at OKC Faith<br />
<strong>Church</strong>. A total of 87 students received degrees. The ceremony<br />
marked a milestone for the SCU Tulsa campus as the location<br />
conferred degrees on its first 13 graduates since opening in<br />
2010.<br />
“Commencement ceremonies are special, as they not<br />
only mark the end of one stage of life, but the beginning of<br />
another,” stated Dr. Reggies Wenyika, provost and vice president<br />
for academic affairs. “It is always an honor to witness and<br />
participate in such momentous transitions.”<br />
Holmes Bible<br />
College also celebrated<br />
commencement on May<br />
5 with 13 graduates.<br />
This was the last<br />
commencement to take<br />
place in the current<br />
Holmes Memorial<br />
<strong>Church</strong>. Bishop<br />
Talmadge Gardner,<br />
executive director of<br />
Discipleship Ministries,<br />
gave the graduate<br />
address.<br />
The future of ministry: 13 students<br />
graduated from Holmes Bible College<br />
this May.<br />
“Holmes is always sad to see graduates leave, but we rejoice<br />
in what God is doing in their lives and what He will work through<br />
them as they go forth to labor for Him,” said school officials.<br />
Emmanuel College<br />
held commencement<br />
ceremonies May 12, with<br />
130 students graduating.<br />
Professor Paul Oxley,<br />
who retired after 30<br />
years in the classroom,<br />
offered the invocation.<br />
Mrs. Linda Thomas,<br />
chair of the board of<br />
trustees, delivered the<br />
commencement address.<br />
“When an ending<br />
comes, it always provides<br />
an opportunity for new<br />
beginnings,” Thomas told<br />
graduates.<br />
–Mégan Alba<br />
Celebrate: Emmanuel reported 130<br />
graduates this year.
Starting the journey: Thanks to an anonymous donation, these church members are on their<br />
way to becoming debt-free.<br />
Oklahoma <strong>Church</strong><br />
Receives $8,000 Miracle<br />
An anonymous donor helps Passion<br />
Ministries start the journey to<br />
freedom from debt.<br />
Passion Ministries members in Oklahoma City<br />
recently experienced a financial breakthrough<br />
thanks to an anonymous donor who listened to the<br />
voice of the Lord. The church has been offering<br />
Financial Peace University, a debt-free class offered<br />
by the Dave Ramsey group. Pastor Steve Ely said<br />
an individual who is a graduate of Financial Peace<br />
University contacted the church asking how many<br />
first-time enrollees were in the current class. Ely<br />
indicated there were eight couples and/or individuals,<br />
and the person said he would like to make a donation.<br />
IPHC Offers Three<br />
Israel Tours This Fall<br />
Each tour provides a unique<br />
opportunity to visit the Holy Land.<br />
The IPHC loves Israel. In fact, interest in the<br />
country has grown so much that three different IPHC<br />
groups are offering unique touring opportunities of<br />
the Holy Land this fall.<br />
Mission: M25 will host the second annual Run<br />
to the Wall: Israel October 22–November 1. The<br />
inaugural tour in 2011 garnered international media<br />
attention when more than 100 U.S. and Israeli<br />
motorcyclists rode together to the Wailing Wall. This<br />
When Ely met the individual, he<br />
was blown away at the donation. “He<br />
handed me an envelope. Inside, it<br />
had $8,000 cash to give to the folks<br />
enrolled. He and his wife funded all the<br />
participants’ emergency funds, which<br />
is Baby Step 1,” Ely said.<br />
Students in the class were amazed,<br />
and Ely said many were weeping at the<br />
miracle. “It was going to take several<br />
of the couples until November to put<br />
$1000 together,” he said. The donor<br />
had one stipulation—he and his wife<br />
wanted total anonymity and no tax<br />
credit.<br />
“It is probably the most generous<br />
act I have ever been privileged to<br />
witness,” said Ely.<br />
annual trip combines a motorcycle tour<br />
of Israel with humanitarian outreach.<br />
Participants will have the opportunity<br />
to visit historical sites, meet with<br />
Israeli Defense Force soldiers, and<br />
bring medical supplies to those in<br />
need. For more information, email Rev.<br />
Gary Burd at gburd@arn.net.<br />
Dr. Frank Tunstall, conference<br />
superintendent of the Heartland<br />
Conference, and Rev. Wyatt Cook<br />
of Kingsway Christian Center in<br />
Baltimore, Maryland, will co-host<br />
a Holy Land tour November 11–20.<br />
For more information, email<br />
wcook432001@yahoo.com.<br />
Rev. Garry Bryant, director<br />
of Acts2Day, will host a Pastors<br />
Familiarization tour November 29–<br />
December 6. The six-night, seven-day<br />
trip includes hotel accommodations,<br />
two meals per day, and visits to biblical<br />
sites. Space for this trip is limited. For<br />
more information, email acts2day@<br />
iphc.org.<br />
All tours are offered in conjunction<br />
with Coral Tours, which has an<br />
excellent working relationship with the<br />
IPHC.<br />
» Bland Receives Logos<br />
Scholarship<br />
SCU’s<br />
Jonathan<br />
Bland has<br />
been selected<br />
to receive a<br />
scholarship<br />
and stipend<br />
exceeding<br />
$10,000<br />
Johnny Bland<br />
to Logos<br />
at Baylor<br />
University, a summer institute<br />
for students interested in biblical<br />
textual scholarship and Christian<br />
apologetics. Bland is currently<br />
working as a graduate assistant<br />
and adjunct instructor at SCU as<br />
he completes his final courses for<br />
an M.A. in theology from Southern<br />
Nazarene University (SNU).<br />
» TCC’s Gray<br />
Named Top<br />
CEO<br />
Albert Gray,<br />
CEO of The<br />
Children’s<br />
Center, has been<br />
named one of<br />
the 2012 Most<br />
Admired CEOs in<br />
Oklahoma. Gray Albert Gray<br />
was among 10<br />
Oklahomans listed in the nonprofit<br />
category. He was recognized at<br />
the third annual Oklahoma’s Most<br />
Admired CEOs event in February.<br />
» Taylor Appointed to<br />
Navy Chaplaincy<br />
Lt. Kendall<br />
Taylor<br />
has been<br />
selected for<br />
active duty in<br />
the U.S. Navy<br />
Chaplaincy.<br />
Taylor is an<br />
ordained<br />
minister with<br />
Kendall Taylor<br />
the South<br />
Carolina<br />
Conference.<br />
He is serving with the 1st Marine<br />
Division at Twentynine Palms, Calif.,<br />
the oldest and largest active duty<br />
division of the U.S. Marine Corps.<br />
A motorcycle tour of Israel is just one of the options for<br />
IPHC Holy Land tours this fall.<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 9
M25 Joins USO for Welcome Home<br />
Celebration<br />
Vietnam Veterans receive long-overdue appreciation at largest<br />
Welcome Home event in NC.<br />
On March 31, Mission: M25 joined the USO for North Carolina’s largest Vietnam<br />
Veterans Welcome Home celebration. More than 62,000 people turned out for the<br />
celebration and rally at Charlotte Motor Speedway.<br />
Rev. Mark Richardson of Siler City PHC and Mr. Gary Whaley of First <strong>Church</strong> of<br />
Goldsboro co-led the mission. Approximately 170 bikes from six states represented M25.<br />
The ministry also handed out 7,000 bottles of water and 3,000 handwritten thank-you letters<br />
and cards from IPHC children. The cards brought many tears and hugs from veterans.<br />
Higher learning: SCU will launch a Master of<br />
Arts in theological studies this fall.<br />
SCU Graduate<br />
School Approved<br />
for New Degree<br />
Master of Arts in theological studies<br />
will launch this fall.<br />
Dr. Terry Tramel, dean of the School of<br />
Adult and Graduate Studies at Southwestern<br />
Christian University, announced this week<br />
that SCU has been approved by the Higher<br />
Learning Commission to offer a Master of Arts<br />
in theological studies.<br />
“This is a historic day for higher education<br />
in the <strong>International</strong> <strong>Pentecostal</strong> <strong>Holiness</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong> and Southwestern Christian<br />
University,” said Dr. Tramel. “This new<br />
academic degree is especially beneficial for all<br />
of those who seek further studies in Bible and<br />
theology in preparation for research, writing,<br />
preaching, or teaching in higher education.”<br />
SCU will begin accepting applications for<br />
enrollment into this program immediately<br />
as courses are set to begin in the upcoming<br />
fall semester. Classes will be offered on the<br />
Bethany and Tulsa campuses, at Emmanuel<br />
College in Franklin Springs, Georgia, and<br />
online.<br />
The Graduate School will continue to offer<br />
the Master of Ministry degree for those seeking<br />
a more practical education. The offering of the<br />
M.A.T.S. is the first visible step toward one day<br />
having a full-fledged seminary in which to train<br />
ministers in the IPHC.<br />
For more information, visit www.swcu.edu or<br />
call 888-418-9272.<br />
10 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience<br />
Welcome Home: 170 Mission: M25 bikes ride in the rally at the Charlotte celebration.<br />
Mission M:25 Reaches<br />
out to Veterans at<br />
RFTW 2012<br />
The annual ride provides opportunities<br />
for outreach and evangelism.<br />
Mission:M25 recently completed their annual<br />
cross-country motorcycle missions trip, Run for<br />
the Wall. This annual event memorializes those<br />
who never came home from our nation’s wars, and<br />
brings opportunities for healing spiritual wounds in<br />
veterans. This year’s team consists of 20 volunteers<br />
who serve the ride in various capacities. Some<br />
are chaplains, others assist with wrecks, and still<br />
others hand out water and sports drinks at stops<br />
along the way. All are equipped to pray with and<br />
minister to chaplains as opportunities arise.<br />
All the way: 20 volunteers from M:25 completed<br />
the cross-country motorcycle ride.<br />
“It takes a huge commitment<br />
for these men and women to<br />
ride across the nation but they<br />
are tenacious,” said Rev. Gary<br />
Burd, Mission:M25 director. In<br />
addition to providing volunteers<br />
and chaplains for the run, M25<br />
also hosts a church service on<br />
the Sunday morning of the ride.<br />
Burd said this year’s service,<br />
which took place in a Wal-Mart<br />
parking lot in Grand Prairie,<br />
Texas, was a “slam dunk.”<br />
The ride concluded Sunday,<br />
May 27, with the Rolling Thunder<br />
ride in Washington, D.C., where<br />
thousands of riders joined<br />
a procession to the Vietnam<br />
Veterans Memorial.<br />
Burd said while it’s great to<br />
see crowds cheering and waving<br />
as the riders roar through town,<br />
the group always remembers<br />
its primary mission: We Ride<br />
for Those Who Can’t. “It is an<br />
incredible honor to be allowed to<br />
fill that place,” he said.
SC <strong>Church</strong> Sees Rapid<br />
Growth, Prepares for<br />
Expansion<br />
Conway First PHC triples in size in<br />
one year.<br />
Pastor Jason Cook has seen the level of passion at his<br />
church reach an all-time high in the past few months.<br />
“We have a lot of hurting people who have come to us<br />
for refuge and now have standing room only right now,”<br />
the pastor of Conway First <strong>Pentecostal</strong> <strong>Holiness</strong> <strong>Church</strong><br />
said. “God has really blessed us, and we need more room<br />
to worship.”<br />
Conway First PHC held a groundbreaking and<br />
anointing ceremony in April. The new $1.1 million<br />
church will be located on a 10-acre tract of land off Dunn<br />
Shortcut Road, and construction is set to begin in the<br />
next few weeks.<br />
The 11,610 square-foot church will feature a large<br />
sanctuary, four classrooms, a children’s worship area,<br />
and seating for nearly 300 people—with the possibility to<br />
grow as the congregation grows.<br />
The building is almost paid off, even before<br />
construction has begun.<br />
“We hope to move into our new church debt free,”<br />
Cook said. “We only have about $100,000 left to pay on<br />
our new facility, and we will be set.”<br />
Cook said the majority of the materials for the new<br />
church have been purchased at cost and many people<br />
A firm foundation: Conway First PHC members pray at the groundbreaking for<br />
their new building.<br />
from the church have volunteered their time and materials to help.<br />
In the future, Cook said church officials hope to build a fellowship hall, an<br />
outreach center, walking tracks, a softball arena and a campground.<br />
“We have an outreach program that feeds 300 to 400 people on the last<br />
Saturday of every month, and we want to be able to grow that program,” Cook<br />
said. “We also want to further other outreach programs and help people in the<br />
community.”<br />
This article was republished with permission from The Horry Independent<br />
newspaper.<br />
Missionaries Dedicate Turkey <strong>Church</strong> Plant<br />
The IPHC begins replanting the 7 churches of Asia Minor.<br />
IPHC missionaries witnessed a major financial miracle as they endeavored to plant a church in<br />
Laodicea, one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3. According to missionary Bob Cave,<br />
an influx of donations enabled<br />
the church in Turkey to pay<br />
$180,000 cash for a new facility.<br />
The building will house a church,<br />
coffee house, training center,<br />
and apartment. “What happened<br />
was a miracle,” said Cave.<br />
Turkey is 99.8 percent<br />
Muslim, although most citizens<br />
are secular in practice. The<br />
Turkey church hopes to reach<br />
this population and raise up new<br />
leaders to expand the gospel in<br />
Asia Minor.<br />
Cave says the church is now<br />
raising funds for renovations<br />
and for their next big project in<br />
Antioch. “Antioch is not one of<br />
the seven churches, but there<br />
is a ripe opportunity as we now<br />
have a congregation of about 40<br />
persons gathering in a home,”<br />
he said.<br />
To donate or to become part<br />
of the 2013 Seven <strong>Church</strong>es Trip,<br />
email bobcavewmm@aol.com.<br />
Reaching Turkey: The 2012 Seven <strong>Church</strong>es missions team.<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 11
Stepping down: Presiding Bishop Carpenter will resign in July.<br />
A Beloved Leader<br />
Steps Down<br />
I felt remaining in office were best.<br />
However, I am confident this is the<br />
right decision for the IPHC and the<br />
right decision for my family and me.”<br />
In his address to the Council<br />
of Bishops and Global Ministry<br />
Center employees, Presiding<br />
Bishop Carpenter made it clear that<br />
although he is resigning as general<br />
superintendent, he will continue his<br />
ministry through other avenues of<br />
service.<br />
Dr. Carpenter was converted and<br />
called into ministry at 16 years old.<br />
During 47 years of ministry, he has<br />
served the IPHC as pastor, conference<br />
secretary, assistant superintendent,<br />
conference superintendent, executive<br />
director of Evangelism USA, vice<br />
chairman, and presiding bishop. He<br />
has also served in various advisory<br />
capacities on several boards.<br />
“My greatest desire for the IPHC<br />
is that it will make a significant<br />
difference in lives and in history,”<br />
said Carpenter. “I want this church a<br />
hundred years from now to have left<br />
a legacy, tracks in the sand, impacted<br />
cities, changed communities, and<br />
Because of health concerns, Presiding<br />
Bishop Carpenter submitted his<br />
resignation effective July 19.<br />
by Mégan Alba<br />
On May 3, Presiding Bishop Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr.,<br />
submitted his resignation as general superintendent of the<br />
<strong>International</strong> <strong>Pentecostal</strong> <strong>Holiness</strong> <strong>Church</strong> effective July 19,<br />
2012. In his<br />
resignation letter<br />
to the Council<br />
of Bishops,<br />
Presiding Bishop<br />
Carpenter cited<br />
side effects from<br />
chemotherapy for melanoma<br />
and uncertainty about future<br />
side effects as reasons for his<br />
resignation.<br />
Leadership in action: Bishop Carpenter prays<br />
with a youth leader at Accelerant 2012.<br />
12 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience<br />
He said, “I intended to<br />
finish this term, and I would if<br />
A legacy of leading: Bishop and Mrs. Carpenter with Bishop and<br />
Mrs. Leon Stewart, Bishop and Mrs. James Leggett, Mrs. Esther<br />
Underwood, and Mrs. Jean Williams.<br />
transformed the atmosphere of<br />
America. I want this denomination<br />
to be a 21st century church that is<br />
relevant, dynamic, and demonstrative.”
Installing a New Leader<br />
Dr. Doug Beacham becomes general superintendent in July.<br />
by Mégan Alba<br />
Under the bylaws of the<br />
IPHC, Dr. A.D. (Doug)<br />
Beacham, Jr., current vice<br />
chairman, will become<br />
general superintendent<br />
on July 19 and serve out<br />
the remainder of Bishop<br />
Carpenter’s term, which<br />
was scheduled to end in July<br />
2013.<br />
Per the current IPHC<br />
Manual, the proceedings will<br />
be as follows:<br />
Bishop Carpenter will<br />
submit his resignation to the<br />
Council of Bishops. The office<br />
of general superintendent will<br />
then be declared vacant.<br />
The office of general<br />
superintendent will be filled<br />
by the vice chairman of the<br />
executive committee, Dr.<br />
A.D. Beacham, Jr.<br />
A vacancy in the office of<br />
executive director of World<br />
Missions Ministries will be<br />
declared. The replacement<br />
will be elected by the Council<br />
of Bishops.<br />
The COB will also declare<br />
vacancies in the offices of vice<br />
chairman, corporate secretary,<br />
and corporate treasurer. Rev.<br />
Chris Thompson, executive<br />
director of Evangelism<br />
USA, will fill the position<br />
of vice chairman. Rev.<br />
Talmadge Gardner, executive<br />
director of Discipleship<br />
Ministries Division, will fill<br />
the position of corporate<br />
secretary. The newly elected<br />
executive director will<br />
become corporate treasurer.<br />
A public installation<br />
service will take place Friday,<br />
July 20, at 7 p.m. in Orlando,<br />
Florida, during the opening<br />
Dr. A.D. (Doug) Beacham, Jr.<br />
service of Youth Quest. Those<br />
who cannot attend may watch<br />
the service via Internet live<br />
stream.<br />
A Legacy of Leadership<br />
IPHC executives celebrate the leadership of Presiding Bishop Carpenter.<br />
For over thirty<br />
years Ron<br />
Carpenter and<br />
I have served<br />
the IPHC as<br />
colleagues and,<br />
more importantly,<br />
friends. He has<br />
always been a<br />
biblical Nathaniel<br />
to me, a man<br />
“in whom there is no guile.” Presiding<br />
Bishop Carpenter has always been a<br />
man of integrity, genuine compassion,<br />
global vision, and deep love for Christ<br />
and His church.<br />
In the past months he has demonstrated<br />
wise leadership, perhaps more than<br />
at any stage in his life. He and his<br />
dear wife, Nan, have modeled faithful<br />
Christian service, and I am confident that<br />
the Holy Spirit will use this next season<br />
of his life in ways that will bless them<br />
and their family, bless the IPHC family,<br />
and continue to bring glory to God.<br />
Bishop A.D. Beacham, Jr.<br />
Executive Director<br />
World Missions Ministries<br />
Vice Chairman, IPHC<br />
I have<br />
known<br />
Presiding<br />
Bishop<br />
Carpenter<br />
since I<br />
enrolled<br />
at Holmes<br />
Bible<br />
College<br />
in 1971.<br />
Through the years, he has been<br />
a mentor and friend. History<br />
will record that his ministry<br />
led to many significant church<br />
advances. Perhaps one of the<br />
greatest will be his direction<br />
of the IPHC into a church of<br />
ethnic diversity. His enthusiasm,<br />
encouraging words, and frequent<br />
hugs will be missed.<br />
Bishop D. Chris Thompson<br />
Executive Director<br />
Evangelism USA<br />
Corporate Secretary<br />
I have always respected<br />
Ron, but never more<br />
so than now. Very few<br />
leaders know when to<br />
leave. His example is<br />
unprecedented and tells<br />
me how much he values<br />
this church.<br />
His leadership over<br />
the course of the past<br />
three years facilitated the most comprehensive<br />
restructuring of our church in this era. One of<br />
the leadership traits that I so much admired was<br />
his ability to release persons/gifts for service.<br />
As an executive, I never felt micromanaged!<br />
He let me do what I was elected to do—lead<br />
and serve. I always felt that Ron was the<br />
biggest cheerleader that this division and I had<br />
personally. His support was constant.<br />
As the youngest member of the executive<br />
committee, I am indebted to him for his<br />
mentorship, friendship, personal interest in<br />
and love for me. I am humbled to have had the<br />
privilege of serving under his command.<br />
Bishop J. Talmadge Gardner<br />
Executive Director<br />
Discipleship Ministries Division<br />
Corporate Treasurer<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 13
COVER STORY<br />
14 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience
By Tavner Smith<br />
Insane<br />
Youth Ministry<br />
It’s time to stop playing the<br />
numbers game in youth<br />
ministry and focus on<br />
lasting life change instead.<br />
Youth ministry. Those<br />
two words can be<br />
overwhelming. However,<br />
I believe youth ministry<br />
is one of the greatest and most<br />
difficult callings God can give to<br />
someone. It is tiring, frustrating,<br />
and rewarding at the same time.<br />
There is nothing quite like serving<br />
this generation!<br />
I grew up in youth ministry. My<br />
mom was one of our youth group<br />
leaders, so as a kid, I went along on<br />
every trip and event. I cut my teeth<br />
in an old 15-passenger van on<br />
outings to Six Flags, youth camps,<br />
ski trips, and any other event<br />
teenagers might be interested<br />
in. When I turned 18, I started<br />
teaching classes and organizing<br />
activities. I guess you could say I<br />
was born for youth ministry.<br />
continued<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 15
Am I Insane?<br />
I eventually took a job as a youth pastor<br />
at a medium-sized church in South Carolina.<br />
I did what I thought I was supposed to<br />
do, what I’d always done. I preached every<br />
Wednesday night, organized lock-ins and<br />
youth trips, and did everything else I was<br />
taught to do to reach the next generation.<br />
It worked. My youth group grew<br />
exponentially. People noticed. In the<br />
middle of this growth, I was<br />
called away from youth<br />
ministry to spend a year<br />
with a Christian band.<br />
After my year of<br />
travel, I decided to<br />
settle in Greenville,<br />
South Carolina.<br />
God opened the<br />
door for me to<br />
begin serving at<br />
Redemption World<br />
Outreach Center,<br />
and that journey has<br />
changed my life and<br />
ministry forever.<br />
When I came to<br />
Redemption, I tried the same<br />
strategies I’d used at my previous church.<br />
This time, they didn’t work. For years, our<br />
ministry team tried to think of different ways<br />
to dress up the system, but our efforts always<br />
ended in frustration.<br />
I was seeing 400 to 500 students each<br />
Wednesday night. Our services were<br />
growing substantially. We were having<br />
amazing services and regularly saw hundreds<br />
of students at the altar weeping and<br />
surrendering their lives to God. But those<br />
same students would be back at the altar the<br />
next week. Nothing had changed. They were<br />
unable to sustain their decisions. I was tired<br />
of seeing numbers without seeing true life<br />
change.<br />
I got my staff together and changed<br />
everything, from the style of worship and<br />
preaching to our follow-up efforts to retain<br />
students so they could continue to grow after<br />
they made a decision for Christ. Nothing<br />
worked, and I was utterly frustrated. I began<br />
seeking God, asking Him to show me what<br />
to do next. Finally, after a year, the Lord<br />
spoke.<br />
I was sitting at home one night and a<br />
scene from an old spoof movie began to<br />
play in my head. In the scene, there was a<br />
man who wanted to cross a bridge. At the<br />
entrance to the bridge stood a knight who<br />
would not let anyone cross. A fight ensued.<br />
16 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience<br />
(I assure you, although the description<br />
seems graphic, the movie is a comedy<br />
and is not graphic at all!) As the fight<br />
progressed, the traveler cut off the<br />
knight’s arms and legs. At the end of the<br />
scene, the traveler crossed the bridge and<br />
left the helpless knight behind yelling,<br />
“Come back here! I’m going to bite<br />
you!”<br />
At that moment, God spoke to me:<br />
This is a picture of my church.<br />
We’ve been guarding<br />
the bridge, trying to<br />
prevent the enemy<br />
from crossing<br />
over to get this<br />
generation.<br />
But the<br />
enemy has so<br />
dismembered<br />
and disunited<br />
us that we’re<br />
rolling around,<br />
making empty<br />
threats to Satan.<br />
He can clearly see we<br />
don’t have it together,<br />
and with no arms or legs, we<br />
can only mouth idle threats at him.<br />
Consequently, he has crossed the bridge<br />
and taken this generation.<br />
Albert Einstein defined insanity as<br />
doing the same thing over and over<br />
while expecting different results. Most of<br />
us are familiar with this definition, and<br />
we’d never intentionally act insane. For<br />
example, we would never hit<br />
our thumbs repeatedly<br />
with a hammer,<br />
hoping that the<br />
next time we’d<br />
feel no pain. We<br />
would never<br />
put our hand<br />
in a beehive<br />
repeatedly,<br />
hoping that<br />
eventually the<br />
bees would stop<br />
stinging. Yet we<br />
repeatedly practice<br />
“insanity” in youth<br />
ministry! We have<br />
gotten into a habit of doing<br />
the same thing repeatedly. How<br />
many times have we called a creative<br />
meeting to plan a different way of doing<br />
the same thing? And what do we get?<br />
That’s right—the same results. We go<br />
home at the end of every day, frustrated,<br />
angry, lost and sad … wondering why<br />
we cannot receive the breakthrough we<br />
seek with this generation.<br />
That’s where I was the night<br />
God spoke to me. I realized I’d been<br />
practicing insanity—doing the same<br />
activities over and over, and wondering<br />
why we weren’t seeing changed lives.<br />
That night, God gave me a two-fold<br />
vision to stop practicing “insane youth<br />
ministry,” win back this generation, and<br />
change this culture!<br />
Step One: Unite the<br />
Body of Christ<br />
For far too long, we have tried<br />
to build our churches and our youth<br />
groups and our names and our agendas.<br />
This has to stop now!<br />
Jesus is not tied to a denomination.<br />
He is not <strong>Pentecostal</strong>. He is not Baptist.<br />
He is not Methodist. He is the King of<br />
kings and the Lord of lords. He cannot<br />
be put in a box, governed by manmade<br />
rules, or confined to our temporal<br />
parameters. He is God. He is the Head,<br />
and he needs a body on which to<br />
place his head of authority in order to<br />
take back the world and establish His<br />
kingdom and His agenda.<br />
It is time for all Christians to come<br />
together as one body. Let us lay aside<br />
titles and denominational arguments<br />
and focus on Jesus Christ alone. He<br />
says in John 12:32 that if we lift Him<br />
up, He will draw all men unto<br />
Himself. He didn’t say if we<br />
lift our denomination,<br />
or our rules, or our<br />
youth groups, or<br />
our names up.<br />
He said if we<br />
lift Him up!<br />
Notice He<br />
does not say<br />
if we lift Him<br />
up, then we<br />
have to draw<br />
people to Him.<br />
The word says<br />
if we will simply<br />
lift Him up, He will<br />
draw those to Himself.<br />
Ministry is not about us. It<br />
is all about Him. It is not about the<br />
churches we serve, but about His work.<br />
After I received this word from the<br />
Lord, I began calling all the pastors<br />
in my area and sharing the vision of<br />
uniting the Body of Christ. I posted
videos to YouTube, hosted meetings,<br />
took pastors to lunch, and did whatever<br />
was necessary to spread the word about<br />
bringing the body of Christ together in<br />
our city.<br />
Our first “Unite” service began in<br />
September 2011. Now, just eight months<br />
into this effort, over 3,500 teenagers<br />
and 80 churches of all denominations<br />
are attending our monthly gatherings.<br />
“Unite” is making the news and people<br />
are talking about it. Even the mayor has<br />
taken notice, and he has put his support<br />
behind the idea because he sees that<br />
we are banding together to reach out<br />
and serve our community in the name<br />
of Jesus, not in the name of a church<br />
or denomination. God is moving in an<br />
incredible way in these services.<br />
Step Two: Grow<br />
Smaller<br />
My ministry training told<br />
me we are able to know<br />
if something is healthy<br />
by the fruit it bears.<br />
But for this to be<br />
true, we have to<br />
judge the right<br />
fruit.<br />
The problem<br />
with youth<br />
ministry is<br />
that we have<br />
been taught<br />
that numbers are<br />
evidence of a healthy<br />
ministry. Don’t get me<br />
wrong—I’m a numbers guy.<br />
The more young people you get<br />
together, the more souls<br />
can be saved and lives<br />
changed, and the<br />
greater the potential<br />
impact. However,<br />
I do not believe<br />
that growing<br />
large always<br />
indicates the<br />
health of a<br />
youth ministry.<br />
Numbers are<br />
not the fruit by<br />
which we should<br />
judge a ministry.<br />
Instead, we need to<br />
Numbers are not the<br />
fruit by which we<br />
should judge a ministry.<br />
Instead, we need to<br />
focus on changing lives<br />
and creating disciples.<br />
focus on changing lives and creating<br />
disciples.<br />
Although the “Unite” numbers are<br />
growing, I am working within my youth<br />
group to grow smaller. I have cancelled<br />
all weekly services with my youth group.<br />
Instead, we recruited and trained<br />
leaders to be pastors. We<br />
broke our large youth<br />
group down into<br />
small groups of<br />
10-12 students.<br />
Now, Wednesday<br />
nights are small<br />
group nights<br />
where students<br />
meet with<br />
their leaders<br />
to study God’s<br />
word and receive<br />
encouragement on<br />
a personal level.<br />
This is not a typical<br />
group study. The structure<br />
allows the same leader to be<br />
assigned to the same group<br />
of students from middle<br />
school until they<br />
graduate high school.<br />
Leaders attend<br />
school lunches,<br />
sporting events<br />
and birthday<br />
parties, and<br />
they use every<br />
route they can<br />
to be involved<br />
in these students’<br />
lives. Our leaders<br />
are literally invading<br />
their students’ lives and<br />
allowing the students access<br />
to their own lives as well.<br />
Be the Change<br />
My ministry is no longer based on<br />
numbers, but on life change. It is driven<br />
by real-life relationships, and it’s about<br />
disciples creating disciples, who create<br />
more disciples. Christian music artist<br />
LeCrae coined a phrase that describes<br />
this perfectly: disciple cycles.<br />
Am I still a numbers guy? Yes, to an<br />
extent. This is only because the more<br />
people we bring in, the more people can<br />
hear the life-changing message of the<br />
gospel. You need to consider, though,<br />
that no one will remember the number<br />
of people you can gather into a building.<br />
You will forever be remembered for the<br />
impact those people make in the world<br />
and culture they live in.<br />
It’s time to stop the “Insane Youth<br />
Ministry.” Let’s band together and bring<br />
about more than a temporary change.<br />
Let’s create disciples who are multiplied,<br />
empowered, and sent out to make the<br />
name of Jesus famous in all the earth.<br />
Tavner Smith is executive student pastor<br />
at Redemption World Outreach Center<br />
and founder of The Movement Student<br />
Ministries in Greenville, S.C. His goal is<br />
to reach teenage students across the world<br />
with the salvation that Jesus offers and the<br />
message that they, too, were created with a<br />
specific purpose. Tavner lives in Greenville,<br />
S.C., with his wife, Danielle, and their three<br />
daughters.<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 17
A Fresh Face<br />
in Urban<br />
Ministry<br />
Emmanuel College student<br />
Derrick Brown plans to take his<br />
passion—and his hip-hop music—<br />
to the streets.<br />
by J. lee Grady<br />
Derrick Brown is only 22, but he has a big dream to plant a<br />
vibrant church.<br />
Derrick Brown doesn’t look<br />
a day over 18, but don’t let his<br />
baby face fool you. The 22-yearold<br />
freshman at Emmanuel<br />
College has a mature faith and<br />
a passion for outreach that you<br />
don’t often find in someone<br />
twice his age. And he has big<br />
plans: After he is ordained in<br />
the IPHC by early next year,<br />
he hopes to plant a church in<br />
the urban core of Chattanooga,<br />
Tennessee.<br />
“There is just something<br />
about ‘being’ the church instead<br />
of ‘going’ to church that sparks<br />
a fire in my heart,” says Brown,<br />
who grew up near Emmanuel,<br />
in Dewy Rose, Ga.<br />
He currently fuels his outreach passion by volunteering on Friday<br />
nights at SafeHouse, a street ministry in Atlanta, and by writing and<br />
performing Christian music. His favorite genre is Christian hip-hop,<br />
and he’s been writing and recording his music for nine years.<br />
“I’ve had a love for hip-hop music since my B.C. (before Christ)<br />
days,” says Brown, whose musical gift helps him overcome racial<br />
barriers. “In 2008, I started using my gift as a way to bring God glory<br />
and preach the gospel to urban culture.”<br />
When sharing his testimony, Brown laughs as he refers to himself<br />
as a “drug baby”—because he was “drug” to church every Sunday<br />
by his loving parents. He heard many sermons about Jesus, but he<br />
refused to surrender to Christ’s lordship. As a teen he was addicted to<br />
pornography, and he struggled to find any purpose in his life.<br />
All that changed at a youth event in 2007, while Brown was<br />
listening to a preacher who told the audience there is “no middle<br />
ground” when it comes to serving God.<br />
“In that moment the Holy Spirit dealt with my heart,” Derrick<br />
told Experience. “I had been living a lie. I went to the front of the<br />
meeting, prayed and decided to follow Jesus. I left that building<br />
with a desire to not just know about Jesus, but to really know Him<br />
personally. And I’ve been striving to do so ever since.”<br />
The vision for the Chattanooga church was born at a McDonald’s<br />
restaurant while Brown and his friend, Josh Hall, began dreaming<br />
about their future. Hall asked a pointed question: “If we started a<br />
church, what would it be like?” Brown says the question changed his<br />
life.<br />
“Three hours later we had hired a full, imaginary staff and had a<br />
complete service schedule for our multiple campuses!” Derrick says.<br />
“What began as a hopeful idea birthed a dream that became alive in<br />
us.”<br />
The concept for The Gathering Place was born during that<br />
conversation. The more Brown and Hall talked about Chattanooga,<br />
the more they fell in love with the city. The more they discussed<br />
18 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience
the church, the more they felt called to<br />
actually go there.<br />
The two men plan to start a church<br />
that collides with Chattanooga’s modern<br />
artistic culture and presents the gospel<br />
through outreach to the unchurched. They<br />
also intend to open a shelter for women<br />
who are abused or trapped in prostitution.<br />
For now, until the vision becomes<br />
reality, Brown knows he is in training.<br />
Besides taking a full class load at<br />
Emmanuel’s School of Christian<br />
Ministries, he serves as a campus chaplain,<br />
and he opens chapel services. He also reads<br />
books or listens to sermons by his favorite<br />
preachers: Matt Chandler, Perry Noble,<br />
Steven Furtick and Eric Pennington—<br />
pastor of Celebration Outreach Center,<br />
the PH church in Elberton, Ga., that<br />
Brown attends.<br />
He is also being personally mentored<br />
by Rick Womack, the executive assistant<br />
of the IPHC’s Georgia Conference.<br />
The two men meet weekly—at the<br />
local McDonald’s near the Emmanuel<br />
campus—to talk honestly about life<br />
struggles and to discuss questions about<br />
ministry.<br />
“Rick adds fuel to my fire,” Brown says.<br />
“More than that, he provides direction.<br />
This is the main thing I need in my life as<br />
a young leader: a spiritual father who loves<br />
me like a son.”<br />
Womack says it is a joy to invest in an<br />
emerging leader with so much potential.<br />
“Derrick has been zealous to seek mentors<br />
to speak into his life in critical areas,” he<br />
says. “And he takes seriously the command<br />
to make disciples by meeting with the guys<br />
“There’s just<br />
something about<br />
‘being’ the church<br />
instead of ‘going’ to<br />
church that sparks a<br />
fire in my heart.”<br />
–Derrick Brown<br />
he mentors. And he has challenged them<br />
to make disciples as well!”<br />
Brown puts a fresh face on our<br />
movement, and he reminds us that<br />
ministry is not about being religious, but<br />
about rolling up our sleeves and serving.<br />
“<strong>Church</strong> services are vital to church<br />
vision,” Brown says, “but if we have<br />
‘services’ but do no ‘service’ for anyone<br />
afterward, our faith has no life.”<br />
Julio 26-28 • Sunrise, Florida • Iglesia Cristiana Torre Fuerte<br />
C<br />
H N<br />
2012<br />
“Fluyendo en un Ministerio Relevante, Dinámico, y Demostrativo”<br />
Conferencia Hispana Nacional<br />
iphc.org/experience | April 2012 19
mexico<br />
Training leaders: Judith and missionary Roger Gorman meet with teachers<br />
at Emanuel Bible School in Monterrey, Mexico.<br />
Leaving a Legacy for<br />
Future Generations<br />
Missionary Judith Perez has dedicated her<br />
life to training pastors and lay leaders in<br />
Mexico.<br />
BY Mégan alba<br />
J<br />
udith Perez took an adventurous and unexpected route<br />
to her missions assignment in Monterrey, Mexico.<br />
In her early 20s, she imagined spending her life in<br />
ministry with her husband, a pastor in<br />
the Appalachian Conference, but soon<br />
after they married, he was diagnosed<br />
with cancer. Just 13 months after their<br />
wedding, the young bride became a widow.<br />
After her husband’s passing, Perez earned her<br />
education degree and took a job teaching at the same<br />
elementary school she had attended as a child. She<br />
lived with her elderly mother and her spinster sister.<br />
In her spare time, she worked with the Youth in<br />
Action group at her local church.<br />
In 1969, Perez was asked to chaperone a youth<br />
missions trip to Mexico. While there, she learned of<br />
the IPHC’s training center in Monterrey, Emanuel<br />
Bible School. “Everywhere we went in Mexico, people<br />
would say, ‘That pastor graduated from Emanuel<br />
Bible School,’” she recalls. “It impacted me so much to see the work<br />
these young people were doing all over Mexico.”<br />
She returned to the United States, but her heart remained in<br />
Mexico. By March of 1970, she knew she had to return to help<br />
20 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience<br />
By the time the<br />
teaching contracts<br />
went out, I knew<br />
I couldn’t sign it.<br />
God was asking<br />
another contract<br />
in my life.<br />
the little Bible school in Monterrey. “By the<br />
time the teaching contracts went out, I knew<br />
I couldn’t sign it. God was asking another<br />
contract in my life.”<br />
With no knowledge of the Spanish<br />
language and a hesitant blessing from her<br />
mother, Perez moved to Costa Rica and<br />
enrolled in language school. In 1972, her<br />
training and ordination were complete, and<br />
she became a missionary to Mexico, serving<br />
alongside veteran missionary Floradell<br />
Baldwin.<br />
Forty years later, Perez is still in<br />
Monterrey, training pastors and lay leaders at<br />
Emanuel Bible School. Although the school is<br />
small, it continues to provide the majority of<br />
the ministers in the East Mexico Conference.<br />
Perez serves as both a teacher and the<br />
secretary-treasurer. She maintains the school’s<br />
ledger, tracks students’ grades, and even does<br />
the grocery shopping when necessary. She is<br />
a true missionary in every sense of the word,<br />
adopting a whatever-it-takes attitude to<br />
disciple others and spread the gospel. “I still<br />
have the same job description the Lord gave<br />
me back then,” she says. “He hasn’t changed<br />
it yet. I’m still fulfilling what he sent me there<br />
to do.”<br />
Her mission may be the same, but the<br />
Lord is taking the school to new places—<br />
literally. Now in its 51st year, Emanuel Bible<br />
School has evolved into a multisite training<br />
program, with extension campuses in four<br />
locations across the East Mexico Conference.<br />
The new program allows the<br />
school to train leaders who were<br />
previously unable to leave their<br />
homes and jobs to come and<br />
study at the main campus in<br />
Monterrey. “Now, we’re not just<br />
reaching young people; we’re<br />
able to reach a population that<br />
has always wanted to know how<br />
to evangelize better, disciple<br />
better, use their giftings in the<br />
church better,” says Perez. “We’re<br />
not just producing pastors—<br />
we’re producing and equipping<br />
workers to lift up the harvest.” In<br />
the coming months, the school<br />
plans to open two more extension campuses.<br />
Perez has also found a second calling as a<br />
wife and mother. While looking for an artist<br />
to help design the school’s crest, she was
On a mission: Judith stands with a short-term missions group visiting Monterrey.<br />
introduced to local artist and publicist<br />
Ruben Perez. Several meetings later,<br />
the school had its crest, and Judith<br />
and Ruben had a new friendship. She<br />
soon learned Ruben’s first wife passed<br />
away from cancer, leaving behind three<br />
children. The two quickly realized<br />
there was “chemistry,” said Judith, but<br />
given their previous marriages and her<br />
missionary status, “we felt it was in our<br />
best interest to go straight to the altar<br />
instead of pursue courtship.”<br />
This July, they will celebrate their<br />
35th anniversary. Ruben also teaches<br />
at Emanuel Bible School, and he uses<br />
his skills as a publicist to help churches<br />
with fundraising and strategic<br />
planning. Together, they are a dynamic<br />
team that provides much-needed<br />
training and discipleship to ministers<br />
and leaders across the region.<br />
Looking back on her life, Judith<br />
says she never could have envisioned<br />
such an adventure. Much like He<br />
did with Job, God has restored what<br />
she lost many times over. Because<br />
of her obedience, she was blessed<br />
not only with a second husband, but<br />
Mission profile<br />
Judith Perez<br />
also with three children and four<br />
grandchildren—and with countless<br />
spiritual sons and daughters at the<br />
school. “It’s a story that only God<br />
could put together,” she says.<br />
It’s also a story that isn’t finished<br />
yet. Despite the ongoing danger of<br />
the Mexican drug wars, Perez says she<br />
has no plans to retire. She now sees a<br />
new ministry opportunity: serving the<br />
widows and orphans of those killed<br />
in the drug cartel war. Now that U.S.<br />
missions groups are unable to come to<br />
Monterrey, Judith says the church is<br />
stepping into a new role. “The churches<br />
are more united,” she says. “They are<br />
doing more children’s ministry. Pray<br />
they’ll reach the young children who<br />
are enlisting in the drug cartel activity.”<br />
As long as there is a need, Judith<br />
Perez will be leading, teaching, buying<br />
the groceries, and serving the people<br />
of Monterrey. “I’m willing to stay until<br />
the Lord says otherwise,” she says.<br />
To support Judith Perez, go to<br />
iphc.org/directory/judith-andruben-perez<br />
or give to support<br />
account #54031S.<br />
Ministry base: Monterrey, Mexico<br />
Years in missions: 40<br />
Favorite meal: Virginia Ham (U.S.) and Judith and Ruben Perez<br />
Tamales (Mexico)<br />
Cultural faux pas: “I once took a Tylenol<br />
and washed it down with some Coca-Cola. I later learned that the Mexican<br />
culture thought taking any pain pill with a Coke was the same as taking<br />
dope.”<br />
Learning the lingo: “The Spanish word for oatmeal is avena, and sand is<br />
arena. Sometimes I get my words mixed up and ask Ruben if he wants a bowl<br />
of sand for breakfast.”<br />
Greatest needs in Monterrey: Prayer, compassion, and power to witness<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 21<br />
“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who<br />
labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and<br />
admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love<br />
for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.”<br />
1 Thess. 5:12, 13<br />
October 7<br />
is<br />
Pastor<br />
Appreciation Day<br />
Download your FREE<br />
planning guide and other<br />
resources at www.iphc.org/<br />
pastorappreciation.<br />
iphc.org/experience | April 2012 21
ook<br />
Annetta Lee uses<br />
fiction to share<br />
biblical truth<br />
Light Encounters by Annetta Lee<br />
Available ONLY on Kindle<br />
$3.99<br />
truth that draws the reader into an encounter with the<br />
Divine Author of Life. Her prayer is that while providing<br />
entertainment, her book will “ignite hunger—hunger for<br />
intimacy with God—hunger for the supernatural truths<br />
of mysteries He has planted for us.”<br />
Priced at just $3.99 on Kindle, Light Encounters is<br />
an entertaining and imaginative addition to the oftenoverlooked<br />
genre of Christian fiction. Readers will be<br />
engaged and enlightened as the main character finds<br />
her way to the cross.<br />
-by Mégan Alba<br />
Annetta Lee is well-known in<br />
the IPHC as the administrative<br />
assistant to Presiding Bishop<br />
Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr. But<br />
this prayer warrior and servant<br />
leader is also an accomplished<br />
author in the Christian fiction<br />
genre.<br />
Lee has been writing and<br />
publishing fiction for over a decade. “I write fiction<br />
because the stories crowd my head and want out,”<br />
she says. Her latest book, Light Encounters, features<br />
action, romance, intrigue, and deception, all while<br />
sharing important biblical truths.<br />
The book’s main character, Celia, flees to a small<br />
town in Oklahoma after her family is murdered. As<br />
she tries to evade the mob, federal agents, and the<br />
man accused of murdering her family, Celia comes<br />
face-to-face with the faith she left behind 16 years<br />
ago.<br />
Lee says while devotionals and self-help books are<br />
important, fiction has a valuable place in Christian<br />
literature. She says, “Everybody isn’t going to pick<br />
up a Bible or devotional. Many simply want to be<br />
entertained. If I can be entertaining and plant a seed<br />
of truth that only the Holy Spirit can increase, then I<br />
have done my small part.”<br />
She also sees her work as a ministry and a form of<br />
evangelism. “My stories appeal to people of all walks<br />
of life … most just wanting an escape,” she says.<br />
“They have a message based on biblical principles,<br />
and since we’re all called to be fishers of men, I deem<br />
them my ‘net.’”<br />
In the midst of intriguing characters, wild<br />
adventures, and (clean) romance, Lee weaves in<br />
To order from Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/LIGHT-<br />
ENCOUNTERS-ebook/dp/B005W3LAUY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UT<br />
F8&qid=1337708689&sr=8-2<br />
22 June/July 2012 | iphc.org/experience
“It saddens us that Bishop<br />
Carpenter is resigning, but<br />
God has greater plans for<br />
him and his family. He is<br />
a tremendous man of God<br />
and a great example for all<br />
of us. May God continue to<br />
bless him in his recovery<br />
and bless his family.”<br />
–Vicky Potter<br />
IPHC National<br />
Senior Adults<br />
MINISTRIES<br />
CONVENTION<br />
Readers shared their thoughts<br />
on Bishop Carpenter’s<br />
resignation.<br />
I feel sad to hear this about our<br />
bishop. God is in control. Our<br />
prayers are with him and his<br />
family.<br />
Christopher Mutira<br />
Bishop Carpenter is a great man<br />
of God, and we lift him and his<br />
loved ones up in prayer.<br />
Anthony Holmes<br />
My respect for Bishop Carpenter<br />
is greater at this moment than it<br />
has ever been. I believe that this<br />
decision shows that this man is<br />
not thinking of himself but of the<br />
body of Christ and IPHC.<br />
Kevin Sneed<br />
Sad to lose Bishop [Carpenter],<br />
but I know God will still use this<br />
man in incredible ways! Praying<br />
for him and his family … trusting<br />
God to work in him!<br />
Heather Reynolds<br />
He has my prayers. He is a man I<br />
greatly admire, and the one who<br />
was responsible for me seeking<br />
licensing through the IPHC.<br />
Cara Chase<br />
Readers commented on Larissa<br />
Akerman’s work in South Sudan.<br />
Praise God for obedience to<br />
the Call, God’s anointing and<br />
blessing! Rejoicing for the<br />
salvation of souls!<br />
Jeannie McClung<br />
Great article!<br />
Matt Helland<br />
We asked readers what areas<br />
of the church need a makeover.<br />
Here’s what they had to say.<br />
We need to allow the Holy Ghost<br />
freedom to move. Don’t be afraid<br />
to speak in tongues, etc.<br />
Jeremy Fairres<br />
Discipleship focus first, rather<br />
than numbers. Many repeat<br />
prayers of salvation and few<br />
get rooted. Depth of apologetic<br />
teaching will build a stronger<br />
five-fold ministry and create a<br />
stronger Body of Christ. It takes<br />
more time and effort to build lifechanging<br />
relationships, but [it is]<br />
well worth the investment, and so<br />
rewarding!<br />
Lisa Price<br />
Join us!<br />
For registration information,<br />
schedule and other details, go<br />
to www.iphc.org/discipleship.<br />
October 22-26, 2012<br />
Williamsburg, Virginia<br />
iphc.org/experience | June/July 2012 23
ISSN: 1547-4984<br />
LifeSprings Resources<br />
2425 West Main Street<br />
P.O. Box 9<br />
Franklin Springs, Georgia 30639<br />
For streaming times and<br />
details of services and<br />
awards ceremonies, visit<br />
www.iphc.org<br />
speakers/musicians<br />
Allen Griffin Pat Schatzline Tim Ross Joel Stockstill Bellarive