MINE 2012

MINE is a time of spiritual renewal, teaching, fellowship, and relaxation for the pastors and leaders of the North East conferences. The event is located at the Doubletree Resort: Lancaster/Willow Valley, in southeastern Pennsylvania just 3 miles south of scenic Lancaster, PA on Rt. 222.

The keynote speaker is John Oswalt. John Oswalt’s writings have appeared in Bible encyclopedias, scholarly journals and popular religious periodicals. Many of his articles have dealt with the application of Biblical teachings to modern ethical questions. He has written more than eight books. His most recent book is Lectures in Old Testament Theology: Yahweh is God Alone with Dennis Kinlaw, 2010.

MINE will take place in April 24-26. For more information, rates, and schedule go to minefmc.org.

2012 Multiplication Training Event

Thursday, March 29, MTE will take place at Rising Sun, MD. There are still seats available and it is not too late to register. This year, Pastor Mike Hilson will be the speaker.

Pastor Mike Hilson, a graduate of Southern Wesleyan University, has pastored at New Life Church, LaPlata, MD since 1999. He also serves as the Assistant District Superintendent of the Chesapeake District of the Wesleyan Church, and is President of IMPACTO an organization that provides evangelism, relief, medical, and micro-enterprise ministry in Guatemala. Mike is married to Tina, who serves as Director of Family Ministries at the church Mike currently pastors. They have three children.

Under his leadership at New Life Church in LaPlata, MD the church has grown from 74 people to five churches holding eight services with over 2100 in weekly attendance.

Reframe Conference 2012

Besides regular business, The 2012 Reframe Conference is a once in a lifetime opportunity to interact with two unique men, Bruce Bennett and David Nelms, who have led church planting movements that have each planted over 15,000 churches.

The Acts 12:24 Churches will be partnering with David Nelms, from the Timothy Initiative to plant 100 churches in Ethiopia.

The Reframe Conference will be held at Tuscarora Conference Center – Mt. Bethel, PA from June 10-12. For more info, schedule, and registration visit www.reframeconference.com

Church Consultant Network FMCUSA Training Event

Church Growth studies estimates that two-thirds of the population in the United States is non-Christian. Less than 20% of the population attends church on any given weekend. If the trend continues, the percentage of the population in America will be around 10.5 percent in 2050.

To reverse the decline in church attendance there needs to be a drastic turnaround in churches and thousands more churches planted. This year's training event will feature six Free Methodist Pastors who have led various sizes of Free Methodist churches in turning around in both attendance and convert growth.

The training is called "Best Practices to Turn Around Plateaued or Declining Churches"

Sponsored by Dr. Ray Ellis and the Church Consultant Network

At Cornerstone Community Free Methodist Church

6745 38th Ave. N.

St. Petersburg, FL 33710

The cost of the training event is $79.00 for individuals and $99.00 for couples. To register call the World Ministries Center, 1-800-342-5531.

You can also get more information and see a electronic version of the brochure by clicking here

Annual Reports Due Tomorrow!

Yes! It's that time of the year. We know that it requires work, but has to be done. Having the correct and complete information helps the Free Methodist Church leadership to plan for the years to come. The good news is that the reports are done through the internet at the website fmdata.org.
By now you should have received by e-mail all the steps needed to post the information of your church on the website.
If your church has not sent the reports yet, please send it as soon as possible. The dead line is Jan 31st.
If you have any question, please don't hesitate to contact the conference office.

Doctor Allen Wachter Authors a New Book

Allen Wachter, who has pastored Horton Brook Church for us and who continues to serve as a pastor's coach, has recently published a new book called "Dance of the Bees." Dance of the Bees is a fable that brings hope to those seeking to lead an organization to positive change. In addition to his pastoral work Allen, who recently completed his Doctor of Ministry degree, is a practicing veterinarian and serves as assistant professor in the Veterinary Science Department at the State University of New York at Delhi. The book is available on Amazon.com.

Kingdom Ministries Network Resource Session

KMN will hold a training/resources session on November 12th. The meeting will be held at Pastor Allen Powell's church ( Holy Trinity Worship Center). The church is located at 3511 Tejon Dr. Laurel MD 20724. The keynote speaker is Dr. Anthony Headley. Dr Headley is a licensed psychologist and a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is also a compelling speaker. Dr. Headley conducts seminars for pastors and other para-churches groups in the US and abroad.

Work Team Needed for South 9th St FMC

Al Sones is working on gathering a team to work on the sanctuary of the S. 9th St. FMC. There's a great deal of work to be done and a special need for carpenters and plumbers, but any help will be gladly accepted. The work will be done in a Friday and Saturday on the month of November, 2011. If you would like to help, please contact Al Sones at alsones@aol.com.

J-Term 2012

J-Term offers two weeks of intensive classes to help ministers fulfill their educational requirements for ordination. It is available to anyone actively pursuing ordination in the Free Methodist Church or to those who have already been ordained and would like to earn Continuing Education credit (CEUs).

Dates for J-Term 2012:

Week 1 – January 9-14, 2012

Week 2 – January 16-21, 2012

Click here for complete Information and Registration form.

New Pastors Orientation

The New Pastors Orientation is coming up. It will be on November 1st and it is a great opportunity for new pastors in the conference to learn how things work in the Acts 12:24 Churches Conference. For more information, please call the Acts 12:24 Churches Conference Office (410) 297 8017 or just reply this post with your questions.

2011 Conference Board Retreat

The BOA and MEG Board met on Sept 23, 24 for the annual meeting. The BOA worked on the priorities and money allocation for rapid kingdom expansion. On the MEG Board side, the work was on empowering the MEG Clusters to function with effective autonomy while working from the same philosophy and basic practices rooted in the priority of creating a culture of rapid kingdom expansion.

High-Tech Web Sites Affordable for FM Local Churches

Light & Life Communications and Sharefaith have formed a partnership that allows each Free Methodist Church - USA congregation to have a local church website for only $99.33 a year, a 23 percent discount from the price Sharefaith typically charges local churches. The deal includes access to Sharefaith's 38,000 church graphic templates. See full article by clicking here

FMC History and Polity Classes - Starts Sept 23rd

There is still time to register for FMC History and Polity classes. Willie Kirchhofer, pastor at Crossroads, will be teaching FM History and Polity Class. FM History and Polity is a requirement for every ministry candidate on the path to ordinance.

The course will help the student understand the origins, development, government and organization of the Free Methodist Church. These understandings will empower the student to lead renewal in the local church context. The course is conducted over three weekends beginning Fridays at 7pm - 9pm and continuing Saturdays 9am - 3pm. The weekends are: September 23rd and 24th; October 21st and 22nd; December 2nd and 3rd.

The classes will be held at Crossroads Church in Clifton, NJ. Please share with your members, leaders and potential ministry candidates. Click here to download the syllabus.

2011 Conference Board Retreat

Our Annual Board Retreat will be held in September 23 and 24. Members of the board will meet, pray and work on administrative and personnel matters of the conference. By now, members of the board have received a memo and confirmed presence. Pray for God's guidance and anointing in this meeting.

Leadership Event in Allentown

A leadership event will be held in Allentown PA. The Soulshift training will offer a powerful and practical approach to spiritual transformation. Learn seven key shifts that God's Spirit causes in the hearts, minds, and behaviors of Christians that will empower and unite your church for growth and ministry.

Registration is $29 for the first attendee and $5 for each for additional attendee from the same church (up to 3 additional attendees).

For registration, please click here

Links For Free Material

In 2009 we had a post on our blog about Free Resources for Church Leaders. Recently we had some links shared by pastors that we would like to make available to all of you. To see the previous post click here and below are the new links.

Here is a link sent by Joe Gandia for free Bible Class material. http://www.bibleclassbooks.com/index.html

Several churches already use the Calvary Chapel free Children's Curriculum http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum.htm. These lessons are available in English and Spanish

Here is a link that JR gave us several years ago for free conference calls. www.freeconferencecall.com

Yancey Brown appointed to Horton Brook

Yancey Brown has been appointed to serve as the pastor of the Horton Brook, NY Church. Yancey has many years experience in music ministry and has ministered in hundreds of churches, both in music and in preaching. Yancey has been a lay member of the Horton Brook Church for the past two years. Please pray for Yancey and his family as they make this transition into the role of church pastor.

Internship Opportunity

Valley Chapel Church is currently looking for Interns to join their full time staff team. The church is located at Warsaw, NY and is offering this great opportunity beginning September 2011. Please pass the information along your leaders and members. Please click here for complete information.

Speaker for Multiplication Training Event Announced

Rev. J. Michael Hilson, senior pastor of La Plata New Life Wesleyan Church will be our speaker at this years Multiplication Training Event. Mike was appointed to his church in 1999 when the church reported 74 in primary worship attendance. This year New Life Network will report well in excess of 2,000 in church. New Life Network has seen a number of converts, three church plants, significant community involvement, international influence, and more. Mike is an excellent preacher and relates well to pastors.

Each year we seek to bring speakers who have proven their ability to lead churches to multiplication to come to our event to tell their story and share their skills. Bring your ministry leaders to hear Mike's story and gain valuable skills in multiplying the Kingdom of God.

Next year's Multiplication Training Event will be held on Thursday, March 29, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at Chesapeake Bay Golf Club in Rising Sun, MD. Save the date!

2011 Yearbook Orders Deadline

August 12 is the last day to order the FMC Yearbook. Each Church is responsible for its own Yearbook order and payment. We just want to remember you that the orders are made directly to the Wesleyan Publishing House. The Yearbook comes in Spiral Bound, Perfect Bound and CD format. Please click here to download the order form.