Rev. Carey Akin

Workshop:
Preparing Yourself and Your Team Spiritually for a Mission Trip

Rev. Carey Akin is a graduate of Asbury Seminary and has been serving full-time in ministry since 1990. As a youth and college minister, as well as contemporary worship pastor he has lead mission teams from inner-city Atlanta to Kenya, Africa. His passion for missions has called him to a wide variety of missions experiences, (Appalachian Mountains, Katrina Relief, Arizona Indian Reservation, Mexico, France, Spain, Morocco, Ghana, Uganda, etc.) from building projects, to evangelism and teaching pastors in third-world countries. Currently he serves as the Pastor of Mission at Mt. Bethel UMC in Marietta, GA.

Dick Arnold

Dick is a Consultant to the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Global Ministry for Eastern Europe and the Balkans. He has hands-on experience in international mission work, starting in 1992, when he began to travel extensively to Russia & Ukraine and helped start two new UMCs there. Since then he developed and now coordinates the IN MISSION TOGETHER Partnership program, which matches US churches with reemerging churches in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovakia, where he has traveled many times. He is a frequent speaker about his mission work, and has trained consultants who now coordinate this program in other countries in the Baltic’s, Central America, Africa and SE Asia.

John Bailey

Workshop:
Growing Missionaries in the Local Church

John Bailey serves the Lord at Asbury United Methodist Church as the Director of Missions. John accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at three years old and he grew up in a wonderful Christian home and attended Christian schools and college. John’s testimony is similar to that of the prodigal son in that he turned his back on God for several years as a young adult and he returned to the arms of his Father in April of 1994. As one of the lost sheep who was found, John knows the Father’s passion for the lost first-hand. The Father has given John the passion to see the captives set free, the blind eyes opened and the brokenhearted healed through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tim Barker

Workshop:
E-ROI

Tim Barker climbed the corporate ladder in the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) industry and served some of the largest and most reputable companies in the nation. Along the way, Mr. Barker helped start a few successful small businesses. Mr. Barker has also sat on the Board of Directors and Chaired Committees within his industry's trade association and authored a number of articles. His focus began to change from success in the marketplace to making an eternal impact. Mr. Barker had the privilege of training Christian leaders in Indonesia, Russia and Africa with EQUIP, a ministry of Dr. John Maxwell. In 2006, Mr. Barker became an Ordained Minister of Christ at a local church that he and his family helped plant. More recently, Mr. Barker assisted with the startup of a ministry that plans to send 1,000 people from the States to Africa this year.

Noel Castellanos

Workshop:
Unpacking Christian Community Development:
Moving our approach to working with the poor from betterment to development

Noel has worked in full-time ministry in urban communities since 1982. He has served in youth ministry, church planting, and community development in San Francisco, San Jose, and Chicago. Noel is a highly sought after speaker, motivator, and mentor to young leaders throughout the USA, and has a deep passion to serve and invest in the lives of emerging leaders. After serving on the Board of the Christian Community Development Association for many years, he has established the new CCDA Institute, which is working to equip emerging church leaders in the philosophy of Christian Community Development, and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of CCDA. He and his wife, Marianne, have three children, Noel Luis, Stefan, and Anna, and make their home in the barrio of La Villita in Chicago.

Bill Drake

Workshop:
Is What You're Living For Worth Dying For? For many around the world it is!

Abused and unwanted as a child and young teenager, talented musician Bill Drake was on the verge of suicide at the age of 19 when a college youth group began witnessing to him about the God who loved him unconditionally. Bill felt like he had a gun in one hand and a Bible in the other - which would he give up his life to? By the grace of God he chose the latter. The Lord transformed his ‘unlovely’ life and began to use his gifting in music and speaking to challenge and inspire others. A missionary with Operation Mobilization since 1991, Bill's ministry has been used of the Lord to impact countless numbers of people in nearly every continent.

Lou Duckwall

Lou Duckwall is a 15-year member at McEachern U.M.C., trying to be active in every area of the church. Annual mission trips to Puerto Rico fuel his fire for sharing Christ with Spanish speakers, and the development of the Hispanic Ministry at McEachern has thrown gasoline on that fire! Lou’s passion is using his teaching gift in Sunday School and any other fellowships where the Word can be shared. Some day he hopes to do it in Spanish (but his Spanish needs a lot of work)! He lives with his son and pooch in Marietta, GA, and works as a Product Development Manager for Printpack, Inc.

Matt Elsberry

Workshop:
Faithful with Little, Faithful with Much

Matt joined Crown in 2001 to serve a one-year internship with President Dave Rae. Thinking that he would return to his home in Colorado after the year, the Holy Spirit changed his direction and asked him to help others think in terms of sustainability and learn to become more intimate with Christ through the way they handle money. This, along with seeing the global church unified and actively involved in action-based accountability, are his passions in life. He has traveled to more than 50 countries helping to establish, support and encourage Crown’s global efforts. He currently resides in Flowery Branch, GA and is actively involved at 12Stone Church where he serves through the compassion, small group, and college-aged ministries. He currently serves on the boards of Service to Servants (a ministry focused on the nation of Liberia) and Cause ‘n’ Affect Network.

Darcie Gill

Workshop:
Praying for the Persecuted Church

Darcie Gill is a wife, mother of three children and grandmother to six precious little ones. Darcie came to know Jesus in 1972 in Beaumont, California. She is a graduate of North Florida Theological Seminary where she earned a Masters degree in Christian Education.

From 1976 to 1984 Darcie and her husband Tim were missionaries with Navajo Gospel Mission in the Four Corners area of Arizona. After leaving the mission field Tim and Darcie started One For Another Ministry with the purpose of uniting the Body of Christ around Christian issues which affect all denominations. God used this ministry to capture their hearts with the plight of persecuted Christians in restricted countries. In 1998 the Gills began serving the persecuted church with The Voice of the Martyrs. Since then Darcie has had the privilege of being a voice for these suffering Christians in hundreds of churches and gatherings across America. Darcie has had the opportunity to minister to persecuted Christians when she traveled to Cuba, Colombia, Sudan, Vietnam, China, Pakistan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Kashmir, and India. Through these first hand encounters Darcie will share the victories of the suffering Body allowing you the great honor of getting to know your family who endure afflictions for the cause of Christ.

Rev. Donna Goff

Workshop:
Changing Minds in a Changing World

Donna is a graduate of Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky with a degree in Bible and Biblical Languages. (1982) She also attended Asbury Theological Seminary and obtained her Masters in Biblical Literature and Languages. (1985) In August of 1985 she went to Kenya, East Africa to work with World Gospel Missions at the Kenya Highlands Bible College. She served in Kenya for 10 years as professor of Old Testament Studies. During her furlough in 1991, she obtained a Masters in Counseling at the University of South Alabama in Mobile Alabama and returned to Kenya to also teach pastoral counseling.

Donna has served on the ministry staff at McEachern Memorial UMC in Powder Springs Georgia for eight years and is currently Pastor of Missions. Her training is in education and counseling, and has a strong commitment to missions. She is currently serving on the Conference Disaster Relief Committee, Cobb Disaster Recovery Board, Conference Safe Sanctuary Board, Executive Board of Deacons.

Wes and Joy Griffin

Workshop:
A Radical and Effective Means for Funding Missions-Letting God Provide!

Workshop:
When God Calls Your Name: Discerning God’s Vision for your Life

Wes and Joy Griffin, co-founders of the International Leadership Institute (ILI), accelerate the spread of the Gospel by training leaders and changing lives around the world. Each year, more than 300 conferences equip over 10,000 leaders with advanced training in leadership, evangelism, and multiplication. Alumni serve on the cutting edge of evangelism in more than 50 nations speaking more than 200 languages. Wes and Joy are joined in ministry by their teenage children, Hannah and Caleb.

Rudy Heintzelman

Workshop:
Why Missions-The Externally Focused Church

Workshop:
How to Get Started in Becoming an Externally Focused Church

Workshop:
Strategies for Success for Becoming an Externally Focused Church

• Personal
  • Born August 14, 1947, Pennsylvania, number five of six boys.
  • Married 1971 to Janet Savill.
  • Daughters: Carmen, 23 years old – majoring in Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University
  • Jill, 18 years old. “Cutest girls east of the Mississippi.”
• Education
  • High School - 1965
  • Asbury College - 1970-1973 - Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education
  • Asbury Theological Seminary - 1973-1975 - MAR in Christian Education
• Professional Work
  • Air Force 1966 - 1970. Served in Texas, Mississippi, Florida, and Alaska in Radar Operations.
  • 1975 - 1976 Director of Christian Education and Youth, Crown Point, Indiana
  • 1976 - 1983 Director of Christian Education, Myrtle Grove United Methodist Church, Pensacola, Florida
  • 1983 - Present Minister of Programs, Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church, Montgomery, Alabama
• Tidbits
  • Ordained Deacon in Full Connection, 1997
  • Board of Directors - Campaign to Prevent Teen Sexuality, 1998-2001
  • Board of Directors - Partners in Education, 1998-2006, Chair 2001-2003
  • Board of Directors Sav-A-Life, 1986 – 1990, 2005-ongoing
  • Board of Directors - OMS, International, 1990 – ongoing
  • Large Church Initiative Committee of UMC 2008-ongoing

Earle King

Workshop:
Disaster Relief: Training Wheels for Missions

Earle King retired from the Army in 1988 and moved to Mobile, AL in 1989. Shortly after joining Christ United Methodist Church he became part of the newly formed Mission Committee and for the past 17 years has been actively involved in the churches Mission Program. He has led construction and medical mission teams to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela. Earle became part of the church staff in 1996 and was the church administrator when he retired in December 2006. Earle was involved in Christ Church's disaster relief efforts after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina and with the Corps of Engineers after Hurricane Frederick. He holds a Masters Degree in Management from Florida Institute of Technology and undergraduate degrees from the University of North Alabama and the University of Alabama.

Rev. Jerry Kulah

Rev. Jerry P. Kulah is District Superintendent of the Monrovia District Conference, one of the largest of the 20 districts of the United Methodist Church in Liberia, West Africa. Before ascending to this responsibility, Rev. Kulah provided pastoral leadership for one of Monrivia District conference growing Churches which grew to over two thousand members before he was appointed to serve as Director of Evangelism and Missions for the Liberia Annual Conference, for six years; a job he successfully carried out, providing leadership and training for over 700 pastors and laity of the Conference. Rev. Kulah now superintends about 38 growing Churches of the Monrovia District Conference.

Apart from his responsibility as District Superintendent, Rev. Kulah is one of Liberia's national Christian leaders whose ministry transcends the local Church. He is actively involved in the training of leaders for both the Church and society as part of reconstruction efforts of post conflict Liberia. In October, 2007 he was the chief keynote speaker at the UMC Reform and Renewal Coalition meeting in Memphis, Tennessee where he made the "Africa Declaration" to delegates of the Jurisdictional and General Conferences. Rev. Kulah is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry program at the Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is married to Ruth Kulah and their marriage is graciously blessed with four children.

Dr. Warren Lathem

Workshop:
Mission Partnership That Matters

Dr. Warren Lathem is the District Superintendent of the Atlanta-Marietta District of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has pastored churches since 1972. His experience includes numerous seminars, training events, church consultations, mentoring, teaching, crusade evangelism, ministry pioneer, camp meetings, and revivals on a national and international basis.

Most recently he was senior minister at Mt Pisgah UM church for over 17 years. During his tenure, it grew to be the fourth largest UMC (based on average attendance) in the U.S. More importantly, during those years over 60% of the 5000 new members (net) who joined were by profession of faith. He has always been committed to reaching the unchurched with the Good News of Jesus Christ. This led him to start many innovative ministries, e.g., The Journey, Recreation Ministry, Crisis Pregnancy Center, and the first AID’s ministry outside the perimeter of Atlanta. He began an After School Program, a Pre-school , an Elementary school, Middle school, and High school, enrolling over 900 children. He also started what became the largest Hispanic ministry in the North Georgia Conference. In his last year as Senior minister, Mt Pisgah led the Conference in net new members.

Thus, his ministry has been marked by transformed lives. He continues to serve as a resource to a number of churches in a variety of annual conferences. In 1998, he began the work of the United Methodist Church of Venezuela, a conference that elected its first Bishop in August, 2007. In 2002 he led in the founding of the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela and currently serves as its President. This undergraduate degree program enrolling over 100 students will have its first graduation in August, 2008. This is Dr. Lathem’s last year under Episcopal appointment as he will devote all his available time to the work in Venezuela.

Bill Leonhard

Workshop:
Interceding for Unreached People Groups

Bill has served with the Wycliffe Bible Translators since 1972. He and his wife spent 20 years in Africa, doing Bible translation, literacy, community development, administration and language survey (to determine Bible translation needs). Bill now directs Wycliffe’s US Church Relations ministries. The Leonhard family is the typical American family with 7 kids.

James Loftin

Workshop:
Backdoor Ministries to Reach China: How Churches Can Impact the World by Providing Hospitality to Chinese Scholars in America

James Loftin is the founder and president of FollowOne International, a ministry that equips leaders in North America and China to make and mobilize disciples for faithful and strategic participation in the Great Commission. Believing that China is the most strategic country in the world, FollowOne equips churches to include the Chinese as one of their focus areas. James has served as Missions Pastor for fifteen years in two congregations, and was the Director of Missions at Asbury Theological Seminary (Orlando) for five years. He has led courses on missions leadership in Cuba, China, Russia, Korea, the Philippines and across the United States. He is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and a member of the Memphis Annual Conference. James and his wife Carolyn have been married for 32 years, and have been blessed with three children and two grandchildren. The Loftins live in Winter Springs, Florida.

Adam Neal

Adam Neal works as a Mission Specialist for The Advance at the General Board of Global Ministries. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Adam earned his M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA where he also served as a youth pastor. He then worked in the Middle East with the Middle East Council of Churches before returning to graduate school for a MA in Human Rights at Columbia University. He has served various roles in over thirty countries, as an English teacher in China, an Arabic student in Syria, a doctoral student in Europe and a volunteer in Haiti and throughout the world. Adam has been a member of McEachern Memorial UMC for over twenty years and is a candidate for ordination in the North Georgia Conference.

Steve Nickel

Workshop:
Praying For Provision

Steve Nickel serves as Senior Gift Planning Counsel with Samaritan’s Purse of Boone, NC. For 30 years he has been helping to connect God’s people with God’s work in meaningful ways through charitable gift and estate planning. Prior to joining Samaritan’s Purse in 2001, Steve served with Back to the Bible of Lincoln, NE for 23 years, during which time he obtained business and law degrees from the University of Nebraska. A lifetime student of the Scriptures he loves teaching from the Word and leading Bible studies. He and Wanda married in 1975 and are blessed with four children ages 23 to 15. Steve is an elder of Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone.

Bryce Norton

Bryce Norton has a Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary with a focus on cross cultural studies. He is currently in the process of completing his doctorate of ministry degree at Asbury Theological Seminary. Bryce serves as the minister of global missions at Mount Pisgah UMC. Mount Pisgah UMC sends over 300 people on twenty-five different mission teams each year. The three global priorities of Mount Pisgah UMC global missions are 1) supporting children in need, 2) equipping leaders who disciple the nations, and 3) loving the persecuted church.

Diane Parrish

Workshop:
Beyond Charity

Workshop:
Getting In Between the Bars

With a fervent love for her Savior, Jesus Christ – Diane embraces life and all the challenges therein with joy and great anticipation.

After graduating from the University of Florida with Honors in Music Theory and Composition, Diane took a prodigal run to Hollywood. There, totally away from the Church, she wanted desperately to become a “somebody.” And she did. She became a well known musical arranger, lead background singer for Tony Orlando and worked with named stars like Barry Manilow, Melissa Manchester, Danny Thomas on his “St. Jude Telethons,” and John Davidson… Until the morning God made her HIS somebody and whispered, “Diane, come home.”

… So she did. There she met and married the human love of her life – Raymond Parrish. After twenty-seven years of marriage, two kids, two dogs, two cats, 24 puppies, hamsters and sea monkeys in a jar on her windowsill in the kitchen – ask her and she’ll tell you, “Life doesn’t get much better than this!”

Scott Parrish

Workshop:
Church in the Local Streets: Experiments in Community Outreach and Discipleship

A deacon in full connection with the North Georgia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. A member of the conference Deacon Executive committee for a multiple year term starting summer 2007. Also serving on the conference Board of Ordained Ministry. Currently serves as Minister of Missions at Trinity on the Hill in Augusta, Ga.

Born April 10, 1963 in Savannah, Georgia. Scott grew up on the family farm in Ellabell in Bryan County, Georgia. Scott came to faith when he was 19 years old and a student at Georgia Southern University. While in college at Brewton-Parker he met his future wife, Monica Gilbert, of Appling, Georgia. They were married April 11, 1987, and moved to Louisville, Kentucky in August of that year. Zeke joined the family August 22, 1991, and was later joined by Sydney March 28, 1996, and Cooper July 17, 2003.

Pat Railey

Workshop:
Awaken The Church

Dr. Railey is a Family Physician working in Sharpsburg, GA for the last 9 years. He founded OM Medical Ministries, the medical missions arm of OM. OM is a Christian evangelistic agency ministering for 50 years. He organizes and leads teams all over the world as well as teaching domestically on medical missions, HIV/AIDS, and other subjects. The focus of all OM Medical's trips is proclaiming the gospel and showing God's love in a tangible way. He is married to Lisa and has 3 boys that are his delight.

Stan Self

Workshop:
Jesus’ Plan for Global Outreach

Workshop:
Bring the World to Your Church

After thirty-seven years in management with BellSouth, Stan took early retirement to join the staff of The Mission Society. He currently serves in the Ministry Operations division of The Mission Society as Senior Director of Church Ministry. His duties include directing the church mobilization efforts to assist local churches to be strategically engaged in reaching the world for Christ. Additionally, Stan oversees missionary itineration and the Missions Representative program.

Drew Sippel

Workshop:
Building an Urban Missions Strategy That Transforms A Community

Drew Sippel is currently the Director of Local Missions and Church Administrator at Christ United Methodist Church (CUMC) in Memphis, TN. Drew also teaches Leadership and Non-Profit management courses at Crichton College, an urban Christian college located in Memphis. Drew has been a part of the development of a holistic approach to urban ministry in a blighted neighborhood known in Memphis known as Binghampton. He currently sits on the boards of a housing renovation ministry, an economic and community development ministry and a juvenile rehabilitation ministry, all targeted at transforming the city of Memphis. Drew is also currently participating in the launch of a new Urban Christian school, founded by CUMC.

Vaughn Stafford

Workshop:
Missions and Worship - Another Two-Sided Coin

Vaughn is the associate pastor and contemporary worship leader at Mt Bethel UMC. Mt Bethel is a dynamic growing 9000 member church in Marietta, GA on the north side of Atlanta. He has shared his passion for people and the worship of God in churches and events all across North America as well as helped launch numerous contemporary worship services. Vaughn has spoken and led worship for youth and adults, camp meetings and conventions and considers himself a “denominational mutt”, as he has led in most every denomination. He has recorded since age twelve with the Gaithers, Sandi Patti and numerous other artists and bands, but considers himself a lead worshipper far more than a worship leader. Vaughn is blessed with a beautiful wife, Cindy and two precious children, Ellie and William.

Bobby Williams

Workshop:
Life Gate Ministry

As Minister of Pastoral Care, Bobby is team leader for several different ministries at Christ United Methodist Church: Life Gate Ministry, Stephens Ministry, Celebrate Recovery, Barnabas Ministry, 50+ Ministry (Senior Adults), Health Ministry, Hospital and Shut-in Ministry. Bobby is apart of the teaching/preaching team. He has led several mission teams: Nicaragua, Belize, Boston Massachusetts, and France. The love of Bobby’s life is his wife Nancy Boyd Williams. They have three children, and three grandchildren.

Matthew Winn

Workshop:
The Blessing & Curse of Money in Missions

Matthew Winn is the Director of International Missions and Leadership Development at Christ Church in Memphis, TN. He has a Master of Business Administration degree in Church Leadership from California Baptist University and a Master of Arts degree in Bible & Theology from Wheaton College. Before being called into full-time ministry, Matthew's business career included serving as the Chief Financial Officer of a national chemical company, Divisional Vice President of Operations for a public floor covering company, as well as Senior Manager and Consulting Practice Leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Atlanta. Before Christ Church, Matthew served as the Executive Pastor of Dogwood Church in Peachtree City, GA.