Judit Tóth's Photostream

Here is a link to Judit Tóth's Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/69957987@N02/
She's taken some great photos! Be sure to check them out!

Judit has made a slideshow of these photos as well.

Jason Archer's Photostream

Check out some additional CLC 2011 photos on Jason Archer's Flickr photostream at www.flickr.com/groups/fmcusa/pool/

Larry Winckles' Photo Galleries

Friday, November 11 Saturday, November 12 Sunday, November 13 Monday, November 14

CLC 2011 Highlights Video

Here is the CLC 2011 Highlights Video, as prepared by Al Mellinger, with photos by Al Mellinger, Judit Tóth, Jason Archer, and Larry Winckles.

Cindi Angelo gives the final message

Pastor Cindi Angelo from Lisbon, Portugal spoke about the importance of making disciples in Europe. The need is great. Souls are lost and perishing.
We must be obedient to preach the Gospel, to sow the seed, to bear witness.
The Apostolic Discipleship Model in the Kingdom of God
1. The Heart of the Kingdom of God = the World Church, the Invisible Church
2. The Heart of the Invisible Church = the Local Church
3. The Heart of the Local Church = the Cell Group, the Small Group
4. The Heart of the Small Group = Discipleship One-on-One
Difference between training and equipping:
Training is giving knowledge, equipping is giving weapons
Difference between a believer and a disciple
The Believer usually waits for loaves and fishes;
The Disciple is a fisherman.
The Believer struggles to grow;
The Disciple reproduces.
The Believer is won;
The Disciple is made.
The Believer delivers his earnings;
The Disciple gives his life.
The Believer can fall into routine;
The Disciple is revolutionary.
The Believer is always looking for encouragement;
The Disciple is an encourager.
The Believer likes a good life;
The Disciple likes service and sacrifice.
The Believer gives his things;
The Disciple gives his life.
The Believer expects to be pointed to the task;
The Disciple takes responsibility.
The Believer often complains;
The Disciple obeys and denies himself.
The Believer dreams for the ideal church;
The Disciple gives himself to the real church.
The Believer says, "You need to go! "
The Disciple says, "Here I am! "
The Believer waits for a revival;
The Disciple is part of the revival.
The Believer is a strong soldier on the defensive;
The Disciple is a soldier on the offensive attack.
The Believer is guided by circumstances;
The Disciple uses them to exercise his faith.
The Believer is valuable;
The Disciple is essential.
To be fruitful we need to use what God has put in our hands.

(Click here to download this text in pdf format.)

Workshop Sessions 2

The final workshop sessions were repeats of two workshops that had been offered on Saturday, and one new topic.

1. Communication with Rev. Rex Bullock and Jason Archer
2. Introduction to the Free Methodist Church with Larry Winckles and Rev. Gerry McNamara
3. From Dream to Reality with Rev. Keith Cowart

Monday Workshops, Session 1

Three workshops were offered during the first workshop session.

1. Reaching Those Who are Dear to Us with Bishop David and Yvonne Roller
2. Women's Ministry with LaWanda Bullock
3. Worship with Michael Long and Cindi Angelo

CLC 2011 Group Photo

Click here to download the photo at full resolution.

Final Session with Bishop Roller

The final session with Bishop Roller, and the final morning session of the conference started off with some wonderful worship songs, and an exciting presentation from the Haitians from France.

The surprise of the morning was when Bishop Roller donned a baker's apron and proceeded to talk about finding the perfect pizza crust. Of course, with parallels with growing a church.

Consider what happened in Thessaloniki. Paul helps establish a small fellowship. A riot starts and he has to leave by night. He go to Berea, but is followed and must flee to Athens. In Athens, he wonders what has happened with the small fellowship in Thessaloniki, so he sends Timothy to find out. And the report was good, the culture survived!

Paul wrote them a letter of encouragement, and acted in the role of an apostolic pastor.

1. He warmed them up (encouragement)
2. He fed them (teaching)
3. He gave them space (get out of the way and let God work)

Click on this link to download Bishop Roller's sourdough starter recipe.

Rex Bullock

The Sunday evening message was given by Pastor Rex Bullock. His message was based on 2 Timothy 1, and was entitled "Ablaze!"

Timothy's spark seemed to be dying out, and he was getting discouraged. He had difficult situations to deal with, felt alone, and didn't see a way out. The Apostle Paul was aware of this, and wrote to Timothy from prison in order to help him get back on track, using 4 basic arguments. 1. The Argument of Costly Investment (Paul, Lois, Eunice, Christ) 2. The Argument of Divine Trust (you've been given a task and a gift, follow through!) 3. The Argument of Fear's Source (face up to your fear and get rid of it, it is not from God, but from Satan) 4. The Argument of Spiritual Enablement (raw power is not enough, you need Divine power) Fan the Flame!

Prayer for the Nations

The morning service concluded with specific prayer for the people of every nation represented.

Bishop Roller

In his morning message Bishop Roller presented a message drawn from the Book of Acts, tracing the development of the early church and drawing parallels with the development of the Free Methodist Church.

Preparation
Miracles (whenever our neighbors say, God must be with them)
Preaching (explain what happened)
Persecution

Reception of Ministerial Candidates

A highlight of the morning service was the reception of three European Ministerial Candidates. John Merin, his wife Paqui Lopez, and Péter Tóth have sensed the calling of God on their lives, and today officially entered in to the ordination process. What a blessing it is to hear their testimonies and to see God working in their lives!

Sunday Morning Worship

The Sunday morning worship service started off with a large Spanish choir, singing praises to the Lord. After singing "In the Power of Your Love" in Spanish, everyone else joined in singing in English.

Ministry Groups

The Sunday morning sessions began with ministry groups. These sessions have proved to be quite valuable in the past. This year's sessions include:

1. Pastors and pastoral candidates with Bishop Roller and Jerry Coleman.
2. Women in ministry with LaWanda Bullock

3. Lay leaders with Josh Fajardo

Pastor Keith Cowart

The Saturday evening message was brought by Pastor Keith Cowart from Columbus, Georgia. His message was based on John 15:1-8 and entitled "Bearing Much Fruit. "

Pastor Keith shared about his own journey of faith and call into ministry. He was terrified of speaking in public, but continued to become a minister. When he was finally appointed to a church, he found that he was empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach effectively.

Looking at John 15:

Abiding in the Vine
- He is the source of life
- He produces fruit in us
- He prunes us to make us even more fruitful

Pastor Keith also directed our attention to Exodus 33 and the story of Moses pleading for God to go with him, and further, back to Exodus 3 and the story of Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush. God promised that he would be with Moses.

Moses learned that if God was with him, he would have everything he needed. And that's why years later Moses refused to go forward without God.

When God comes and begins to work in our lives, he may need to remove the "suckers," that is, those things in our lives that rob us of vitality and fruitfulness. This is his pruning.

Apart from God, we can do nothing.

Saturday Evening Service Kicks off in Song

Dick Dickinson leads the worship team at the beginning of the Saturday evening service. Péter Tóth is on mandolin.

Second Workshop Sessions

The second set of workshops finished the Saturday morning program. Offered were

1. From Dream to Reality by Pastor Keith Cowart
2. Reaching Those Who are Dear to Us by Bishop David and Yvonne Roller
3. Introduction to the Free Methodist Church by Larry Winckles and Gerry McNamara

First Workshop Sessions

The Saturday morning workshop sessions started with three options.

1. Urban Ministry with Peter Clark
2. Avoiding burnout with Lynette Sykora and Jan Coleman
3.  Worship with Michael Long and Cindi Angelo

Bishop Roller: How to be a Good Parent / Pastor

Bishop David Roller began his series of morning messages by turning our attention Genesis and the account of the Fall, where everything became wrecked. As children of God, we can learn about being a good parent (or pastor) by studying God's interaction with us.

Six Principles of Being a Good Parent / Pastor

1. Give them work (appropriate, doable)
2. Give them rules (meaningful limits, boundaries)
3. Give them freedom (practice making choices)
4. Keep talking (ask good questions, don't distance yourself )
5. Give them consequences
6. Give them second chances

Please Pray

One of our conference participants, Margaret from Hungary, received word tonight that her brother-in-law was in an accident, and was brain dead. She and her husband return home tomorrow to minister to their grief-stricken family. Our prayers go out to them.

We are thankful for Margaret's help with conference registration today.

UPDATE: In spite of what the doctors said, Margaret's brother in law has shown some signs of life. Many people are praying. Margaret gave a brief report on Saturday morning just before their return to Hungary.

The Gathered Leaders

Here's a look at some of the participants in the Church Leaders Conference.

Jerry Coleman Gives the Opening Address

The Church Leaders Conference started tonight with a wonderful music set from the worship team, led by Dick Dickinson. Jerry Coleman then gave the opening address, speaking about Abundant Fruit.

Bishop Roller Registers

Bishop Roller is among the first to register for the conference on Friday afternoon.

Our Venue - Hotel Las Provincias

It's a gorgeous Friday in Fuenlabrada! Take a look at the conference venue!

The Final Preparations are Underway!

Guests have begun to arrive from all over Europe and from the USA. Many people are helping out with the room setup and other preparations. The worship team is practicing. Things are getting exciting!!

The first service of the conference begins tonight at 7:00 pm Central Europe Time. Watch for updates.

It's Almost Time!

Church Leaders Conference 2011 is less than a week away! We now have over 70 church leaders, pastors, and missionaries registered for this special event, plus we expect numerous day guests from our churches in Madrid. Won't you join with us in prayer that these meetings will be a wonderful time of fellowship, connection, encouragement, and equipping for all who are involved.

Each person registered for the conference will receive a printed welcome packet upon arrival, but this information is also available to download in advance. Please use the links at right to find the Welcome Packet, the Daily Schedule, and our Core Document, all available in multiple languages.

Watch this blog for daily updates during the conference!

CLC 2011 Speaker Line-Up Announced

We are happy to announce that we will have several outstanding guest speakers at the 2011 Church Leaders Conference. Here is a brief glimpse of who will be there:

Bishop David and Yvonne Roller
David T. Roller served for 17 years as a Free Methodist missionary in Mexico, then for 10 years as Latin America Area Director for Free Methodist World Missions and in July of 2007 was elected a bishop of the Free Methodist Church – USA. His experience in seeing the world through “missionary eyes” has convinced him that all Christians should adopt the posture and mind set of missionaries — understanding the culture where they minister, relinquishing their own preferences and privileges in their desire to see people’s key allegiance transferred from “whatever” to Jesus.

Bishop Roller now oversees the ministry of eleven annual conferences in the eastern area of the United States, as well as the United Kingdom, and the five annual conferences of Latin America.

David and the love of his life, Yvonne, both graduated from Spring Arbor College in Michigan and David is also a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. The Rollers have two grown children and one grandchild.

Bishop David and Yvonne, reside in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Rex and Lawanda Bullock
Rex Bullock is a "people person" a person who has touched the lives of people in many areas around the world. Originally from East Texas, Rex has pastored innovative churches in Texas, California, Washington, and Florida. He understands church planting and church growth, because he has been involved in seeing young churches grow and be nurtured. He has also pastored large churches with multiple staff and facilities.

But Rex's heart has been to bring the message of Christ's redeeming and cleansing power to people around the world. For over 30 years he has been in demand for revivals, conferences, pastor's retreats, and area-wide crusade events. At the heart of his evangelistic outreach, Rex is speaker for DAYSPRING, an international weekly radio worship service aired over 200 times each week in various parts of the world. He also hosts a daily radio program - POWER SURGE, heard in numerous areas of North America and Internationally.

At heart, Rex loves people, and he has a passion to bring hope and healing to them. He is committed to seeing people won to Christ and brought into the fullness of God's love. His deepest desire is to see the character of Christ lived out in the lives of those to whom he ministers.

Lawanda writes, "As a young Christian, I was reading the Bible and heard an inner voice ask, 'Will you preach for me?' I felt it was the voice of the Lord and told Him I would. Then He pointed me to 1 Timothy 1:12, ' And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;' That settled it for me and I've done my best to obey the Lord in all things and follow His direction from that day forward. " Lawanda currently serves as the general president of the Free Methodist Women's Ministries International.

Rex and LaWanda live in St. Petersburg, Florida, where they pastor the Cornerstone Community Church (a Free Methodist Church). They are the proud parents of two sons, a daughter and four grandsons.

Dr. Keith and Pam Cowart
Dr. Keith Cowart is Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church in Columbus, Georgia. He is a graduate of Georgia Southern University (BBA, 1986), and Asbury Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1991; Doctor of Ministry, 2002). Keith has served in pastoral ministry in the United Methodist and Free Methodist Church since 1991. He married the former Pam Taylor of Searcy, Arkansas, in 1994. Pam is a graduate of Hendrix University (BA, 1987) and Asbury Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1991). Keith and Pam started Christ Community in their home in 1997. Today, some 1,000 people call Christ Community home. The Cowarts have two sons, Andrew (15) and Aaron (12). In addition to his pastoral duties, Keith speaks regularly in conferences, provides leadership for church planting in the Georgia District of the Free Methodist Church, and has served on the boards of The River Christian Counseling, Teen Advisors, International Friendship Ministries, and The Columbus Dream Center. For fun Keith loves reading, travel, treasure hunting, the outdoors, and playing with his boys.

Jason Archer

Executive Director of Free Methodist Communications

Jason oversees communication and technology strategy for the denomination.  He comes from Spring Arbor University where he worked in the marketing and communications office as well as the faculty development office in evaluating and implementing emerging technologies.  He has also been an FM church planter and staff pastor. Jason will be presenting a communications workshop at CLC 2011.

Save the Date!

Make plans now to attend the 2011 Church Leaders Conference that will be held from November 11 to 15 at the Hotel Las Provincias in Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain. This gathering of European Free Methodists takes place every two years.

Pictured above is the first gathering of our Spanish Free Methodist Churches, which was held at Hotel Las Provincias in November 2010. They are eagerly awaiting their opportunity to serve as hosts for CLC 2011!

Registration information will appear on this site soon.

We hope to see you in Madrid!