By By Rev. Dr. Heather Lear, FFE Teaching and Research Fellow
As partners in the Wesleyan family who share an evangelistic mission and passion, The Foundation for Evangelism was proud to serve as a sponsor at World Methodist Evangelism’s Order
of the FLAME conference at the beginning of March. Just days before gatherings ceased, leaders from four Wesleyan denominations and five countries gathered at Epworth by-the-
Sea in St. Simons, Georgia, for training, fellowship, and renewal. The FLAME’s commitment is to connect those with a “commitment to being mission evangelists in the communities in which we serve, and by our willingness to offer ourselves as channels of God’s prevenient grace to all people.” The financial support offered by FFE helped make it possible for leaders in their first few years of ministry to have this experience at no cost other than their travel expenses.
Jane and I had the privilege to build relationships with and hear stories of the realities and opportunities for these young leaders serving communities across the United States and around
the world. Their passion, calling and commitment were inspirational and offered some important feedback for needed resources and training. To further equip the leaders and provide a
training and synergy opportunity for clergy and laity in their congregational contexts, those attending FLAME were offered a scholarship to participate in an upcoming Evangelism for
Non-Evangelists webinar series that I will co-teach with one of our E. Stanley Jones Professors of Evangelism, Mark Teasdale. We understand how important it is for clergy and laity to learn, grow, and discern ministry together, and this scholarship will help leaders intentionally come together to develop and create an evangelistic culture across their congregations. We are
excited to continue the relationships with our new friends and co-laborers in this important Kingdom work!
