Every Nation USA

Staff Profile: Brittany Butler

 
Brittany Butler started at Every Nation as a Human Resources intern, but is now a full-time Human Resources assistant. Brittany calls herself the "princess" of the office, hence her tiara-covered work space. 

When Brittany isn't working on our dental benefits, filing paper work, or helping with the hiring and exit processes, she enjoys running, making crafts, and trying out yummy new recipes. Since Brittany will be walking down the aisle very soon, she also loves decorating her soon-to-be new home. Brittany might also be found jammin' to country music on her drive to and from the office.  

Here's some more fun facts about Brittany:

What CD would you listen to if you were stuck on a deserted island?

Surrender. A song written by my fiance´.

What's your favorite food? 

Pizza

What do you love about Nashville? 

Country music and cowboy boots

Worst Dirty Santa gift ever?

A gift certificate for a back rub from Bill Lloyd

 

Staff Profile: Kerren Barker

 

Kerren Barker once told a friend that she would never become a missionary. Now, a few years later she is eating her words after marrying into the Barker family, and working as our Operations Coordinator for Ten Days Mission Experiences. 

When Kerren isn't coordinating trips, managing projects, and keeping Ten Days moving forward administratively she enjoys trying out new recipes and tinkering with them to create a tasty dish. Kerren does have a voracious appetite for unique foods, but also hungers for hearing interesting information as well.

Here's a little bit more about Kerren:

Worst Dirty Santa gift ever?

An alligator head. Thank you, Steve Murrell.  

Motto in life:

I can learn that. 

What should everyone know about you?

I'm not a morning person. It doesn't mean I'm a bad person. 

What's your hidden talent?

I have the ultimate hitchhiker thumbs; they bend back to the extent that I've made people gag in horror.

World Missions: Two Continents, One Mission

 

Jason and his wife Olivia with their children Nathan (8), Sophie (6) Isabel (3),
Alex & Ben (22 months), and Charis (3 months)

After eight years as a missionary in Australia, Jason Staggers and his family packed their bags and returned to America this May to be part of the new Every Nation church in Lexington, Kentucky, CityLife Church.

Jason and his wife, Olivia, married in 2001 and knew that life as missionaries would sometimes mean moving cities, even countries. What they didn't quite expect with moving back to where they once lived, was reverse culture shock. Eight years in a country is enough time to become familiar with its people and places, to say the least. America almost feels like a "foreign land" to the Staggers, and they find themselves reminiscing life in Albury-Wodonga.

ENCM Announces Exciting New Campaign

Statistically, people are the most open to receiving the gospel during their college years. For this reason, Every Nation Campus Ministries (ENCM) began in order to reach the campuses for Christ. Through small group meetings, special events, and the training of campus ministers, ENCM is reaching thousands of students across the U.S. and the world. 

ENCM is always looking for new and exciting ways to reach this generation of college students, so it comes as no surprise that they are launching a new operation, beginning fall 2011.

“You Have a Part to Play” is a six-week small group series with a twist. It is not a bible study, but a campaign.

Its purpose is to gain interest and get both student leaders and their peers involved in the discussion of social issues and then apply what the Bible says about them. It is designed to be relevant and controversial, attracting more opportunities to share the gospel.

The series will cover six topics:

Celebrity worship | Environment | Modern-day slavery  Sexuality | Consumerism | Fundamentalism

How will it work?

1. Each small group on the campuses around the U.S. and the world will meet and discuss how to address the issue in their own creative ways by engaging their fellow students, eventually transforming their campus.

2. Students in the small group will have a higher level of involvement by challenging their peers in lively discussions about relevant social issues. They don’t just have to sit back and let the group leaders do all the work.

3. Small groups on campuses have been known to take a while to begin. This new campaign will generate immediate interest among students because of the relevancy of the topics.

4. The materials are provided, including sermon notes, business cards, and power points. They are professionally made and of the highest quality.

5. It will attract nonbelievers as well as Christians by presenting itself, not as a Bible study, but as a chance to address controversial issues.

What’s the twist?

1. ENCM will fund the winning group six free tickets to the annual conference, Campus Harvest 2012, a value worth over $250. Each group will document their unique stories of how they addressed an issue by involving their fellow classmates and friends and submit them by December 15, 2011.

2. The competition element will not only challenge the groups to work harder, but also embolden students to challenge others with the gospel and unite campuses across the U.S. and the world.

The heart of ENCM is to transform the students and campuses as a whole. One way to do that is to go out and address issues that are hitting this world today. This campaign is an excellent way to begin. Are you ready for this world to change?

For more information, contact Nick Jones or Kristin Edwards.

Three Schools, One Mission

What's the mission? To multiply campus missionaries who multiply disciples on multiple campuses around the world! If you're a college graduate there are three schools available for you to attend so you can be equipped for this mission. 

The Every Nation School of Ministry, Nashville is June 12 - August 5, 2011. This school begins with classroom training, and for those pursuing full-time ministry, continues with a semester-long internship at your university. During that time, you will receive the training to develop a successful ministry to students. 

If you're looking for a concentrated season of study that will equip you with the foundation for effective university or youth ministry, then Nashville is for you. The cost is $995 for tuition plus housing, food, and incidentals. Contact som.nashville@everynation.org for more information.

The Every Nation School of Ministry, Hawaii is June 13 - August 12, 2011. Students who enroll at our Hawaii location have two ministry tracks to choose from:

1. Training for high school, middle school, or college campuses, or;
2. Training for general community ministry.

This school is the perfect place for you if you want to be a full-time minister, or if you simply want to be better equipped to minister to those around you and help lead them to Christ. There will be more than three-hundred hours of classroom instruction and more than two-hundred hours of practical internship. The cost for attending this school is $1,995 for tuition plus housing, food, and incidentals. For more details email som.hawaii@everynation.org.

School of Ministry, Durham, North Carolina or "CHASE" consists of two schools:

The School of Evangelism - This month-long school focuses on the work of Christ in salvation. Students will engage the essentials of the Gospel and missions through "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement." This course can be taken for graduate or undergraduate credit, certificate, or audit. The dates for this school are from June 11 to August 5, 2011 and the cost is $600 for tuition plus housing, food, and incidentals.

The School of Equipping- This school is for college graduates seeking to become effective campus missionaries. Students spend half the time in on-campus internships on one of three top-rated universities: North Carolina State University, Duke University, and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Further in-class training will equip students with practical ministry skills like preaching, understanding the Bible, culture analysis, and more. The dates for this school are from August 8 to November 13, 2011 and the cost is $1,595 for tuition plus housing, food, and incidentals.

For more details about both of these schools e-mail chase@everynation.org.

Register for the Dream Conference and you could win an iPad 2!

 
 
One lucky person from the Every Nation family and one student will win an iPad 2 if they register by April 1! An iPod Touch and a Nano will be given away to second and third place winners! Sorry! Employees and relatives of Every Nation Campus Ministries and Every Nation Ministries are ineligible to join this raffle.

On July 26 – 29 of 2011, the Every Nation North American family of churches will be gathering together at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, for an exciting time of vision and celebration. The conference theme is: DREAM! Capturing God's purpose for your life, family and mission.

Whether you're a pastor, student, business professional, or mother, we believe God has a special moment waiting for you at this event. The time is now to reach forward and dream big for your life! Hear from speakers such as Ed Stetzer, and Dr. Mark Rutland. Also, join Lynette Lewis and Simon T. Bailey for sessions designed to add deeper meaning and motivation in your own life and the lives of those you lead. There's also a special Women's Luncheon with the exciting and dynamic, Lisa Bevere.

As you can see the Dream Conference is designed for the whole family. Many families are planning their “Dream” vacations around the 2011 North American conference. The Walt Disney World Swan Resort, is offering discounted nightly room rates. They’re also offering the same rate three days before the conference and three days after.

All conference sessions and activities will take place earlier in the day. This will allow guests to enjoy the Disney Theme Parks in the afternoon and evenings with the discounted afternoon ticket prices. There is also a special character breakfast for the conference attendees!

For more information about the hotel, travel, Disney Theme Parks, cost, and more about the conference visit Dream2011.com

Purple Books and "Jesus Stuff" at SMU

At the weekly ENCM meeting, called "Pulse," on the SMU campus

Every Nation Campus Ministries (ENCM) missionary, Phil Carlson, is on the campus of Southern Methodist University reaching students with the Gospel along with local church campus missionaries from Trinity Church, Dallas.

Phil, together with Matthew Esquivel, Emily Thompson, and Jerret Sykes, who were all trained to minister through our Every Nation School of Ministry, have been seeing many students come to know Christ on the SMU campus. What makes them so successful?

At the beginning of each fall semester, Phil and the Trinity Church team use the Purple Book, a tool used to grow in knowledge and relationship with Jesus, to engage the campus. At weekly SMU ENCM meetings, the student group connects with new students and follows up with them by phone or Facebook by inviting them to join their Purple Book group. Another way students get connected to a group is through a friend who's already part of one. 

 

Girl's weekly Purple Book small group
 

During the week, Phil and the group go out on campus and use the God Test by Rice Broocks. They engage people around them who may not share their faith, in thoughtful dialouge about matters of eternal significance, like who they think God is and what they believe happens to a person's soul when they die.

Meeting in small groups and talking to the people around them about Jesus is what the SMU students call, "Jesus Stuff." The name came about while they were at the Texas Regional Retreat. The students have been calling it that ever since. Now, "Jesus Stuff" is known on campus as what they do.

World Missions: To the Ends of the Earth

We're very excited about the many countries God has allowed us to start a work in. Whether it be through campus ministry or the starting of new churches. Our missionaries around the world — including those in restricted nations — are doing inspiring work made possible by generous ministry partners who believe in sending these missionaries to the far reaches of the globe with the Gospel.

Before 2011 barrels on, we wanted to share a few highlights from the field from 2010:

Campus Harvest Southern Africa

Last summer 1,460 students from twenty-seven African campuses attended the Every Nation Campus Harvest conference in Cape Town, South Africa.


Bangladesh

This relatively new Every Nation church has 120 disciples and leaders spread over nine cities. Five former members of an international terrorist group have become Christians and are now being discipled.

United Arab Emirates

An Every Nation church was planted in 2006 with six members from South Africa, India, and the Philippines. Today, the church has over 300 members from India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, China, Kenya, the United States, New Zealand, Nepal, South Africa, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

Liberia

George Borbor is a former Liberian mercenary. After having a dramatic encounter with Christ, George attended an Every Nation training school and is now back in Liberia as an Every Nation church planter.


None of these works would be possible without the generosity of our financial partners. We're so grateful for these men and women who make it possible for our missionaries to go to the ends of the earth.

Campus Harvest Now Part of Every Nation Ministries

We're excited to announce the merging of Campus Harvest with Every Nation Ministries! Leaders from both Every Nation Ministries and Campus Harvest have been ironing out the details of the merger throughout the last half of 2010.

Ron Lewis started Campus Harvest in 1990 with the goal of mobilizing the local church to actively be a part of campus missions. Countless students have heard the Gospel through Campus Harvest and a number have gone on to be equipped to minister through the Campus Harvest training school.

Every Nation Ministries was founded in 1994 when Rice Broocks, Phil Bonasso, and Steve Murrell merged their ministries in order to work together on church planting, campus ministry, and world missions.

Campus Harvest has enjoyed a working partnership with Every Nation Ministries through the longtime friendship of the founders. Both ministries share the same vision of seeing campuses reached by the Gospel, so it made perfect sense for the founders to merge Campus Harvest into the Every Nation Ministries fold.

Some of the benefits of the merger include:

• Campus Harvest can work closely with Every Nation Ministries for the annual Campus Harvest Conference and other events to better follow-up those interested in becoming campus missionaries and church planters.

• Campus Harvest missionaries will participate in Every Nation Ministries' benefits such as medical and dental insurance, retirement plan, IT resources, communication strategies, and MPD support.

• Campus Harvest can focus more intensely on its mission without the burden of gift processing, finance and accounting, and general administration that Every Nation Ministries' Nashville office will now provide.

• Campus Harvest provides ENCM with a wider on-ramp to recruit more full-time, fully-supported campus missionaries.

We're very excited about this partnership and believe it will bring us even closer than before to see the Gospel preached in every nation and on every campus!

 

Campus Harvest 2011: Registration Now Open

We're back and hitting the ground running!

We hope everyone had a great time welcoming 2011. We're already gearing up for a busy first quarter with the annual gathering of students from across the U.S. and beyond. Campus Harvest 2011 will take place from March 25-27 in Durham, North Carolina.

It's been twenty years since Ron Lewis started Campus Harvest as an outreach to college students by mobilizing the local church. Since 1990, Campus Harvest has touched countless lives and launched many students into the mission field. College students from across the US and even a handful of internationals have been to Campus Harvest throughout the years.

If you're a college student, a campus missionary, or an Every Nation pastor passionate about reaching the next generation of leaders, you definitely want to be at Campus Harvest. This year's theme is "Transform."