The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) experienced another year of growth in 2016 – adding 26 churches and 967 members during the year. The denomination also increased its worship attendance by more than 2,000. By the end of 2016, the EPC had 150,042 members, an increase of 967 from the 2015 total of 149,075. Total churches…
(EPConnection news release). What can we do to foster unity and deeper community in a world where so many relationships are fractured and fractious? Luder Whitlock, minister at-large for First Presbyterian Church of Orlando and a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) National Leadership Team, addresses this question in Divided We Fall: Overcoming a History of…
(EPConnection news release). Turkish media is reporting May 19 that EPC teaching elder Andrew Brunson is being accused of being a “Kurdish sympathizer” and a “Gülenist.” The timing of the media reports potentially reveals Turkey’s response to President Trump and Vice President Pence’s pleas to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 16 to release Brunson…
(EPConnection article). In meetings held on May 16, U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appealed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for Andrew Brunson’s release. Brunson, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) teaching elder, has been imprisoned in Izmir, Turkey, since October 2016. The EPC received reports from two different sources that both Trump…
(By Mark Barrett, The Citizen-Times). Andrew Brunson spoke frankly about his mission work when members of Montreat’s Christ Community Church traveled to see him in Turkey three years ago. Some days he saw progress in leading his church of a few dozen people while also aiding refugees on the country’s border with Syria. Other days…
(By CeCe Hal, American Center for Law and Justice). On the heels of Pastor Andrew Brunson’s wife personal meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson concerning the wrongful imprisonment of her husband, she received a personal letter from Vice President Pence assuring that “Andrew’s case remains a top priority of the U.S. government….” In the…
(EPConnection News Release). Online registration for the 37th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church is now open. The Assembly meets June 20-23 at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, Calif. The theme of this year’s annual meeting is “Generation to Generation,” based on Psalm 79:13. The annual Leadership Institute on Tuesday has 11 tracks this year to help provide resources…
(By Jordan Sekulow, ACLJ). American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who is wrongfully imprisoned in Turkey for his Christian faith spoke with U.S. embassy officials today, pleading with President Trump, “please help me.” Pastor Andrew – a U.S. citizen – faces false charges in Turkey of “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” After peacefully serving the people…
(By Oren Dorell, USA Today). Turkey will consider speeding up the trial for American pastor Andrew Brunson, swept up in a crackdown after an attempted military coup last July, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Thursday. “What we can do at this stage is accelerate the trial” for Andrew Brunson, who was detained on Oct. 7 for allegedly threatening national security,…
(The EPConnection press release). An open letter from the U.S. Senate to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, has garnered 78 signatures from members of the Unites States Congress. The letter requests that Evangelical Presbyterian Church teaching elder Andrew Brunson, “an American citizen who has been unjustly detained in Turkey, be immediately released and deported.” Signatories to…