| Evangelism In Romans 10, the Word of God reminds us that "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved", then asks a few questions: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:13-15
The Central California Conference takes a team approach for evangelism. Led by President Jerry Page, several officers and staff have leadership roles in specific areas: George Johnson: manages church plants, Bible workers and special outreach projects Dale Leamon: oversees information and funding requests for traditional meetings Sandra Manro: oversees allocation of funds, application requests, communication with Caron Oswald: provides marketing and information materials The Evangelism Committee, a team of 20 plus members with conference administrators, ethnic directors, pastors and lay members, provides the vision and criteria for outreaches and approves all requests. Meet Our Team:
Dale Leamon, Assistant to the President for Evangelism “My mission is to help churches become more evangelistic in nature,” Pastor Dale Leamon says. “Evangelism is a big emphasis in this conference. People give a lot of money for it and we want that money to be used well and distributed widely for effective soul-winning.” To that end, Dale works with pastors and lay people to plan and conduct evangelistic outreaches in their communities. Dale assists local churches in evangelism by: · Helping churches develop friendship strategies for the community · Mentoring pastors in the development of annual and multi-annual soul-winning plans · Training lay members to preach and evangelize · Providing conference support for the over 75 evangelistic series held in this conference each year Many of the series are six-week “reaping” meetings conducted by professional evangelists, but an increasing number are lay-led evangelistic outreaches. “We want to help churches utilize their members’ skills for effective soul-winning,” he says. “It’s the only way that we can get the gospel out to every person in central In addition to his responsibilities at the Central California Conference, Dale serves as Senior Pastor of the Dale is married to Yolanda, an accountant in private practice, who is also passionate about evangelism and coordinates wellness outreach programs that teach preventative and health-restoring lifestyle principles to the public. Together, they enjoy music, reading and exercise, and Dale also enjoys doing construction. The Leamons have two sons, Seth and Jesse, and three grandsons. Pastor Leamon’s favorite scripture is John 15:9 - “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.”  Sandra Manro, Administrative Assistant to the Director for Special Evangelism Projects and the Assistant to the President for Church Growth Sandra had been a homeschooling mom for ten years, but when an accounting job at the Central California Conference opened up in 2002, she felt God’s nudge. She applied, prayed and left it up to God. She got the job, and worked there for three years before moving to her current position with its focus on her personal passion, evangelism. Sandra’s responsibilities include: Providing office support for Bible Workers and church plants, organizing quarterly Bible Worker training sessions, and assisting with immigration and payroll for Bible workers. Assisting all traditional public evangelism campaigns (there were 85 campaigns in 2007!) with office support and resources, and coordinating training rallies for Share Him Homeland Campaigns. Serving as the Evangelism Committee Secretary, responsible for preparing the Committee’s agenda with President Jerry Page, overseeing the allocation of evangelism funds, application requests, communication with churches, and budget reports. “It’s a whole potpourri of stuff. It’s a wonderful ministry and very satisfying,” she says. “I love praying with the Pastors and Bible Workers. No matter what is going on, you just stop and pray.” Sandra’s and her husband Eric, along with their teenage sons, Cameron and Andrew, have an active ministry in their community. Each month the family takes Sabbath school, Church and food to 40 families. With the help of their local church and the Conference office, the Manros have provided food drives, Christmas parties and revival meetings for the community. Two people have been baptized since the Manros began the outreach in 2004, and others are studying with Eric each week. “We weren’t looking for this ministry,” says Sandra. “It kind of found us. Serving God like this has been an adventure and an awesome blessing.” Sandra loves all of the Psalms, but Psalm 37:4 is a special favorite. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
 Melissa Laurel, Secretary for Evangelism and Auditing “I strongly believe in the Lord’s work in Over two-thirds of Melissa’s time is spent in the Evangelism department, where she maintains the Evangelism Fund database and works with Caron Oswald and Sandra Manro to ensure funds are used as specified. She also fosters donor relationships through once or twice yearly phone calls. “I love this part of my work,” she says. “When people make pledges, it’s a faith journey for them. I get to hear the miracles of how God is working in their lives when I talk with them.” The remainder of Melissa’s time is spent assisting Mayra Thompson in auditing, and auditing some smaller churches. “I enjoy using my talents for the Lord, talking to people, listening to them, and praying for them,” states Melissa. “I am passionate about making Jesus real in my life and in other’s lives.” Melissa enjoys traveling with her family, singing and playing the piano, reading, hiking and cooking. Her favorite scripture is Psalm 62:5 - “My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him.” |
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