Updates, Events, and Publications
Asbury Seminary Hires New Director of Global Learning
Asbury Seminary is delighted to welcome Mark Vermilion to the Asbury Seminary family as the Director of Global Learning. Mark has served full-time on faculty at three Christian universities: Indiana Wesleyan University, Taylor University and Lee University. In his 15 years of higher education experience, Mark has also developed academic programs and curriculum, led retention efforts, and developed online programs. He has also served as an organizational consultant for dozens of nonprofit ministries around the world.
The position of Director of Global Learning reports to and will work directly with the Provost’s office and Enrollment Management areas to ensure online learning goals are met as the program transitions from the distributed learning model to a global learning platform.
Doug Matthews and Kevin Bish both commented that Mark is deeply rooted in the Wesleyan tradition, and has a heart for students, a love for the Seminary, and a passion for formative online learning. Mark’s abilities and God-given talents will help advance the mission of the Seminary and move us forward in how the institution views online learning.
Ellen Martin’s A Life Shared
Ellen Martin, author of A Life Shared: Meaningful Conversations with Our Kids, would love to share her book and her heart for families with you. She is willing to come speak or teach at your church. Check out her video below for more information:
You can contact her at alifesharedwithkids@gmail.com, and you can also view Ellen’s Facebook author page here.
Ricardo Gomez to serve Latin America as their Area Director for Free Methodist World Missions
The Latin American Area Director for Free Methodist World Missions, Dra. Delia Nüesch-Olver, has announced that she will step down as Area Director on March 31, 2019. She will continue to serve as a missionary, just in a different capacity. We are very thankful for her leadership over the past ten years in “fueling and sustaining a biblical movement to reach Latin America for Christ.” The Board of Bishops has appointed Ricardo to take her place and serve Latin America as the new Area Director. These next several months of transition will be full of meetings, training, travel, strategizing and more as he prepares for the new role. We are excited but mostly we are humbled to have been given this great responsibility…if not a little overwhelmed at the thought right now. We would appreciate your prayers for Dra. Delia, her husband, Dr. Paul, and our family as we make strive to make a smooth transition of leadership for the national and international leaders that we serve. Also, we want to take this opportunity to once again ask for your prayers for the Leadership Summit that will be held in Medellin, Nov. 6 – 12. Thirty-four leaders from eleven countries will convene to receive the Pastoral Formation materials that we have been creating with our team this year. Please pray for the participants and the team here in Medellín that is striving to the complete the task to the best of our ability, for the future benefit of the region, and for the glory of God.Alfred Kalembo’s ministry in Zambia is Touching Lives
By Cecil Spear
Our Lord has a way of lifting our spirits when we need it most. Recently, my wife Joyce and I attended a small group meeting at the home of Walter and Dean Albritton. Our special guest was Dr. Alfred Kalembo and his wife Muumbe. Their home is in Zambia, Africa. Alfred met the Albrittons many years ago when he was attending Asbury Seminary in Kentucky. Walter and Dean’s son, Matt Albritton (currently the Senior Pastor at Wetumpka, Ala UMC), was attending Asbury Seminary at the same time the Kalembo’s were there and had become friends with them. Christmas holiday time came that year and Matt arranged for the Kalembo family to spend the holidays in Alabama with the Albrittons. That was the beginning of an International friendship that has touched many lives for CHRIST both here and in Zambia.
At our recent small group meeting , I sat with Alfred for dinner and asked him to tell us his story. I am writing some of the highlights I remember and wanted to pass on:
- Alfred’s Mother and Father never attended school
- Alfred was born in a remote village in Zambia
- He walked 4 miles each way to school each day.
- Some Christian Missionaries shared the Love of Christ with him and realized that Alfred was a very bright, determined young man , and encouraged him and helped him with his education.
- He was able to get his first pair of shoes at age 15
- With much help, Alfred was able to come to the USA and earned his Ph.D from Asbury, Seminary.
There is much more to Alfred’s story and it is truly inspiring:
After Alfred returned to Zambia, his ministry flourished. His work in rural areas was noticed and over time he became the Bishop of his Church and then became head of the Council of Christian Churches in Zambia. The Zambian Government allows Christianity to be taught in their schools. Walter and Dean Albritton visited Zambia twice and were able to get a missionary effort started at St James UMC. Many good things have resulted from their efforts. Wells have been dug in remote areas providing good drinking water for many people, schools have been started, a young man has been able to graduate from medical school (this is a great story for another day) and is a highly trained and respected physician and teacher there. An ongoing, on the ground, team from St. James continues to minister and help in so many ways.
Having known Alfred for several years, I can assure you that God has been at work in this man’s life. Alfred has touched and influenced the lives of many people in Zambia and beyond. His life story lets us know that God loves and uses people like Alfred to spread the good news. Alfred has been faithful and obedient to do God’s will among his people. My prayer today is for the men and women like Alfred Kalembo who do God’s work all over the world. Alfred understood and did God’s will. He had faith and obeyed God. All of this to say, do not get discouraged, GOD is always at work and that will continue until OUR LORD and SAVIOR, Jesus Christ comes again. In the meantime, lets each of us use our many blessings to do all the Good we can!
Cecil, thanks for such a good article about my former student and good friend, Alfred Kalembo! Alfred sent me the link so that I could read your article. I have talked to him in recent weeks when he and Muumbe were here in the States. I was one of Alfred’s teachers at Choma Secondary School, Choma, Zambia, from the spring of 1977 until the spring of 1980. He is just as fine a man as you described and as sincere in his following our Lord as any African I ever met in my seven years as a missionary and I have told him so! I will gladly share with you the story of his conversion another time….very interesting circumstances! Thanks for picturing this good man as you did, whom God is using. Sincerely, Morris L. Davis
Brevard, NC