Joel Zook is one pastor who benefited from this model of training. He was the first person to complete the two-year residency program at Grace Polaris Church in Westerville, Ohio, serving from 2019–2021. Prior to his residency, he received a bachelor’s degree and Master of Divinity from Grace College and Seminary.
“It’s the most rewarding thing you’ll ever do and it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do. You’ll get your heart broken over and over again.” January marked thirty years since Mark and Janice Workman began their foster care journey. “When our youngest started school, we decided we weren’t done having babies in our home yet,” Janice …
For Elise Klawitter, her experience with Encompass World Partners is coming full circle. She is preparing to embark on a Gospel work journey that is both familiar and entirely new. Born in France to global worker parents, Elise has spent most of her life in the mission field. Her parent’s journey began shortly after college, …
Part two of this series was written by MaryAnn Barlow, Jason and Crystal Horner, and Dave Guiles. MaryAnn reflects on their ministry over the decades, Jason and Crystal discuss how their ministry shifted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and Dave looks to the future of Encompass’s involvement in ministry in the U.K.
It’s been four decades since global workers with Encompass World Partners first entered the United Kingdom. Since then, several families have served in England by planting churches, training leaders, and leveraging social clubs for the Gospel. In celebration of this fortieth milestone, a few workers reflected on their time in England.
Bob Sidwell has been leading construction teams for most of his life. He is a trained civil engineer and made a career out of construction management. Twenty-five years ago when his home church, East Side Grace Brethren Church in Blacklick, Ohio, was undertaking a major construction project, Bob managed it. “After that project, I sort …
“Above all else, the text comes first,” Davey said of how he selects music for Sunday mornings. He explains the songs to the congregation and how the Gospel is presented in the lyrics and why that matters. The congregation has embraced this theology and the music Davey introduces. “When there is a clear Gospel message in a song, it’s hard not to see the benefit of that,” he said.
