Seminario Weselyano de Venezuela is partnering with the International Leadership Institute and McEachern United Methodist Church to bring the great resources of the Institute to Venezuela in November. In preparation for that event, we are sending three of our leading pastors to Peru to participate in ILI's Latin America Leadership Conference. Pastors Cheo Gonzalez, Toby Ramirez and Carlos Perona (L to R) will travel to Peru and be key leaders in our November Conference.


Dr. Wes Griffin, the founder of ILI will be with us in this event sponsored by the McEachern UMC of Marietta, GA USA. Both Dr. Griffin and McEachern have a heart for the people of Venezuela and the emerging United Methodist Church there. This is an exciting time for us as we all combine resources in a partnership to reach the lost of Venezuela.



Your prayers for this event will be most appreciated.

Joy and Wes Griffin founded the International Leadership Institute (ILI) in 1998 in response to the heart cry of Christian leaders around the world who want to reach their nations with the life transforming power of the Gospel. Today, ILI trains and mobilizes leaders of leaders around the world through advanced training in leadership, evangelism and multiplication. Joy and Wes have a special gift for impacting leaders.

Good News From Venezuela

Our seminary Dean called from Venezuela this morning to give me some great news. Rev. Carlos and Dr. Maria Perona, pastors in Barquisimeto, have announced that they will be joining the newly forming United Methodist Church of Venezuela when it has its first Conference in August. Both of these pastors are recogined leaders in the Protestant church in Barquisimeto, Lara State. They have been students in the Seminario Wesleyano de Venezuela since its conception. At that time, Carlos was President of the Ministerial Association in Barquisimeto and a well respected leader. His and Maria's enrollment in and endorsement of the seminary was a great step toward the seminary earning legitimacy in Venezuela.

Carlos is a life-long pastor having been converted then serving in the Assembly of God denomination. As with many pastors in Venezuela, he moved to become an independent because of the lack of support within his denomination. As an Independent, he planted several congregations within some of the poorest Barrios in Barquisimeto. He has a global vision of the church which is consistent with the ministry of the seminary and the UMC of Venezuela.

Maria is a pastor alongside Carlos in thier team ministry. This remarkable woman is also a medical doctor, a pediatrician. They have three beautiful children, the youngest of which I was provileged to dedicate when preaching at their church 3 years ago. Their enrollment in the seminary is a testimony to the excellent theological education being provided by the Seminario Wesleyano de Venezuela.

I have learned to trust Carlos and Maria. They are people of great integrity and the kind of leaders this emerging United Methodist Church needs to effectively reach Venezuela with the Gospel of Christ.

Here is a picture of Carlos and me engaged in conversation on Thursday, June 7, 2007 in our hotel restaurant in Barquisimeto. Carlos requested the meeting to discuss the possibility of becoming United Methodist. We left to return to the US with the mutual commitment to prayer for this momentous decision for him, his family, his churches and the UMC of Venezuela. Thank God for answered prayer.