THE TRANSFORMERS: More Than Meets the Eye!
Special Report: YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT EMPOWERMENT WEEK
THROUGH MISSIONS & MINISTRY
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO--AUG. 10-17, 2007
Host Ministry: 16th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry—Presiding Prelate; Rev. Wayne Anthony—Host Presiding Elder
Submitted By Rev. Stephanie Butler:
16th District Consultant on Missions & Outreach
September 4, 2007
“I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.;
And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
Romans 12:1-2
August 10th to 17th, 2007 marked a wonderful and divinely inspired journey in missions,
as well as a shift in the vision, purpose, role and plan of mission outreach initiatives
for Youth and Young adults in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. It also marked
an adjustment of thought processes and strategic approaches to cross-cultural ministry
outreach, discipleship, and evangelism in the Kingdom of God.
The fact that this Kairos moment (Greek translation—“time” and “window of opportunity”)
just happened to occur in the 16th Episcopal District, which covers the Caribbean and
South America is also significant, but no surprise to our Sovereign God. According to
Conference Historian Bro. Burkette (Windward Islands Conference), not since 1951 has a
team of missionaries arrived in the country of Trinidad to minister to the needs of the
A.M.E.Churches and their surrounding communities---and never in its history has the
ministry come in quite the package that it arrived in!
The Team of 12 individuals, made up of youth, young adults, and ministers ranging in
ages from 14-40 travelled from two of the great A.M.E. Churches in the 2nd Episcopal
District of the United States. They came on assignment to partner in ministry with
their 13th-Team member and Facilitator, Rev. Stephanie Butler (16th District
Consultant on Missions Outreach—Jamaica), Presiding Elder Wayne Anthony (Windward
Islands—Trinidad), and the great pastors, youth, lay leaders, and members from across
Trinidad. As is the custom of each outreach, before the close of their time of
ministry, the team (and its individuals) is given a name based upon the observed
characteristics, personality, and charisma of the group. The following individuals
were proudly dubbed as “The TRANSFORMERS”:
Transformers Ministerial Team:
Min. Carlos Perkins (Youth Pastor, Greater Mt. Nebo AMEC) Team alias, “No Fear” and
“Stingray”
Rev. Tracy Victor-Butler (Youth Pastor, Mt. Calvary AMEC) Team alias, “Morning Glory”
Min. Linda Bailey (Mt. Calvary AMEC) Team alias, “The Weeping Prophet”
Rev. Stephanie Butler, Team Alias “Mighty Whisper”
Leadership & Young Adults:
Sis. Mignon Joyner (Parent/Chaperon and Dean of Vacation Bible School) Team Alias, “The
Whip”
Seles Gadson—Team Alias, “Valley”
Shekeisha Joyner—Team Alias, “Quiet Storm”
Youth Leaders:
Chaz Stanback—Team Alias, “Socrates”
Tamara Lovelist, Team Alias, “J.A.D.A- P” (Joyous And Dynamically Anointed)
Seqouya Graham—Team Alias, “Free”
Justin Cobb—Team Alias, “Dr. Just-In-Time”
Julian Pierce—Team Alias, “The Living Word”
Eric Clarke—Team Alias, “Lion Heart”
Background:
Over the years, the 16th Episcopal District A.M.E. Church has hosted and facilitated
outreach teams and events from across the U.S.A. both within and outside of the
denomination. Each occurrence has an outreach/missions thrust in order for persons
to become more equipped and ready to fulfil Jesus’ great commission to “go into all
the world and preach the Gospel”. And since Jesus’ command was to simply “GO”, He
has allowed us to be creative in HOW we accomplish the mission.
What is a Missionary? In the traditional sense of the word the term missionary
is reserved for those who have been called by God to a full-time ministry of the Word
and prayer (Acts 6:4), and who have crossed geographical and/or cultural boundaries
(Acts 22:21) to preach the Gospel in those areas of the world where Jesus Christ is
largely, if not entirely, unknown, celebrated, or received. (Rom. 15:20).
The Missionary & the 5-Fold Ministry:
Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “And he gave some apostles, and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto the fullness of
Christ…”
As the ultimate missionary, Jesus left a rich legacy. However, He understood that the
gifts he gave to the Church were actually functions—not offices. Each was necessary to
fulfil the Kingdom design of God. He understood that in giving “some”, there was no
disqualification based on age, gender, race, or economic stature. When the Apostle
Paul, another great missionary, told young Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist”
(2Tim.4:5), he was admonishing him to “perform the function” of an evangelist, because
in so doing, Timothy would then prove the authenticity of his ministry calling.
Further, although Stephen was just known as a deacon in his local church, when he went
out into the mission field, he did the work of an evangelist!
The Church must begin to acknowledge that one does not ‘become’ a function, he or she
performs it. The Title then given to that person should be confirmation
from both God
and humanity that the WORK is actually being done. Whether it is concerning the title
of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, preacher, or missionary, one should
not accept nor be given a title for which they either are unable or have no intention
of performing the accompanying functions and responsibilities in response to a sincere
Call of God on their lives. Conversely, in doing the work of missions, we are careful
not to let the lack of a particular title, position, or life experience dissuade the
willing and pure-hearted servant from being RELEASED into their true calling. Any
other motives or agendas will hinder the success and anointing for accomplishing true
mission work.
Today’s Modern Missionary Teams, such as the Transformers, are being
strategically equipped to operate in the fullness of the God-given gifts and talents
bestowed upon them—those that were formed in them before their mother’s womb (Jeremiah
1:5), those that have been cultivated and nurtured in them by great men and women of
God who have pioneered the Path we now follow (1Tim. 1:5), and those that have been
given to each of us by the Holy Spirit in measure according to our faith (Romans
12:6-8). The result is Power and Authority to change lives, and BE changed personally
in the process.
It is correct to say that every Christian is, or should be, a witness. It is not
correct to say that every Christian is, or should be a missionary. A Missionary must be
sent by the LORD with a clear, spiritual burden, priority, and authority to preach the
Kingdom of God AND to meet other forms of human need. A missionary is one called to
action and compassion.
A Missionary is not defined by his or her Field of Destination. One Christian's
far corner of the earth is the next Christian's local target group. Crossing overseas
does not make one a missionary, nor does sending a year’s supply of goods in a
container to a so-called Third World nation. Today, our Mission Field may include
inner-city ghettos of the world, affluent residential neighbourhoods, cultic
communities, communist nations, rural areas in Africa & the Caribbean, the progressive
urban youth of America, or our very own Churches and families. Anyplace on this planet
is potentially one generation, or one catastrophe away from being the darkest, most
desperate place on the earth—consider places such as Iraq, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Indonesia, Grenada, Darfur, Jamaica, Zambia, Louisiana, Chicago and so many other
places where wars, tsunamis, hurricanes, famine, disease, injustices and disasters
occur.
How is the Work Accomplished? Generally this is done cross-culturally;
however, we must not define the mission field or the term ‘cross-culture’ too
narrowly. (Remember, Jesus was sent to His own people and they rejected Him.) Nor can
we define it too broadly. Historically, God has given a special mission to various
individuals in the biblical record and He continues to do so today through individuals
such as the youth and young adults from Mt. Calvary and Greater Mt. Nebo A.M.E.
Churches.
In considering Trinidad & Tobago for mission outreach, The Team had opportunity to go
into a very culturally diverse nation that is mostly Christian, yet with a strong
Hindu population as well. Within the 13+ ethnic groups in Trinidad & Tobago, two form
the majority—Black Africans (appx.41%) and East Indians (appx. 41%), with the
remainder being White, Chinese, Caribs, Arawaks, Arabs, and Jews.
What Was The Team’s Assignment?
The continuing challenge put forth to the members of the 16th Episcopal District from
our Presiding Prelate Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry has been to ‘launch out into the
deep’ and to ‘cast our nets’ wide. We have grown to understand that one aspect of
this mandate is that our District must be unified, and become an “equal-opportunity”
District.
Therefore, although the spiritual and temporal needs of the entire District can be
overwhelming, we must be willing to discern and prioritize the needs of our brothers
and sisters outside of our immediate region.
As a result, our Jamaica-based outreach coordinator challenged all interested mission
groups to be open to the possibility of serving in an ‘unfamiliar’ region of the 16th
District. Through prayer and consultation with Bishop Tyler Guidry, host Pres. Elder
Anthony and his team, we saw an opportunity to be used in Trinidad & Tobago to meet
the following needs:
- Provide spiritual edification through preaching, teaching, and
discipleship with the Youth & Young Adults
- Train lay members and clergy in the areas of Street Ministry, Evangelism,
Altar Ministry & Intercession
- Operate a daily Vacation Bible School to children ages 3-18 in 3 key AME
Church Communities
- Utilize various Art forms (song, spoken word/poetry, sacred dance, drama,
crafts) to demonstrate the Gospel message
- Conduct nightly Revival Services through powerful worship ministry and
the preached Word
- Engage in meaningful fellowship, witnessing and cultural exchange with
Trinidadian brothers and sisters
Daily Schedule & Outreach Highlights
Youth Empowerment Conference:
Held at Metropolitan AME Church just one day after arrival, the team hit the ground
running Saturday, August 11 as they conducted a challenging and thought-provoking
day-long Youth Conference. With approximately 85 local Youth on-hand, the Team
focused on the overall theme, “A Fresh Wind: Restoration through Worship”. The Team
taught from topics such as: Worship & Praise as Warfare, Cultivating a Devotional
Life, How to Resist Temptation, Keeping Your Dance Vertical, and much more. As is
always the case when young people come together, lively and enlightening dialogue
ensued about relationships, understanding youth roles in the church, and the way
forward for Youth workers and leaders within the A.M.E. Church.
Transforming the Airwaves: In Trinidad, our A.M.E. Churches have created a
weekly ½-hour radio broadcast on Sunday evenings which focuses on the preached Word,
issues affecting various communities, and call-in prayer ministry. With a highly
energetic radio host and pastor, Rev. Susan Romataur led the discussion with Team
members Rev. Tracey Victor Butler, Min Carlos Perkins, and Youth representative
Tamara Lovelist. They really set the tone for a dynamic week as they discussed their
purpose for being in Trinidad, what they hoped to gain spiritually through their
time spent in ministry, and extended open invitations to the listening audience to
attend the nightly Revival Meetings.
Training the Trainers:
With a goal of operating in excellence, the outreach Team Leaders set out with a
general lesson plan for AM and PM execution of Vacation Bible School. Knowing that
none, if any, of our Youth team members had ever taught a bible study class or
anything close, we gave them the themes, scripture references, and paired them up
with another team member to create their lesson plans for the week. We praise God
for the way He used all of our youth to TEACH God’s Word daily to the children in
their own unique ways! The Outreach motto each year continues to be, “Blessed are
the Flexible, for they shall not be Broken”!
EVERYDAY with JESUS!
The Transformers had an aggressive Daily Schedule. Here’s a sample:
Team Breakfast @ Hotel 6:30-7:30am
AM Devotions 7:30-8:00am (Led daily by different Team Members)
8:15am Departure for Ministry Site
9:30 to 3:30PM--AME Church & Community Ministry Site (San Juan, Central, &
South Trinidad)
Local Training on-site (includes intercessory prayer, street ministry, altar ministry,
and deliverance ministry--All adults)
*Vacation Bible School (bible training, sports, crafts, activities w/children & teens)
Arts Evangelism (dance/drama/music with young adults)
4:30-5:30pm Community Outreach (Street ministry & discipleship-All Teens & Adults)
5:30pm Dinner on – site with local Church family
7pm- Until Evening Revival Services @ local AME Church
*Vacation Bible School was divided into 4 age-specific bible-training classes,
with an additional 3 Elective classes of Physical Education, Dance, Arts & Crafts,
and one plenary session for adults on Street Ministry & Evangelism was also provided.
Classes were assigned as follows:
Ages 3-7:
Shekeisha Joyner & Chaz Stanback
Ages 8-12:
Seles Gadson & Justin Cobb
Teens:
Min. Carlos Perkins
Adults:
Rev. Tracey Victor-Butler
Craft Shop Coordinator:
Min. Linda Bailey
Sports Administrators:
Julian Pierce & Eric Clarke
Liturgical Dance Instructors: Sequoya Graham & Tamara Lovelist
Street Ministry & Evangelism: Rev. Stephanie Butler
As is our outreach custom, there must be an appointed Dean of VBS. This person was
Sis. Mignon Joyner, affectionately known as “The Whip”! Sis. Mignon kept all teachers
and students on point with timely rotation to classes, schedule adjustments,
trouble-shooting and more! She also provided special one-to-one ‘day care’ ministry
to mothers who arrived with babies 0-2 years in order that the moms could sit in on
class sessions. Thank you, Miss Minnie!
Street Ministry: Try it, it Works!
One of the areas that continue to hinder church growth across the globe is our
inability to execute effective evangelism and discipleship strategies in our own back
yards. While most are excellent at putting on concerts, fundraisers and various
church activities, some are not as willing to engage in conversation with strangers
who don’t know Jesus Christ.
A key component of the visiting team’s ministry in Trinidad was to partner with local
church members in evangelistic training outside the walls of the church. Prior to
going out into the various church communities, the following areas were covered with
Team members and local participants:
- Teaching on the importance and necessity of Intercessory Prayer first
- Learning how to articulate one’s Personal Testimony in 3minutes or less
- Teaching on the biblical foundations of Evangelism and Discipleship
- Strategies in conversation-starting when Witnessing in your community
- How to Discern/observe a Prayer Need AND How to Pray for People
- Knowing when to offer Christ AND How to lead Individuals to Salvation in Prayer
- The Importance, Purpose, & role of Altar Ministry Workers
- Post-Salvation Follow-Up
Immediately following the plenary sessions, our faith was then put into action as we
canvassed the streets of the community in prayer. All participants were then put into
mini-groups, led by one local member of the community, to begin their time of ministry
in the wonderfully hot sun, and some days in the afternoon rains. Since our Night
Revival Service was scheduled to begin in just a few hours, each team was armed with
‘hand-bills’ (brightly designed flyers courtesy of Greater Mt. Nebo AMEC, about the
Revival Service) to give to passers-by. This always proves highly effective and is a
great ‘ice-breaker’.
Remembering to be sensitive to the Hindu presence in the various neighbourhoods (homes
which posted multi-colour flags), all went forth freely, and the Holy Spirit worked
with us! Several team members reported sharing a word of prayer, and invitations to
the Revival with other Hindus. A few encountered resistance and opposition, as would
be
expected. One key rule in any street evangelism effort is never to debate or argue
your beliefs to one who is unwilling to receive you. A simple, “God bless you,” and
continue in the work at hand.
Along with ministry to persons met on the street, the Teams also facilitated
house-to-house prayer to the sick-and-shut ins of the community. One team
visited the home of a dedicated elderly wife and her husband, who was recovering from
his third stroke. Not being able to speak, walk, or do anything for himself, the
woman had given over her entire life to his well-being. As he sat upright in his
chair to receive his young visitors, the presence of the Lord filled the tiny room.
As we chatted, laughed and read scripture, the team began to sing, “Amazing Grace”.
In perfect tone, this man with twisted-face and paralyzed body began to hum the tune
with us until many of us wept tears of joy.
Another team met a very special little boy along the road at a store-front named
Elijah. This little boy of about 7 years old had a bone & muscle condition
in his legs which left him with crutches. According to the woman who looks after
him, his mother had abandoned him when he was a baby; Elijah was full of life,
smiles, and gave many hugs. When Team member Rev. Tracey asked Elijah if she could
pray for him, he smiled and said, “Yes, I want to walk.” As she prayed, everyone
put their faith in the God that heals all our diseases, and believed Him for the
manifestation. Elijah captured our hearts right then, and the greater blessing came
when Elijah appeared at the Night Service during the Altar Call for healing! This
time, as Rev. Stephanie anointed his legs with oil, the entire church was called
forth and prayed in faith for Elijah’s prayer request. As he left the altar, he
walked with the assistance of one young man—without his crutches!
Report after report from those persons who went out into the streets was so similar.
Many of the people were just waiting to be spoken to. Just waiting to be prayed for;
just waiting to be invited to church; just waiting to be introduced to Jesus Christ.
This was especially true of the young men in the community—many of which are out on
street corners or in bars all day with nothing to do except let trouble find them.
Min. Carlos Perkins had a special anointing to speak to the men in the street, and
to get them to church that night! The love of God for those men was genuine, and we
believe that’s what makes the difference! There is no doubt that street ministry
and discipleship can be a powerful witnessing tool to bring the lost into the
Kingdom of God—and all we had to do was simply ‘ASK’.
As it is written in John 21:24-25, “This is the disciple which testifieth of these
things: and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. And there
are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written
every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that
should be written. Amen.”
The Preached Word:
Thank God for His increase in grace, boldness, and anointing as the ministerial
leg of the Transformers poured out all they had through the preached Word in
delivering Spirit-filled messages both day and night throughout the week.
- Rev. Tracey Victor-Butler, “Be Open” (Aug. 11)
- Min. Carlos Perkins, “Your Pain Positions You to Possess the Promise” (Aug. 12)
- Min. Linda Bailey, “The Power of Agreement” (Aug. 13)
- Rev. Stephanie Butler, “Empowered to be Released” (Aug. 14)
- Rev. Tracey Victor-Butler, “Say Yes” (Aug. 16)
- Min. Carlos Perkins, “Are U Ready for an Upgrade?” (Aug. 17)
Each night God showed Himself strong by sending many of the same persons whom we had
ministered to during the day or met out in the streets, to the Worship Service in the
evening. Both the congregation and Team members received supernatural blessings
from God through breakthroughs, healing, salvation, and deliverance. Special thanks
to the pastors and members of the host churches Nazareth AMEC, McKenzie AMEC, Rita’s
Memorial AMEC, and Metropolitan AMEC worked wonderfully to ensure that all went
according to God’s plan.
Dancers With No Limits:
Only God really knows what He did and how He used the liturgical dancers, Min. Linda,
Sis. Seqouya and Sis. Tamara to take the congregation—and themselves, into a whole
different realm of worship, deliverance, and breakthrough! These dancers MINISTERED
every day, and every night—sometimes with set choreography; sometimes being led of
the Holy Spirit just hours before the service; but, all the time—what came forth was
anointed. Honorable mentions in the area of dance ministry go to Sis. Shekeisha Joyner
and Sis. Seles Gadson—both of whom had never danced as a part of a liturgical dance
ministry, but were opened enough to God to try something new! Sis. Shekeisha even
organized the hottest impromptu (24 hours) Step Team ever! I thank God for allowing
me to witness the transformation of these young ladies who did great damage to the
kingdom of darkness through their ministry of Sacred Dance!
Open Mic Night: Transformers In-House Poetry Slam!
During times of fellowship and fun, the Lord really stirred up the gifts within the
Team. At one of our evening gatherings Team members were challenged to share their
creativity through the Spoken Word. What a tremendous blessing this was to witness
such an anointing on our Youth as gifted poets and orators! Shout outs go to our
top 3 winners Shekeisha Joyner, Eric Clarke, and Seqouya Graham. In the infamous
words of Transformer Justin Cobb, they were definitely, “all that, all that.”
Work it Out!
At Rita’s Memorial AME Church in the southern region of Fyzabad, the pastor and
members are in the early stages of building an addition to their facility, in the
form of a Community Internet Café. On the Team’s day of ministry at the church,
the hired workers were on site busy digging, mixing, and moulding from morning
right through the afternoon. As the day wore on, Min. Carlos apparently became
more intrigued by this work and must have begun a dialogue with the young men.
Before long, the daily rain showers began to fall—as we wondered, “Where’s Carlos?”
We soon saw him through the window, with two additional recruits—Chaz Stanback
and Eric Clarke (our youngest team member-- small in stature, but mighty in
spirit!) with shovels in-hand, shoes and shirts discarded, working alongside the
young builders in the rain! Even though they were drenched and muddy, they looked
quite comfortable in their new-found jobs. Thank God for the willing hearts of
volunteer labour!
Cyrus Ross Children’s Home: Sharing songs, crafts, bible stories, dances,
laughter, hugs and tears of joy with the young residents aged 2-22, all living
with HIV/Aids touched the team in ways that words cannot describe. The facility
is home to approximately 38 residents and is the only one of its kind in Trinidad.
We shared the story of King David as a worshipper who loved the Lord with all his
heart. These vibrant, inquisitive children heard that they too were royalty because
of Jesus as they created hand-made crowns and jewels, had a mini-royal parade, and
danced to the song, “I am Not Forgotten”. After six days of ministering together
as a unit, the Transformers were now operating with the wisdom, joy, and liberty
that can only come from above—Our Youth ministered to the children so wonderfully
and naturally. We ended our time at the Children’s Home as the children ministered
in song to us, “Here I am to Worship”.
Commissioned & Changed:
On the last Friday morning before departure day, the Team shared in an intimate time
of the Lord’s Supper, prayer and reflection. This was also the time set aside for
the ministerial team to speak prophetic words of blessing into the lives of each Team
member. The Holy Spirit moved swiftly and sweetly in the room as we all were
challenged to take what we received from God over the past week, and step into the
next chapter of our purpose and destiny! No doubt, the Team that arrived in Trinidad
with a mission to empower others, themselves received power, strength, global
awareness, and personal readiness to return to their own nation more deeply committed
to Jesus Christ.
Closing Celebration: Proud to Be AME!
All that we had experienced came to a fabulous close on Friday night at Metropolitan
AME Church, where the pastor is Pres. Elder Wayne Anthony. The house was packed and
the Spirit of praise was high as the following local churches each ministered a
special selection during the closing program:
Sis. Marianne Francis, Bro. John Corridon & New Generation (Wonderful Praise &
Worship!)
Christ AME Church—Steel Pan Orchestra
Bethany AMEC—Youth Ministry in Song
Transformers—Step & Liturgical Dance Ministry
McKenzie AMEC—Solo in song
Metropolitan AMEC Band—Music Ministry
How proud we all were to be together in the House of the Lord celebrating, singing,
dancing, and loving one another into the Kingdom freely—on one accord! Who could
have known that being saved could be so much FUN?! What a blessing and affirmation
to see that so many gifts and talents reside powerfully in the African Methodist
Episcopal Church! Hallelujah!
In Conclusion:
With each passing mission, God’s modus operandi adjusts for each region and situation,
and we must do the same. There are general standards that any interested mission team
must consider—such as travel safety, adequate accommodations, reliable in-country
guides, and a set—yet flexible ministry schedule. However, there is no
‘cookie-cutter’ mission strategy. God expects us to execute His plan of ministry
outreach through much prayer, observation, and research so that the true needs of the
people can be met and even exceeded. Future outreach efforts would do well to
reconsider massive transport of gift items for distribution, in exchange for carrying
all the teaching tools necessary to facilitate an educational and spiritual encounter
with God. Those tools, whether they are bibles, lesson plans, workbooks, sports
equipment, crafts, puppets, story-books, music cds, flyers and the like, should all be
seeded into that local ministry so that the people can continue to benefit from them
long after the missionaries are gone.
The shift in Missions & Ministry outreach amongst the youth and young adults is the
challenge for pastors to have their initial training and introduction to mission work
implemented at their local church level. There is great inconsistency in the number
of local congregations that have a structured Mission Programme or teach a basic form
of missiology within the Young People’s Department. While the Women’s Missionary
Society of the AME Church has made great strides in both local and global missions,
there is a need for increased and regularized training in traditional and
contemporary evangelism amongst our youth. If they receive intensive training in
their own nation first, (not limited to one visitation per year to a homeless shelter)
they will be more in-tuned to hear the call of God on their lives—some to full-time
ministry; others to full-time missions. And when that happens, our youth will be
able to reply as the prophet Isaiah did when God inquired, “Who will go for us and
whom shall I send?” Isaiah said simply, “Here am I—send me.”
If your church or ministry would like to experience cross-cultural missions with
specialized training in outreach and evangelism within the 16th Episcopal District,
please contact the Administrative Assistant to Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry--Sis.
Celestine Palmer, email
Cwpalmer16thdist@aol.com
or Rev. Stephanie Butler, email
info@stephaniebutler.com
Special Thanks:
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Pres. Elder Wayne Anthony & Sis. Sandra Anthony, the
Reverends Ann Lightner-Fuller, and Jonathan Weaver (Pastors of Mt. Calvary AMEC and
Greater Mt. Nebo AMEC)—thank you for your continuous support; Nazareth AMEC,
McKenzie AMEC, Rita’s AMEC, and Metropolitan AMEC Pastors, members, and leaders who
welcomed and took such good care of us during our stay in Trinidad; your loving
hospitality (and delectable food) was simply wonderful! Sis. Lizann DeBourg, a.k.a.
“Wonder Woman”, the Lord used you greatly to coordinate on the ground and to be a
real Team Member—we love you, Ms. Liz! All the Trinidadian Youth Leaders, singers,
musicians, Steel Pan Orchestra—just awesome! Bro. Dale, Rev. Susan Romataur and
family, Rev. & Sis. Francis, Rev. & Sis. Mitchell, Rev. Berkeley, Sis. Michelle,
Sis. Ava, and Sis. Christa; special blessings to Shaquille and Casey—two outstanding
local youths whom we adopted as Team members as they travelled faithfully with us
wherever we went;
To the Ministerial Team of the Transformers (Rev. Tracey, Ministers Carlos &
Linda)—simply the best! I look forward to what God has in store for each of you in
ministry. Praise God for you! To the TRANSFORMERS TEAM of 2007—truly each of you are
so much more than meets the eye! Hold fast to all you have learned; Remember
Bro. Julian’s scripture verse from Isaiah 40:28-31; Stay connected to Jesus and to
one another. You will never be forgotten!
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