Beyond These Walls 2025

Eduard Khegay was born (1970) and grew up in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, Soviet Union. He studied at the Bauman Moscow Technical University and majored in Mechanical Hydraulic Engineering. He became a Christian through the missionary work of Jonathan Park during his years at University and went on to study at Moscow United Methodist Theological Seminary, which he graduated in 1996.

During 1990s Eduard served as a leader of the college student ministries at Moscow Central UMC and pastor of the First UMC in St. Petersburg. In 2000s he served as director of church development of the Russia UMC, pastor of Aspiration UMC and district superintendent of St.Petersburg district, pastor of Raduga ministry of Moscow UMC, assistant to the Bishop Hans Vaxby, and district superintendent of Central Asia. In October 2012 Eduard was elected a bishop of Eurasia Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2001 and Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Seminary in Washington, DC in 2010. Eduard is married to Viktoria Nogay and they have two daughters, Liudmila and Lydia. They live in Moscow, Russia. 

Hany is a catalyst for church planting in the Middle East.  He serves as a Missionary and Field Director for Impact Middle East overseeing mission operations in seven countries.   In addition he Associate Area Director for Free Methodist World Missions in a Middle East country.

Sarah Wanck has been serving as a Pastor for more than twenty years, passionately leading congregations in ministry to new generation and ever-focused on the church’s call to evangelism. Sarah is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary with a Masters in Youth Ministry and a Masters of Divinity. She focused her Doctoral work at United Theological Seminary on church renewal and leadership. Sarah serves as Lead Pastor at Aldersgate Global Methodist Church in Marion, IL. Her husband Gabe and son Hudson champion her call and always encourage her to use her gifts to lead. Sarah has joined the staff of World Methodist Evangelism, working as a catalyst for evangelism at home and abroad.

Sarah Wanck has been serving as a Pastor for more than twenty years, passionately leading congregations in ministry to new generation and ever-focused on the church’s call to evangelism. Sarah is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary with a Masters in Youth Ministry and a Masters of Divinity. She focused her Doctoral work at United Theological Seminary on church renewal and leadership. Sarah serves as Lead Pastor at Aldersgate Global Methodist Church in Marion, IL. Her husband Gabe and son Hudson champion her call and always encourage her to use her gifts to lead. Sarah has joined the staff of World Methodist Evangelism, working as a catalyst for evangelism at home and abroad.

Mawoussé, a citizen of Togo, West Africa, has a Masters Degree in Finance and Accounting from Lomé University. He worked for the Togolese Social Security Fund and two Togolese non-profit organizations. He also worked for Compassion International Togo as the External CIV Writer prior to becoming a Chalmers Lead Trainer in 2011. For the last five years, he has coordinated Chalmers’ most successful training operation in West Africa. He loves traveling, reading, and developing cross-cultural relationships.

Kevin M. Watson is passionate about raising up the next generation of leaders for the Church of Jesus Christ. In his academic and teaching ministry he has worked to unplug the ancient wells of the 18th and 19th century evangelical revivals so Christians today can drink from their living water. His research, writing, and teaching has particularly focused on the practice of small group formation through Wesleyan class and band meetings and the doctrine of entire sanctification. He has written or contributed to ten books, including The Class Meeting, Perfect Love, and Old or New School Methodism? Watson has fifteen years of experience in seminary education and pastoral ministry. Kevin is married to Melissa and they are the proud parents of three children. Connect with Kevin at: kevinmwatson.com.

Arlene Joy C. Puno or Cookie came to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior  during her college days. In the semester before graduation, she received the call to become a missionary during a retreat, and her life was never the same. She worked as a Ministry Affairs Coordinator at her home church, after  graduating from college. She then went on several short-term mission trips with  Jesus Revolution Now (JRev).  

In 2009 she pursued a Master’s in Education majoring in Educational Technology at UP Diliman and graduated with Academic Excellence in 2012.  

She joined Life-Growth Inc. (LGI) in 2009 and continues her ministry work as its  Executive Director. She is also one of the founders of LGI’s prayer arm,  WindWatch: A Holy Spirit ministry (2007). In 2020 she was commissioned as one of its pastors.  

Last July 1, 2023, she was also ordained as a Deacon of the Global Methodist Church Philippines and is one of the co-founding pastors of Encounter Church.  She is also a Certified Life Coach and CBT practitioner.  

Currently, she is also pursuing a Master’s in Leadership from Asbury Theological  Seminary.  

Cookie and her husband Charles have been happily married since 2012 and have three beautiful children — a daughter named Jordan Caris and two sons named Zachary Caleb and Christopher Arthur Isaac. 

Todd Ahrend graduated from Northeastern State University, has a Masters from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Doctorate from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the founder and international Director of The Traveling Team, a national missions mobilization movement. He and his wife, Jessica, have spent over two decades traveling speaking to thousands about involvement in world evangelization. Todd has exposure in over sixty countries and has lived in the Middle East. He is the author of The Abrahamic Revolution and In This Generation.

Sonji Y. Pass is the Regional Director of Church Culture at TMS Global, Atlanta GA. Prior to joining staff she served as a cross cultural worker in Kenya for over 12 years. She is passionate about culture, hospitality, the nations and reconciliation. Over the past 20 years, she has trained and led numerous mission teams, co-founded a church planting/discipleship school in remote Kenya and spoken at various conferences and retreats across the globe.

Sonji has received extensive intercultural development training and holds a degree in Intercultural Studies. She brings the unique combination of experiences having served as a missionary, on staff at a church, and inside mission agencies as she helps awaken congregations to their important role in missions. Sonji believes that all people are created by God with purpose, value and intrinsic worth. Her great desire is for all humanity to see themselves through the eyes of the One who created them!

Rev. Dr. Ashley Goad’s spiritual heritage is a long one, going back to 1773 when her family planted Springfield Friends Meeting, a Quaker church in High Point, North Carolina. Ashley grew up surrounded by this heritage.

She eventually pursued graduate school, receiving a Master of Divinity from Liberty Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Global Perspective from George Fox Evangelical Seminary, where she studied in London, Cape Town and Hong Kong. In 2006, she became a recorded, or ordained, Quaker pastor in North Carolina.

Now at TWMC herself and an ordained elder and deacon in the Global Methodist Church, Ashley is excited about her role as Pastor of Missions. Ashley is married to Christopher Harbuck. Chris has two children, Palmer and Kit, both married. Kit and his wife have a son, Hank. Ashley’s son, Mac, who is from Haiti, now lives in The Woodlands with Ashley and Chris, as does their beloved black lab, Molly.

Matt O'Reilly is Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Birmingham, Alabama,  Director of Research at Wesley Biblical Seminary, and a fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians. A two-time recipient of the Stott Award for Pastoral Engagement, Matt is author of multiple books including Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification (Seedbed) and editor of Reconstructing Methodism: Crucial Issues Facing the Global Methodist Church (Francis Asbury Press). 

Kurt Kandler is the author of If You Really Want to Help – Redefining the war on poverty. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of The 410 Bridge – a Christ-centered, community-initiated community development ministry. Additionally, he is the Founder and Executive Director of the 410 Global Outreach Network – a peer-to-peer network exclusive to global mission leaders from the N.A. church. Before founding The 410 Bridge, Kurt had over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneurial leader in the private sector. His belief in redefining the war on poverty drives the mission of The 410 Bridge.

Kurt is committed to empowering the global poor to lift themselves out of poverty through Christ-centered, indigenously led, and sustainable development. The 410 Bridge currently operates in six countries in East Africa, Central America, and Indonesia. The 410 Global Outreach Network was created for global mission church leaders to share, learn, and network together, enhancing their effectiveness and impact around the world.

Dr. Dale is a passionate follower of Christ and a Christian leader who seeks to help individuals, churches, and organizations reach their full potential.  As Director for Impact Middle East he mentors, oversees, coaches and encourages high level leaders  who oversee thousands of house churches in the Middle East.  He also serves as Conference Co Superintendent for one of the 21 Free Methodist Church Conferences in the US.

James Whitford is co-founder and executive director of Watered Gardens Ministries in Joplin, Missouri and True Charity, which exists to champion the resurgence of civil society in the fight against poverty. He is also the author of The Crisis of Dependency: How Our Efforts to Solve Poverty Are Trapping People in It and What We Can Do to Foster Freedom Instead. 

Zach Szmara is the Founder and Executive Director of Immigrant Connection, an organization that provides access to immigration legal services through a church-based model that is scalable, sustainable, and centered on the needs of immigrants. Under his leadership, Immigrant Connection has trained over 100 legal representatives and launched more than 45 church-based offices in urban, suburban, and rural communities across 25 states.

Zach holds a BA in Intercultural Studies and Biblical Studies from Indiana Wesleyan University, as well as an MA in Intercultural Studies, Anthropology, and Ethics from Asbury Theological Seminary. He is also accredited by the Department of Justice as an immigration legal representative. His cross-cultural experience includes time spent living and serving in Papua New Guinea and Mozambique.

In addition to his work with Immigrant Connection, Zach is an ordained Wesleyan minister and serves as the pastor of The Bridge, a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual church located in Logansport, IN. He is married to Lyndy, a special education administrator, and together they have one son, Isaac.

Dr. Pete Bellini is Professor of Church Renewal and Evangelization in the Heisel Chair at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He is an interdisciplinary theologian teaching, researching, and writing at the intersection of theology, philosophy, and the sciences. Dr. B is an ordained Elder in the Global Methodist Church. He is a prolific author of 12 books. Dr. Bellini is also an itinerate revivalist and has ministered on the person and power of the Holy Spirit across the world. He is known as specialist in deliverance and exorcism. Dr. B is married with two adult children and a granddaughter. In his spare time, he is an owner-operator of a boxing club ministry.

John Muehleisen is the Vice President for Global Strategy and Training at World Gospel Mission. John, a graduate of Asbury University and Wesley Biblical Seminary, has served as a missionary with World Gospel Mission in East Africa for 37 years.

He currently serves as the VP for Global Strategy and Training for WGM.

Rev. Mark Sorensen began his ministry journey as a youth minister in Texas. While serving as a worship leader in Louisiana, he realized God wanted him to pursue seminary and become a pastor.

During his time at Asbury Theological Seminary, he joined the ministry team at The Woodlands Methodist Church (TWMC) as lead pastor for contemporary worship. He graduated Asbury and became an ordained minister. In 2021 he was named Senior Pastor of TWMC.

Mark is the author of When Will Jesus Be Enough? He and his wife, Nycki, have two children — Nic, who is married and has a son, and Gabbi.

Rob Lim is passionate about empowering a generation for Kingdom influence in the global marketplace. He serves as Assistant Professor of Business at Asbury University (KY, USA), is a marketplace evangelist, and co-founder of the social entrepreneur group, MATES for Change (Melbourne, Australia). Most recently he was a industry leader in mortgages as Global Head of Home Lending at one of the world’s largest banks, accountable for over $300 billion worth of assets across Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. In 2012, Rob was elected as one of five young leaders internationally to be a council member on the World Methodist Council. He is married to Ruth and has four sons: Jared, Noah, and twins Jude and Benji.

Dr. Mathew George Mulavelil, a Dentist by profession, worked at a Rural Mission hospital, in Bihar from 1993 – 2013 - The Duncan Hospital, a unit Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA). Along with his wife Latha, a dentist too, he pioneered the dental work in EHA. As its Coordinator of Oral Health Services, he oversaw the setting up of 14 dental units across the network of EHA Hospitals. The last tenure at EHA was the Managing Director of the Duncan hospital.

From 2013 to 2019 he was with the Evangelical Medical Fellowship of India (EMFI) heading its Missions Department. He oversaw its various Mission training programs and developed new paradigms and directions in healthcare missions.

Presently he heads a ministry called the “Companions of Grace International” (COGI) that seeks to Challenge, Teach and Empower healthcare professionals to be “On Mission”.

He has a passion for teaching, training and mentoring students and young graduates and has strengths of envisioning and strategic planning. Over the last 30 years he has spoken at conferences, training programs, churches and many groups of healthcare students and professionals in India and many countries across the globe.

Latha and Him have a 27 year-old daughter Rachel who is pursuing a her PHD in Neuroscience in the US.

Ben Birdsong is a church and para-church student ministry veteran and currently serves as the Minister of Missions at Christ Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He is also an adjunct professor teaching children, youth, and family ministries at Birmingham Theological Seminary. Ben also helps churches with custom curriculum through Your Youth Ministry Curriculum and authors with book projects through Birdsong Innovations.

Ben has bachelor’s degrees in Marketing and Human Resource Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a Master of Divinity degree from Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry in Ministry to Emerging Generations from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

As an author, Ben has written the devotional books Words from the Cross: 7 Statements that Will Transform Your Life, journeying through Jesus’ final moments before His death, and James: Everyday Faith. He is also a monthly contributor for parenting and family ministry content for Birmingham Christian Family magazine. Ben also wrote the John study and a portion of the Psalm study for Rooted Reservoir.

Ben is married to Liz. He enjoys reading, writing, watching movies, and blogging at www.benbirdsong.com.