In June, more than 60 local pastors and church leaders met at Mt. Olive Baptist Church to be encouraged by World Impact President Efrem Smith and to learn more about TUMI Chester. They enjoyed a luncheon provided by the church hospitality ministry team and copy of Efrem’s most recent book, Post Black and post White Church provided by a local sponsor.
Rev. Anton Hackett, the senior pastor of Mt. Olive, emceed the afternoon gathering. He has been a TUMI Chester student for two years and is planning for Mt. Olive to be a stand-alone TUMI site by 2015. Rev Hackett shared his testimony at the luncheon, describing the visible change when he began taking TUMI classes. His congregation said to him, “Pastor, we don’t know what you are doing, but keep it up. We love your preaching of the Word now more than ever.”
In the same meeting, Church Mother Barbara Starkey shared that TUMI has opened her eyes to the Word of God. She felt so strongly about this change that she had everyone at the luncheon close their eyes for five seconds. When she told them to open their eyes she said, “You know how that darkness turned to bright light when you opened your eyes? That’s what TUMI has done for me.” Mother Starkey has completed 10 of the Capstone Courses and hopes to graduate in the next year.
The luncheon generated wonderful fruit: several attendees became first-time students; urban pastors from New Jersey, the Dominican Republic, and Pennsylvania are eager to see TUMI in their own settings. These sites would be a continued growth of TUMI East Coast, expanding from preexisting sites in Philadelphia, Coatesville, Schwenksville, and Ashland, OH. Enthusiasm for TUMI has generated positive friendships that were strengthened by the Lord through this gathering!