EI JUBILEE! 2024-2025: Praising God for 50 years of service in His kingdom!
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”
1 Samuel 7:12.
Emmanuel International, as an international organisation, was registered in Canada on 11 September 1975. On 12 September 2024 we are ushering in its 50th year of recognized existence. Our 50th year, our Jubilee year!
Jubilee! In the Bible, the Jubilee year was designated for the 50th year after 7 cycles of
7 years, following the end of the 7th sabbath year. The Jubilee year was a year of
acknowledging Sovereign God, His grace, His provision, His heart for His people. It was a reset year, a year when slaves were to be freed, when property was to go back to its original owner, when debts were to be forgiven. It was to be a year of rest and freedom… a reset year. The heart of this Jubilee year was a demonstration of God’s heart for compassion, an unparalleled expression of goodness and care for His people, surpassed only through the gift of His son, Jesus. Can you imagine the joy, the relief that the Jubilee year would have been to people whose lives had been battered by poverty and loss, who felt trapped in an endless cycle of need? For those giving back, can you imagine the challenge of giving up possessions and slaves? The Jubilee year required that people in poverty would trust God to provide. And it required the rich to trust that treating people in obedience to God’s way would in turn be best for themselves.
Trusting and obeying a just and generous God with thanksgiving. That is the heart of the Jubilee year. Looking back and looking forward.
Emmanuel International, this is OUR year of Jubilee. This is our opportunity to praise God with all our hearts, souls, strength and minds. With Samuel of old, on the 12th of September, 2024, let us raise our Ebenezer, for truly, “hitherto has the LORD helped us.”
We are looking for donors who will commit to 1 year of £50.00 per month, or even a one off gift of £50 to commemorate God’s goodness. The funds will be used to support our spiritual ministries.
To donate securely, click on the Enthuse donate button
Please note that Enthuse charges an administration fee on your donation.
If funds received exceed the requirements for a specific person or project the trustees shall re-designate any surplus at the end of the term or project.
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12 September 2024
The Letters of Patent declaring Emmanuel Relief and Rehabilitation International to be a recognized charitable organization is dated September 11, 1975. September 12, 2024 will begin our 50th year, our Jubilee year! In the Bible, every 50th year was a reset year, a year of rest. The Jubilee year was a year of acknowledging Sovereign God, His grace, His provision, His heart for His people. With Samuel of old, on the 12th of September 2024, join us in raising our Ebenezer; for truly, ‘hitherto has the LORD helped us.”
19 September 2024
Trusting and obeying a just and generous God with thanksgiving. This is the heart of the Jubilee year. Looking back and looking forward. Emmanuel International, this is OUR year of Jubilee. This is our opportunity to praise God with all our hearts, souls, strength and minds.
Praise with us!
26 September 2024
2 Samuel 22:47. The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
Emmanuel International was birthed out of the 1974 famine in Ethiopia. Founder George Middleton had recruited young people from across Canada to help in food relief. These young people were willing but ill-equipped to handle the devastation the drought was causing. George purposed to establish a training place to equip willing volunteers so that, in the future, they would be prepared. That training program developed into a faith-based sending agency, Emmanuel Relief and Rehabilitation International, or EI.
Partnering with local churches in serving their communities to address needs identified by the partner churches came out of George’s 25 years of missionary service in Aden, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Principles learned in those years shaped EI’s ethos.
3 October 2024
1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever.
At the time of the 1976 Guatemala earthquake, EI had a staff of George and Dan Maxon, Mark Middleton and family and two Eritrean nurses being sponsored. Hearing of the earthquake, George arranged for a team to go to Guatemala under an American Baptist Mission to (re) build churches that had been destroyed. This was the very first “team” to go out under ERRI. Dan was joined on site by John Lorenz, Keith Fellows. John was a builder/engineer, Keith was the muscle and Dan was team leader.
Dan recalls, “We lived in a tent in the village mountains and built cement block churches with steel beams that were more EQ resistant. The village fed us and provided the labour of moving blocks to the site. This was the beginning of an off and on relationship with EI over the next 40 years which included starting a Somalia relief program. I will always be thankful for those experiences and the learnings that I acquired as a result.”
10 October 2024
Psalm 150:1+ ESV “Praise the Lord! … Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!”
Excerpt from “The Emmanuel Experience” by John Carroll
“The first two UK partners with EI were Joy Carroll and Peter Warren. Joy took a gap year to work in the needy country of Haiti with its political unrest and its fear of voodoo.
Peter had a tough assignment to a refugee camp in Somalia.
Many others were enquiring about going out to serve God with us and, in 1978 I had an invitation from George Middleton to become the official British representative of the International Organization based in Canada. Little did I know what this would involve or what great things would develop.”
John and Thelma Carroll maintained their ties with EIUK to the end of their lives, in 2024 and 2023 respectively. Well-loved and well respected, the EI family are grateful for the encouragement and example of John and Thelma through their nearly 50 years of support.
17 October 2024
Psalm 95 :2 “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”
EI encouraged young people with a heart to serve to join the organization. A young person who would commit to a service period of 15 months began with a 3-month training course at the Stouffville, ON, Canada site. For many years, training school was a huge part of the mission’s focus as young people received cross-cultural training and gained an understanding about working under the authority of a local church.
Trainees were placed in teams of usually around 5 people. On their field assignment, they were partnered with the same number of nationals, each person having their own partner. The goal was to assist the local church to be able to meet the physical and spiritual needs within their communities with practical skills that improved daily living.
24 October 2024
1 Timothy 1:17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Objectives of the Mobile teams were:
Young people trained through ERRI were designed as ‘mobile task forces,’ small groups of individuals prepared to respond to emergencies, participate in rehabilitation following emergencies and then to community development.
*Teams worked under a selected national church partner whether in relief, rehabilitation or community development. Often, it was a sequential process.
*For community development programs, a national Team Leader from that partner church came to Stouffville to help train the team members over the 3-month training course. Training was intense with many opportunities for hands-on learning
The key word through a training session? Ask any trainee: Flexibility
31 October 2024
Psalm 150:6 ESV “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
Selecting a partner church was the first step in choosing a project. ERRI went at the invitation of a local, indigenous church. There were some key criteria:
*Would there be an opportunity to share the Gospel through word and action?
*Is there a valid need?
*Is the need recognized by local and national authorities?
*Is it in an area that is generally neglected or an area where help is readily available?
ERRI has, over the years, concentrated efforts in areas of greatest need, distant or isolated areas where others do not want to go.
Community development activities targeted health, food security and basic daily needs.
Examples of projects were: raising chickens and rabbits, agriculture, clean water sources, building latrines.
7 November 2024
Psalm 71:8 ESV. “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.”
From Mark Middleton: “They” (observers) said it wouldn’t, it just couldn’t last. From a human perspective, there was good reason for “their pessimistic perspective”—the individuals who were there at the start, the methodologies, the limited resources, and the organized chaos which accompanies a new beginning. Three principles stand out from those early years:
*The unapologetic focus on empowering a younger generation to, in the power of the Spirit, influence people towards God—in line with the “Jesus Revolution” at the time.
*The unapologetic focus on the heart identity of the individual first and the skills of the individual second—recognizing God produces the results.
*The concept of true Christian partnership—that all of God’s children, His church, were equal in value, necessary for what God wanted to do in this generation, and that we were responsible to and for each other—to meet the “physical and spiritual needs of a given region.
The world, generational causes, methods, individuals, and partnerships have all changed since 1975. However, the founding essence of EI is still there. The original observers would be impressed. Not because EI will exist forever, but because the Spirit’s influence through EI will. “He who begins a good work in you, will keep it going until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6’”
Mark Middleton was International Program Director for EI from 1977-1986 then General Director from 1986-1997.
14 November 2024
Psalm 103:1 ESV. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”
Did you know that at one time, Emmanuel International had a very active “home-based” program for volunteers? This program was called ECHO, a summer program for young people in local Canadian churches to enrol as volunteers to help those in need. Coordinated through the EI office, these young people spread out in their communities, looking for opportunities to serve: grass cutting, tending flower beds or garden plots, washing cars and windows and more.
Excerpt from Spring 1981 Update:
“Teams of Christian young people, having committed their summer to the Lord, will be reaching out into their communities with practical demonstrations of Christian love. As they knock on doors looking for ways to help the needy, they will very naturally encounter many opportunities to share what Jesus Christ means to them. In the past, it has been exciting to watch the reaction of people as our young people explain that their services are free and they are helping because they care.”
Some of these summer volunteers went on to join EI for a year of service overseas.
21 November 2024
Isaiah 25:1 ESV. “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”
The partnership of Emmanuel International and Kabankalan Fellowship Baptist Church (KFBC), Negros Occidental, Central Philippines, began in the later part of 1979. Shem was chosen by KFBC to lead the Team.
Shem reports: “In September 20, 1979, I went to Canada for the two months training program. There were six expatriates who joined with me in that training – three Filipino-Canadians from First Filipino Baptist Church, a Canadian young couple, and a German young nurse.
After the training, I returned to the Philippines together with the expatriates. The partner church selected six nationals to comprise the whole team.
After a brief orientation, in December 1980, the community development projects and church planting ministry were started. It was a four-year holistic program launched in the rural areas of Kabankalan. The expatriates had only a one-year contract in the program. A new expat team was sent each year to work with us.
The projects were composed of medical and dental missions with free consultations and medicine, health and sanitation, water, and goat raising. After the four-year program, seven local churches were established in different areas of the project sites. All of these churches are still existing and growing by God’s grace. I was in the ministry serving the Lord through Emmanuel International from December 1980 to March 2021. I thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity and privilege to serve Him. How I came to know about EI and how I came to join the organization happened not by accident but by appointment. I believe it was all by God’s plan. I thank EI and I praise the Lord for what He has done!”
28 November 2024
Psalm 69:30 ESV. “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
John Cox from the UK served with Emmanuel International in Damazin, South Sudan from 1985 – 1986. A trained casualty nurse, John went to what was then Central Sudan with a team of volunteers to worked as nurse, health teacher and team leader in this very rural town. This was a small community development outreach, providing education and immunizations. Emmanuel International’s training school prepares one to be ready for anything… but even so, to suddenly become a refugee centre! Which is what happened to John and his team. With three days’ notice and no supplies, the team welcomed 600 weary and ravaged refugees who had crossed the desert on foot from Ethiopia. Shelter, food and water, God provided it all, including translators. John has written about this in his book, “Life to the Max”. John says, “We saw some amazing answers to prayer, which clearly saved hundreds (thousands actually) of lives which really (obviously) encouraged me in my faith…. John 10:10”
John wrote his story, the story of a young man’s willingness to ‘live the adventure of faith’, an adventure that started in Damazin. We encourage you to read his whole story: Life to the Max
5 December 2024
Hebrews 13:8 ESV. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Creve, Haiti welcomed an expatriate team from Canada in February 1987. At that time, EI’s partnership was with the Mission Eglise Baptiste Independante. This team was implementing a CIDA-funded program which included seed distribution, vegetable gardens and sports programs. During this time, they also put a roof on an orphanage and built a water catchment. Bible studies in 5 areas were ongoing. A report in EI’s 1987 Annual Report says: “There has been a shift in emphasis. Our team is so much more spiritually and people-oriented than we were before. We used to be into mass production. Now we spend a lot more time with families.”
And that is the heart of EI: the people we serve! For the glory of God!
12 December 2024
James 1:17. NIV. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
The 1988 Annual Report starts with the words, “1988 has been an exciting year of watching God’s hand working through His church worldwide.”
*The Creve, Haiti program was in its third year of CIDA project funding and Martinez Jovin became the Haiti In-Country Representative, a position that he filled for the next nearly 30 years.
*Relief aid for hurricane victims in St. Ann’s Parish, Jamaica was done with church partner Jamaica Evangelistic Mission. This marked 6 years of this partnership.
*In the Philippines, EI was working with 3 Filipino Baptist Churches. In this year, the partnership transitioned to a completely Filipino team.
*Disaster relief was being carried out through a partnership of 3 organizations in Sudan.
*In Uganda, partnership was renewed with the Church of Uganda with a rehabilitation program in the Patongo, an area ravaged by war.
*Fresh water wells were being drilled in Makuyuni, Tanzania with the Kilimanjaro Pentecostal Church.
*Also in Tanzania, a new partnership was established with the Mwanza Pentecostal Church in Mwanza.
*The Evangelical Baptist Church in Malawi was seeing encouraging responses to the “Jesus’ film in Mbere, Machinga.
Perhaps ‘exciting’ was an understatement??? To God be the glory!
19 December 2024
Psalm 18:30. NIV. “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.”
“The Northeast region of Minas Gerais, Brazil is acknowledged to be one of the neediest in the state, if not the country.” This is a quote from EI’s 1989 Annual Report. Some of the issues sited were limited education opportunities, tenant farming, lack of clean drinking water and no system of sanitation, widespread malnutrition.
The Brazil’s EI team, made up of Brazilians and Canadians, worked with their partner church, Igreja Metodista Congregacional, to tackle these problems through various interventions: classes on hygiene and nutrition, backyard gardens, small animal husbandry of rabbits and goats, and construction of latrines, affectionately known as “zoolies.” The team dug 3 ponds and capped 2 springs. Families received water filters and seedlings for reforestation.
26 December 2024
Psalm 50:6 “And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.”
One of the challenges facing rural African churches is the need for trained leaders, people who have a deep understanding of God’s Word. This doesn’t come easily in a setting where believers, while sincere, have no real training in how to study and share from Scripture. In rural Malawi in the 1990s, the trend was for a believer with a heart for sharing God’s Word to start a church… and generally, designate themselves as the pastor.
It was keenly on EI Malawi’s partner church, the Evangelical Baptist Church of Malawi (EBCM), to train these ‘pastors’ to truly embrace the full significance of that title. Due to the cost, sending them all to Bible School was out of the question.
Enter “TEE”…Thelological Education by Extension. This program was introduced in 1990 by Pastor Jim Clemens from Canada. Jim, alongside 2 trained Malawian pastors, began a program for teaching men to be able to study and teach the Bible to their congregations. Each participant had a series of lessons that they had to complete. At designated times, these students would come together with Pastor Jim and his trainers to go through the materials of the course. It took about a year to go through the whole course. At the ‘graduation’ in 1990, 54 of the 61 men, including 1 woman, received their certificate amid great rejoicing. “Their excitement was contagious and was felt by all!”
TEE continues as a part of EBCM’s leadership strategy for their rural church leaders.
2 January 2025
Psalm 100:3-5 “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
A memory from Sue Black: “I remember one time in the Philippines, Donna Aldridge and I were out for a walk and had stopped under the shade of a nice tree. Some children came by and started shouting “subay“, “subay“. Donna and I were trying to learn Illongo and started searching our minds to remember what “subay” meant. About 2 minutes later, we remembered because red ants had crawled up under our clothes and were ferociously biting us. I still remember the word to this day!
“During my time with EI I saw God “show up” in so many ways. God used the spiritual teaching from Training School, (including classes with George Middleton), and that year in the Philippines, to expand my perspective, grow my faith and deepen my relationship with Jesus. I believe that God used it to change the course of my life and I will forever be thankful for that.”
Sue served with EI in the Philippines in 1980 and then in the Stouffville, Ontario office until 1992.