There He Goes Again

Yes, Gary is listening to the Lord and making changes again.

I have been involved in so many events and organizations that the question people ask always begin with some form of: "Are you still ____________________?"

Some fill the blank with a church, a counseling ministry, a ministry in Asia or Scandinavia or Russia but most of the time folks are a bit confused about what I do.

I am somewhat of a Christian entrepreneur who goes about seeing things that need to be done and listen to the Lord about what I can do to solve the problem. For example, I have been involved in starting several groups, organizations and ministries. Karen and I founded three house churches near the campus of UC back in the Seventies.

Dick Towner and I started a Christian Fellowship for Faculty and Administrators at UC. That fellowship held prayer meetings and teachings and even invited the well known theologian R.C. Sproul to lecture students. Dick, Sybil, Karen and I also bought two houses and rented them to UC students.

At College Hill Presbyterian Church we reorganized the Discipleship Ministry and started an Equipping Center for Lay Counselors called Teleios. Maurie and Lorraine Loomans along with Larry and Ellen Chrouch, Bea Combest, Ada and Rich Halter joined with us to form a group of thirsty souls called, "The Thursday Thirty". We offered prayer, counsel, love and concern to people in need.

Pat Wray was a great gate keeper for Teleios and before long Alice Petersen came from Fuller Seminary to give us her wisdom and insights. We saw hundreds of ordinary people release their gifts, talents and love into the lives of hurting people. What fun and what excitement to follow the Holy Spirit into uncharted waters.

The Teleios Ministry grew greatly and expanded into an international ministry called CIC that became EMI and set up centers all around the world and wrote training materials still used in many countries. There are still Teleios centers in Norway, Denmark and Russia and I often hear from folks who have taken the Teleios Model and developed it even farther than we did.

EMI continues to minister as an equipper of lay care givers under the direction of Dave Ping. I am no longer associated officially with any of those great organizations except Russia. All are grown up and developing their own independent identities.

What does Gary Sweeten do now?