Dear ECA members, candidates, applicants, friends and associates:

Grace Community Church
Surprise, Arizona

Greetings in the matchless name of Jesus as we proceed in this new year!  I am looking forward to our upcoming 2026 Winter Gathering and Ordination Ceremony, being held Friday, January 30, at Grace Community Church, in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise, Arizona.  The evening affair commences at 6:30 p.m. MST and will include worship and a sacred ordination ceremony, concluding at approximately 9:00 p.m.  This year's event theme, Preaching Faithfully in a Consumerist Age, based on the Apostle Paul's charge to Timothy in II Timothy 2:1-5, highlights the necessity for shepherds to recognize and avoid the temptation of succumbing to offer "milk" instead of "meat" in order to maintain brand popularity, the numbers on the church rolls and, therefore, the finances of the ministry.  It is imperative, therefore, that the preacher stay true to the Word to combat the lure of offering seeker-sensitive sermons instead as a church-growth strategy.  

Rev. Joseph Lee, a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea, seasoned pastor having ministered internationally,  and now the ECA's Special Assistant to the President as well as Clerk of its Standards and Credentials Committee, will deliver the ordination address for the occasion.  With his vast experience in pastoral ministry, Rev. Lee, ordained with the ECA, certainly understands the priority and challenge of preaching faithfully in a consumerist age.  To learn more about this brother in Christ and for additional details regarding the ceremony, view the bulletin by clicking here.

All applicants for individual membership to the ECA may attend the gathering and ordination ceremony.  Even so, only those whom the ECA office has notified as having been approved for this particular event as candidates and scheduled for an oral ordination or licensure examination to be held earlier that day at the church will be eligible to be examined.  For those who have not submitted their completed application packets for the occasion, the deadline is Monday the 19th.  

All attendees, including family, friends, church elders, or other guests, must be registered by clicking here. The registration page can also be accessed through the "EVENTS" tab on the homepage of the ECA website, www.ecainternational.org.  A recommended hotel is provided on the registration page. 

On another, but related note, should you be interested and available, I invite you to attend our International Conference this year to be held July 21-23 in beautiful Greenville, South Carolina.  For associated details, access the EVENTS" tab as referenced in the paragraph immediately above.  For a glimpse of what you can expect to experience, click here to view a brief video. 

In any event, I hope to see you this month for some ECA fellowship at Grace Community Church.  Until then, may you be "strong in the Lord and the power of His might."

For the ECA family of faith,
Dr. Robert H. Turrill
President & CEO
Military Chaplain Endorser

Num. 6:24