Church-in-Formation Organized Free Methodist Churches: 15 FMC Membership: 5,265 Ordained Ministers: 15 Ministerial Candidates: 11 (reflects Brazilian work only) Origins Angola, one of the world’s poorest countries, is recovering from the devastating effects of a 27-year civil war which ended in 2002. It is one of the world’s poorest countries, and the life expectancy there [...]

Church-in-Formation Organized Free Methodist Churches: 1 Origins Johny and Elizabeth Tellado were sent by the Puerto Rican FM Barrio Obrero Church in November 2004 to make a scouting trip to Antigua. They received a 6 month visa, and the government told them that if they were able to establish a congregation of eight converts or [...]

Mission District Organized Free Methodist Churches: 7 FMC Membership: 991 Ordained Ministers: 1 Ministerial Candidates: 14 Origins In 1977 Shonori and Yoneko Sugiyama, from the Pacific Coast Japanese Conference, began evangelistic work among the Japanese in Buenos Aires. Their support came from the Pacific Coast Japanese Conference and Japan. In 1979 the first Free Methodist [...]

Church-in-Formation Organized Free Methodist Churches: 1 Origins Pastora Emma Agarao, a Filipino pastora, registered the Free Methodist Church in Darwin, Australia, in 2001. Present Ministries The Darwin congregation has French, Australians, aborigines, Malaysians and Filipinos in attendance. The first ordained Iraqi pastor emigrated from the Middle East to Australia’s west coast in 2005. He began [...]

Church-in-Formation Organized Free Methodist Churches: 1 Origins The Grace and Peace Free Methodist Church in Nassau celebrated its tenth anniversary in September 2008. It is part of the South Atlantic Conference.  

Mission District Organized Free Methodist Churches: 1 FMC Membership: 53 Ordained Ministers: 3 Ministerial Candidates: 1 Origins “Help us start a Free Methodist Church!” was the plea that came from Filipino women who had recently moved to Oostende, Belgium. This request soon turned into the formal organization of the church in Oostende. At the same [...]

Church-in-Formation Origins In early 2006, the Free Methodist lay leader in Togo visited Benin, a small country sandwiched between Togo and Nigeria. He met with a small group in Cotonou, the seat of the government. The Togo leader continues to travel to Benin, nurturing groups of believers there.

Mission District Organized Free Methodist Churches: 1 FMC Membership: 135 Ordained Ministers: 1 Ministerial Candidates: 2 Origins The Free Methodist Church in Bolivia began on July 17, 1994, when a Bolivian with a Methodist background, Silverio Chambi Yana, was named church planter in the city of Cochabamba. In 2000 the FMC refocused its efforts toward [...]

Church-in-Formation FMC Membership: 20 Origins One Sunday a man passed near a tent where Free Methodists in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, were worshipping. He was attracted to the singing and the people. He gave his heart to the Lord. Not too long after, the man became burdened for the people of his home country, Botswana. He talked [...]

Brazilian General Conference Nikkei Annual Conference Organized Free Methodist Churches: 104 FMC Membership: 15,314 Ordained Ministers: 153 Ministerial Candidates: 32 Bishop (Brazilian General Conference): Jose Ildo Swartelle de Mello Origins In 1928 Daniel Nishizumi, a Free Methodist minister, traveled from Japan to Brazil at his own expense to do missionary work among the Japanese living [...]

Church-in-Formation Origins Free Methodist work in the Balkans began in 1997 when missionaries Michael and Maria Long moved to Thessaloniki, Greece. From this strategically located base, the Longs traveled extensively in Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia assisting with relief and development efforts, connecting with existing church networks, and encouraging believers. [...]

General Conference Organized Free Methodist Churches: 709 FMC Membership: 113,010 Ordained Ministers: 395 Ministerial Candidates: 25 Bishop: Elie Buconyori Origins In 1935, missionary J.W. Haley opened the work in Equatorial Africa at Muyebe, Burundi. Other missionaries soon joined the Haleys. Hundreds came to the Lord, so that within twenty years Burundi became Free Methodism’s largest conference. Tragedy hit [...]

Mission District Organized Free Methodist Churches: 5 FMC Membership: 600 Ordained Ministers: 1 Origins Rev. Sok Em and his wife, Savy, became Christians while they were living in a refugee camp in Thailand. Sok received Bible training while there. In the late 1980s, the Ems and their three children immigrated to Canada. In 1992 Rev. [...]

Annual Conference Organized Free Methodist Churches: 22 FMC Membership: 1,800 Ordained Ministers: 13 Ministerial Candidates: 15 Origins In February 1985 Sergio Loyola, pastor of an independent holiness Methodist church in Chillan, Chile, wrote to the Latin America Area Director about the possibility of joining the Free Methodist Church. Personal contact followed. Groups of believers in [...]

Mission District Organized Free Methodist Churches: 2 FMC Membership: 350 Ordained Ministers: 2 Ministerial Candidates: 5 Origins In December of 1993 the director of the FM churches in Costa Rica, Jorge Gomez, traveled to Colombia to visit his mother-in-law. While there he met with his nephew, Libni Montenegro, who shared that God had given him [...]

Mission District Organized Free Methodist Churches: 11 FMC Membership: 927 Ordained Ministers: 5 Ministerial Candidates: 5 Origins In early 1990 a group of some 300 adults who had formerly been part of the Methodist Church heard about the Free Methodist Church from Spanish speaking Free Methodists in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and expressed interest in affiliating with [...]

Prayer needs for this country The church in this country is the fastest growing in the world. Christians have faced severe obstacles, but have remained faithful and committed. Churches are growing and seeing the Holy Spirit move in power. Prayer, revival, simple living and a Christ-centered theology characterize the many house churches. Leadership training is [...]

Prayer needs for this country Huge parts of the country still have never heard the gospel. Over 90% of trained church leaders left the country in 1975 in the face of persecution. I It is still dangerous and difficult for church leaders to leave the country to get training. Pray the churches will grow and mentor other leaders through small [...]

General Conference Organized Free Methodist Churches: 855 FMC Membership: 150,427 Ordained Ministers: 735 Ministerial Candidates: 78 Bishop: Joshua Luhe’ya W’Elongo Origins In 1963, 7000 Christians of the Bembe tribe voted to join the Free Methodist Church. The missionary group that had been working among them had withdrawn three years earlier when independence in the country [...]

General Conference Organized Free Methodist Churches: 160 FMC Membership: 24,584 Ordained Ministers: 114 Ministerial Candidates: 20 Bishop: Obispo Cecilio Inocencio Osoria Ureña Origins A Free Methodist layman, Samuel E. Mills, began the work in the Dominican Republic in 1889. He was the first missionary of any denomination to minister to the Spanish speaking population of [...]