Reflection - Impacting ministries in

the Greater New Orleans area.

Wimbai Mutonono - Executive Director

The non-traditional and practical approach emphasized in our programs has allowed us

to equip and encourage a diverse group of students within the last year. Most of our

students have appreciated the small group learning environment, and have found it

tremendously beneficial to the different ministries they represent. I am humbled, and at

the same time excited, to be part of an organization that is encouraging strong, positive

leadership and management practices for leaders in various ministries and organizations

in the Greater New Orleans area. This newsletter serves to showcase and reflect the

impact that the Gulf South Leadership Institute has had in its brief time of existence. As I

look at how much influence we have had within the last year, my excitement is elevated

by the thought of how much more influence we will have on the leaders and managers in

our communities. Some of our students who began taking classes at the beginning of the

program will soon be completing the required amount of classes for the Certificate in

Christian Leadership, and I am so confident that they will be able to better serve in

various ministries because of the education they received through the Institute..

THIS ISSUE

Reflecting on impact - E.D. P.1 Erik Thien - Element NOLA P.2

Shane Zeringue - Pastor, N.O. P.2 Jon Collins - Pearlington, MS P.2

Joe Conforto - Slidell, LA P.3 John Wester - Biloxi, MS P.3

Dr. Stanley Helton - Instructor P.4 Laura Eastman - Slidell, LA P.4

The Gulf South Leadership Institute

exists to serve as a resource center for

existing churches and new church

plants within the area. The stability

and strength of these churches

depends on the strength of the

leadership base. As the Institute

invests in one leader at a time, we

foresee the potential of a growing

movement that could soon be a force

of strong, vibrant, and self sustaining

churches.

My one request is for you to be in

prayer for our students as they

continue to make a difference in the

Greater New Orleans area.

Strengthening existing churches and church plants

Gulf South Leadership Institute News

SUMMER 2010 NEWSLETTER

Student reflections on the Institute’s impact

on their lives and ministries:

As I began a ministry at a new church,

I found that GSLI has been beneficial.

I’ve been able to learn from some very

educated and respectable individuals—

Dr. Keith Keeran (KCU) and Dr. Stanley

Helton.

An additional benefit is the fellowship

of other church planters and ministers

within the area, including networking

opportunities that facilitate fill-in

ministers in the event that I have to

travel.

Most of the courses have opened

my eyes to some leadership aspects

that I was not fully aware of. I

would strongly recommend anyone

involved in or anticipating

leadership to become involved in

studying and learning with other

leaders in an environment such as

GSLI offers.

This venue has been a blessing

and benefit to me as a church

planter.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jon is a church planter in Pearlington,

MS. He is me married to Kim and they

have three kids.

Erik Thien:

Element, NOLA

The Gulf South Leadership Institute has been a huge help in my walk with God and my ministry. I found myself in that area post Bible College wanting to gain some real ministry experience instead of jumping into seminary. Not that seminary is bad, but it is incredibly time consuming, expensive, and has the tendency to be rigidly academic.

GSLI has provided a way for me to remain focused on real-life ministry and keep my mind sharp through weekly classes. It is a perfect environment to meet with other pastors from all ages and walks of life, and to learn alongside your leadership teams as you interact with the professors to let “iron sharpen iron.”

I am encouraged and equipped to be a better leader while implementing concepts into my ministry as opposed to merely learning about them. The professors are great and challenge us with different perspectives and wisdom in biblical thinking, teaching, and service.

Since the classes are leadership-based, they provide the perfect opportunity for me to bring lay leaders that are seeking to engage more in biblical studies but do not have time to go back to school full-time. They are able to be with their families and gain biblical training as they serve the church and live missionally through their careers.

Taking classes together also provides great conversations as we walk through the text and interact with God’s word as a group. The classes are a catalyst for sparking interest in biblical concepts and learning, not only for me, but those who have never had any biblical training at all.

_______________________________________

We asked some of our students to share their reflections on the

impact the Institute has made on their lives and ministries

Impacting Church Planting

Serving church planters

Erik Thien (Left) - Element NOLA

Shane Zeringue (Right) - Worship & Youth

Jon Collins - Church planter

Pearlington Christian Church, MS

Erik earned a degree in Christian Ministry/Counseling from Southwestern College in Phoenix AZ. His passion is to see followers of Jesus engage with art and culture around and us in missional ways to connect people to Christ, His church, and His mission. Erik has been married to the love of his life Emily for 3 1/2 years. He can be seen leading music at various events in the area such as Campus Crusade for Christ and Crossroads Missions.

Shane Zeringue:

Worship & Youth NOLA

When I first learned about the Gulf South Leadership Institute, I thought it was going to be a refresher course covering the same things I had been through in seminary. To my surprise, it has been so much more.

Even though I have been through the Bible many times before, each class is presented in a way which makes it all seem as if it’s the first time I have ever read it. Each class is very interactive and exciting causing you to want to search deeper. By completing the program at GSLI, I feel I will be better prepared for my ministry career.

The information provided by GSLI will prepare us for leadership in ministry today by studying current situations we face in our church as well as situations faced by our early church fathers. I look forward to completing the program this year.

____________________________________

Shane earned a degree in Pastoral and Worship

Ministry from Wesleyan University in San

Antonio, Texas. His passion is to lead others in

worship through song and to help others have

an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

Shane recently married his wife Charlotte. He

leads worship at various locations around the

city to support local church bodies and

church plants.

Joe Conforto - Christian Church of Slidell

At this time in my life (age 67), I do not feel called to be a pastor or preacher. I also feel no need for a formal Christian education or degree. I do, however, love the Word of God and feel moved to share it whenever I can. I have served in a leadership position in my Church for several years. Monitoring the courses at the GSLI has greatly benefitted me in two ways. First I have learned much about leadership in a Christian setting as opposed to a secular setting. I had spent the last thirty years of my working life in management and I am afraid I had brought some habits that were not particularly conducive to Church leadership with me.

The GSLI classes opened my eyes to the way leadership should be handled in the Church. Courses such as “Dynamics of Servant Leadership”, “Missional Leadership”, and especially “Leading Like Paul” have helped me in so many ways. Second, and maybe more important, the more recent courses such as “Getting Our Stories Straight”, and, in particular, “The Survey of the New Testament” and “Acts Alive” have not only given me a fresh insight into these books, but have shown me a whole new perspective in studying all of scripture. Although I have been in The Word for many years this fresh viewpoint is very exciting. I would recommend this second type of classes to anyone who desires to follow the ”Great Commission”. I know several people who hesitate to share Christ, or “witness” to others because they are afraid that they don’t have enough Biblical knowledge to do so. I am

convinced that these last three classes which I cited would be of benefit to any Christian, by giving him or her the confidence to be bold in their approach to non-believers. There is no way to express my gratitude at the opportunity to be involved with the GSLI and I wish others would realize what they are missing. I think there should be a way to make people aware that many of these teachings are not only for those called to lead, but for any Christian who wishes to learn more about His Word. ___________________________________

John (Pester) Wester

Biloxi Christian Church, MS

As iron sharpens iron, so one

man sharpens another.

(Proverbs 27: 17)

As the proverb states we will

always have a need to share in

Christian fellowship. The Gulf South

Leadership Institute classes have

fulfilled this need for me. The

opportunities to share and study

scripture, have challenged my

perspective on interpretation of

scripture. This is partly due to

having instructors from different

international backgrounds.

I found, that I would naturally

apply an American perspective and

cultural bias in my reading and

interpretations of scripture text.

Also, the need to examine the

recipients and the main themes of

text has been fulfilled through the

classes.

These studies have been very

beneficial in the preparation of

sermons, study classes, and the daily

challenges of living. Due to the

relaxed class atmosphere, it is easy

to ask questions, to offer and to get

different viewpoints. The outlines

provided are very useful for classes

and further studies, and the self

evaluation studies I found helpful in

identifying my strengths. These

classes help me stay sharp and

committed in my love for fellow

Christians.

John (Pester) Wester—Minister, Biloxi

Christian Church, Mississippi

John Wester has been the preaching

minister at Biloxi Christian Church since

March, 2005. Prior to that John had

worked with the US Air Force and the

Veterans Administration. He assumed

administrative leadership roles in both

organizations. Since his calling to

ministry, John has served as a deacon, an

elder, a Sunday School teacher. John is

glad to be glad to be enhancing his

education through the Institute.

Joe Conforto spent the majority of his working life n the car sales industry. Eight years as a salesman and twenty-two in different aspects of management. Joe came to the Christian Church of Slidell about sixteen years ago. He has enjoyed studying the Bible as a Christian and is passionate about studying to be more equipped for service. __________________________________

Planting A School:

Over the past year, I have been privileged to work with Wimbai and Lena through the Gulf South Leadership Institute. Wimbai has graciously made room for me to teach several classes (Missional Leadership, Getting Our Story Straight: OT Survey, and Acts Alive: Study of Acts). I have greatly enjoyed getting to know the students and to hear of their ministries in difficult settings. I have taught pro bono because I believe in the vision and mission of the school and believe it serves a critical role in the future of the church in the Gulf South.

Have you ever noticed how strong the church becomes near a Christian college or university? Historically, our churches are strongest around educational institutions created to serve those churches, some of which exist now because of the work of the school. Today there is a great deal of buzz around church planting, which I certainly encourage. I also believe that the Institute can help train and nurture church planters. However, if we want to do more than to plant a church, but, say, begin a church planting movement, then maybe we should plant a school. Remember that historically our churches thrive around Christian educational centers. This is why I strongly support the Gulf South Leadership Institute.

July 24th, 2010

@12:00 P.M

Hosted by Oak Harbor Golf Club,

Slidell

201 Oak Harbor Blvd. Slidell, LA 70458

Gulf South Leadership Institute First Annual Golf Tournament

Upcoming Events

GULF SOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

57030 Allen Road

Slidell, LA 70461

985.641.8427 ph.

985.641.8427 fax

www.gulfsouthleadership.org

gsli@gulfsouthleadership.org

Stanley Helton (D.Min.) serves as senior minister at Tammany Oaks Church

of Christ in Mandeville. Stan is marred to Patricia and they have a daugh-

ter who is a student at Oklahoma Christian College.

Dr. Stanley Helton teaching a class (Acts Alive)

with Gulf South Leadership Institute in Slidell.

Impacting diverse ministries:

In May 2009, I journeyed from rural Indiana to Slidell, Louisiana, as a volunteer with plans to work at a couple of Gulf South churches while completing my Masters degree. I had few expectations, but I did (and still do) expect to discover where God is working, and join Him in that work. This was especially true if it meant meeting the needs of people that others were unable or unwilling to serve. Upon my arrival, it became immediately clear that leaders with solid spiritual and leadership training were needed in every area of ministry. Fortunately, the realization of those needs is found in the Gulf South Leadership Institute.

When I first moved to the Gulf South, I couldn’t help but notice the range of people who called this place home. In the same way, the Gulf South Leadership Institute caters to a diverse population. During each class session, community and church leaders from a variety of backgrounds come together regardless of how much or how little experience each one has in their area of ministry. I personally find the varying perspectives to be refreshing, and as a result, I am challenged to reflect further on my own beliefs. Listening to others who have

served longer than I in this area, which truly is unlike any other area, has also proved encouraging. In short, I believe the Gulf South Leadership Institute courses would be nothing but beneficial for anyone, as the principles that are taught will last nothing short of a lifetime.

____________________________________________ Laura is currently completing her M.A. in Christian Leadership from Kentucky Christian University. She can be found working with children, with Latinos, and leading worship in area churches.

Laura Eastman—Slidell, LA