GA worship speakers include Andrew Brunson, Léonce Crump, Brad Strait

The EPC’s 39th General Assembly features a dynamic slate of worship service speakers. This year’s Assembly will be held June 18-21 at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in suburban Denver, Colo.

• Chris Piehl, Cherry Creek Pastor of Students and Families, will speak prior to the opening business session at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19.
• Léonce Crump Jr., Senior Pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta, Ga., will preach on Wednesday evening, June 19.
• Brad Strait, Cherry Creek Senior Pastor, will deliver the message at the Morning Worship Service at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 20.
• Andrew Brunson, who was imprisoned in Turkey from October 2016 until his release in October 2018, will preach in the Global Worker Commissioning Service on Thursday evening, June 20.
• Tom Werner, Moderator of the 38th General Assembly, will lead the Moderator’s Service of Communion and Prayer at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, June 21.

“Every year, people who attend GA thank me for making sure that vibrant preaching and worship are so well integrated into our Assembly,” said Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk. “Pastors especially—even though they regularly and deeply study God’s Word—tell me how much they are refreshed and refueled through the GA worship services. I am excited about how God will speak to all of us through this year’s speakers.”

Brad Strait is the Senior Pastor of this year’s General Assembly host church. He has served as Chaplain for the Colorado House of Representatives, several fire and police departments, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Denver Rescue Mission. He holds several advanced degrees and teaches Leadership, Spiritual Formation, and Pastoral Counseling at Denver Seminary. He co-authored the EPC’s Leadership Training Guide: A Resource for Pastors, Elders, and Churches. He and his wife, Cathy, have been married for more than 35 years and have three adult daughters.

Chris Piehl serves as Pastor of Students and Families for Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church.

Léonce Crump Jr. is an author, international speaker, and the founder and Senior Pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta, Ga. He has been in ordained ministry for nine years and holds graduate degrees from the University of Tennessee and Resurgence Theological Training Center. He is currently a Master of Divinity student at Reformed Theological Seminary and a member of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network. He was an All-American wrestler and defensive end for the University of Oklahoma Sooners, and went on to play professional football for the New Orleans Saints. He and his wife, Breanna, have two daughters and one son.

Andrew Brunson and his wife, Norine, were appointed as missionaries to Turkey by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) in 1993. He transferred his ordination to the EPC’s Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic in 2010.

The Brunsons, who were applying for Turkish permanent residency, were detained on October 7, 2016, in the coastal city of Izmir (biblical Smyrna). Norine was released on October 19 but Andrew remained imprisoned. At the time of his arrest, he was serving as pastor of Izmir Resurrection Church.

On December 8, 2016, (after being detained for 63 days), Andrew was formally charged with “membership in an armed terrorist organization” and sent to prison. On August 24, 2017, a Turkish court added three new charges, including gathering state secrets for espionage, attempting to overthrow the Turkish parliament and government, and trying to change the constitutional order. On March 21, 2018, the Turkish court accepted a 62-page indictment against Andrew and scheduled his first hearing for April 16, 2018.

Following each of the first three hearings in his trial (on April 16, May 7, and July 18, 2018), Andrew was returned to prison. Under consistent public and private pressure from the United States and others, the Turkish court released Andrew to house arrest on July 25, 2018, until the fourth hearing on October 12, 2018.

Following testimony in the fourth phase of his trial on October 12, 2018, the prosecution requested and received lifting of Andrew’s house arrest and travel ban. The judge issued a conviction, and imposed a sentence of 3 years, 1 month, and 15 days but released Andrew on the equivalent of time served. Andrew and Norine left Turkey later the same day.

On October 13, 2018, Andrew and Norine arrived in the United States. They and their family met with the President, Administration staff, lawmakers, and others in the Oval Office.

The Brunsons are currently serving in a recuperating capacity as Missionaries-in-Residence for their home church, Christ Community Church in Montreat, N.C.

Tom Werner is a Ruling Elder for Greentree Community Church in Kirkwood, Mo. A graduate of Depauw University, St. Louis University Law School, and Washington University Law School, he worked in law firms in St. Louis, followed by serving a St. Louis technology company as General Counsel and in various business capacities.

Werner served on the EPC Theology Committee and contributed to the EPC Leadership Training Guide. He has also served on the Ministerial Committee and as Moderator for the Presbytery of Mid-America, and has participated in mission projects to Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Honduras, and Albania. He and his wife, Susan, have been married for more than 40 years and have two adult children and three grandchildren.

Click here for more information about the 39th General Assembly, including daily schedules, links to online registration, and more.