The Gathering

For the last 42 years, I have been married to Angie. She is a home-maker and a mentor of young women on the Indiana Wesleyan campus. We have two grown children, Joshua (married to Laura) and Hannah (married to Brian). All four are Indiana Wesleyan University graduates, and we have five grandchildren.

Angie and I have pastored two churches; our last role was as solo pastor in Cleveland, Ohio. We loved local church ministry. More so, serving in the local church is a prerequisite for teaching current and future pastors. I also serve in the Wesleyan Church as a Crossroads District Circuit Rider. Just like John Wesley, I travel from Wesleyan Church to Wesleyan Church pouring my life into the life of local church pastors.

I am passionate about the Gospels and Paul's letters. But I have also done extensive study and teaching in the Hebrew Bible. Angie and I have traveled around the world teaching and doing leadership development. For the last 15 years, we have been working in local Church-based Community Development in Malawi, Africa through Circle of Hope, International. Circle of Hope feeds 500 orphans daily, provides for their education through grade 8 and has established governmentally approved health care for them and the needs of the local community.

Since I recently retired from full-time teaching in the classroom, I have started a new ministry called True^North. It's a local church Disciple-Making program centered around training people to read, interpret and apply the Scriptures, often in small accountability groups which facilitates life transformation.

Hi, I'm Pastor Alex Hershey. I'm honored to lead The Branches Church, which I founded in 2013. My heart for Jesus drives everything I do, and I'm especially passionate about studying and teaching the Bible. There's nothing more fulfilling than watching people grow in their faith and share Christ's love with others. I graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with my undergraduate degree and earned my Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary.

Outside of church, I'm blessed to be married to Krista. Together, we have three amazing kids: our son Elliott and two daughters, Audrey and Elsie. I love going on family vacations, cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals (though I still love Cubs fans), eating tacos, and soaking up the outdoors. I'm always up for a good conversation over coffee, so let's connect soon!

Ideal is the Local Church Partnership Lead at World Methodist Evangelism, bringing nearly 20 years of global ministry experience. Through her leadership with the Upper Room's Walk to Emmaus movement and her role as a Lead Coach with Spiritual Leadership, Inc., she has witnessed the amazing, life changing power of God at work in families, ministries, communities, congregations and organizations.

These experiences have given Ideal the opportunity to see the vital importance of the Local Church and their leaders, both clergy and laity. Her passion lies in helping individuals discover who they are as God's beloved and seeing them develop into the person they are meant to be. There is nothing more powerful than a thriving, flourishing church sharing the good news with the world.

An experienced speaker at retreats, conferences, and women's ministry events, Ideal is dedicated to helping women understand their worth and God's deep love for them. This passion led her to publish I Am My Father's Daughter.

Ideal has spent the last several years captivated by the beauty of the South while living in Nashville. Growing up in central California gives her real appreciation for the beauty and distinct differences in God's creation. She now resides in Arizona near her son, Kurt, and treasures her role as "Grandma Deal" to her beautiful granddaughters, Hana, Aubrey, and Haddie. Her favorite spot is by the ocean with her watercolors in tow.

Luiz and Daniele Cardoso are missionaries from Brazil serving in Glasgow, Scotland, where they are planting Glasgow Story Church, part of the Free Methodist Church in the UK and Ireland. Married for over two decades, they are the proud parents of two sons and have dedicated their lives to helping people encounter Jesus and live out His mission.

Daniele is a psychologist with a passion for caring for both hearts and communities. She equips church planters across Europe, manages the Glasgow East Food Bank, and leads The Story Coffee, creating a welcoming space where hospitality and faith meet.

Luiz serves as the Director of Global Development and Regional Director for Northwest Europe with M4, a movement that equips leaders and teams for church planting. His heart is to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ transform lives and communities worldwide, living out the Great Commission through the Great Commandment.

Born and raised in Brazil, Luiz spent years planting churches and training leaders in mission, evangelism, and church planting before moving to the UK in 2011. He holds a Master's degree in Mission and Evangelism from the University of Manchester and is the author of four books published in both South America and the UK.

Together, Luiz and Daniele are passionate about seeing God's people flourish in their calling, building churches that glorify God and impact society for generations to come.