Vision Publishing

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World Zone Update July

Dear Friends of Vision;

I trust this brief letter and video will be a blessing to you…and to start, here is a brief review of one of our World Zones…  North America

“In North America we continue to have a two-pronged approach. First, we believe strongly that the church in the locality is where training for Christian service and leadership should occur. With that in mind, we continue to help local churches start Schools of Ministry using our dynamic curriculum.
 Secondly, we offer a hybrid program consisting of online learning in partnership with local church mentoring. We are seeing incremental growth, but solid growth as more and more communities grasp the responsibility and privilege of training their own in their own community, in partnership with Vision.”– Dr Stan DeKoven

 

Graduates Making a Difference

It was a joy to be with Pastor Ernesto and Vivian Gomez last month. Ernesto is one of our Master’s degree graduates from a while back.  He has replanted a growing church in Galveston. He typifies a Vision graduate…well educated through secular university, but with a call on his life.   He had limited opportunity for bible college. He and his pastor at the time, Dr. Rob Carmen (another Vision graduate) started a Resource Center in their church in New Mexico, and trained hundreds of students while completing his studies with us. There are hundreds and hundreds of Ernesto’s in North America, serving in local churches, hungry to study ad complete a diploma or degree, who need and want a flexible and affordable program that does will prepare them for greater leadership in the local church…Lord…help us find each other for your glory!

Why the Passion?

I was giving a speech in my high school…I was running for student body President and was using a phrase from a popular Christian chorus to make one of my points. The chorus was “I only takes a spark to get a fire going” and I was, of course, the spark (a politician in the making…promises, promises). In the middle of the speech, the room, which was filled with 95% white teenagers, suddenly changed to an outdoor setting, with thousands of men and women from various places, multicultural and multicolored, hands in the air praising the Lord while I was preaching to them. The vision only lasted a minute at best, but it made an indelible impact on my life…my heart was for the nations.

I remember many a night praying for a nation to go to as a missionary, but the Lord always gave me “nations” instead of a nation. I had no idea as a 17 year-old ambitious young man, what the Lord had in store…but preach and teach were to be a part…how, only the Lord knew.

Since I had a heart for the hurting, and a desire to make a living, I pursued psychology and counseling as a profession.   Along with a former partner, we developed a very successful clinical practice.  Though successful and relatively happy, I was not satisfied.  The call on my life was to preach and teach but it rarely happened.   It was not until meeting Dr Ken Chant, Dr Randy Gurley, and other great teachers of the word that the doors finally opened to the nations.   85 nations (personally) and over 140 via Vision later, we continue to fulfill the vision of Vision.

So, what does this have to do with North America and the Vision program? I am glad you asked (even if you didn’t!).

Growing Out, Growing In

It was only a little over a year ago that Vision was able to purchase its first building for a headquarters. The Vision International Center houses our offices and now allows us to conduct local training and video development of our courses like never before. Further, we can hold mini conferences and outreaches to the Ramona community, which is a blessing. Having a physical home strengthens our profile in the community and the nations, and we are more dedicated than ever to see our dynamic curriculum utilized for certificate or degree programs in local churches around North America, and also provide mentor hybrid programs, at a fraction of the cost of most comparable programs, accredited or non-accredited, to hungry students here at home.

As with our other World Zones, we need benefactors who can help provide scholarships for worthy students and support our local outreach through your generous giving.

Our goal is 100 direct distance graduate or degree completion students for 2019, and to add 10 new Resource centers in the United States and Canada. We are on track to do so…and need your prayers to see this great work accomplished for the Kingdom of God.

Thanks to all of you who help on a regular basis, through our Gideon’s 300 program and other general giving to sustain us in our work.

Dr. Stan DeKoven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North American Zone Leader: Stan DeKoven Ph.D.

 

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World Zone Update

The memory of my first International trip to Western Africa is still vivid in my mind. Conducting the graduation for over 100 pastors, most of which had never been given the opportunity to study with adequate curriculum before was exhilarating. But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit, for the story starts three years before.

Archbishop Dr. Bassey

I met Cletus, now Archbishop Dr. Cletus Bassey, a young man, on fire for God, with an only too common problem. His heart was to train his own people in their own unique context, but they couldn’t in Africa due to the lack of resources and support. In Africa, the Middle East, most areas of Asia and Latin America, evangelism is not that problem.

The thing they lack is twofold:

• Strategic Planning (Systems)

• Curriculum that they can afford.

Dr. Bassey pleaded with me to help… so we gave him our first Bible College in a Box, and he took off back to Africa, with the plan we developed; church based seminars for pastors and leaders, and then the planting of bible colleges with these newly developed senior leaders, and 15 courses that we had developed. Thus, began our international outreach.

Lack of Vision…Persists

In Prov. 29:18 it states that where there is no prophet vision the people run amuck but keeping the law (following the word of God) leads to life. The problem of no plan & lack of curriculum was not just an Africa problem. In time we began to receive requests from all over the world. The longing was for a system of training of curriculum to make it happen, and our sincere effort has been to fulfill that Kingdom longing. Thus, Vision International is partnering with International leaders in over 140 nations… yet the need continues…

Dr. Steve Mills

Almost daily I received e-mails, free book requests and letters from individuals who want to study but can’t afford the outrageous tuition of most colleges and universities, even in their own nations. Pastors, teachers, apostles, prophets and evangelists, most are leading congregations. They know that their primary biblical mandates are equipping or maturing Gods people, but they lack the tools to make it happen. As much as I wish I could, we cannot provide the needs of the whole world, but we can provide some, and many more with the help of partners like you.

Vision International has created courses and administrative systems to equip, educate and empower God’s people world-wide. Through our church based, on-line and off line learning systems we can educate thousands of future leaders from Certificates to Doctorates. Through our Bible College in-a-Box, Vision can provide comprehensive curriculum via an external drive (key) which can equip hundreds through local churches, and we could do so much more with our World Zone partners fully funded.

Funding for our World Zones would be used to support local outreach in the nations they serve, provide for translation of our curriculum into key languages (we currently have full or partial translation of our programs in Hungarian, Polish, Czech, French, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, German, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian and others. The needs are great, but we know our God is greater.

 

Please prayerfully consider supporting the outreach of Vision International. There are many more Cletus’s in the nations…men and women who do not want to come to the United States to live, nor are they simply looking for handouts. They are proud of their own nations, called to remain and equip their people. It is the privilege of Vision to come along side these leaders had provide what they need to disciple their nations. With more benefactors we can provide so much more…

We need your help here…here’s how. Click below and it will take you to our website to make your donation.

God Bless,

Stan E. DeKoven, Ph.D., MFT  Founder and President:

Vision International University,

Vision International Training and Education Network,

Vision Publishing

P.O. Box 1680

Ramona, CA  92065   760-789-4700

www.vision.edu

www.booksbyvision.org

www. vision.edu/walkinwisdom/seminars/request-dr-stan/

 

 

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Memorial Day …a look back

We honor our loved ones that have preceded us to their heavenly home…. knowing we will all be together again someday. 

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12

Back in the early 1970’s, back in the last century, the Jesus People movement was in full swing, and I was in High School. I was fortunate to meet some key friends, who remain friends today, who have had a unique influence on my life.

As believers, we loved Jesus, struggled with the normal issues of adolescence, and love music. Since it seemed that everyone was starting a band, we thought, what the heck, and started one too. At first, we were going to call ourselves Children of God, but learned that there was a cult by that name on the East Coast, so thought the better of it, and settled on the name Children. We consisted of a mixed-race group of believers, who wanted to sing and help others know Jesus.

We were indeed a diverse group, when diversity was rarely seen. Our group consisted of (with what we have done since) an African American, Pastor Jim Smith, singer and guitarist; Denise Spadaro, Hispanic and Native American singer; Dr. Gerald Hom, Chinese American cardiologist and worship leader with voice and guitar; and three white guys…Norman Johnson, retired business owner, lead guitar and drummer; myself as lead singer, Family therapist and future President of Vision International, and Andy Smith, novelist.

We had fun…wrote some songs, shared Christ, and survived the early 70’s…God was and is good. Well, you might be asking why I am writing this, and my answer is three-fold…first, because I have to write an article for this issue of the Vision Update or my staff will be mad at me; second because Children has been on my mind of late, as we begin to plan our 50 year reunion together, and finally, to celebrate with our friend, Andy Smith, on finishing his second, and best novel to date… Johnny’s Story.   Read more here.…

Johnny’s Story

Andy’s novel is really good, with excellent themes, a truly uplifting message, and fun. Though not published by Vision Publishing, we want you to know about it…since summer is coming, and reading of all different genre is good for the mind and heart. I want to encourage you to check out Andy’s latest, a contribution to the Body of Christ that began years ago…as Children, born from above, by God’s grace, still serving in childlike faith for the glory of God.

We Need Your Help!

 

Please share our Chaplain Certification announcement on your website and facebook page… help us spread the word.  See more details here.   We will launch this BRAND NEW program with three free teachings via email, then participants will be offered an opportunity to join the first class.   Class registration will be open for one week only.  Those who miss the deadline will have to wait until we are ready to open our second class… no projected date for a second class at this time.

If you would like to become our affiliate and earn money for your paid referrals, you can sign up here to become our affiiliate....

God Bless All,

Dr. Stan

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Johnny’s Story

Johnny is an old man who plays Santa for the under-served every year. Johnny’s message is always the same, whether he’s with the kids or at his favorite watering hole; People who ask for more, never have enough but people who ask for enough never need more. God visits Johnny as a traveling writer at the bar and recruits Johnny to use his message for others before he moves on to his eternal reward.

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