I tried to send the email below to you through your church web page, but I don’t think it went through. Since it is rather lengthy, I am sharing it as a link to a hidden page on my website.
Dear Pastor Keith,
My friend Zac Whitwell gave me your name as a pastor of a church who I should contact. I was hoping to be with him at his church in a couple of weeks, but that fell through, so you are one of the first people that I am contacting. I also have spent this past week at Faith Baptist Bible College in Iowa with Jonathan Edwards. My name is Jeff Davis. I currently serve as the director and president of EMU International Missions, in Greenville, SC. I am not sure if we have met before, but I wouldn’t be surprised if our paths haven’t crossed somewhere along the line. Our family has been closely related to the ministry at the Wilds Christian Camp in NC, with someone in our family working there for around 40 summers. I was the youngest charter member at University Baptist Church, in Clemson, SC, which our family helped start. That is how I know Zac and his family. I served with Dr. Will Senn on staff there for a year before launching out into pastoral ministry.
For twenty-five years, I served as a church planter in SC (Harvest Baptist Church in Rock Hill, SC), an assistant pastor under Dr. Collins Glenn at Grace Baptist Church in Muncie, IN, and then as the senior pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church and Wilson Christian Academy in Wilson, NC, and of Oakwood Baptist Church and Christian School in Anderson, SC. In 2016, the Lord led me to make a huge ministry pivot and join EMU as director of this 75-year-old missions agency.
My son Caleb, his wife Jamie, and their two boys, live in Sandy, UT. Caleb graduated from BJU and then received his MDiv. from Southeastern. He moved to SLC two years ago, with the goal of starting a church. Both he and his wife teach in public schools in Sandy and he coaches basketball. He is the youth pastor at his church Hope Church, and his goal is to launch a new church in the next couple of years. My wife and I are planning on visiting them from Thursday, November 4, through Monday, November 15. I am hoping to connect with pastors and churches in the area while we are out there.
I am also looking for an opportunity to share our ministry in a church in the area on Sunday, November 7, and Sunday, November 14. Having sat on your side of the desk for so long, I understand how calendars work and know that this is last minute, but if the Lord would allow, I would love to be a blessing to you and your church family. It would be my desire to assist your church by supporting the current missionary program and if needed cast a renewed vision of God’s plan for the nations. As an agency director, I understand the biblical focus of the Holy Spirit’s work in hearts through the local church to send missionaries. That happens in the context of a church with a culture of discipleship. We will never be what we need to be there, until we are what we need to be here. I am mainly speaking in mission conferences, Christian school chapels, and one-day missions meetings, but I also present EMU during one-time services either mornings or evenings. If I can be a blessing to you or your church family, please let me know. My email is jeff@emuinternational.org and my cell number is (864) 617-7156.
Thanks,
Jeff Davis
Additional Info:
I wanted to take a moment to give you a little more information on my background and ministry. I am humbled by how God has taught me and stretched me over the past few years as my ministry focus has grown beyond pastoring one congregation to now shepherding shepherds around the world. I am amazed at God’s continued work of grace through our missionaries with EMU International in ten countries around the world and in the 10-40 Window.
In 2019, I had the tremendous privilege of visiting forty-three different churches and preaching ninety-three times, while visiting twenty-five states. I also had the privilege of participating in nine conferences and four camps. It was a joy to visit EMU International’s missionaries in Uruguay and Croatia. As we began 2020, my schedule was just as busy as I had meetings in Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, then two weeks in Uruguay, followed by meetings in Indiana and Tennessee again, and then everything shut down in March. I had to cancel trips to Mexico, Alaska, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay.
I am grateful that I am now allowed to travel more freely. I was in Mexico over Easter weekend. I preached two Wednesdays, Good Friday, and the services for Easter. I then was with our missionary Marco Nunez and six pastors who he has trained and launched out to plant churches across the Yucatan. I instructed them in twelve sessions over three days on how to teach others how to study the Bible. Upon returning, I was in WV for a weekend and then in chapel at Appalachian Bible College. I then traveled up to Wisconsin and preached at Maranatha University and in a couple of churches for missions emphasis Sundays. I was with Dr. Bud Steadman, and Dr. Larry Ball, for the Alaska Regional Pastors’ Conference back in July. Last month, I was in Boston, where I spoke to several fundamental mission board directors and missionaries for the Fellowship of Missions Annual meeting. My wife and I returned to New England for a week of ministry last week. I am writing this email from Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA, where I have been all of this week. I am flying to Washington DC, where I will minister in a couple of churches on Sunday and then be back at Appalachian Bible College for the week. The following week, I have a service in Greenville, SC, and then we fly to SLC.
Here is a link to the chapel message I preached at Maranatha: https://youtu.be/7LtG1gKAqCA?t=1134
Here is a link to a TV interview I did at Calvary Baptist Church in Midland, Michigan, when I keynoted their Missions Conference a couple of years ago. In it, I go into a little more personal detail and tell a few stories about our missionaries. My focus is always to challenge churches to be what we need to be here in order to be what we should be there. Abundant Living TV Broadcast: https://youtu.be/PHQ7lWRCVFo
In spite of these crazy times, God is continuing to do amazing things through our missionary family. If you want to view more information on our ministry I have a personal website: https://pastorjeffdavis.com. On it, you will find personal background information, links to sermons, and also information on EMU. My cell number is 864-617-7156. My email is jeff@emuinternational.org. I hope to hear from you soon.
Jeff Davis
Director
M: (864) 617-7156
E: jeff@emuinternational.org | pastorjeffdavis.com
209 Roberts Rd. | Taylors, SC 29687