Change is an intrinsic part of life and, by extension, ministry. This past year has seen an exciting change for AFM as we embrace a dynamic new approach to our Member Care ministry. Last fall one of our AFM Cross-Cultural Workers agreed to take on the role of Training Coordinator, providing valuable preparation and practical real-time field insight for our Cross-Cultural Workers as they serve the Lord where the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. That left AFM with a need for a Member Care Coordinator. Last winter AFM asked the Lord to bring us His best in filling this position. God sent a double portion of blessings this spring when Andy and Janet Kerr, founders of Emmaus Encounter, agreed to partner with AFM to oversee our Member Care ministry.

Janet, a native of Richmond with strong ties to St. Matthew’s Church, the church that birthed AFM, began her career in missions at the 1976 Olympics and from there went to Southeast Asia to serve refugees fleeing from Cambodia and Vietnam. Andy hails from New Zealand and has also been involved in missions since his teenage years. Andy and Janet met through YWAM (Youth With A Mission), and during their marriage they have raised two lovely daughters while serving the Lord in the Asia and Pacific regions as well as the US. They currently live in Montana and are convinced there is no more beautiful place on earth!
In 2007 Janet and Andy founded Emmaus Encounter, a ministry created to provide a safe place for Christians who serve the Lord “in missions, the church, and the marketplace” to process life events and experience the healing of the Lord. Their goal is to provide personal debriefing and other formational opportunities so that God’s people can grow in their emotional, mental, and spiritual journeys, bringing glory to God as the author and perfecter of our faith.

Equipped with this God-given passion, Janet and Andy agreed to serve AFM’s Cross Cultural Workers through becoming our Member Care Coordinators. We praise God for His faithfulness in bringing them into partnership with AFM and we ask for continued prayers for them as they minister to those who serve.