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CONTACT US

800-321-2500

CONCERT SCHEDULING

Judy Buratovich

Ext. 4006

CREDIT CARD

DONATIONS & PURCHASES

Chelsea Stemkoski

Ext. 4013

SPECIAL SERVICES &

DONOR RELATIONS

Joe Enea

Ext. 4023

ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT

Myriam Stemkoski

Ext. 4017

DIRECTOR of MINISTRY

ADVANCMENT

Barry Sjostrand

Ext. 4005

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Melissa Murphy

Ext. 4031

STONE MINISTRIES, INC.

Celebrant Singers

P.O. BOX 1416

Visalia, CA 93279-1416

Volume VII Issue 3 June/July 2016

News from Jon Stemkoski and Celebrant Singers News from Jon Stemkoski and Celebrant Singers

GREECE OUTREACH! Please pray for our 10-week team this summer

Greece Statistics

Languages:

99% Greek + English, French

Religions:

98% Greek Orthodox

1.3% Islam

.7% Other

Capital: Athens

Population: 11 Million

This summer, as our 10-week

Celebrant Singers head out

across the United States to

once again share the gospel

and the love of Christ, they

will also be spending ten days

in the country of Greece.

Greece is the southernmost

country in the Balkan

Peninsula, located in Europe.

Comprised of more than

1,400 islands, ancient

mythology, delicious eats, and

thousands of years of history,

Greek culture has definitely

made a staple in the world.

The last time Celebrant

Singers visited Greece was in

the early 80’s. Greece is

currently facing two very

serious issues and Celebrant’s

feel 2016 is the perfect time

to bring love, hope, and God’s

presence to both the Greek

residents and Syrian’s

seeking refuge on their many

islands.

Currently, Greece has been

struggling with an economy

crisis for the last few years.

Being in major deficit caused

the Greek government to

reduce minimum wages and

to layoff over 150,000

government employees. The

current unemployment rate is

25% in comparison

to the United States

5.2%, while the

population’s

poverty rate stands

at 36% in

comparison to the

United States being

15.1%.

Between unemployment rates

and the economy crisis

causing riots and violent

rebellions, Greece is also

facing the needs of Syrian

refugees seeking to flee the

Syrian crisis. Greece currently

houses 157,396 Syrian

Refugees and Celebrant

Singers have made plans to

travel to the island of Lesvos,

currently populated with two

of the largest refugee camps

in Europe.

Between the economic crisis

and the Syrian Refugees in

Greece, we hope to bring

God’s presence to the hearts

of thousands this summer.

Please pray for our 10-week

team who started rehearsal

camp on June 6th and will

tour through August 17th.

Greece

Syrian Refugees flooding into the Greek Islands

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EL SALVADOR: A City of Violence Seeking God

El Salvador Statistics:

Languages: Spanish

Religions: 57.1% Roman Catholic 21.2% Protestant 1.9% Johovah’s Witnesses .7% Mormon 19.1% other/none

Capital: San Salvador

Population: 6.1 Million

As the 10-week team travels across the United States and to Greece, preparations are being made for our Reprise! Team to travel to El Salvador in mid-July. The Reprise! Team spends 5 days in rehearsal camp, as well as a few travel days and local concerts and then travel to El Salvador to minister to the country for 10 days. Often outreaches in the

Central America region are demanding, calling Celebrant Singers to perform 1 to 3 concerts a day bringing the gospel, love, and hope to God’s people.

El Salvador, the smallest country located in Central America, is also the

most densely populated country. The population struggles with gang violence and poverty and is growing to be one of the most violent in the world. There is no doubt that God

is needed there!

Celebrants have spent many years sending teams to El Salvador. Since the late 1970’s, just after our ministry was founded, teams have

traveled to El Salvador several times. The last outreach occurred about ten years ago. God is sending us out to El Salvador again to revive His spirit and share His love to the people of the nation.

Your prayers are absolutely needed for our Reprise! team as they begin their outreach on July 24th, 2016 and end their mission at our local Visalia, CA homecoming concert on August 12th, 2016.

JUNE 25-26

Saturday:

6:00 PM Mass

Sunday:

9:00 AM, 10:45 AM, 12:30 PM,

5:30 PM

7:00 PM Concert St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church

1710 Clower Street

San Antonio, TX 78201

JUNE 28

7:00 PM Concert

St. Genevieve Catholic Church

815 Barbier Avenue

Thibodaux, LA 70301

JUNE 30

7:00 PM Concert

Our Savior Catholic Church

1801 Cody Road South

Mobile, AL 36695

JULY 1

7:00 PM Concert

Good Shepherd Catholic Church

4665 Thomasville Rd.

Tallahassee, FL 32308

JULY 3

6:30 PM Concert

Cornerstone Community Church

1333 East Crown Point Rd

Ocoee, FL 34761

JULY 5

7:00 PM Concert

Holy Infant Catholic Church

5000 S. Park Dr.

Durham, NC 27713

JULY 6

7:00 PM Concert

St. Paul Catholic Church

3005 Country Club Rd

New Bern, NC 28562

JULY 8

7:00 PM Concert

Revealed Word Christian Center

98 230th Street

Queens – Cambria Heights, NY

SAVE THE

DATE!

Salvadorian Police outside of a crime scene

Salvadorian gangs are the main reason for high violence in El Salvador

The country of El Salvador in Central America

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We are very pleased to announce a

winner in our Fiat 500 Campaign.

The winning ticket was drawn by

Rev. Harry Wood, now retired, who

has been a ministry supporter from

its inception. We are proud to

announce that the winner is Lewis

“Earl” Mann.

Earl has been a Celebrant Singers

supporter for over twenty-five years.

He had taught high school in

Woodlake, California, for over thirty

years. Upon his retirement, he ran

for and was elected to the Woodlake

High School Board of Education. He

served several terms and then ran

for and was elected to the Governing

Board of the College of the Sequoias.

He is still serving on that Board.

Earl is a very accomplished

photographer. He used to teach

photography at College of the

Sequoias. He has used his talents for

many years, volunteering as the

Celebrant Singers photographer. If

you have been reading our

newsletter, you have seen many of

his photos.

We would like to express our

thanks to all that supported our Fiat

500 Campaign. The funds raised are

being used to replace parts of our

sound systems. We would especially

like to thank the Stone Family, the

owners of Merle Stone Chevrolet in

Tulare, California, for having donated

the car for our campaign.

WE HAVE A WINNER! - Earl Mann

Earl Mann receiving the keys to his

raffle winning Fiat from Larry Stone Jon & Harry picking the winning ticket from the bowl

JULY 9-10

Saturday:

5:00 PM Mass

Sunday:

9:00, 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM

7:00 PM Concert

St. Augustine Catholic Church

140 Maple Ave

New City, NY 10958

JULY 23-24

Saturday: 4:00 PM Mass

Sunday:

8:00, 9:30, 11:45 AM Masses

3:00 PM Concert

St. Brigit of Ireland

278 Strawberry Hill Ave

Stamford, CT 06902

JULY 25

7:00 PM Concert

Community Park Bandshell

St. John’s Lutheran Church

201 E. Main Street

Kutztown, PA 19530

JULY 26

7:00 PM Concert

Pittsburgh Tarentum

Campmeeting Association

1451 Main St.

Natrona Heights, PA 15065

JULY 27

7:00 PM Concert

St. Cecilia Catholic Church

628 Virginia Ave

Rochester, PA 15074

JULY 28

7:00 PM Concert

St. Trinity Lutheran Church

7925 Sashabaw Rd

Clarkston, MI 48346

JULY 29 (Reprise!)

7:00 PM Concert

Woodland Drive Baptist Church

1436 S. Woodland Drive

Visalia, CA 93277

JULY 30-31

Saturday:

5:00 PM Mass, 7:00 PM

Concert

Sunday:

8:00, 10:45 AM, 1:00 PM Mass

St. Bartholomew Catholic Church

1306 27th Street

Columbus, IN 47201

AUGUST 3

7:00 PM Concert

Bethel Worship Center

415 S. Memorial Drive

Tulsa, OK 74112

AUGUST 4

7:00 PM Concert

St. Patrick Catholic Church

314 N. Rusk

Denison, TX 75020

AUGUST 6-7

Saturday: 4:00 PM Mass

7:30 PM Concert

Sunday:

10:00 AM, 5:00 PM Mass

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic

1132 W. Oro Grande Dr.

Pueblo West, CO 81007

AUGUST 8

7:00 PM Concert

Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe

Del Valle de Pojoque

9 Grazing Elk Drive

Santa Fe, NM 87506

AUGUST 10

7:00 PM Concert

Trinity Life Center

1000 East St. Louis Avenue

Las Vegas, NV 89104

AUGUST 11

7:00 PM Concert

Grace Baptist Church

2550 Jewetta Ave

Bakersfield, CA 93312

AUGUST 13-14

Saturday:

5:00, 7:00 PM Masses

Sunday:

8:00, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM

5:00 PM Masses

7:00 PM Concert

St. Peter Claver Catholic Church

5649 Pittman St.

Simi Valley, CA 93065

AUGUST 13-14 (Reprise!)

Saturday: 4:00 pm Mass

Sunday:

11:30 AM Mass

6:00 PM Concert

Our Lady of the Sierra

40180 Indian Springs Road

Oakhurst, CA 93644

Grand Homecoming Concert

August 12, 2016

7:00 PM

LJ Williams Theatre

Visalia, CA

WorldTouch Partner’s

Banquet

August 16, 2016

7:00 PM

Gateway Church, Visalia, CA

Call for ticket reservations:

(559) 740-4000

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SUPPORT OUR FOREIGNERS!

Celebrant Singers, since 1989,

has invited foreigners to join our

teams both in the United States

and overseas. Many of our

foreigners come from countries

that cannot afford to send them

off. Because of this, we need your

help! In order to help pay for

their travel expenses and other

expenses of joining the team,

most of our team members raise

a third of the finances necessary

to travel. Since our foreigners are unable to raise

support due to economic standards, we ask that you be

willing to join us in bringing these incredible musicians

and providing them an opportunity to minister with

us!

One of our Reprise! team

members, Samuel Opara, met

us during our winter outreach

in Guyana. He decided to join

us this summer in El Salvador.

When asked what he felt about

joining Celebrant Singers, he

said, “…most times it occurs to

me that God in heaven

programs my life events. Many years ago a great

woman of God prophesied to my mother about me

saying, ‘…very soon a band will come and take

you.’ After the service my mother laughed and

said the prophesy may not be for her because

she is not a musician, it must be for her

children. So I know travelling with Celebrants

was programmed by God. I enjoy worshiping

and praising God always. Travelling with

Celebrants will create room for me to use my

talents to worship God.”

Not only do we need your help sending Samuel

out, but this summer we have four foreigners

traveling.

This includes:

On the 10-week team:

Jacquez Bernier from Haiti

Reprise! Team:

Otty Lopez from Guatemala

Dominique Bovard from

France

Ana Avisc from Slovenia

When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not

mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be

treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you

were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:33-34

SUPPORT A CELEBRANT! Sponsorship Needs for Foreigners

SPONSOR A CELEBRANT:

YES, Jon, I would love to support the world missions ministry of CELEBRANT SINGERS and sponsor a Celebrant!

Name ____________________________________ I’d like to sponsor:______________________________ (Name of Celebrant)

Address ____________________________________

___________________________________________ If donating by credit card, please provide:

___________________________________________ Card Name/Number _________________________

Phone _____________________________________ _________________________________________

E-Mail ____________________________________ Expiration date_________/_________ Thank you & God Bless you!

Jacques Anderson Bernier

Samuel Opara & Josiah Smith

after a concert in Guyana

Jan 2016

Otty Lopez in Guatemala in

2015 Reprise