East-West Ministries (East-West), a Plano-based nonprofit serving internationally in nearly 50 countries to share the message of Jesus with those who don’t know Him and see the Church established in places where it doesn’t currently exist, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner and worship program on Saturday, March 24 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel’s Chantilly Ballroom. The near-sold-out crowd of 1,300 heard from the No. 1 New York Time’s best-selling author Eric Metaxes about his recently-released book, “Martin Luther” and sang alongside Phil Wickham, a singer and songwriter who has released nine full-length albums featuring hit songs "Beautiful" and "This is Amazing Grace." East-West raised $1.3 million through ticket sales, table and corporate sponsorships, and additional gifts that will support East-West as it continues to work with unreached and restricted-access areas of the world.
“Since the founding of East-West in 1993, we have witnessed the amazing works of God as He has used our missionaries, national partners, prayer warriors, financial partners and advocates to transform lives and spread His glory in the spiritually darkest areas of the world," said Kurt Nelson, East-West's CEO. "It is our honor to celebrate the Lord’s faithfulness to East-West."
The event was co-chaired by Kaye Dawn Lunsford and Cindy Brinker Simmons. East-West speakers throughout the night included Simmons, Nelson, Founder and Chairman Emeritus John Maisel, President Mario Zandstra, Executive Vice President of Field Ministries Dave Gibson and Senior Vice President of Development Kristen Shuler. Three missionaries also shared stories from their service in Cuba, Israel and Southeast Asia. The sponsors included:
East-West is a Plano-based nonprofit dedicated to glorifying God by multiplying followers of Jesus in the spiritually darkest areas of the world. We focus our attention on unreached and unengaged groups as well as areas with limited or restricted access to the gospel. We do this through four foundational strategies: mobilize the Body of Christ, evangelize to the lost, equip local believers and multiply disciples and churches. The ministry of East-West began in Russia in 1993 and has since grown to nearly 50 countries, representing 10 major world regions. For more information about East-West, please visit www.eastwest.org or call (972) 941-4500.