Vision
Ministries Toledo
Welcome!
We are glad that you have taken the time to visit our site! Vision Ministries is a church in the central city of Toledo, Ohio. Our purpose is to see God move in His power and restore vision to a dying generation.
We believe that God is sending an awakening to His people and it's exciting to see Him transform lives everyday. Jesus is empowering His church to live out the life in this generation.There is nonthing more satisfying than knowing Jesus!
If you have not committed yourself to a local church and do not already have a church home, we pray that you would consider becoming apart of our family!
Purpose/Vision Statement:
Vision Ministries exist to give H.O.P.E to others living in our Urban Communities through the power of Jesus Christ.
Simple version: H2O (H.O.P.E to others)
Mission Statement: We will accomplish this through:
1.Helps
2.Outreach
3.Prayer
4.Experience
What We Are About:
•Helps - We reach out to others by meeting a felt need so we can get to the real need of Jesus Christ in their lives.
Descriptions:
a.Vision Kitchen-We do this by ministering to people though our Vision Kitchen (Free meal every Monday and Wednesday at Five)
b.Give away- monthly clothing give away; and other seasonal give a ways (Easter Candy, Hat and Gloves).
•Outreach - We strive to reach others with the love of Jesus rather it is at a Big event like our summer Block parties or a random act of kindness like our servant hood evangelism. Short Descriptions:
a.Block parties-are a free community event that the whole family will enjoy with good, Christian music, carnival games, popcorn, candy, give aways, and much more.
b.Holiday Outreaches-Trunk or Treat is our annual outreach during our cities Trick or Treat. We open our parking lot full of cars with candy, yard games, popcorn, free food, music, and more. Christmas Blessing- We sponsor Children with presents and serve their families a Christmas meal.
c.Summer Camps- We sponsor urban kids and teens to go to camp. This is a time where they get away from the city and their normal environments and have an opportunity to really seek God.
d.Servant hood evangelism- Random acts of kindness with no strings attach. Sometimes we will pass out bottle water on a hot day other times we will mow peoples yards free of charge.
•Prayer - We believe prayer is not just something you do as a believer, but it is a way of life. We are to pray without ceasing. We believe prayer is what sustains us. We believe the best ministry is ministry from the overflow of your time spent with God.
Prayer Times:
a.Sunday Mornings at 8:30
b.Tuesday at 7:00pm
c.The Watch- Friday nights at midnight
•Experience - We believe the body of Christ is to equip the saints to do ministry through discipleship and training. We believe the church is the people and not the four walls of a building. Therefore the gospel message is not to just be within the walls, but to be taken everywhere the believers go. This will only happen when we will see transformation in our lives. That is why we believe it is so important to be a place where you wont just hear about God but you will also experience God.
You will Experience God through:
a.BEING WELCOMED- We desire our church to be a place that feels like home. You can come as you are and you will be welcomed as soon as you walk in our doors! You will be greeted with a loving handshake and offered a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. First time guest will even get to leave with a free gift form us.
b.WORSHIP- During our worship service we allow the Holy Spirit freedom to move in the way He desires. We also believe in spiritual gifts within the body. We offer training in both the prophetic and in intercessory prayer during our Wednesday night School of the Spirit Classes. We also believe God is restoring the arts to the church so we encourage the body to express themselves in worship through art, music, and dance.
c.PREACHING/TEACHING- Practical teachings of the word of God in a language you can understand!
d.FELLOWSHIP- we offer many ways to connect with other believers through small groups, Wednesday School of the Spirit classes, Monday Mens meetings, Thursday Womens Bible studies, Ladies and Mens night outs, etc.
e.CHILDREN- Your kids will experience God through services geared to their level of understanding. We have Nursery and Preschool and Kids church for both of our Sunday morning services and Wednesday night classes.
BIO
Getting to know Pastors Josh and Joy Hester
Praise the Lord! We are so excited that you decided to visit Vision Ministries website today. We strive to try to have a family atmosphere at Vision Ministries. In a family each member knows one another therefore we would like to take some time to introduce ourselves and share with you what God has done and is doing in our lives. Our names are Josh and Joy Hester and we have the privilege and honor to be the founding lead pastors of Vision Ministries.
We were not always devoted followers of Christ. There was a time when the thought of being in the ministry would have been absurd to us. Please allow us to share a little bite of our testimony. My husband, Josh Hester was born and raised in North Toledo. Before Jesus changed Josh, he was like many young men in the Hood. He was a thief, druggy and sexual immoral person, but God had other plans for him. After being nagged by his mom, who just recently went through a divorce, he finally came to church. At first, Josh just went to church to appease his mother. He did not understand why people raised their hands and jumped during worship. He made fun of them! However, it all changed one night when the pastor gave an altar call. That night the power of the Holy Spirit touched and changed Josh forever. Since that day, Josh has served in many areas of ministry such as jail ministry, ministry to patients in Northwest Ohio Development Center, street ministry, intercessory prayer, sidewalk Sunday school, block parties and worship team. He has worked with both children and teens. Josh served as an intern in 2000 and graduated from Solid Rock School of Ministry in 2002. He went on to receive his credentials in ministry with the General Council of the Assemblies of God in June 2003 and his License to Preach from the Assemblies of God in June 2008.
I, Joy, also grew up in the inner city of Toledo. I am what I like to call a 3rd generation south end girl. I was saved at the age of nine and was baptized in the Holy Spirit at the age of 13. Although I knew about God I did not yet know who God is. I went through some rough times during her teenage years. I was rebellious and looking for love in all the wrong places. I tried to please man instead of God. However, though God great mercy and grace at nineteen years of age, God rocked my world! He showed Himself to me in his power. After falling in Love with Jesus, I realized God had a call on my life to be a minister of the Gospel. After attending Masters Commission and Berean School of the Bible for ministerial training, I obtained ministers credentials with the Assemblies of God in 2001. I went on to receive my License to Preach from the Assemblies of God in June 2008.
Josh and I met and fell in love while serving in ministry together at Solid Rock and were married in April 2001. We have been blessed with three beautiful kids Joshua Jr., Jubliee, and Jordan. As permanent partners in ministry, we have both served at Solid Rock Ministries under Pastor Keith for several years as childrens pastors and youth pastors.
In 2006, Solid Rock Ministries moved their location to Oregon Ohio and God opened the door for us to plant a new church in the old Solid Rock building on South and Broadway. The South end is our mission field! We love the people of this community. God put on our heart to name the new church Vision Ministries because without vision people parish Proverb 29:18. God gave us a mission to see God move in His power and restore vision for a lost and dying generation. We understand firsthand the deliverance of the Lord Jesus. We hope you have been touched by our testimony and encouraged- if God can do it for us, He can do it for you too! There is nothing more satisfying than knowing Christ Jesus as Savor and Lord. If you need prayer or anything thing at all please be sure to find us. We would love to meet and pray with you.
Catching the Vision and restoring it to others,
Josh and Joy Hester
Lead Pastors
Ben Biery is the pastor of the Pastoral Care department for Vision Ministries. Pastor Ben has a passion to see individual needs met in the body, and desires to see spiritual growth in the lives of these individuals as he is Jesus' hands and feet
Ben Biery was born and raised in West Toledo where he now lives with his beautiful wife, Dawn. He was saved at five years of age and was baptized in the Holy Spirit as a teenager. Growing up in a Christian home, faithful church attendance has always been an important part of Bens life. He feels blessed that his parents afforded him a Christian education. He graduated from Emmanuel Baptist High School in 1992. In 1997 he graduated from The University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcasting. Pastor Ben has a heart for people to realize their full potential in God. He desires to encourage and build up those who struggle and feel defeated.
Dawn Biery is the children pastor of Focus Childrens Ministry. Pastor Dawn has a heart to see the young ones passionately ignited for the Lord.
Pastor Dawn was born and raised on the Eastside of Toledo. She grew up in the projects with 2 older sisters who were all raised by a single mom. Before coming to Christ, lived in rebellion. She was involved in drugs, alcohol, stealing and the whole party scene. At a young age she did all that she could to find acceptance in the world around her. It was through a friend from the Boys and Girls Club and school that she came to know Christ. Her friend invited her to attend a Wednesday night youth group service at her church. After a few times of attending, her friend encouraged her to attend a Sunday morning service. She was a little apprehensive at first, but after much prompting she finally attended in April of 1991. After hearing a young lady give her testimony of what she had went through and how the Lord turned her life around, Dawn gave her heart to the Lord.
Even though she gave her heart to the Lord, she still struggled with many of the same sins as before. It wasnt until she received some discipleship through the youth leaders that she started to allow God to take control of her life. She attended that church for 8 years where she was given the foundation for what God had in store for her future. In the 8 years that she attended, she helped with the Earl Childhood, the Kids Ministry and the Youth Ministry. While attending a special evening service, she was baptized in the Holy Spirit and received her 1st calling to be a Childrens Pastor.
When she graduated High School she attended the University of Toledo where she majored in Art Education. She enjoyed working with kids and also art, so she thought it was Gods plan for her to become an Art Teacher. After struggling through collage two different times, Pastor Dawn felt that she wasnt smart enough for collage and took some time off. . After 8 years at the only church she had known, she felt God moving her elsewhere. She started to attend another church with a friend from high school. There she got involved with the worship team and the kids ministry. It was during this time that she started to attend Womens AGLOW. It was at one AGLOW meeting that Pastor Dawn received a word that the Lord had called her at a young age to minister to children.
After two years of attending that church, she felt that God had something more planned for her, but wasnt exactly sure what that was. She started attending a Saturday night prayer and Worship service at Solid Rock and after finally giving into the Lords leading she started to attend Solid Rock on a regular basis in January of 2000. It wasnt long before she got involved with the kids ministry at Solid Rock. After a while it was suggested that she go to Solid Rock School of Ministry where they taught the Berean Courses. After failing out in collage, she didnt think she could make it through Bible School Training. But after much encouragement, she decided to give it a try. She finished all the requirements of the school and graduated from it in July of 2004. She is currently seeking her credentials with AG to be a certified pastor, and then plans on taking more courses to get her specialized license in Childrens Ministry.
She has been heavily involved with the Childrens Ministry at Solid Rock for over 5 years and has helped with Preschool/Nursery, Junior Bible Quiz, Drama, Dance, Wednesday Nights, Friday Nights and Sunday morning Kids Church and more. She has also lived in the same area of the church for over 5 years as well. So when she was asked to pray about being the Childrens Pastor for Vision Ministries, she didnt want it to be just because she has already been ministering in this area for so many years. She wanted to pray and fast t o make sure it was Gods plan for this season in her life. After much prayer she felt that it was what God had planned, and accepted the position.
Heather Morford is the Minister of Worship and the Office Administrator of Vision Ministries. Heather has a heart to see peolpe experience the presence of the Lord and forever be changed.
Growing up in a Christian home, there has always been a deep love for God and music. Feeling called to lead worship from a young age Pastor Heather wanted to go to a college that would help develop her skills as a musician and worship leader. After high school she went to Brownsville Revival School of Ministry where she earned her Associate of Arts in Music Ministry. Feeling led to come back to Ohio she started working at Solid Rock, assisting her sister, Laura Angel with the worship and outreach programs. After the summer she began to lead worship for the youth group. Shortly after that Pastors Josh and Joy approached her with the opportunity to be the worship pastor at Vision Ministries.
Heathers heart is to see the city of Toledo changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. To see people saved, set free, healed, and empowered through prophetic worship.
My heart:
One of the things that I long for the most is to come to the point in worship where we can no longer minister because the GLORY of the LORD is so strong in our midst. To have the fire of His presence be so intense that al our sins and our shortcomings are laid bare before us and all we can do is cry Woe to me, for I am a man of unclean lips!
I long for the day when we get rid of our programs and our song lists and we stop talking about the presence of God, we stop talking about past revivals and how great they were and we have our own real move of God. I want revival in the streets; I want the South End and all of Toledo to be saved. I want the bars to be shut down and the movie places to shut down and strip places to shut down. I want my high school and my co-workers and the people at Wal-Mart to be set free, and I believe its going to happen if we truly seek the face of God.
I believe God is raising up a generation, not necessarily a certain age, but a group of people who believe in the power of praise.
Bio
Scott and Megan Sewell are the Associate and Young Adult pastors of Vision Ministries. They have a passion to see revival in our young people, and are willing to work to see this generation influenced with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
We have a tremendous longing in our hearts to see God move amongst the young people of Toledo. We both attended Brownsville Revival School of Ministry, where we had the honor of experiencing God in a mighty way. We want to see the Glory of God invade the school systems of Toledo. We want to raise up leaders to evangelize and teach in the schools. We are not about casual Christianity. but about being fanatical for Jesus! We feel like God has called us to raise up young people who have passion for Jesus, and sincere love for others. People who are different than the culture they were raised in, people with a hard work ethic and discipline. All for the Glory and Honor of our Lord Jesus Christ, God is not finished in Toledo. He is still about saving, healing, and transforming lives, and I thank Him for the honor and joy to join under Him in this mighty work.
Steve and Angel Soto are ministers over our prayer and prophetic ministry. They long to see people function in their gifts and become properly equipped to stand firm and fight in this end time battle.
Earl and Renee Harris are the Pastors of our Beneveloence ministry called Rescue. We believe Our ministry is not just a hand out but a hand up. Earl and Renee have a passion to see people equipped to live life to the full as Jesus said we can.
Bryan and Julie Steel are the Youth Pastors of Ignite Student Ministries. They have work with youth for 15 years and have a passion to see young people living for the Lord. They want to see young people filled withn the word of God to be equipped for lifes difficulties and trials.
Sunday morning meetings:
8:30am - Prayer & Continental Breakfast
9:30am - 1st Worship Service
11:30am - 2nd Worship Service
(Child Care provided)
Monday Evenings:
5:00pm - Fellowship Meal (bottom floor)
6:30pm - Mens Meeting
Tuesday Evening Meetings:
6:00pm - At His Feet (quite prayer)
7:00pm - Intercessory Prayer
Wednesday Evenings:
6:30pm - Ignite Student Ministries
6:30pm - School Of The Spirit (discipleship classes)
Thursday Evenings:
6:30pm - Womens Ministry
Friday Midnight Meetings:
12am-3am - The Watch
Other Information:
First Fruits Fast (or Bridegroom Fast):
Every 1st Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday of evey month
Our Office Hours are:
Monday, Wednseday, Friday 10-4pm
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