About Us
Click image above for an
informational video about Light Stone Partners
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Light Stone's Ministries
1. Orlando/Central Florida - Local
- Teaching Conversational English to
internationals through our UCF Community English
Club
- Evangelistic outreach and ministry
- Conducting Bible studies among Asians
- Mentoring Asian Scholars
- Providing school supplies for needy children
- Feeding and outreach ministry to the homeless
2. United States - National
- Leading pastors and churches on vision/mission
trips for outreach strategies in Asia
- Leading mission trips to New York City for
evangelistic outreach to Asians.
- Training and equipping church leaders for ESL
ministries among internationals
- Developing and distributing resources and
materials focused on evangelism and biblical
discipleship of Asians and other internationals
3. Around the World –International
- Training indigenous national church leaders in
Asia
- Partnering to take the gospel to unengaged
unreached people groups in Asia
- Organized prayer partner network focused on
intercessory prayer for the nations
- Teaching Conversational English to International
students in East Asia
- Providing funding, food, ministry, and medical
supplies to orphans, widows, and the poor
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The Light Stone Team
Executive Director
Clade Blackwell
Our
director has a heart that beats with a passion for
reaching the lost world with the message of the
gospel. Over the past 30 years, Clade has served as
a minister of education in four Baptist Churches
located in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida. He served
15 fruitful years at the First Baptist Church of
Oviedo, Florida where he was uniquely equipped for
this current mission. Clade's wife, Sue, is also a committed servant
of the Lord. She directs Light Stone’s UCF Community
English Club and conducts Light Stone’s ESL Teacher
Training Seminars.
Clade and Sue Blackwell are both Masters level
graduates of Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Their marriage has been
blessed with four children who are now successful
young adults.
Over the past 12 years the Blackwells have
participated in and spearheaded over 35
international mission trips. Out of that experience
God has given them an incredible passion for
impacting the lost with the saving ministry of
Christ.
English Language Consultant
Sue Blackwell
Sue
is passionate about working with international
students through ESL Ministries to build spiritual
foundations in order to help them come to a saving
faith in Jesus Christ. In addition to directing the
UCF Community English Club, she currently serves as
an advisor for the Community English Club at Aloma
Church in Winter Park. For over six years, she
directed the Conversational English Classes at First
Baptist Oviedo.
As an ESL ministry associate with the Florida
Baptist Convention, Sue leads ESL Teacher Training
Workshops at the Lake Yale Conference Center, at
Baptist Associational Workshops, and at individual
churches in the state of Florida. She has also led
workshops for Urban Impact Ministries in New York
City and for missionaries serving overseas. Sue has
been instrumental in helping 10 churches start new
ESL ministries in the Central Florida area.
In East Asia, Sue has coordinated English camps, led
teams of guest teachers that taught in college
classrooms and primary school classrooms, and has
also taught educational workshops for national
English teachers. In London, she has led teams that
worked with refugees attending English camps at a
local ministry and led teams that have taught
English at an Islamic school for adults.
Board of Directors
Rafeek Khan is a
bi-vocational leader with a passion for new
international business development and Christian
ministries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in management
from Southeastern University with a concentration in
international business.
Since 1998, Rafeek Khan
has founded and and continues to operate several
multi-national companies. During his professional career, Rafeek
recognized an immense need for fulfilling the great
commission in reaching the world for Christ. He is
passionate about developing Christian leaders to
effectively serve and meet the needs of the church,
especially in poor and developing countries.
As a member of Light Stone Partners, Rafeek is
responsible for fund raising and casting the vision of
the organization. Rafeek and his wife Karen are Light
Stone supporters, and he personally devotes part of his
time in the field for the ministry efforts in India and
China. The couple have two children and reside in
Chuluota, Florida.
Jim VanNatta
Jim VanNatta has been in the construction publishing
industry for over 40 years including owning his own
publication.
Although not coming to Jesus Christ until his 30’s
he was fortunate in being in a church that strongly
believed in spreading the gospel, both at home and
around the world and has continued to support
missionaries throughout his life.
Jim and his wife Kathy reside in Oviedo, Florida.
They have six children and eleven grandchildren.
Parks Wilson - Secretary/Treasurer
President, Wilson & Company, Inc.
Parks
Wilson has been a successful licensed certified general
contractor in the central Florida area since 1981,
starting his own construction company, Wilson & Company,
Inc., in 1984. He belongs to several local associations
and has served in numerous leadership positions over the
years.
Parks resides in Oviedo,
Florida with his wife, Amelia. They have three children.
He boldly confesses that he accepted Jesus as his Savior
in June 1975.
Larry White
Kenneth “Larry” White
has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1972. Over
the years, Larry has used his financial education, along
with his strong analytical and conceptual skills, to
successfully lead several construction/development
companies into multi-million dollar businesses.
Larry and his wife, Pat,
currently reside in Tennessee. They have four
children.
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What We Believe
At Light Stone, we believe:
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The Bible is the
inspired, only infallible and authoritative Word of God.
(2 Tim 3:15-4:1, 1 Thess 2:13, 2 Peter 1:21-2:1)
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That the one true God
has eternal existence in three persons: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. (Deut 6:4, Isa 43:10-11, Matt 28:18-20,
Luke 3:22)
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In the deity of our Lord
Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, sinless life,
miracles, substitutionary death on the cross, bodily
resurrection, ascension to the Father and His imminent
personal return in power and glory. (Matt 1:23, Luke
1:31-32, Acts 10:37-38, Acts 2:22, Heb 7:26-27, 1 Cor
15:3-5, 2 Cor 5:21-6:1, Matt 28:6, Luke 24:39, 1 Co.r
15:4-6, Acts 1:9-11, Phil 2:9-11, Heb 1:3)
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Regeneration by the Holy
Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of
sinful man; a person must experience the spiritual
rebirth by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone
for salvation. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit
is the Christian able to live a more godly life. (Rom
10:12-13, Eph 2:8-10, Titus 2:11, Titus 3:4-8, Rom 8:16,
Eph 4:24, Titus 2:12)
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There is a bodily
resurrection of the saved and the lost, the saved to
eternal life in heaven, the lost to hell. (1 Thess
4:15-17, Rom 3:23-24, 1 Cor 15:51-52, Rev 20:11-15, Rev
21:6-8)
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Jesus Christ rose from
the dead and is returning soon. (Zech 14:4-5, Matt
24:26, Matt 24:30, Rev 1:7, Rev 19:11-13)
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The Great Commission of
the church is to go into the entire world and preach the
Gospel to every person (making disciples of all
nations.) (Mark 16:15, Luke 14:23, Matt 28:19-20, Acts
1:7-8, Mark 16:15 -16)
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In the spiritual unity
of believers through the working of the Holy Spirit and
the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 4:11-13, Ps 133:1, Phil
2:1-3)
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In holy Christian
living, and we must have concern for the hurts and
social needs of our fellowmen. (Col 3:12-14, Rom 15:1-2)
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We must dedicate
ourselves anew to the service of our Lord and to His
authority over our lives. (Col 2:9-11, Eph 6:7-8)
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