Churches Together (CT), an Evangelical joint venture of North American churches, announced today that Gary Edmonds has accepted the position of Executive Director of Churches Together starting February 1, 2005.

Churches Together is mobilizing North American churches to partner with African churches on HIV/AIDS, and to fostering grass-roots, African church-based ministry to African communities, families and individuals infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Edmonds joins Churches Together (CT) after leading the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) as Secretary General. Prior to that time, he served in senior positions in church ministry, international partnership building and church-based associations.

The selection of Edmonds for the Executive Director position is a strategic key to the development of Churches Together and links to the expansion of its North American church base. The expansion is based on a platform of developing North American-African church based AIDS ministry models with scheduled metropolitan and regional mobilization meetings.

Churches Together co-chairpersons, Tom Correll, Wooddale Church in Minneapolis area, and Tim Neet, Perimeter Church in Atlanta area, said “We are pleased that God has led someone of Gary’s calibre and experience to Churches Together; it’s another sign among many that God in His mercy and justice is raising a collaborative movement of churches in North American and Africa to address the AIDS pandemic”.

Gary Edmonds says this position combines his “passion for functional partnership of the Body of Christ and extending the Church of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Local churches are the sustaining instruments of God for holistic transformation of communities and nations. I am excited and hopeful as we look to the future. The Lord is doing a new thing in the church in which I want to participate”.

Since its founding two years ago, Churches Together has been led by a former business executive volunteer with a mostly volunteer Implementation Team of business finishers, a former pastor, lay leaders, and professionals from the Churches Together Foundation churches. The Implementation Team receives hands on guidance from a board of directors made up of Foundation Church mission pastors and executives of other faith-based resource organizations.

Additional information on the activities of Churches Together can be found at: www.churchestogether.com