We’re excited to be welcoming James Rudd as speaker at Camp Meeting this year July 1-7. If you aren’t coming for the week, be sure to visit during one of our evening worship services at 7:30 p.m. in the Tabernacle.
Name: James Bruce Rudd
Nickname: Jim
Occupation: Lead Pastor of True Vine Church Community
Education: BS from Nyack College, some Master’s level studies at Biblical Theological Seminary.
Hometown: Saegertown, PA
Family: Wife; Kendra and son, Aiden.
Church: True Vine Church Community
Favorite Bible Verse: “Boldly and without hinderance he preached the Kingdom and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 28.31
Elevator Testimony: Grew up in a non-Christian household. When I was 13 my parents divorced, causing my mother to explore Jesus. At 14 I gave my life to Jesus.
Years attending camp: About 6 at Edinboro Conference Grounds in Edinboro, PA.
Years attending Delanco Camp: 0
Favorite Foods: Chick-Fil-A
Favorite Sports Teams: Cleveland Browns, Duke Men’s Basketball, Phillies.
Actor you’d cast as yourself in a movie: Hugh Jackman
Tell us a little bit about your church and your calling to ministry in the context where you are in Philadelphia. In what ways have you seen God working lately in the ministry setting where he has you?
True Vine is a church plant of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. We launched Sunday morning services on October 4th 2009.
We are a relatively small, informal church. We believe that a church should be an expression of the Kingdom of God within a local community. We encourage people to come as they are and seek a life-changing experience with Jesus.
Our philosophy of ministry is simple: “Bless Philadelphia”. We seek to bless Philly by providing services like a food and clothing pantry, hosting AA meetings, caring for our neighbors, helping the needy and other practical expressions of God’s love. We also try to speak positively about our neighborhood and take practical actions to address areas of need within our community.
True Vine could be described as a “Presence Based Church.” We focus our time, energy and resources on bringing people into God’s Manifest Presence. We want people to know, feel and experience God.
Besides the stink bugs, what are you looking forward to most about the opportunity to speak at Camp Meeting this year?
I always recall camp as a time of refreshing and refocusing. I was called to ministry at a camp and I know that there is huge potential for life-changing experiences at camp.
Tell us a little bit more about your call to ministry and the camp where you first heard that call.
I came to Christ when I was about 14 years old. When I was 16 or 17 I responded to an altar call at Edinboro Camp for anyone who felt called to “full time Christian ministry.”
That decision has shaped my life forever since. It affected where I chose to go to college, who I married and how I live my life daily.
What will be the focus of your messages at Camp Meeting?
During the week I will be talking about “Revival.” We’ll look at several Old and New Testament passages about revival and try to pull out some principles and precepts. Right now I’m looking at the life of Josiah, Ezekiel 36, Nehemiah, Psalm 119 and Acts 2, but I may adjust as the time grows nearer. I have a day set aside next week to try to finalize some stuff.
