ARM Legacy Scholarship Fund

Author, apostle, revival speaker, prayer believer, and child of the most High God. Sandy Blackburn was a regular attender and supporter of Aldersgate Renewal Ministry Conferences (she always sat on the front row). She also was a participant and prayer warrior at local LISS, and LTUTP conferences in Western NC. A lifelong United Methodist and actively involved in the Piedmont Emmaus Community, she extended her apostleship to encouraging and connecting pastors to pastors, churches to churches, and denominations to denominations. She never knew a stranger. You could find Sandy Blackburn sharing her testimony at her book table in between ARM sessions. Sandy authored seven devotional books beginning with Time With God. Her latest book, Dance With Me, was published during the pandemic in 2020. Sandy died from COVID-19 on her birthday on April 9, 2021 at age 72. Sandy came through a lot of hills and valleys in her life from the untimely death of a daughter, the tragic car accident of three granddaughters, to surviving cancer, and going through divorce twice. Through it all she learned to depend wholly on Jesus Christ. This makes her writings all the more beautiful. Sandy continued to seek wisdom and revelation from her time of worship and prayer. Before she departed for heaven, she received a prophetic Word that would have been the title and subject of her next book. She wanted to share this Word from the Lord with the post-pandemic Church: “With Empty Hands: God’s Plan For The New Church.” Sandy wrote this on the very last day of her life: “Jesus is coming back soon. In the past God instructed Moses to use what he had in his hands, a staff, to lead and build up God’s people in the faith. In this new church, God instructs us, ‘Do not use what you have in your hands,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will fill the Church up with my glory so that no one can boast. The tabernacle is not in a building but now in your hearts. People will come and bow down to me, one by one, and know that I AM the Lord God Almighty who brought you out of this place.’” Selah.

"Phyllis Jean loved the Aldersgate Conference. She always came up and talked to me asking about family and prayed for us. She was a faithful and sweet lady."

"She had an infectious joy of the Lord, and loved the Aldersgate conferences. Phyllis Jean always made a point to seek me out to encourage and pray for me before the conference began. She loved being a part of the prayer ministry and the prayer network."

"I remember Phyllis Jean as a faithful intercessor. She encouraged me often about how much she appreciated being a part of the ARM network. She had an outgoing personality and I remember how joy-filled she was. She especially loved the Aldersgate Conference."

Dr. Tuttle is a founding member of United Methodist Renewal Services Fellowship, now Aldersgate. In addition to being part of laying the foundation for ARM, Dr. Tuttle was instrumental in developing the Walk to Emmaus, another ministry with the goal of renewaing the church by raising up spiritual leaders in the church. Several generations of UMC clergy persons (including myself) sat at the feet of Dr. Tuttle as he passionately taught us the theology of the Wesley's and the Methodists.

God chose Rev. Larry Eddings to both show us the need for a fresh start in our marriage and also to start the process of ever-increasing newness in His love. We had come to the altar for prayer at an ARM-sponsored conference in our church when the Holy Spirit blessed us with a wrecking ball and the grace to put it all back together in His order. Thus we began a new marriage with new hope and new horizons. Because of his sensitivity and obedience to God, we honor and thank Rev. Eddings for an ongoing renewal ministry in our lives.