GATS UPCI

Honoring Rev. Jerry Burns

On June 9, 2026, Rev. Jerry Burns finished his race on earth, leaving behind a legacy of faith, service, and excellence. Though his passing leaves a great void, he has made it home.

Bro. and Sis Burns, devoted their lives to Global Missions of the UPCI, serving as the first resident missionaries in the Dominican Republic, building a strong foundation for a thriving church. They later pastored, supporting missionaries worldwide, and held various leadership roles including that of Chairman of the Veterans of Global Missions Association in later years.

In retirement, Bro. Burns’ influence only grew. Through his work with the Global Association of Theological Studies (GATS), he coordinated translations of Bible School resources into more than 20 languages, authored faculty lessons, created hundreds of presentations, and trained teachers across the globe. He recently completed nearly 40 teaching videos and a new textbook for global Bible School training.

Bro. Burns touched nearly every facet of GATS and the more than 500 Bible Schools worldwide. His love for people, pursuit of excellence, and servant’s heart will continue to impact around the globe.

—Brad Thompson, Global Coordinator of GATS, and the entire team

Un Jefe de AGET! One of our leaders of GATS! Brad Thompson. 🙌🏽

Seminario AGET 2026 Cuánto agradecemos el ministerio del Rev. Brad Thompson, misionero de Guatemala.

What an exciting GATS Seminar with the nations of El Salvador and Guatemala.

A new school in Benin underway!

March held a graduation in Honduras with 62 graduates in the Diploma of ministerial development. How exciting!! 💯🙌🏽❤️🤩🥳

Faculty Development in Honduras! 34 in attendance. GATS Educators Randy and Anita Shoppe, and Samantha Campbell. 🙌🏽🙏🏼💯🎉

Some amazing faces of GATS! ✅🙌🏽

Cameroon West Africa has a brand new French speaking Bible School in the city of Yaoundé with nine certificate level students about to graduate next month. Exciting news from the Ritters! 👏🏼💯🇨🇲

Chad is one of Africa’s newest GATS Bible schools and this is the very first certificate level graduate! Super exciting stuff, don’t you agree?