Aldersgate's Partners on the Foreign Mission Field
These missionaries need our prayer support as well as the financial assistance we provide through the church budget. Please pray for them, their families, their ministries and those they serve.
Ed & Linda Baker, Global Resource Team - The Mission Society
After completing seven years in Paraguay, Ed & Linda moved their water ministry to Nicaragua where they spent two years. While in Paraguay and Nicaragua they completed 39 water projects and coordinated the construction of churches, schools and homes for pastors. Starting in January 2011, Ed & Linda took on a new challenge as Co-Directors and Water and Sanitation Specialists for The Mission Society’s Global Resource Team (GRT).
Now they are sharing with other missionaries what they have learned working in the areas of water and sanitation in the developing world. Projects planned for 2011 and beyond will take them to Africa, India and Latin America. Ed & Linda feel strongly that their ministry is to use the gift of clean, abundant water as a mechanism to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This platform has proven very effective over the years. They pray God will continue to use them and bless their ministry as it expands around the world. Check out Ed and Linda's website to learn more about them and their work. They need our prayers as well as the financial support we provide.
Paul & Sylvia Cummings, Spain - One Mission Society
Since 1984, Paul and Sylvia Cummings have served in Spain as missionaries with OMS International, now One Mission Society. Their multifaceted ministry includes evangelism, discipleship, music and teaching English and computers.
After four years of serving as part of a pastoral team in Motril, the Cummings went to Madrid in 1990 where they have been supervisors in the exciting Marriage Encounter program, interim camp director of the Rock of Horeb camp (Paul) and director of the English ministries (Sylvia). Paul has also developed a ministry of offering computer classes in the church. Teaching English and computer builds a bridge between the community and the church and opens doors for presenting the Gospel. Visit Paul and Sylvia's website for more information.
Cameron & Anne Gongwer, Ghana - The Mission Society
Dr. Cameron and Anne Gongwer have served in Ghana, West Africa, with The Mission Society since 1998. Cam is a physician and served as the first full-time doctor and medical superintendent of the Ankaase Methodist Faith Healing Hospital. He also trains Ghanaian doctors in the specialty of Family Medicine, plants churches with Ghanaian Christians through medical evangelism outreaches, and assists the Methodist Church Ghana in other medical ministry and public health endeavors among the poor.
Anne, a former teacher, coordinated the development of the Ankaase Literacy Program and the building of The Reading Town Library in Ankaase. The Gongwers have one daughter, Caylor, who attends middle school in the capitol, Accra, where the family now resides. Want to pray more effectively for this family? Visit Cameron and Anne's website for details.
Neal & Mari Hicks, Japan - The Mission Society
Neal and Mari Hicks have served in Japan for over 30 years, 21 of those with The Mission Society. They met in 1971 when he was stationed with the U.S. Air Force in the East China Sea, and Mari, whose father was a Methodist pastor in Japan, was a professional ballerina. They live in Tokyo and minister in a variety of culturally-appropriate ways, including feeding and clothing of the homeless.
Neal pastors a Free Methodist Church in rural Tokyo. He and Mari share responsibilities for preaching, teaching, and counseling. For the last 13 years, they have also been a part of the leadership of the International VIP Club ministry, which is an outreach to unreached Japanese business men and women. Sadly, less than 1% of people in Japan know Christ. The Hicks work tirelessly to introduce more and more of the Japanese to Christ. Visit Neal and Mari's website for more information.
Neal and Mari have been in the U.S. since February for Mari to receive medical treatment, but they are anxious to return to Japan and the people they serve in the wake of the terrible tragedies which have occurred there.
Andrew & Margaret Howell, France - The Mission Society
Andrew and Margaret Howell have been part of The Mission Society team to France for the past eleven years after having previously served in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Andrew serves as Director of Development for Famille Je t'Aime, a family ministry headquartered in eastern France. He and Margaret work to develop and strengthen the ministry’s network and contacts throughout France and teach conferences on family relationships.
After nearly two years on home assignment in Atlanta, Georgia, they returned to France in September 2011. They now reside in Guebwiller in eastern France near the German border but travel throughout France spreading the Gospel. They are delighted to have us on their support team and consider us an answer to prayer. Visit them online for more information.
Szabolcs Kerekes, Hungary - Church Resource Ministries
Szabolcs Kerekes has been involved in church planting in Hungary since 1998. He has published two books and translated materials for use in mentoring key pastors, church planters and future leaders. In partnership with The Bible League, Szabolcs is helping to build healthy, reproducible churches. He is working on his third book.
Szabolcs met with our Missions Committee in 2009 while visiting in the U.S. and shared with us the challenges of trying to reach the post-modern world of eastern Europe with the Gospel. He is a gifted teacher and communicator who is dedicated to preparing life-changing materials for Hungarian churches. He appreciates our support and prayers.
Jim & Peni Koch, Jamaica - Kingdom Builders Ministry
Jim and Peni Koch have served with Kingdom Builders Ministry in Jamaica since 1996. Their goal is to assist people in identifying their God-given purpose in life and equipping them to fulfill that purpose. They are dedicated to sharing Christ's love with people in need by providing basic needs and abundant love. From their base in Whitehorse, Westmoreland, on the southern coast of Jamaica, they spread the Gospel to the surrounding communities of Jamaica.
The Kochs host short-term work teams and missionary interns and work with them to serve the needs of the poor, elderly and infirm. In July 2009, a team of 24 adults and youth from Aldersgate spent a life-changing week working with the Kochs, conducting VBS, doing home repairs, visiting a nursing home and a hospital to cheer and pray with the patients, and doing simple, but meaningful, tasks like carrying heavy containers of water for local residents. You can learn more about Jim and Peni's ministry by visiting the Kingdom Builders website.
Andy & Jaimee Langeland, Ukraine - Hidden with Christ Ministries
Andy and Jaimee Langeland, a young couple from California, have been living part-time in Ukraine since June 2007. Their ministry, Operation Lazarus, was founded to assist teenage orphans who are “aging out” of the orphanage system and have no place to go. The Langelands are trying to place as many of these young people as possible in Christian homes, then helping them find work, training for work or additional education. Through weekly Bible study and fellowship time in their home, they are loving and supporting these kids who would otherwise end up on the streets.
Since the arrival of Andee Joye in September 2009, the Langelands have spent the harshest part of the winter in the U.S., returning to Ukraine each March. This year Jaimee was unable to accompany Andy because of the expected arrival of their second child in June; instead, Dave Langeland, Andy’s father, filled in. Visit the Operation Lazarus website to learn about their life in Ukraine and their work for the Lord there. Please be praying for the Langelands, their Ukrainian staff and the orphans they serve.
Lisa Michael, Alaska - Alaska Bible College & InterAct Ministries
When in Alaska Lisa Michael serves 75% of her time as the Dean of Women at Alaska Bible College and 25% of her time with InterAct Ministries as the Short Term Coordinator for the Alaska Field. Lisa's main responsibility with the college is to disciple the young women living on campus and to mentor them as they prepare to live for Christ and serve in ministries throughout the world upon their graduation. Her work with InterAct leads her to prepare and advise individuals and teams who want to do ministry in Alaska, coordinating the needs of those who live in remote villages throughout Alaska with the desires of team members who want to serve short term in Alaska.
Lisa has been in Alabama over the past year raising support for her return to Alaska this summer. We enjoyed her recent visit to Aldersgate to address our fifth Sunday gathering. If you'd like to learn more about both ministries with which she is involved, you can check out the Alaska Bible College website and the Interact Ministries website.
Duber Rojas, Spain - Christian Union Sports Club
Duber Rojas came to know the Lord as a child through the Christian Union Sports Club (CUSC), Aldersgate’s missionary partner Mark Wittig’s soccer ministry in Medellin, Colombia. While working on a degree in sociology, he coached soccer for eight years in a very difficult and poor neighborhood of Medellín. Then the Lord called Duber to serve as a cross-cultural missionary through sports. He has been in Granada, Spain, since January of 2009 as the first missionary sent out from the CUSC. He serves in prison ministry as well as through sports. He plans to relocate soon to serve in North Africa.
We were thrilled to have Duber visit with us at Aldersgate last summer. He came to express his thanks for our support of the CUSC over the past 25 years. Visit the CUSC website to learn more about Duber's ministry.
Mark Wittig, Colombia - Christian Union Sports Club
Mark Wittig served as a missionary with OMS International in Colombia for 25 years, but is now employed directly by the ministry he started and has nurtured during most of that time. He supervises the Christian Union Sports Club (CUSC), a city-wide sports program, which evangelizes and disciples over 1,000 children and youth of Medellín through soccer on a weekly basis. Mark, an ordained minister, is also involved in a church-planting ministry and is professor of missions at the Biblical Seminary of Colombia.
Mark, his wife Elizabeth and their family have been busy this summer with the exciting activities celebrating CUSC’s 20th anniversary. Please keep Mark and his ministry in your prayers. You can learn more about the Christian Union Sports Club online.
Marion and Mary Woods, Costa Rica - Methodist Rural Center
Marion and Mary Woods have served as retired missionaries in northern Costa Rica since their marriage in 1993. They run the Methodist Rural Center in Ciudad Quesada which serves as a religious retreat center for Costa Rican churches and as a base for volunteers working in nearby villages. They host several Volunteers in Mission work teams annually. Aldersgate teams have worked with Marion since 1984; Mary’s first trip to Costa Rica was with one of our teams in 1986.
For over 60 years, Marion has served as an evangelistic missionary establishing congregations and constructing chapels and parsonages throughout Costa Rica. At the age of 92 and with the help of his beloved Mary, he is still serving God in a remarkable way. To learn more about the Woods and their ministry, visit the Methodist Rural Center website. They are grateful for our financial support and our prayers.
Aldersgate's Partners on the Foreign Mission Field
These missionaries need our prayer support as well as the financial assistance we provide through the church budget. Please pray for them, their families, their ministries and those they serve.
Ed & Linda Baker, Global Resource Team - The Mission Society
After completing seven years in Paraguay, Ed & Linda moved their water ministry to Nicaragua where they spent two years. While in Paraguay and Nicaragua they completed 39 water projects and coordinated the construction of churches, schools and homes for pastors. Starting in January 2011, Ed & Linda took on a new challenge as Co-Directors and Water and Sanitation Specialists for The Mission Society’s Global Resource Team (GRT).
Now they are sharing with other missionaries what they have learned working in the areas of water and sanitation in the developing world. Projects planned for 2011 and beyond will take them to Africa, India and Latin America. Ed & Linda feel strongly that their ministry is to use the gift of clean, abundant water as a mechanism to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This platform has proven very effective over the years. They pray God will continue to use them and bless their ministry as it expands around the world. Check out Ed and Linda's website to learn more about them and their work. They need our prayers as well as the financial support we provide.
Paul & Sylvia Cummings, Spain - One Mission Society
Since 1984, Paul and Sylvia Cummings have served in Spain as missionaries with OMS International, now One Mission Society. Their multifaceted ministry includes evangelism, discipleship, music and teaching English and computers.
After four years of serving as part of a pastoral team in Motril, the Cummings went to Madrid in 1990 where they have been supervisors in the exciting Marriage Encounter program, interim camp director of the Rock of Horeb camp (Paul) and director of the English ministries (Sylvia). Paul has also developed a ministry of offering computer classes in the church. Teaching English and computer builds a bridge between the community and the church and opens doors for presenting the Gospel. Visit Paul and Sylvia's website for more information.
Cameron & Anne Gongwer, Ghana - The Mission Society
Dr. Cameron and Anne Gongwer have served in Ghana, West Africa, with The Mission Society since 1998. Cam is a physician and served as the first full-time doctor and medical superintendent of the Ankaase Methodist Faith Healing Hospital. He also trains Ghanaian doctors in the specialty of Family Medicine, plants churches with Ghanaian Christians through medical evangelism outreaches, and assists the Methodist Church Ghana in other medical ministry and public health endeavors among the poor.
Anne, a former teacher, coordinated the development of the Ankaase Literacy Program and the building of The Reading Town Library in Ankaase. The Gongwers have one daughter, Caylor, who attends middle school in the capitol, Accra, where the family now resides. Want to pray more effectively for this family? Visit Cameron and Anne's website for details.
Neal & Mari Hicks, Japan - The Mission Society
Neal and Mari Hicks have served in Japan for over 30 years, 21 of those with The Mission Society. They met in 1971 when he was stationed with the U.S. Air Force in the East China Sea, and Mari, whose father was a Methodist pastor in Japan, was a professional ballerina. They live in Tokyo and minister in a variety of culturally-appropriate ways, including feeding and clothing of the homeless.
Neal pastors a Free Methodist Church in rural Tokyo. He and Mari share responsibilities for preaching, teaching, and counseling. For the last 13 years, they have also been a part of the leadership of the International VIP Club ministry, which is an outreach to unreached Japanese business men and women. Sadly, less than 1% of people in Japan know Christ. The Hicks work tirelessly to introduce more and more of the Japanese to Christ. Visit Neal and Mari's website for more information.
Neal and Mari have been in the U.S. since February for Mari to receive medical treatment, but they are anxious to return to Japan and the people they serve in the wake of the terrible tragedies which have occurred there.
Andrew & Margaret Howell, France - The Mission Society
Andrew and Margaret Howell have been part of The Mission Society team to France for the past eleven years after having previously served in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Andrew serves as Director of Development for Famille Je t'Aime, a family ministry headquartered in eastern France. He and Margaret work to develop and strengthen the ministry’s network and contacts throughout France and teach conferences on family relationships.
After nearly two years on home assignment in Atlanta, Georgia, they returned to France in September 2011. They now reside in Guebwiller in eastern France near the German border but travel throughout France spreading the Gospel. They are delighted to have us on their support team and consider us an answer to prayer. Visit them online for more information.
Szabolcs Kerekes, Hungary - Church Resource Ministries
Szabolcs Kerekes has been involved in church planting in Hungary since 1998. He has published two books and translated materials for use in mentoring key pastors, church planters and future leaders. In partnership with The Bible League, Szabolcs is helping to build healthy, reproducible churches. He is working on his third book.
Szabolcs met with our Missions Committee in 2009 while visiting in the U.S. and shared with us the challenges of trying to reach the post-modern world of eastern Europe with the Gospel. He is a gifted teacher and communicator who is dedicated to preparing life-changing materials for Hungarian churches. He appreciates our support and prayers.
Jim & Peni Koch, Jamaica - Kingdom Builders Ministry
Jim and Peni Koch have served with Kingdom Builders Ministry in Jamaica since 1996. Their goal is to assist people in identifying their God-given purpose in life and equipping them to fulfill that purpose. They are dedicated to sharing Christ's love with people in need by providing basic needs and abundant love. From their base in Whitehorse, Westmoreland, on the southern coast of Jamaica, they spread the Gospel to the surrounding communities of Jamaica.
The Kochs host short-term work teams and missionary interns and work with them to serve the needs of the poor, elderly and infirm. In July 2009, a team of 24 adults and youth from Aldersgate spent a life-changing week working with the Kochs, conducting VBS, doing home repairs, visiting a nursing home and a hospital to cheer and pray with the patients, and doing simple, but meaningful, tasks like carrying heavy containers of water for local residents. You can learn more about Jim and Peni's ministry by visiting the Kingdom Builders website.
Andy & Jaimee Langeland, Ukraine - Hidden with Christ Ministries
Andy and Jaimee Langeland, a young couple from California, have been living part-time in Ukraine since June 2007. Their ministry, Operation Lazarus, was founded to assist teenage orphans who are “aging out” of the orphanage system and have no place to go. The Langelands are trying to place as many of these young people as possible in Christian homes, then helping them find work, training for work or additional education. Through weekly Bible study and fellowship time in their home, they are loving and supporting these kids who would otherwise end up on the streets.
Since the arrival of Andee Joye in September 2009, the Langelands have spent the harshest part of the winter in the U.S., returning to Ukraine each March. This year Jaimee was unable to accompany Andy because of the expected arrival of their second child in June; instead, Dave Langeland, Andy’s father, filled in. Visit the Operation Lazarus website to learn about their life in Ukraine and their work for the Lord there. Please be praying for the Langelands, their Ukrainian staff and the orphans they serve.
Lisa Michael, Alaska - Alaska Bible College & InterAct Ministries
When in Alaska Lisa Michael serves 75% of her time as the Dean of Women at Alaska Bible College and 25% of her time with InterAct Ministries as the Short Term Coordinator for the Alaska Field. Lisa's main responsibility with the college is to disciple the young women living on campus and to mentor them as they prepare to live for Christ and serve in ministries throughout the world upon their graduation. Her work with InterAct leads her to prepare and advise individuals and teams who want to do ministry in Alaska, coordinating the needs of those who live in remote villages throughout Alaska with the desires of team members who want to serve short term in Alaska.
Lisa has been in Alabama over the past year raising support for her return to Alaska this summer. We enjoyed her recent visit to Aldersgate to address our fifth Sunday gathering. If you'd like to learn more about both ministries with which she is involved, you can check out the Alaska Bible College website and the Interact Ministries website.
Duber Rojas, Spain - Christian Union Sports Club
Duber Rojas came to know the Lord as a child through the Christian Union Sports Club (CUSC), Aldersgate’s missionary partner Mark Wittig’s soccer ministry in Medellin, Colombia. While working on a degree in sociology, he coached soccer for eight years in a very difficult and poor neighborhood of Medellín. Then the Lord called Duber to serve as a cross-cultural missionary through sports. He has been in Granada, Spain, since January of 2009 as the first missionary sent out from the CUSC. He serves in prison ministry as well as through sports. He plans to relocate soon to serve in North Africa.
We were thrilled to have Duber visit with us at Aldersgate last summer. He came to express his thanks for our support of the CUSC over the past 25 years. Visit the CUSC website to learn more about Duber's ministry.
Mark Wittig, Colombia - Christian Union Sports Club
Mark Wittig served as a missionary with OMS International in Colombia for 25 years, but is now employed directly by the ministry he started and has nurtured during most of that time. He supervises the Christian Union Sports Club (CUSC), a city-wide sports program, which evangelizes and disciples over 1,000 children and youth of Medellín through soccer on a weekly basis. Mark, an ordained minister, is also involved in a church-planting ministry and is professor of missions at the Biblical Seminary of Colombia.
Mark, his wife Elizabeth and their family have been busy this summer with the exciting activities celebrating CUSC’s 20th anniversary. Please keep Mark and his ministry in your prayers. You can learn more about the Christian Union Sports Club online.
Marion and Mary Woods, Costa Rica - Methodist Rural Center
Marion and Mary Woods have served as retired missionaries in northern Costa Rica since their marriage in 1993. They run the Methodist Rural Center in Ciudad Quesada which serves as a religious retreat center for Costa Rican churches and as a base for volunteers working in nearby villages. They host several Volunteers in Mission work teams annually. Aldersgate teams have worked with Marion since 1984; Mary’s first trip to Costa Rica was with one of our teams in 1986.
For over 60 years, Marion has served as an evangelistic missionary establishing congregations and constructing chapels and parsonages throughout Costa Rica. At the age of 92 and with the help of his beloved Mary, he is still serving God in a remarkable way. To learn more about the Woods and their ministry, visit the Methodist Rural Center website. They are grateful for our financial support and our prayers.