Missionary Spotlight

Jon and Tracy Eide, Ukraine

Jon & Tracy felt God's call to build the church in the Russian speaking world, and have been doing so with Mission to the World since 1997. They have worked with church plants in Nikolaev, Ukraine, Philadelphia, PA, and now in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. They feel privileged to have seen the church in Ukraine emerge and begin to become established during this time.

Jon serves as the city team leader helping to meet the needs of the Ukrainian church with people, materials, and finances. He serves the church plant by discipling young men, preaching, and teaching. Jon is ordained in the PCA, and enjoys running.

Tracy is a nurse by education, and cares for the family and home. She also serves the church and team through discipleship, prayer meetings, and hosting many visitors. Her favorite pastime is gardening.

Jon & Tracy have three children, Alison (5/24/96), Natalie (6/14/99), and Zachary (7/7/06), the youngest of whom they recently adopted from Ukraine. The girls attend an American school in Kiev where also they study Russian.

Please pray for the Eides as they minister in a country facing many challenges, and in need of the church.

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Missionary Spotlight

Davy and Pey Chu, East Asia

Davy and Pey came from very different backgrounds, but followed similar paths toward ministry involvement in East Asia. Davy grew up in a Christian home and spent many of his childhood years in South Korea, where his parents were involved in medical missions.
Pey was born in Taiwan, in a non-Christian home, and immigrated with her family to the US at a young age. Both attended college in the US, Davy at UNC and Pey at Vanderbilt, and were involved in campus ministry during that time. After having graduated from college, both went to East Asia to be involved in campus ministry.

In East Asia they spent the bulk of their time doing evangelism and discipleship on university campuses and working with the small percentage of students who were able to attend college. After having completed separate shorter-term commitments in East Asia, they both committed to return long-term, which was the point at which they first met. When both of them had returned for long-term service, they were placed on the same campus team. During these two years of overlap, they courted and were engaged. In 2001, they planned to return to US to get married and pursue theological education, with a view toward returning to East Asia.

Pey and Davy were married in the summer of 2001 and both began theological study at Westminster Theological Seminary that fall. As a result of classes, church involvement, and becoming aware of the different opportunities for ministry that were developing, God began to place a desire in their hearts for work in the church. Upon graduating in 2005, Davy began a yearlong pastoral internship at Christ Community Church, a PCA church plant in Chapel Hill, NC. He was ordained for the ministry of assisting with indigenous church planting in East Asia in the summer of 2007.

In August 2007, Davy and Pey returned to a large urban center in East Asia, where they began working with a graduate transition ministry, as well as becoming involved in a house church movement. In July 2008, Davy transitioned to devoting his full ministry attention to giving direction to this house church network. In this capacity, he helps mentor, train, and give direction to the leaders of these house churches, as well as seeking to help facilitate continued growth and the planting of new house churches.

Pey and Davy have two children: Cooper, 3, and Sophie, 10 months. Pey spends the bulk of her time giving care to the children. Additionally, she has had some opportunities to use her counseling training both with expats in the missionary community in East Asia and with nationals within the church planting network.

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Missionary Spotlight

Charisa Chinchen, Malawi

Charisa Chinchen has been serving at ABC Christian Academy in Malawi for the past 6 years, teaching 4th grade, and running the swim program. She finds her work in the classroom fulfilling and rewarding, and enjoys interacting with the kids during a more casual setting in afternoon activities.

Charisa graduated from Biola University in 1998, then earned a teaching credential through ACSI in 2006. A third generation missionary, Charisa desires to see God's kingdom continue to advance throughout Africa. By making an impression in the lives of the children at ABC Christian Academy, she hopes to make an impact on Africa for Christ.

ABC Christian Academy is an international Christian school, founded by Paul and Laura Chinchen, whose student body of 300 is comprised of 30 different nationalities. Charisa has had the privilege of watching the school nearly double in size, during her time in Malawi, growing both in student numbers, as well as in facilities. It has been exciting to be a part of a ministry that is virtually bursting at the seams, bearing a Christian influence on the lives of families in the Lilongwe community.

Charisa has recently become engaged to William Haase, who is working with Samaritan's Purse in Southern Sudan, building hospitals. They met while William was in Malawi, working as the Construction Manager for African Bible College. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as they make decisions about their future together. Both Charisa and William desire to continue serving God in Africa in some capacity.

Please pray as Charisa is also healing from a hip replacement. She has battled avascular necrosis since she was a teenager, a degenerative condition of the bone, and knew the hip replacement was inevitable. By God's grace, she was able to put it off for 15 years, until the pain became unbearable, when she finally made arrangements to have the operation done in South Africa. God has been so faithful to work out the details and to provide in every way throughout this ordeal.

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Missionary Spotlight

Jeff and Patty Borden, South Africa

Jeff is a teacher and facilitator at the Bible Institute of South Africa (BISA). There has never been a Bible training school in his specific area. His goal is to provide training school in the context and at a minimal cost. Most pastors in these areas have NO training at all, and many are hungry for Biblical training.

Two of Jeff and Patty’s children have been diagnosed with fairly serious health problems. Their oldest son did not cope very well in the US and is returning to South Africa. Please pray for his transition back to South Africa and for the Lord’s leading regarding his future. Their second son, Matthew is a senior and intends to study biology next year at Virginia Tech. Please also pray regarding his future. Their daughter Lydia has Celiac’s Disease (gluten intolerance), pray for her.

Please pray for Jeff’s wife as she prepares food regarding Lydia’s dietary restrictions (no wheat, barley, rye or oats). In South Africa, there are not very many ready-made gluten-free products available so this can be problematic.

Lastly, the past month has been very difficult for the Borden family. Please pray for some much-needed rest. .

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Missionary Spotlight

Bill and Allen Bradford, Peru

Bill and Allen Bradford have been laboring in Peru since February of 1999. As pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America, Bill’s primary responsibilities are mentoring pastoral candidates, teaching in the denominational seminary and serving as assistant editor of publications for the Peru Mission press. Bill and Allen have four children: Mollie (10), William (8), Hannah (5), and Andrew (2).

Bill and Allen have witnessed tremendous growth since they first moved to Peru eight years ago; in their own family (from one child to four), in their mission team (from two full-time families on the field to five), in their churches (various church plants and revitalizations), from no seminary to their 1st graduate.

Bill and Allen work with the Peru Mission Team of American missionaries and Peruvian church leaders working in Northern Peru with the purpose of co-laboring with God’s spirit to build genuine Christian communities which display a spiritual, social, cultural, educational and economic life that is molded, shaped and propelled by the Gospel. The team works within the Iglesia Evangelica Presbiteriana del Peru in the areas of church planting, leadership training, university ministry, translation and publication of Reformed literature, and mercy ministries.

By God’s grace Bill and Allen have seen solid advances in all their churches, both in Trujillo and Cajamarca. New people are visiting the churches, quite a few people are seeking to become members, the pastors are striving to deepen their relationships with their neighbors, the worship services are improving and small group discipleship programs have begun.

In addition, Bill and Allen have been able to take steps forward in the construction of most of their buildings. Please continue to pray for Pastors Ricardo, Eduardo and Guillermo, as well as for their new student intern, Percy Padilla.

The seminary has completed another year. One exciting development is that two of their pastors are nearing the completion of their work and are due to be ordained in a few months.

Bill and Allen praise the Lord for what He is doing among His humble servants in Peru. They ask for your prayers as they seek to serve the Lord in Peru that His church may grow and shine forth His glory.

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Missionary Spotlight

Wes and Jami Baker, Peru

Wes is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America working with Peru Mission in the city of Trujillo. Wes grew up in rural Wilson County, Texas and graduated from Floresville High School in 1986. He studied at Texas A&M University, graduating in 1992 with a double degree in Biomedical Science and Philosophy.

In 1988 Wes married the former Jami Vaden of Seguin, Texas, and in December of 1992, with two children, they moved to Jackson to attend Reformed Theological Seminary. In the fall of 1993 Wes was called to be Student Supply Pastor of Lebanon Presbyterian Church (LPC) in Learned, MS. He finished his studies at RTS in December 1995 and was ordained as minister in Learned the following spring.

While serving at LPC, Wes became good friends with Alonzo Ramirez, a doctoral student from Peru, and together with classmate Bill Bradford, the three men visited Peru in the summer of 1996. Three weeks of travel, prayer, and late night conversations convinced the men that the Lord was calling them to form a church planting team to minister in Northern Peru. In February 2000, Wes and Jami packed up their family and their lives and moved to Cajamarca, Peru. With the arrival in March of 2000 of the Brad Ball family the team was complete.

The ministry in Peru has developed considerably since their arrival. The Ball and Baker families moved from Cajamarca to Trujillo in late 2001. The Bradfords moved down to the coastal city in 2005. Since then several more families have joined the team and the ministry has continued to grow. Wes's primary responsibilities involve teaching in the Seminario Biblico Reformado and mentoring Peruvian pastors and church planters. He has also been extensively involved in administration, recruiting, and development.Wes and Jami have seven children ranging in age from five to 19 years. Jami stays busy homeschooling the children, hosting visitors and teams, and teaching in the English Institute.

Wes states:
We are very grateful for the faithful prayers and generous support of First Presbyterian Church, as well as the summer teams that encourage us each year with their presence. The Lord has used FPC greatly to bless Peru Mission and the Baker Family as they minister in Northern Peru.

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Missionary Spotlight

Jeff and Mary Baldwin, Greece

Jeff Baldwin was born in 1965 in West Chicago, Illinois. One year later, his parents arrived in Athens Greece as Greater Europe Mission’s first missionaries to that country, with the intent of founding a Bible Institute, a goal that came to fruition in 1980.

As a missionary kid, Jeff was sent to Greek public schools all his life, so he grew up fully immersed in the Greek culture and language. Although he found the Lord at an early age, there were many times when he was not pleased with the decision of his parents to be missionaries, and often resented the fact that he had to grow up in another country. But at age 15, at a youth conference, he was moved to dedicate the rest of his life to Christian service. With this in mind, he enrolled at Moody Bible Institute, and then later, Dallas Theological Seminary.

In his first year of study at Moody, it became clear to him that the vision of his parents was to be his own, that throughout the years God had been preparing him for this position. So, for the next 11 years, Jeff prepared through education, as well as through two years in the pastorate, to become a teacher at the Greek Bible Institute. He and his wife Mary have been serving there since 1995.

While there Jeff has taught many different subjects in Old Testament, New Testament, and theology. He also preaches almost every Sunday at the Greek Evangelical Church of the Northern Suburbs of Athens, and is invited to speak at youth conferences and Bible conferences throughout Greece. Jeff was appointed director of the Greek Bible Institute in 2004.

Currently, in addition to the challenges of leading the Bible School, Jeff is working on his doctorate at the Evangelical Theological Faculty, in Leuven, Belgium. Jeff and Mary have two boys and a girl: William (16), Paul (13), and Danae (11).

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Ligon In His Own Words

At the very fine blog site, Cal.vini.st, Nathan Bingham and Andrew Courtis conducted an interview with our own senior minister. It is definitely worth a read.

Insightful. Edifying. God Glorifying.

Check out the first installment of the interview here.


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Missionary Spotlight

David and Stacy Bergmark, Sweden


David grew up in Skelleftea, Sweden. He came to the United States for a semester of high school. The dry spiritual climate in Sweden led him to return to the States to grow in grace. He majored in Christian Philosophy at Belhaven College in Jackson, MS.

David was actively involved in RUF at Belhaven and the youth ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson. David went on to receive his seminary education at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson.

While in the U.S., David and several Swedish students began praying consistently for Sweden. It was during this time that David began to sense God’s will for him to be a missionary. His heart is drawn to his home country, where less than 4% of the population attend church.

Stacy was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. After being saved at a young age, she has continually grown in the Lord. Stacy has always been actively involved in the church and started contemplating world missions as a result of numerous short missions trips, as well as a year mission trip to Russia.

David and Stacy were married in May of 1998. They have now returned to Sweden and are involved in leading a church plant there as part of their greater vision to see a new Reformed church movement develop. Their team’s vision includes campus ministry, sports ministry, and a classical Christian school.

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Missionary Spotlight

Bill and Marion Baldwin, Greece

Bill was born in St. Louis, Missouri and moved to Houston, Texas when he was 15. In college his roommate invited him to church and there he made a public confession of his faith.

After college, with a BS in Religion he attended Moody Bible Institute for one year and then Dallas Seminary where he received his MTh. While at seminary he met Bob Evans, founder of Greater Europe Mission and felt that GEM's thrust of starting Bible Colleges all over Europe was a wise idea. For some reason God placed Greece on Bill’s heart. GEM expected all candidates to attend Missionary Internship, a 7-month training program for would-be missionaries, in Detroit, which is where Bill & Marion met.

Marion was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She graduated from Toronto Bible College and then became a registered nurse before going to Missionary Internship.

Bill served as youth pastor at West Chicago Bible church for one year after their marriage and then a year later, having raised their support, Bill & Marion left for Greece with a very simple job description: start a Bible Institute. So....that's what they did....and therein lies a LONG story of learning a language, gaining the trust of the Greek evangelicals, finding a 'home' for the Greek Bible Institute, finding teachers and students and the money to pay for it all....GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL. Bill has taught all the Theology courses at the Bible college, Marion used to teach a course to young women, but now does the book-keeping for the college for Greater Europe Mission.

Today the director of the college is their son Jeff. The graduates are pastors of the majority of the Greek Evangelical churches in Greece. They head up most para-church organizations in Greece, and are also serving as missionaries.

Bill and Marion’s four children have all married Greeks and 2 of them are also missionaries with GEM in Greece. Thank God they are all committed Christians, married to people from committed Christian homes. They also have 11 grandchildren.

Bill & Marion first heard of First Presbyterian church in Jackson, Mississippi when their then pastor, Don Patterson, asked Bill to lead a tour group he was bringing to Greece. Bill and Marion got a burden for Greece and even sent Van and Alice Rusling to Greece to work with the GEM team for a few years. Van actually taught Marion her job!

Please pray for Bill and Marion as they serve in Greece.

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Missionary Spotlight

Tom and Ann Austin, South Africa

Tom was born and reared in Kingsport, TN. He grew up within the Presbyterian Church (PCUS) and after high school volunteered for a year’s service to the Presbyterian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was there that God used Tom’s experiences on the field and his relationships with the missionaries to call him to salvation. It was also in Congo that God began to develop within Tom a heart for missions, especially for Africa.

After the year in Congo, he entered King College in Bristol, TN where he graduated in 1970 with a degree in economics. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he greatly benefited from the Navigator ministry. For the next 8 years, he was involved with the Navigators at Ft. Bragg, Ft. Benning, and Vanderbilt University. During these years, involvement with missionaries and ministering to foreign nationals increased his heart for missions, which developed into a sense of call. In 1980 he entered seminary at Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions at CIU. Tom and Ann met while they were both studying there. In July 1983, they were married after Tom graduated with an M. Div. in cross-cultural studies. Later that year they were accepted as career missionaries by Mission to the World, and Tom was ordained by Palmetto Presbytery.
The Austins arived in Nairobi, Kenya in April, 1985. From 1987 to 1995, Tom was on loan to the Nairobi International School of Theology. There he taught missions, leadership development, church growth, management courses, and other practical theology courses and was heavily involved in the school administration. During this period, he earned a D. Min. in urban missions from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. In late 1995, MTW asked Tom to help develop a new model of theological education for Africa. This challenge involves developing a multifaceted ministry in theological education on the continent. In addition in mid 1999 Tom was asked to take the position of principal of the Bible Institute of South Africa, an MTW partner institution located near Cape Town, South Africa. He held this position until the end of 2004, taking the college through a period of transition and development in which the 83 year old Bible college became African in its vision and focus as well as in its staff and its student body. Tom is now serving MTW throughout sub-Saharan Africa concentrating on coordinating, facilitating and guiding MTW ministries in theological education.

Ann

Ann was born and reared in rural Chester County, S.C. and grew up within the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church there. It was while she was in college that she came to know Christ as her Lord and Savior. She received a degree in speech pathology in 1972 from Columbia College in Columbia, SC and was a public school speech pathologist in Berkley, Chester, and York counties of South Carolina. While living in Athens, Greece, she worked with a TEFL program for the U.S. Navy. With a view toward missions, she and her first husband entered seminary at Columbia Graduate School (CIU). After her husband died in 1981, she and daughter Anna (then 4 years old) remained at CIU, and Ann entered the M. Div. program. There she met Tom and in July 1983, they were married.
While living in Nairobi, Kenya Ann taught Bible courses to the wives of the M. Div. and M.A. students at the Nairobi International School of Theology. She taught such courses as Exodus, a survey of the New Testament from Acts to Revelation, and the Life of Christ every year in the Women’s Program at NIST. She also led a women’s Bible study and helped with teacher training at their church, Community Presbyterian Church, Madaraka. Since their moved to South Africa she has been involved in a variety of ministries. When they were ministering with the Bible Institute of South Africa, she led the faculty wives in developing a ministry to the women at the Bible college. She also began a ministry of speaking to women’s groups in the area, which is ongoing.
Tom and Ann are the parents of two daughters: Anna, who is married to David Von and Rebecca, a student at Covenant College.

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Missionary Spotlight

Stan and Donna Armes, South Africa

In the past year, the Armes have had a desire to take a year of reflection and ask God what he would want them to do for the next few years. Currently, the Armes are on HMA (Home Ministry Assignment) from Jan –July 2009 and will be living in Springfield, ILL.

Stan had been involved with teaching several classes in the past year: Missions, Introduction to Ethics, Advanced Ethics, O.T. Historical Books, and the Doctrines of Christ and Salvation. He also was responsible for the Practical Placement Programme which places students in churches under the leadership of a local pastor. These students are able to get training and experience in preaching and counseling, and in preparing for and leading worship services.

One of the highlights for Stan and Donna is teaching marriage seminars. A shocking statistic in Port Elizabeth, the city where they lived, was that it has been called the “Divorce Capital of the World” where up to 70% of the marriages end up in divorce.

When they return to South Africa, Donna and Stan desire to teach part-time at the Bible College and then spend their other time putting together a basic course on the Biblical view of marriage. They want this course to have a particular African flavor so it can be used in other parts of Africa, as well as South Africa. The Armes believe that if people in Africa get marriage and the family working on biblical principles, it will positively influence the rampant crime and HIV issues in South Africa.

Specific prayer requests
1. Pray for a comfortable and reliable car during their time on HMA. Stan is putting together a Power Point presentation that will adequately describe what they have been doing in South Africa.
2. Finishing up the work in South Africa and with the college. Please pray for the students and their continued sustenance in biblical teaching.
3. Pray for preparation for the marriage training when they return to Africa.

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Missionary Update

Gary and Linda Johnson, Sweden

Gary grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and came to know the Lord in high school. Upon graduation from Belhaven College, Gary worked in Sweden with Athletes in Action Baseball as a player/coach 1984-87. He joined MTW in 1988 and developed ministry through sport in Sweden through 1992. Linda, a native Swede, grew in her faith while an exchange student in Mississippi. Gary met Linda in 1989 and they were married 1992.

The Johnsons returned to the U.S. where Linda finished her degree in English/ philosophy at Belhaven College while Gary received an M. Div. at Reformed Theological Seminary. During seminary Gary also served with Reformed University Ministries and as director of international student affairs at Belhaven College. Gary was ordained in the Mississippi Valley Presbytery and served as assistant pastor of Westminster PCA in Atlanta until their return to Sweden in 1999.

The Swedes the Johnsons have discipled have now planted their first church Nya Stoeryds Kyrka and established Evangeliska-reformerta kyrka i Sverige, the first Presbyterian denomination in Sweden’s history. The team is promoting church planting in key cities, Classical Christian education, a Reformed campus ministry, and pastoral/theological training. Pray for the Johnsons as they give their lives for the glory of Christ in Scandinavia.

Daniel Glen (6/29/94), Joel Gary (4/01/96), Rebekah Maria (8/29/97), Jan-Mikael (11/29/98), Benjamin David (8/12/00), Sarah Madeleine (10/28/02), Nathanael Baillie (7/3/04), Elisabeth Anne (2/10/06), Leah Esther (10/29/07)

email: garyglenjohnson@yahoo.com

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Market Day of the Soul

Disciplined Duty vs. the Lie of Legalism

Wise words from John Piper.

". . . the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.

And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? . . . Is it a discipline?

You can call it that.

It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater.

It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers.

It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns.

It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food.

It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water.

It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid.

It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin.

It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey.

It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.
I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer.

God has given us means of grace. If we do not use them to their fullest advantage, our complaints against him will not stick. If we don’t eat, we starve. If we don’t drink, we get dehydrated. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. If we don’t breathe, we suffocate. And just as there are physical means of life, there spiritual are means of grace. Resist the lies of the devil in 2009, and get a bigger breakthrough in prayer than you’ve ever had."

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