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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