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| Ministries :: Mission :: Missionaries |
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| Periodically, our missionaries send us updates on their ministries. |
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| Bob and Jennifer Chedester
Bob and Jennifer met on a summer mission trip to Uganda in 1987. They were married in 1989 and moved to Fort Portal, Uganda to serve full-time in 1997. Bob grew up in Darien, CT and Jennifer in Lewistown, PA. Both Bob and Jennifer love children and the country of Uganda. They have five adopted children, two born in the USA and three born in Uganda. They are Sarah, Elizabeth, Jonathan, Rebecca, and Samuel from oldest to youngest.
Their work is three-fold:
1. Supporting a remote team in western Uganda near the Congo border by collecting and sending mail and supplies, handling time-consuming tasks such as the processing of work permits, and assisting with various other tasks as they arise.
2. Supporting the local Ugandan Church and community. Bob works alongside the local church leaders seeking to encourage them, leads Bible studies, and puts to frequent use his mechanical and organizational skills. Jennifer home schools their children, teaches Sunday School and uses her physical therapy skills by providing wound care and basic medical treatment for friends and neighbors.
3. Hosting teams, apprentices, and interns from the US and assisting with ongoing communication between those who have visited and our Ugandan brothers and sisters.
Also, check out their World Harvest Mission page. |
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Scott Brill - InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
As a college freshman in 1979, I experienced a transforming encounter with Jesus Christ through my involvement with an InterVarsity group on my campus. As a student leader in that fellowship group, I got to see God at work as we studied Scripture, prayed, shared our faith and developed community together. 25 years ago, I joined the staff of IVCF because I was excited about playing a part in helping other students have the same kinds of transforming "God encounters" that I had as a student. I'm still excited about seeing the power of God released in students' lives, seeing them give allegiance to Jesus & find their true identity in him, and seeing the Holy Spirit lead them in a deeper commitment to living out the Church's mission to the world.
After serving as a campus staff to various schools in Connecticut , Rhode Island & Maine, my current role as a Divisional Director is to develop staff and student ministry in New England, particularly focusing on the southern & western parts of the region. My primary work right now includes supervising the Western Massachusetts , Connecticut and Rhode Island staff directors, working with the New England regional leadership team in developing & managing our various campus ministries, and creating a planting strategy for expanding onto new campuses – particularly in the southern Connecticut , Springfield and Worcester areas.
For more information on the ministry of InterVarsity, visit http://www.intervarsity.org/ |
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Tom and Dora Becker
Rushing Wind Ministries is a name that the Beckers use to describe their minitsry in the Czech Republic with the Evangelical Free Church of America-International Mission. It is not a separate organization. The name comes from the description of the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost in Acts 2:2 and reflects a core belief that all true ministry flows from a dependence on the Holy Spirit and a sensitivity to his leading. Sometimes ministry feels like a "rushing wind" and sometimes it requires patient waiting on the Lord. Sometimes it is clear what God is doing and sometimes it requires discernment and wisdom to see what can't be readily seen.
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"Sometimes people ask me why do we minister to Gaza. Our answer: We believe God called us to. We believe His promises that we are not alone, He is walking alongside of us. Also, because we have good friends like you who encourage and care about us."
- Pastor Hanna Massad (Gaza Baptist Church)
Hanna Massad was born in Gaza City in 1960. After graduating from Gaza High School he worked in a private hospital for four years before God called him into the ministry. In 1987 Hanna was ordained and served as a pastor of the Gaza Evangelical Church, while he pursued a BA degree from Bethlehem Bible College, which he received in 1991. Hanna then left Gaza to attend Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California where he received his master of divinity degree in 1994 and then a PhD in Theology in 2000. While he was studying at Fuller, Hanna served as the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Azusa, California. Hanna was called to serve as the pastor of Gaza Baptist Church in 1999.
In September 2000 he married Suhad who was born and raised in Kuwait. Suhad has a BA and an MA degree from the University of Jordan with a major in biology. They have two daughters Joycee and Joylee.
Hanna and his family now live in Amman, Jordan where he ministers to a church of over 200 Iraqi refugee families. He teaches and preaches the word of God, and provides pastoral care, and with the help of others, provides food and medicine. He also teaches at the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary. Hanna helps to arrange short term mission trips for US doctors to come and help provide trauma and crisis counseling and other medical needs. Hanna also ministers to the Christian families in Gaza. He regularly travels to Gaza to serve the poor and needy(Christians and Muslims) with food and medicine and to bring them support and encouragement through preaching, pastoral visits and prayers. Hanna also teaches at the Bethlehem Bible College extension. |
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Artie Van Sciver
Artie and Kittery serve at Elon University in North Carolina with Campus Outreach, an interdenominational, international, church-based college ministry whose vision is to “Glorify God by building laborers on the campus for the lostworld.”
Artie grew up at NPC where God used the youth ministry under Pastor Mark Orr as an instrumental part of his salvation and initial spiritual growth. After heading to Davidson College in North Carolina Artie got involved with Campus Outreach and God grew Him significantly in his understanding of theGospel, the spiritual disciplines, the church and discipleship. It was here that he also met Kittery.
After graduating, Artie served with CO at UNC-Charlotte for a year and then took a position as Campus Director at Elon in the fall of 2010. Kittery served for two years as the Women’s Coordinator at Davidson before joining Artie at Elon after they married in August of 2011. At Elon they partner with otherstaff and student leaders as they trust God to use them to proclaim the Gospeland make disciples.
Through personal relationships, weekly evangelistic meetings, small group Bible studies and discipleship groups, retreats, conferences and church membership they strive to build God glorifying, life long disciple-makers of Jesus Christ who will give their lives to serving Him in the context of the local church as businessmen and women, teachers, parents,doctors, missionaries, coaches, politicians or whatever role God may call them to fill in His Kingdom.
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Caroline King 'Ori
www.lmkenya.org (Link to Life Ministries Kenya)
Caroline, a young Kenyan woman, is an evangelist with Life Ministries Kenya, an affiliate of US based Campus Crusade for Christ. Working on the campus of Kenyatta University she is a mentor, teacher, friend and counselor to first year women as they proceed on their Christian journey.
When the university is not in session she goes with students and other Life Ministry leaders to spread the good news to remote locations both inside and outside Kenya. In 2011 she spent six weeks in Swaziland training leaders at the university there.
In Caroline’s own words, “I have had the privilege of leading many students to Christ, disciplining Christians and seeing some commit to being disciples on campus and beyond. My vision, as I do evangelism and discipleship among university students, is to shape future leaders of integrity and a society transformed by God's love and power.”
NPC has supported Caroline since 2010. |
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Jairton de Melo
Jairton De Melo – Sepal (Evangelistic Service for Latin America)
“My passion is to help the urban poor by developing strong urban pastors. My background both growing up in the slums and pastoring in Sao Paulo and Los Angeles has prepared me for just that”
Sepal (Evangelistic Service for Latin America) is an interdenominational mission established in Brazil in 1963 by OC International missionaries. Sepal’s dream is to see a healthy church located within reach of every Brazilian and capable of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world. With this goal, Sepal is specifically focused on providing training and materials that will help church leaders to minister biblically and faithfully.
Jairton and his wife Cristina joined Sepal/OC International in 2007 to help expand and strengthen the Brazilian team in its urban outreach challenges for that goal. Jairton has a B.Th. degree from Sao Paulo Theological Seminary and a PhD in intercultural studies with an emphasis on urban mission from Fuller Theological Seminary. Jairton and Cristina have two children Ana Luiza (19) and Filipe(13)
Jairton also acts as Co-ordinator for Strategic Partnerships for Children of Bethlehem, one of the other Brazilian ministries NPC supports.
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Mark Orr - Reach New England
Mark Orr is Executive Director for REACH Youth New England, Inc and has served in youth ministry for more than 30 years with experience in both church and parachurch settings.
REACH stands for Recruit Equip Affirm Connect Honor
The vision of REACH Youth New England (REACH YNE) is to reach every teenager in New England with the life-saving message of Jesus Christ and to equip them to become the next generation of Christian leaders.
REACH YNE is a nondenominational non-profit 501 ©3 organization which functions as a resource and equipping ministry to the youth leaders, churches, and communities of the New England region. REACH YNE provides encouragement and support to youth workers including mentoring, training events, a regional website providing opportunities to network with other youth workers and events and build partnerships and strategic coalitions and a shared vision to reach the teenagers in the county and throughout the region.
For more information about REACH Youth New England click on this link http://www.reachyouthne.com/
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