Rev. Murray W. Lee, Pastor

August 4 ~ Sept. 1

11:30am - 12:30pm

New Member Classes

September 12

October 17

November 14

Missions

OUR MISSIONARY FAMILIES

 Ray and Michelle Call 
serving Tijuana, Mexico with Mission to the World

Ray Call and his wife Michelle were both born and raised in southern California, just two hours north of where  they have been called to minister along the U.S./Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico. The Calls work with Border Evangelism and Mercy Ministries (BEAMM), a ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America that seeks to initiate a church planting movement along the border – a region over 2,000 miles long with a population of over 10 million people. BEAMM is working and praying toward planting 3 strong local churches in each of 14 major border cities targeted for Gospel ministry. As part of its church planting ministry, BEAMM also works to establish and develop community mercy ministries centers and seminaries in several regions along the border – thereby reaching the lost, gathering in the Church, and equipping future generations of leaders.  The Calls and their five children are excited about how God will use their family for His glory as they anticipate leaving their home of over 5 years in St. Louis to move to another culture. Approved by Mission to the World in 2006, the Calls will join a team of other MTW missionaries in Tijuana, a city of over 3 million souls – where most people do not know Christ. Ray was ordained with the PCA in 2007 and will be working as a pastor and church planter, as well as helping to recruit and equip Mexican men who feel called to serve as pastors. Now at 81% of needed support, the Calls plan to leave for the field this August. “Our prayer is that God will build His Church there and raise up a host of laborers who will be able to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth as they serve Him in every walk of life! We appreciate your faithful prayers and financial support for building His Kingdom along the border!”

Betsy Christiansen 
serving South America with Mission to the World

Betsy Christiansen has a heart for mission work that combines her nursing skills and evangelism to meet people’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. The joy of medical missions is that people who never thought of going to church or who may be afraid of stepping foot in an evangelical church will come with the hope of receiving medical care, but also experience a compassionate concern for them as individuals. After encountering national believers who translate, help with clinic flow and visibly share Christ, patients often then return to the church for worship. Thus, mobile clinic teams are effective tools of church-planting as they make the local church more visible, bring the sweet fragrance of Christ into neighborhoods as the church reaches out to meet both felt and eternal needs of neighbors, and act as drawbridges into new geographical areas for spread of the gospel. New relationships with neighbors are begun for missionary or indigenous believer follow-up, discipleship and further evangelism.

Tom and Kristin Franklin
serving Birmingham Southern College
with Reformed University Fellowship

Reverend Tom Franklin is the Campus Minister for Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Birmingham Southern College.  He graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary with an Masters of Divinity in 2005. and started the ministry at BSC with a handful of students and a Bible Study.  He is a 1999 graduate of Birmingham Southern, received a degree in Management, and played four years on the baseball team. Tom married Kristin Forney in August, 2006, and they live in Homewood.  Kristin is a graduate of the University of Alabama, with her degree in Public Relations in 2004.  She works for the American Cancer Society as a Development Representative, coordinating their Relay For Life. Together they enjoy travelling, the beach, walking with their dog Chelsea, hosting students in their home, playing games, and watching American Idol and 24.  

David and Erin Frerichs
serving Iasi, Romania
with Great Commandments Ministries     

Since April of 2008, David and Erin Frerichs have been serving in Romania. The vision God has given them is to share Christ with the international students living in the city of Iasi (pronounced “Yash”).  The cultural and educational center of the country, many internationals come to Iasi to pursue educational, cultural and business opportunities. One example of this is Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, which in addition to its prestigious scholastic programs, offers many classes in English. The University draws students from Northern Africa, The Middle East and Southeast Asia.  International students stay for a minimum of six years to obtain their medical degree and then return to their home countries, some of which are closed to the gospel. It is David and Erin’s hope that by inviting students into their home, God will use those relationships to open hearts to the gospel, and that new believers will return home from Romania not only as doctors and leaders in their communities, but also as deeply rooted Christians with a passion to share Christ with their families, friends and neighbors.
          The Frerichs’ use their fifth floor walk-up flat as their primary place of ministry, extending hospitality as a means through which to build relationships and to model Christian living.  Bible studies, meals and plenteous pots of tea are offered in their living room several times each week. Some students have had the opportunity to explore the claims of Christianity for the first time. Other students have been encouraged by the opportunity to study the Bible in a language they understand for the first time since coming to Romania. One day, David and Erin hope to help begin an English-speaking church service for internationals living in Iasi.

Andy and Kathy Pickens

serving Ireland with Mission to the World

Andy and Kathy Pickens have been called to lead the MTW team in Ireland. They hope to arrive on the mission field by spring 2010. Initially, the Pickens will be working in Centre City Dublin, where there are large numbers of young adults who have never stepped foot in a church, much less ever heard the gospel, a large immigrant population who need to hear of the grace of God in Christ, and an old but small Presbyterian church that has asked for help in revitalization and reaching their community. There are several churches through the country in similar situations that have asked for people to come labor alongside. The gospel once burned bright in these churches, but grew dim - yet, the Pickens see hope and signs that the Lord is once more fanning the flame. “Our hope is to be used by Him as He rebuilds His church, and to see a revival through Ireland to the glory of Christ!”
          Andy is an ordained Teaching Elder in the PCA. The Pickens currently live in New Market, Maryland, where they have been for 21 years. They will celebrate 30 years of marriage this July. Their youngest child and only daughter will be heading to college in 2009. The Pickens also have 3 grown sons, two of whom are married to wonderful godly wives!
 

Durand and Ruth Robinson
serving Greystones, Ireland
with Greater European Missions  

CreativeWorks is a ministry of Greater European Missions that helps churches leverage creativity in ministry through creative events, media and training.  Durand Robinson’s role with CreativeWorks is fulfiiled in continuing to provide creative ideas and training for missionaries across Europe.  “Through networking I seek to provide short term partners that can help European churches put on the special events and projects we’re known for: concerts, Imagin’Air childrens clubs and special events like dinner theaters and workshops.”  Clear Media is a specific part of the Creative Works ministry, now creating media for European churches, training European Christians in media production for ministry, and helping other Christians create their own media projects.  Joseph von Meding (an Irish believer) is actually employed by Clear Media and works with Durand full time.  Durand performs a certain amount of commercial work as well, providing additional resources to help give ministries professional media production at a fraction of what they would pay elsewhere.  “Clear Media was really formed around the objectives of CreativeWorks and set up by European believers to facilitate my work. While I am responsible for directing Clear Media, my salary currently comes uniquely from the support of individuals and churches that know us and want to see ministries like CreativeWorks serving in Europe.”

Daniel and Wendy Simmons
serving Raleigh, North Carolina with Campus Outreach

Campus Outreach is an interdenominational ministry devoted to spreading the gospel to the lost and discipling those who come to faith in Christ.  CO staff spend time on college campuses to build friendships with students, with a specific focus on the lost. As these friendships grow and spiritual conversations happen, staff start investigative Bible studies to help students understand the truth and good news of the gospel. As God brings people to Himself, Campus Outreach staff disciple these men and women so that they may have a firm foundation in the basic truths of Christianity and in turn have a heart to spread the good news to their fellow students. Campus Outreach’s greatest goal and desire is to send these people out into the world to be strong witnesses for Him in the places God has called them. Daniel and Wendy have been on staff since 2003, and are currently at UNC Chapel Hill. The Simmons have been married since 2004 and have one beautiful daughter, Riley, who is 14 months old.

Jason and Susie Sterling
serving Samford University
with Reformed University Fellowship

RUF Samford is a campus ministry of the PCA and our purpose is to reach Samford students for Christ and equip them to serve as members of His church.  This purpose is accomplished in various ways.  Each week, there is a large group meeting for worship, fellowship, and the teaching of the Word of God.  There are also small group Bible studies that meet through the week.  The teaching that is conveyed in these studies will be reinforced by one-on-one discipleship with students.  Our hope is that through these avenues of ministry, students will grow in their relationship with Christ, become involved in evangelism and missions, develop a Biblical World-and-Life view in which they learn to view all of life under the Lordship of Christ.  Furthermore, RUF desires to see college students become active in the local church, both at school and when they graduate.

This is my second year as an intern with Reformed University Fellowship at Birmingham Southern College.  BSC is small, private, liberal arts school with about 1500 students. RUF is one of only two regularly-meeting campus ministries on this campus. I work with Tom Franklin, ordained PCA campus minister, in effort to reach out to students with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and equip them to love and serve.  I am on campus everyday, hanging out with students in their daily lives, leading small groups, meeting with girls one-on-one, and assisting with our large group meetings and conferences. This past year, God opened many doors to get to know students from a variety of backgrounds, many who do not know Jesus. I am excited to continue entering into their questions, doubts, heartaches, and joys in order to share the hope of Christ and the power of the Gospel to transform all aspects life. 

 

 

Ron and Queta Shaw

Ron serves with the Spiritual Life Department which has the responsibility of providing spiritual preparation and facilitating the ongoing spiritual care of both the long and short term missionaries of MTW. 

Ron and his wife Queta came to Mission to the World in April, 1993, after 27 years in pastoral ministry in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Colorado and South Carolina. They have been married for 47 years and have three children and seven grandchildren. Ron and Queta have had the opportunity to make field visits and to host conferences for MTW missionaries throughout the world. 

 

During his 16 years with MTW, Ron served first as Pastor at Large and then as Director of the Spiritual Life Department. On August 1, 2006, he stepped down from this role as director and assumed the role of assistant to the director of Spiritual Life, which affords him the opportunity to spend more focused time on projects directly related to establishing on-field support systems for the care and nurture of MTW personnel through the Pastoral Associate ministry. Ron also continues to play a significant role in the further development and expansion of the Living in Grace conferences and materials which are being used both in the U.S. and overseas. He is active in speaking in PCA churches and in overseas conferences to both missionaries and national believers on such subjects as Living in Grace, Servant Leadership and The Missional Church.