The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) has
been among the fastest growing denominations in North America since it was
formed in 1945 by the merger of the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated, and the
Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ... [more]
Carole
Terry left the pastorate in
Linden,
Texas,
in April 1996 to go as associates in missions to the South Pacific. The
South Pacific has been their focus ever since. It is an area where Brother
Terry’s handyman skills as plumber, electrician, carpenter, mechanic, and
farmer as well as his 21 years of ministry are real assets. He taught in
the Bible school in the Solomon
Islands
and pastured both in the Solomons and in New
Zealand.
He and his wife later pioneered a church in
Newcastle,
New South
Wales,
Australia.
The Terrys received their intermediate missionary appointment to Australia
in January 1999. They completed deputation and returned to the field in
October 2000. After evangelizing along Australia’s
east coast, they settled in Blacktown,
a suburb of Sydney,
to begin a new work. They held their first service in Blacktown
in June 2001 and now need more room.
Birthdays
Chester:
21 September, Carole: 2 February
Anniversary
7 January
Henry Ritchie – Windward Islands/ French Guia
Henry and Sharon Ritchie
Biography:
Henry and
Sharon Ritchie were appointed as missionaries to the Windward
Islands
in 1977. At that time the apostolic message was virtually unknown in these
islands. The United Pentecostal
Church had
never had a work of any kind in the area. The Ritchie's met with a lot of
opposition upon their arrival. However, the Lord opened doors according to
His will, and before the end of the first term churches had already been
planted on each of the seven major islands. Subsequent terms highlighted
Bible school work and intensive teaching and training of nationals as well
as literature development. In 1987 their field of labor was expanded to
include the South American nation of French
Guiana.
The work was initially opened in this country in 1991 and is also a part of
their work and labor.
The Robert
Kelley's arrived in
Scotland
and began their first term as UnitedPentecostalChurch
missionaries in June 1984. The church they founded in
Glasgow
purchased property with two buildings on it in 1996. This was a major
victory after renting halls for 12 years. The Kelley's currently oversee 12
works: 6 churches in
Scotland, 2
in
Northern England, 1
in
Northern Ireland,
and 3 in the Republic
of Ireland.
They are anxious to reach into other areas, namely
Inverness,
Scotland;
Newcastle,
England;
Dundee,
Scotland;
Carlisle,
England;
and
Perth,
Scotland.
The Northern District Churches of the United Pentecostal Church of Great
Britain
&
Ireland now
have approximately 250 constituents. Brother Kelley serves on the
general board of UPC of Great Britain and
Ireland.
Bro and Sis. Kelley are the coordinators for the World Network of Prayer in
the
United Kingdom &
Ireland.
In 1995 the Foreign Missions Board appointed Brother Kelley as the area
coordinator for
Great Britain
and
Ireland.
In 1998 HarvestBibleCollege
was started as a part time BibleSchool
program which is still in operation. In 2002, the college also began a full
time course of study. The full time course is a one year intensive training
program. Presently, this is the only full time residential BibleSchool
operated by the UnitedPentecostalChurch
in all of
Europe
and the
Middle East.
Students from any country may apply. For more information, write to the
Kelley's.
February 2, 3 & 4 were the dates of a great Children’s
Retreat. Many were touched by the Retreat’s theme: “Center
of Miracles”. I am always touched by the kids praying and
reaching out to God in the altar! Cristina our daughter-in
law is usually the one charge of the Retreat th...
In April
1996, Nick Sisco and Pam Raymond graduated from NortheastChristianCollege
with an intense desire to fulfill God’s calling upon their lives. This led
him to Ghana
in October 1996 and her to Botswana
in January 1998 under the Associates In Missions program. In 1999 Nick
transferred to Botswana
and soon after married Pam. God blessed them with the birth of a beautiful
baby girl, Allanah Pearl. God later shifted their calling, and in September
2002 they were appointed as missionaries to Ghana.
Their main area of focus is training—equipping the church for ministry. They
will both teach in ACTS-Ghana where Brother Sisco will serve as principal
and continue to write for Africa Aflame. He has developed material such as
“Walking in Truth,” a 52-week, adult Bible study series, and a 10-lesson new
convert course entitled, “I Want To Be Transformed!” Sister Sisco will be
active in children’s ministry.
Birthdays
Nick: 21
April, Pam: 4 December, Allanah: 26 July
2002,
Nicky: 23 August
2004
Anniversary
13 May
Joe Gutierrez – Paraguay
Robert Dame – Bolivia
Robert and Lisbeth Dame
Biography:
Born and
reared in New
Hampshire,
Robert felt called to South
America
at the age of ten. While a sophomore in high school he started to learn
Spanish. In Guatemala,
Lisbeth went to a bilingual school and learned English. She felt called to
be a missionary to South
America
in her early teens.
After
graduating from high school, Brother Dame spent a year in Argentina
under the AIM program. While studying at Indiana Bible College, he spent
five summers in Guatemala, teaching in the Bible school, preaching youth
camps and tent crusades, and constructing the Bible school and churches.
During the last summer in Guatemala,
he worked with Sister Dame in campus ministry. After their 1998 marriage the
Dames started a Spanish daughter work in
Houma,
Louisiana
where they pastored for five years. They were appointed to Bolivia
at the 2002 General Conference and, following deputation, arrived on the
field in November 2004.
For those of you who are
not personally acquainted with us, we want you to know that we are not
new to missions! We received our first missionary appointment in 1975
to the Spanish speaking country of Honduras. We were privileged to
pioneer the work in that country and see it grow from the central
church that we started in the capital city, to 45 churches and
preaching points under the supervision of 28 national pastors and
workers across the country.
We also established the “Instituto
Biblico Pentecostal” a training center where national workers could be
grounded in the doctrinal truths of God’s word. This Bible College is
still in operation today.
After 17 years in Honduras, we felt it the will of God to step out of
missions for a period of time . The work in Honduras continues to grow
under the capable leadership of missionaries Mike Edge and Brad
Schreckhise and families. Brent Schreckhise and family were recently
appointed as the third missionaries to Honduras.
There is revival in the nation of
Honduras!
Where We Have Been
For the past seven years we have served
as instructors at Texas Bible College where it has been our joy to
train young men and women for ministry. Many of them are now involved
in the work of the Lord across the United States. Others have answered
the call to missions and are on location as appointed missionaries and
Aimers in various parts of the world.
We count it a privilege to have had a
small part in their training during the formative years of their
ministry.
We Have Been Reappointed
After a ten year hiatus from missions
we felt the burden to return to the field tug at our hearts and we
have responded, “Here I am Lord, Send me!”
In February 2004 we were reappointed as UPCI missionaries and we are
excited about being directly involved in Missions again!
This time we will be going as Furlough
Replacements/Missionaries at Large. We will be working in the
different countries and fields as the need arises. Our job description
will be to strengthen and support the works of the missionaries who
return to the states for furlough and deputational travels as well as
be involved in Bible School and Leadership training.
Please keep us in your prayers that we will be useful vessels in His
Kingdom!
As a young
teenager Michael D. Walmer accompanied his missionary parents to Brazil.
He began his ministry in Brazil
in 1979 as a youth leader in the district headquarters church. He met in
1980 and later married, a beautiful Uruguayan girl, Ivonne Gonzalez, in
1984. In the same year they founded the church in Rio Grande,
in extreme southern Brazil.
He also served as the district youth president and treasurer. In 1986 he
took the pastorate of a church in Novo Hamburgo,
in the state of Rio Grande
do Sul,
Brazil,
where he pastured four years. During this tenure, he placed four young men
in the ministry, After eight years as an Associate In Missions, Bro.
Walmer, his wife and their firstborn, Jonathan Michael, returned to the
States in 1990 to attend Bible school. He and his wife received their
missionary appointment in October 1992 to northeastern Brazil.
He graduated from ChristianLifeCollege
the following June.
In 1996, after completing
their first deputation, the Walmer's returned to Brazil
and pioneered a new work in Tecife on Brazil’s
northeastern tropical coast. In 1997 their second child, Christian Lucas,
was born. The Lord has given them great revival throughout northeastern
Brazil
and in just a few short years have seen the work develop in twelve active
churches and pastors along with a Bible school completing its third year of
training.
Birthdays
Michael:
12 November, Ivonne: 9 February, Jonathan : 27 July 87,
Christian: 27 October
97
Robert and Evangeline
Rodenbush have been involved in foreign missions since their appointment to
Ghana, West Africa in 1968 where they took their one-year-old son, Rob, and
began their missionary ministry. During their almost ten years as pioneer
missionaries in West Africa, they opened 5 countries – Ghana, Nigeria, Togo
land, Benin and Ivory Coast. Great revival spread throughout these nations in
those days and thousands were baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost. More than
200 churches were established in the five nations.
Being a great believer in education and training, Robert Rodenbush opened the
Ghana College of Bible in 1970 to train nationals, graduating more than 80
students from the five nations during those years in West Africa. Ghana College
of Bible was also a pioneer in Bible correspondence studies with thousands of
students participating in those days. Other missionaries who came to Ghana to
assist the Rodenbushe's in the 1970’s were Else Lund, Ed and Millie Allard, and
Tom and Teri O’Daniel. Today this part of West Africa is still thriving with
great revival and growth and several missionary families are carrying on the
work there.
In 1970, the Partners In Missions concept became the official fund-raising
program for the Foreign Missions Division. Robert Rodenbush was also involved in
the early conception of this idea during discussions with Rev. Edwin Judd who
developed it into the workable program that it is today. The Partners In
Missions and Faith Promise programs have proven to be a great blessing to the
missionaries and missions program.
In 1978 the Rodenbushes were asked by the Director of Foreign Missions, Rev.
Harry Scism, the Foreign Missions Board and the General Board of the North
American church to become the Coordinator of Overseas Ministries for the Foreign
Missions Division of the United Pentecostal Church International. During the
next 12 years, Robert Rodenbush served in various roles to assist and develop
programs of the Foreign Missions Division.
Brother Rodenbush encouraged and supervised Bible school training around the
world, coordinating the curriculums and helping to write and revise 48
textbooks. He also developed the Associates In Missions Program for the Foreign
Missions Division, writing the policy and procedure and sending out over 600
AIMers to assist missionaries around the world during those 12 years. Today the
Associates In Mission Program not only supplies short-term personnel to assist
the missionaries, but is also the greatest source of career missionary personnel
for the United Pentecostal Church International.
Robert Rodenbush was further involved in “China Outreach” and made 14 trips into
China in the 1980s to meet with the believers and take Bibles and literature to
them. He was also involved in the first radio broadcasts into mainland China and
also promoted radio broadcasts around the world.
Additional duties for Brother Rodenbush included coordinating the development,
translation and the distribution of literature in many major languages. He also
was involved in the development of Compassions Services International and served
as the coordinator for several years. He wrote the policy and procedure for the
Missionary Field Fellowship concept and was one of the first to develop job
descriptions for the missionaries. Finally, for 12 years the Rodenbushes planned
and lead the annual School of Missions and also traveled extensively promoting
missions in North America and teaching and preaching around the world.
In September 1990 the General Board of the UPCI appointed Robert and Evangeline
Rodenbush as Regional Director of the Europe/Middle East Region. As such he
oversees and coordinates the work of the missionary personnel, national leaders,
preachers and believers in an area spanning 15 time zones, approximately
15,094,000 square miles and encompassing 75 nations and territories.
During the past 14 years the Rodenbushes have worked hard to inspire revival and
growth in the Europe Middle East Region. Under their leadership 35 nations have
been opened that before had no believers that we knew of. In 1990, there were 46
missionaries and we had believers in 20 nations of the region. Today, 55 nations
in the Europe/Middle East Region have believers and 103 missionaries and more
than 80 Associates In Missions work in unity with hundreds of national pastors
and thousands of believers to propagate the true gospel of Jesus Christ to
millions in this part of the world!
Reports of people being baptized in Jesus Name and filled with the Holy Ghost
come in weekly. In December, 2004, 124 received the Holy Ghost in Spain in two
nights. In Great Britain recently, 100 received the Holy Ghost in a week of
revival services in various churches. In 2001, Follow the Fire Crusades in the
region saw more than 700 filled with the Holy Ghost and 131 baptized with more
than 1,500 visitors attending these meetings in the eight crusades. The work in
the Region has tripled in recent years with gains of 14,062 constituents, 9,355
baptized, 8,900 receiving the Holy Ghost.
Twenty-four Bible Training Centers are operating in the Region with more than
1,000 students receiving religious training. More than 150 churches and
preaching points have been opened and 66 national preachers have been licensed
since 1990.
Robert and Evangeline Rodenbush continue to lead the Europe/Middle East Region
as well as serve in the administration of the Foreign Missions Division. As one
of the six Regional Directors around the world, Brother Rodenbush serves on the
Foreign Missions Administrative Committee, Planning for Progress Committee, the
Foreign Missions Board and the General Board of the United Pentecostal Church
International. In the region, he oversees and coordinates the job descriptions,
budgets, registrations and legal issues of the missionary personnel. He
represents the missionaries to the committees and boards in North America, and,
in turn, represents those committees and boards to the personnel in the region.
Additionally, Robert and Evangeline Rodenbush spend many months of the year
traveling throughout the Europe/Middle East to attend and oversee conferences
and special meetings, to attend the Missionary Field Fellowships, to assist the
missionaries with their questions and needs and to preach and teach. Their time
in North America is spent with administrative duties and attending important
meetings such as the annual School of Missions and General Conference. They also
travel extensively to churches to promote missions. The Rodenbushes, however,
feel that their greatest responsibility is to assist the missionaries and
national leaders fulfill their burden, call and ministry.
Together Robert and Evangeline have traveled in more than 140 countries of the
world for the cause of missions. In their words, “We have packed many suitcases,
boarded many airplanes, and waited for hours in lines and airports. We have
slept everywhere - in airplane seats, in chairs, in cars, on the floor, on
benches and in hundreds of beds of all kinds. We have traveled by airplane,
train, carts, camels, elephants, buses, vans, boats and various other vehicles
and animals. We’ve endured continuous jet lag and we’ve experienced malaria,
food poisoning, military coups, fetish curses and other dangerous situations -
even having our lives threatened. We’ve received numerous injections, eaten all
kinds of foods and have experienced many climates, cultures and people groups
around the world. More importantly, we have directed and assisted in the opening
of at least 40 brand new nations in Africa and Europe and the Middle East to the
true Gospel of Jesus Christ, ministered in hundreds of churches around the
world, worked with hundreds of missionaries and nationals in many nations, have
seen thousands baptized in Jesus Name and filled with the Holy Ghost, and can
truly say, "We are blessed!" Learn alot more about this Ministry
John
Hopkins pastored a Spanish church in New York City when he and his wife,
Aurelia, received their appointment to Panama in September 1979. In 1985 his
responsibilities expanded to include Costa Rica, and his family resided
there during their second term. They returned to Panama in January 1990 to
begin their third term.
In 1992 Brother Hopkins relinquished the
superintendence of Costa Rica and accepted the oversight of Nicaragua. Under
his leadership, strong and vibrant churches grew in both countries.
Presently in their fourth term, the Hopkinses
reside in Panama City. He now devotes his full time to Panama and serves and
the superintendent of the work.
In response
to the missionary call he received as a 16 year-old, Ken and Kay Burgess
went to
South America
in 1989 to serve as associates in missions in
Paraguay
and
Argentina.
In
Paraguay
Brother Burgess served as national youth president, an assistant to the
superintendent, and a Bible school instructor. In
Argentina
he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Bible school.
The
Burgesses received their full missionary appointment
in October 1991. In February 1995 he was elected president of the Argentine
Bible school and continues in that capacity. During their last two terms he
also served as Home Missions fund raising director, national conferences and
crusades coordinator, and Youth Department advisor. He sits on the National
Board and oversees all promotions and publications of
literature. Sister Burgess assists him in many areas, the most important
being mother to their son, Kameron. The Burgesses plan to furlough in June
2002.
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