First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa
Monday, February 08, 2010
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 END OF THE EARTH
(International Outreach)
Click on one of the links below to learn more about First United Methodist Church's outreach to the ends of the earth.
CHARLIE & MIKI CHASTAIN – RUSSIA
Since 2001, the Chastains have been serving in St. Petersburg, Russia on short-term mission trips through The Mission Society. They have been working with handicapped orphans and street children. Given the history of abuse and neglect among these children, and the very low rate of their success as adults, the Chastains' ministry with them is predominantly relational. The Chastains will relocate to the St. Petersburg area, where they plan to build and strengthen relationships with both the orphaned children of the area and the staff and volunteers who are currently working there. The Chastains also hope to be active members of their community, both as advocates for the orphaned children and as a family strengthened and supported in the grace of God. The Chastains main areas of their ministry are children-at-risk, arts, music and orphans.
The Mission Society was founded in 1984 with an emphasis on sending missionaries to areas where the Gospel had been least heard so they could introduce individuals to Christ, disciple new believers, plant churches, and come alongside national leaders to help them reach their own nations for Christ. More than 20 years later, this focus continues to guide the society. Over the years, The Mission Society has grown to recruit, train and support more than 400 cross-cultural witnesses. Currently, more than 200 work alongside nationals in more than 30 nations around the world. As they serve in a wide variety of ministries, they share the love and message of Christ, equip and empower national churches and their leaders, and further community development and relief efforts where needed. Russia is in Eastern Europe & Asia
 HANDS OF CHRIST - HONDURASJOHN AND ANA LAMON
For three years Drs. John and Ana Lamon have given medical care to the poor in Honduras through The Hands of Christ (Las Manos de Cristo) medical ministry. They have learned much about the struggles of daily living among the rural Honduran. Many "campesinos" or country people live on $2 - $5 daily. When they go to a doctor many times they are choosing not to eat so they can buy medicine. This is why they have been such a blessing to many people. The medicine the Lamons have is free. And the good news they share that Jesus loves all the people is free also.
John and Ana have worked with many teams that have been a blessing to them and the people of Honduras. They have also worked in many different and unique places in Honduras, including an orphanage. All of these places are within two hours of their home in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. Some of these places they have only worked a couple of times with teams and other places have established clinics. The Lamons have also helped several poor mothers and widows with food and/or clothes. They are also helping a poor boy go to school so he will have a future.
The Lamon’s goal is to bring as many to know Christ as possible. We do this by providing medical care to meet a physical need and this gives us the opportunity to present Christ to them and to meet their spiritual need. Our patients also see Christ love for them in our actions, work, and words.
John is from Memphis, TN and Ana was born in Tegucigalpa. They met while working with a Methodist missionaries Armando and Alida Rodriguez. The Lamons have a three year old son (pictured above) named John Israel.
The missionary couple’s dream is to build a women’s hospital that can offer quality services at low cost. Public hospitals are substandard and dirty and there is a major need for poor women to be able to receive medical care and medicine they can depend on and receive timely tests. Honduras is in Central America
 EVANGEMED - BRAZIL DR. WILSON BONFIM – EVANGEMED - BRAZIL
Wilson Bonfim, M.D. currently serves as president of the Christian Medical & Dental Association (Medicos de Cristo) in Brazil. There he has helped develop several evangelism training programs which teach hundreds of doctors and others how to share their faith in hospitals, clinics and missionary settings in Brazil and Internationally.... Dr. Bonfim has conducted several media interviews. He wrote a regular health column for a Christian newspaper and websites. He has participated on the boards of directors of Brazilian missions such as Operation Mobilization and the Mission School of the Methodist Church in Rio de Janeiro.
Prior to his service with medico de Cristo, Dr. Bonfim had been serving as director of World Methodist Project Evangemed. In Brazil and thought South America, Dr. Bonfim led several settings of medical missions that treated more than 70,000 people in Brazilian favelas (urban shanty towns) and in some rural areas in the Amazon region. As part of his job, he trained several people on site for empowerment and health care.
The economic and political problems of Brazil have promoted the fragmentation of medical care and prevented the development of a relationship between the primary care provider and the patient. This lack of interaction is even more evident in poor families whose health and disease evolution is exacerbated by poor educational opportunities and nutritional status. Many health professionals are not well trained and lack resources. Evangemed would like to promote primary care and be a bridge to the community. Brazil in in South America.
REV.PEDRO & SILVIA GRANDON – CHILE
Pedro Grandon has been a Chilean Methodist Pastor for more than 30 years. He is married to Silvia and they have 3 children: Pedro (32), Fabiola (29) and Silvana (26). The Reverend has served in several cities in Chile in a ministry that has been characterized by a constant concern toward needy people (indigenous, elderly people, children, poor, etc). In 2002 he was elected Bishop of Chile in an election that considered the votes of all the member of the Chilean Methodist Church. His episcopate travel was mostly by bus from his headquarters in Santiago to both big and little cities to share with the people in the churches, to give fraternal support to pastors, leaders and their families. In four years he visited the 130 churches in Chile more than 4 times (approx. 40,000 miles). During his term as Bishop there was considerable construction of temples and parsonages with help from more than 70 Volunteers in Mission Teams (several from FUMC).
After four years as Bishop he decided to return to a local church and work with the people. He is now a Pastor in a city in the southern area of Chile (Temuco). Rev. Grandon and Silvia are working very hard to help the Mapuche’ people (Indigenous inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile). Their work includes the development of community organizations, education, training in technological skills related to agriculture, handmade looms, strengthening of cultural and ethnic values and spiritual growth. Chile is in South America.
Fabiloa Grandon--Seminary Student at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. Fabiola is the daughter of Bishop and Mrs. Grandon of Chile. Our church is currently sponsoring her as she completes her seminary training. Fabiola also works with our Global Outreach Ministry as a translator and in-country travel planner to assist our mission teams in Chile. Click here to read more about her.
JOHN ELMORE
under construction
 AGRIMISSIONS (CENTRAL AMERICA)DOUG & BECKY NEEL
Doug and Becky were both born and raised in the Houston-Pasadena, Texas area. They have 3 grown children, Heath, Sarah, and Abby and three in-law children, Stephanie, Sherman, and Timothy. They are blessed with four grandchildren Lyle, Caitlin, Cade, and Cole.
Doug and Becky accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior at the ages of 11 and 9 respectively. During their time together they have served in various ministries such as directing a Wesley Foundation at Sul Ross State University, pastoring First United Methodist Church of Anton, Texas, and serving on the staff of Steps of Faith Ranch. They have been involved in the local church since coming to faith teaching Sunday school classes, singing in the choir, ministering to the youth and serving on numerous broads and committees. Also, they have ministered in the southern Andes of Ecuador serving with the emerging evangelical church. There they worked in agricultural missions, community development, evangelism, and church planting.
Together they are members of the Global Resource Team, a ministry of The Mission Society. Currently, Doug is the Associate Director of Agrimissions - Americas providing assistance and leadership in agricultural development. He travels to various countries in need of help with agricultural training and assists local people and the church. Becky provides administrative assistance to the Agrimissions ministry. She also works in health and wellness and children's ministries. As partners in marriage and ministry for 37 years, they continue in their call to evangelism and discipleship. Agrimissions is located worldwide.
Jeff and Lucille (Sissie) D’Jernes and their children Ben and Megan have served as missionaries to Papua New Guinea (PNG) with Wycliffe Bible Translators since 1981. Jeff is a native of Greensboro, NC and graduated from John Wesley College there. Sissie is a native of Charlotte, and did her undergraduate studies at UNC-Greensboro. Jeff and Sissie met in Christian fellowships in Greensboro, married in 1974, and continued their schooling in the Greensboro and Burlington, NC area. They first began their formal training as Bible translators in 1977, and went on to finish graduate degrees in linguistics in 1980 in Texas, under the joint program of the Summer Institute of Linguistics and the University of Texas at Arlington.
Since 1987 the D’Jernes family has been assigned as translators to the Arop-Lokep people of PNG. There are 2500- 3000 speakers of this language, living on four islands off the east coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The translation is an ongoing project aiming at completing New Testaments in two dialects of the same language (Arop and Lokep). Currently the entire New Testament is in draft in the Arop dialect and 65% of that has been revised and checked. There is also a lot of Old Testament material in draft and a bit published in both dialects for testing purposes. Much of the 2001 to 2007 field term was spent translating, training three national translators to help Jeff with finishing up the checking. Currently Jeff and Sissie are on home assignment until May 2008, when they plan to return to PNG and resume their work in translation, linguistics and literacy. New Guinea is North of Australia.
JOHN AND BETH MUEHLEISEN
John and Beth Muehleisen work Kenyan pastors and their families, helping them meet their leadership potential. Their goal is to teach men and women to experience God and His word and to lead their churches to transform Kenyan society. Their passion is the early identification and intentional development of tomorrow’s leaders through leadership training and careful nurture. John and Beth want to help men and women develop the integrity, excellence and innovation needed to lead Africa’s churches forward.
The Muehleisens served in Nairobi, Kenya’s capitol, before returning to the U.S. to serve on the support staff at World Gospel Missions (WGM) Headquarters in Marion, Indiana. The Lord again called them back to the mission field where they serve Africa Gospel Church in Nairobi.
Africa Gospel Church (AGC) is the outgrowth of WGM’s work in Kenya. It is administered by a moderator, assistant moderator and church administrator and operates seven departments – Media, Christian Education, Radio, Publications, Youth, Women and Evangelism. AGC has more than 1,300 congregations with an average weekly attendance of 300,000.
WGM works in partnership with sending churches to establish growing churches that will, in turn, become sending churches. While the WGM ministry takes many forms, including preaching, teaching, and healing ministries, everything done has as its ultimate focus the salvation of souls and the building of the church of Jesus Christ.
WGM is interdenominational in organization, evangelistic in method, Wesleyan in doctrine, cooperative with other evangelical agencies, and backed by an organized prayer network." All missionaries, short-term or career, and volunteers with WGM are responsible for raising their own financial support with the help of the organization's Church Ministries Department. Missionaries raise the funds needed to pay for salaries and housing, provide medical and life insurance, fund children’s educations, and provision for retirement. Kenya is in East Africa.
under contruction
Because of security reasons we can't list any information about the orphanage or the missionaries that operate the orphanage in Egypt. For more information about this ministry contact Joshua Davis at First United Methodist Church Tuscaloosa.
 LIVING TRUTH MINISTRIES (BOLIVIA)BETH AND BOB WHITE
Beth and Bob White founded Living Truth Ministries in 1996. This was after an initial trip to Bolivia where they witnessed firsthand the spiritual and physical needs of the Quechua people living in the remote recesses of the Andes Mountains.
This ministry addresses the spiritual as well as physical needs of the people by partnering with Dionicio Quispe Ojeda. Dionicio is a young Quechua pastor and now Director of KACHI, an indigenous organization born from Bob and Beth’s time in Bolivia. Begun as a rural communications ministry, Living Truth now encompasses theological training classes, a mobile health clinic, a very active children’s outreach ministry, a women’s knitting ministry, solar powered light and sound systems for existing churches. Beginning again in 2008 literacy training classes will be provided. The ministry continues to grow and expand with each passing year as more lives are impacted and reached with the love of Christ through Living Truth/KACHI. Bolivia is in South America.
The Jernigans and their two children serve in Ghana, West Africa. Juliana is a pediatrician called to serving as the Medical Superintendant at the Lake Bosomtwe Clinic. Andrew is the Clinic and Project Administrator.
Since less than 30% of the population have access to a doctor, the call for the Jernigan family is great. Malnutrition, AIDS, TB and malaria are some of the killers that they are working to keep at bay.
The Jernigans moved as a family to Amakom to answer God’s call to become part of Project 611. They stepped into work that had been started by Irish pioneer missionaries in 1968. The project was a partnership with the national church out of a vision of the need for medical and community development in the village. With a staff of 15 Ghanaian nationals, the Jernigans work in the same building used by the Irish missionaries.
The clinic is a member of the Christian Heath Association of Ghana and is administered by the Methodist Church of Ghana. The vision of the clinic is to show the love of God to the people of the villages of Lake Bosomtwi through sharing health and education, discipleship and teaching. Development and transformation through God will come to fruition in future years by individuals, groups and churches becoming partners and advocates investing in Project 611. The Jernigan’s mission is a part of The Mission Society. Ghana is in West Africa.
Rev. Reuben Lang’at has served as Senior Pastor of Lakeview Africa Gospel Church in Nakuru, Kenya, a church of 1,500 members from 1997-2004. He has also served as chairman of the Tanzania ministry and Africa Gospel Church Baby Center task forces. Rev. Langat is an ordained elder in the Africa Gospel Church and has ministered as a missionary to the Maasai Tribe and as a church planter in Kilgoris Town. Reuben earned a B.TH. from Kenya Highlands Bible College in 1987. However, primarily because of the widespread HIV/AIDS problem in Kenya, affecting many of those he ministered to, the reverend felt led of God to do further seminary study with a focus on conseling. Currently, he is taking further training at Wesley Biblical Seminary (Mississippi). Rev. Langat and his wife, Jane, have two children. Kenya is in East Africa.
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SOUTHERN CHILE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
