Foreign Missions

SERVING ALASKA

At faith, our expectation for the Christian life is that Jesus Christ impels us into our neighborhoods and city with the message of his gospel of grace displayed in our words and our actions. We have such hope in the life and message of Jesus that we expect His gospel to touch not only just neighborhoods and city but, through this contact, to move out into the entire world.

REDEEMER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, SOLDOTNA

Did you know that there are 57,000 people that live on the Kenai Peninsula? Of this, at least 30,000 people reside within 25 miles of Soldotna, including the communities of Kenai, Sterling, and Nikiski.

Finally, of the 75 Protestant congregations on the Peninsula, there is not a single Reformed church gathering and making disciples on the Peninsula.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church is the newest PCA church plant in Alaska.

RENEWING YOUR MIND

Ligonier Ministries produces a nationwide broadcast called Renewing Your Mind (called “Foundations” locally). This broadcast is led by Pastor R. C. Sproul. As a presbyterian and Reformed congregation, Faith is very happy to support the exposure of Ligonier to listeners in Anchorage and Eagle River.

The broadcast is available on KATB at 89.3 in Anchorage (89.1 in Eagle River) on Sunday at 9:00am. If you’re a night-owl, the program is broadcasted Monday through Friday on Sirius FamilyNet Radio 161 at 1:30 am or XM Family Talk Radio 170 at 2:30 am.

FRANCE

Jamie and Jackie Gildard are a part of church planting team working in Toulouse, France [wiki]. This part of the world has a rich history of Protestant vitality; hundreds of years ago French Protestants who had received training in Geneva returned home bringing with them the Good News of grace in Christ. Currently, Toulouse is a diverse, rapidly growing city, much of this due to the expanding aerospace and technology industries in the city.

Mission to the World founded a team in Marseille in the early 1980s, in part, to revitalize the work of two established churches. Since then, a church has been planted in communities to the northeast (Plan-de-Cuques) and, in 2007, to the south (Roy d'Espagne). To get an idea how tremendously difficult it is to establish a church work in France, consider that it normally takes 10-15 years for a new church mature.

Learn more about MTW’s team. In addition, two members of the team are professors with a school of biblical and theological study, Faculté Jean Calvin. Incidentally, this school (originally, the Reformed Seminary in Aix-en-Provence, or Faculté Libre de Théologie Réformée) was founded just before World War II with the help of leaders from Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Both Donald G. Barnhouse and James Montgomery Boice devoted much time and energy to the spread of the gospel in France.

Prior to doing ministry in France, the Gildards ministered briefly in French-speaking West Africa (Senegal) beginning in 1995. God brought them to France to assist a church planting team. Jamie and Jackie primarily serve in the area of developing relationships, evangelism, and encouraging growth and leadership among French Christians.

Jamie grew up in Maryland and was drawn to Christ through The Navigators while attending the University of Maryland. After attending law school in Maine, he returned to Maryland to practice law. Jacki grew up in central New York and, while attending Southhampton College of Long Island University, she became a Christian through the outreach of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Following college, Jacki worked as a paralegal in Washington, D.C., where she met Jamie at a Bible study.

Jamie and Jackie married in 1989, attending Providence Presbyterian Church in Salisbury, Maryland, where Jamie became a ruling elder.

INDIA

In October of 1998, a young, single professional from South India, attended a national missions conference. It was through this event that Abraham responded to a call to carry the Gospel into four northern states of India, areas largely unreached by the church. Leaving a secure career, Abraham founded the Nava Kanthi ("new light") Society, a ministry seeking to bring acts of mercy to a people deeply in need of help, and New Life and Light Mission, a ministry of proclamation.

In early 2001, Vince and Beth Pomeroy visited India as a short term mission trip. After meeting Abraham, they were greatly encouraged by Abraham's desire to serve the church and the ways in which the Holy Spirit had gifted him for this calling. One of our deacons, Bill Weiss, heard about Vince and Beth's relationship with Abraham and hoped for ways in which Faith could participate in gospel-work in India. This is how Faith Presbyterian was introduced to the Nava Kanthi Society and New Light and Life Mission. Many at Faith are currently helping to support children in India being served by Nava Kanthi, and Faith has also helped to get resources in the hands of students at the Bible College.

Nava Kanthi is now a body that provides several ministries of mercy. Roshini Children's Homes operates four homes in two states. While 25% of India's population is outside of the school system, these homes are able to take in profoundly needy children, providing healthy living, skills instruction, and value training. Currently there are 57 students in four homes, supported by sponsors. In addition to the Roshini Children's Homes, Nava Kanthi helps operate two schools in the Bihar state, parts of the country where there would be no schools at all otherwise.

Navi Kanthi also provides skills training to help stem the tide of poverty. Currently, Nava Kanthi operates six Sewing Centers (serving 150 trainees), a Typing Center that can instruct 20 trainees at a time, and a Computer Center that can train 30 trainees at a time. In parts of India where the fight against poverty is an everyday struggle, these skills will help trainees be better able to provide for their families.

In addition to Nava Kanthi, Abraham also ministers through the New Life & Light Mission (named for John 1.4), which hosts three Bible schools and regional training opportunities for pastors, church planters, and evangelists. These schools have invited six visiting faculty for instruction, and their students have gone on to impact some 60 churches.

If you would like to sponsor a child, or learn more about Nava Kanthi or New Life and Light Mission, contact Vince and Beth at newlife_lightmission@yahoo.com.

GLOBAL THEOLOGICAL TRAINING

Julian Zugg is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and currently serves as the International English Director for Miami International Seminary (MINTS).

Julian was born in England and raised in South Africa and Europe. He was converted as a high school student and was trained as a trial lawyer. While teaching law at the University of Buckingham (UK), he was active in two churches in England and involved in Eastern European missions. Julian attended Reformed Theological Seminary and, after receiving an M.Div. and becoming ordained in the PCA, served in pastoral ministry in Texas. After serving as the Director of Theology at the Belize Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a joint project between MINTS and Mission to the World (MTW), Julian joined MINTS full-time to engage theological training worldwide.

The goal of MINTS is to provide low-cost Reformed, biblical training for ministers working all over the world. Faith Presbyterian Church is very happy to be associated with a ministry like MINTS, which partners with other notable theological training ministries like Third Millennium Ministries, Ligonier, and Langham Partnership International.

Using Houston, Texas, as a hub, Julian founds and supports diverse "training centers" for theological training located in Europe, Central Asia, Africa, India, and the Caribbean. These centers serve as points of theological training for indigenous ministers who would not otherwise be able to leave their field of ministry to receive this kind of specialized training. Some centers are host to as many as 40 ministers meeting to study and take classes. Julian helps these centers by writing curriculum, preparing teaching materials, assisting in face-to-face teaching, and mentoring D.Min. (Doctoral of Ministry) students as they prepare resources to be used by the various "training centers."

Julian says,

"We have many people asking us to provide low cost, accessible Bible teaching throughout the world. This includes ministers in existing churches, men who are already leading churches but have no training. They are aware of their lack of training and are asking for our help so they can be faithful and effective in their work. They cannot afford, and don't have access to, traditional methods. It is really exciting and humbling to be involved in this work."

MINTS is able to provide pastors in remote areas with solid biblical and theological training in a flexible and accessible manner that costs far less than it would to train one man in the United States.