Jerry Childs (Africa)
Ron and Jerry began their mission work in Nigeria in 1977. In 1991 they moved up to Niger Republic and started a national church there — Eglise Vie Abondante. A team of missionaries was developed and they began planting churches, making disciples and training leaders who were formerly Muslims. There are now 70 churches, all cared for by national pastors. Ron and Jerry’s son, Neal, had served as overseer of the ministry from 2006 until 2018. Then a Nigérien leader took over as president.
Ron continued in ministry in Niger, serving the Jesus he so dearly loved, until the day he moved to heaven on August 28, 2021. Meanwhile Jerry continues to teach in the Bible Schools and churches throughout the country, encouraging pastors and leaders and mentoring missionaries.
There continues to be a strong emphasis in the work on discipling new converts, training leaders and establishing indigenous churches. In addition, primary schools, children’s discipleship homes, literacy training and assisting the poor are other ministries in this poorest of all nations on the earth.
Kevin and Joyce (Southeast Asia)
Based in southeast Asia, Kevin and Joyce train leaders, disciple missionaries, translate Nation-2-Nation training, and provide N2N resources and equipment to establish Bible schools in SE Asia.
He have been active in church planting, leadership training, and family ministry since 1984. In 1990 they founded Target Ministries and now oversee an international team of workers planting churches among unreached people groups. Fluent in Chinese, Kevin has also authored two books and has ministered in more than 25 nations.
Please pray for continued protection for the new leaders, favor with government officials for needed visas, permissions, and available resources to expand N2N Bible schools.
Jack & Sandy Hempfling (Central Asia)
The Hempflings live in the Denver metro area but are focused on the nations in a multi-faceted ministry on behalf of Elim Fellowship. They are certified in missionary care, debriefing, and life coaching, and bring their leadership experience to leaders and global workers in a variety of venues. They equip and empower missionaries anywhere in the world for an effective and sustainable life, ministry and work, but focus primarily on those workers reaching people groups with the least access to the Gospel.
Jack and Sandy teach Youth With a Mission leaders, volunteer with Joshua Nations Ministry to teach and train pastors from around the globe, and oversee a relief fund called “Ancient Doors,” specifically focused on bringing the compassion of God to some of the least reached people groups of Central Asia and the Middle East.
The Hempflings are networking primarily with strategic partners and various organizations in the some of the more Gospel-restricted locations in the world, strengthening local and international workers in those areas to help break down barriers to the Gospel among the unreached.
Irv & Ruth Schwandt (Kenya)
Irvin and Ruth Schwandt have ministered in Kenya under Elim Fellowship since 1976. In 1997 they were requested by the national church group they serve there (Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa — PEFA) to open an orphanage, which is now Rehema (Swahili for “Compassion”) Home. In mid-2011 there were 58 children in the home between the ages of 9 months and 15 years old, about half of whom were HIV positive. Through the grace of God, the Schwandts, with the other workers at the home, have been able to rescue children who were abandoned and orphaned. Some of these children had been tortured by their parents or xrelatives; some thrown in rubbish heaps or public toilets; some abandoned in hospitals or on the side of the road. Through the love and care the children receive, they have found healing to their emotions, spirits and bodies, knowing that they are accepted, valued, loved and encouraged as members of the Rehema family.
Matt & Grace (Africa)
Matt and Grace have been serving as missionaries in Africa for three years. This involves studying Arabic, holding small group meetings on the streets, and meeting in homes and cafes.
Prayer needs include language learning, family’s health and safety, financial provision, and travel in the Spring for Matt to raise funds.
Andrew & Margaret Abu-Ghazaleh (Southeast Asia)
Andrew and Margaret work in the area of leadership training. Andrew heads up a ministry called International Leadership Seminars, which provides training for pastors and Christian workers in 25 countries, mostly in the third world. He holds 20-30 conferences a year, with the focus to encourage the workers, promote unity, provide godly impartation and set the biblical standard. Their goal is to see transformation in the lives of ministers, so that they may win their nations for Christ. The teaching is done according to the needs of the ministers and is divided into four different levels: Developing the Leader, What Gives Us the Right to Leadership?, The function of Leadership and Leadership Advancement. Over the last ten years there have been tremendous results as pastors have been healed, built up and renewed in vision. There has also been a harvest of souls as many new churches have been planted in numerous countries. The Abu-Ghazalehs reside in Nazareth, Israel, where they carry the responsibility of training leaders, as well as overseeing many pastors and churches.
Dan Larkin (Africa)
Dan Larkin serves as the Elim Fellowship Field Director for West and Central Europe. In the process, he works with Bible schools and leadership training in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Also, as a result of the Larkins having served in East Africa for years, Dan relates strongly to Bible schools and leadership training in that area of the world as well.