Missions

Point of Contact: Sara Driggers (missions@mercypres.org)

Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). The church is God’s mission in the world. Thus, we desire to be a church that does more than simply support missions. Instead, we must first see our congregation as part of God’s larger mission to the world, here in Forest, Virginia, to gather and equip his people. Yet we also know that the church is much larger than our congregation, and so we desire to partner with others called to Jesus’ mission to build his church throughout the world, both near and far.

MISSIONARIES WE SUPPORT

ANGELA BREDEMAN

Serving with TeachBeyond in Spain

Angela serves as a guidance counselor at Evangelical Christian Academy in Camarma, Spain. In addition to her role as a counselor, she has also taken on leadership of several Bible studies and Bible classes, student council, and yearbook. The school’s student population is comprised primarily of missionary kids. As a missionary kid, or “third culture kid,” herself, Angela feels uniquely equipped to meet these students where they are and counsel them through making sense of their situations and responding to their problems in God-honoring ways.

give.teachbeyond.org/support/angela-bredeman/

Chris and Lori Gassler

Serving with Wycliffe in Cameroon

Chris and Lori Gassler, along with their children Noah, Kristin, and Ben, have been missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators since 2011. Their work is with the EthnoArts group and since 2014, they have been assigned to Cameroon, Central Africa. In their EthnoArts ministry, they look for ways to infuse scripture into local music and arts with the goal of seeing people learn about and worship God in their own language with their own musical and artistic forms.

gasslers.blogspot.com

KYRA MARKEN

Serving at Bucharest Christian Academy in Romania

Kyra serves as a teacher and the secondary coordinator at Bucharest Christian Academy in Bucharest, Romania. As an international school, the student population is comprised of students from Romania, China, South Korea, Kenya, Brazil, as well as missionary kids from the UK and US. While some of the students come from Christian backgrounds, others enroll simply because of the appeal of a western education. Kyra seeks to model Christ’s love to her students and asks that you join in prayer for them, particularly that those who are not believers will be curious about the gospel, ask questions, and, ultimately, come to know the Lord.

https://give.teachbeyond.org/

HEATH AND JANE MCLAUGHEN

Serving with RUF at Virginia Tech

Heath is originally from Chattanooga TN where he graduated from the McCallie school. He attended Furman University where he met his lovely wife Jane. Heath served at Downtown Presbyterian Church in Greenville South Carolina while completing his M.Div. at RTS Charlotte. After six years as the campus minister at UNC Charlotte, Heath is thrilled to be the campus minister at Virginia Tech. Heath and Jane’s children, Mary Ladson, Henry, and David are all full of energy and keep them constantly on their toes.
www.ruf.org/ministry/virginia-tech

Ben and KirstIn Spivey

Serving with RUF in Lynchburg

Ben and Kirstin Spivey serve with RUF Lynchburg. The Spiveys work to reach believing and unbelieving college students with the gospel of Jesus. They are doing this so that those who have not believed might know the love of Jesus and those who have believed might trust him more and be equipped to serve him.

Ben and Kirstin met in 2011 at an after-church lunch while he was a student at Liberty University and involved with Lynchburg RUF. They married in Lynchburg in 2012 and went into the RUF internship in 2013. They love to feed people, play board games, do anything outdoors, and watch their children attack their friends.
www.ruf.org/ministry/lynchburg-ruf

Benjamin and Anna Wontrop

Serving with Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship in England

The Wontrops serve in north east England at All Saints Presbyterian Church (EPCEW) in Newcastle. Newcastle is a regional hub for northeast England. Two universities call this area home, which means there is a large proportion of young people in the area. There are approximately 500,000 people in the Newcastle metro area, most of whom are unchurched. All Saints (formerly Gateshead Presbyterian Church) has recently replanted itself in Newcastle City Centre, in an historic church building in the heart of the city. A church has stood on this site since at least 1268! The current building is the only elliptical church in England, giving it a cozy feel despite its seating capacity of 1,000. In addition to seeking the salvation of many, ASPC seeks to build itself into a “resourcing church” for supporting and initiating church planting, training men for the ministry, and strengthening university students to be the next generation of the church – they have even started a fledgling Presbyterian seminary. The Wontrops’ prayer is that many of the lost souls in the city might be conquered for Christ and brought into His church for the glory of God.

denarionline.com