World Partners | Contact the Missions Team, if you are interested in learning about any of the World Partners.
Michael & Debbie Bannon
After having served with World Venture in Vilnius, Lithuania in evangelism, church planting, and leadership training for 15 years have moved to a new ministry in Ireland. The team in Galway has asked them to help them in leadership development with a church that is about 10 years old. Their work at Galway is with the WorldVenture team in a co-pastoral capacity as well as discipleship, friendship evangelism, men’s and women’s ministries, and assisting in other aspects of church ministry. Their desire is to see Galway City Baptist Church grow, to someday have its own facility, to see born again believers take on more and more responsibilities at the church and to reach out to the community beyond. Find out more about the Bannons.
Bo and Michele Columbine minister to African families in predominately Muslim Senegal. Bo, who is a mechanic, welder and machinist, serves men through teaching them these vocational skills. Michele ministers to the wives and children so they can reach whole families for God’s glory. Upon their return to Senegal (July, 2013) Bo will be opening a vocational trade school in partnership with a Senegalese Christian business man. This man is an owner of an auto repair shop and will be supplying the class room for the school as well as practical experience within his shop for the students. An essential part of the training will be Bible lessons. These Bible lessons, as well as discipleship are what will make a difference in these young men. Christian business ethics using the Bible will also be incorporated. Bo desires to train young entrepreneurs and small business owners. In a country that has a 48% unemployment rate it is necessary to make job makers and not job seekers. Find out more about the Columbines.
Maceo and Rosalie Hemmingway
Serving in Newark through Calvary Bible Chapel, The Hemmingways offer counseling, help with addiction problems, and assist with those dealing with single-parent homes and unemployment. They also look for opportunities to present the gospel through Bible studies, retreats, support groups, tutoring, and street evangelism.
Kevin & Kaori Laverman
Kevin and Kaori Laverman (WorldVenture) minister in Kawasaki, Japan, where Christians make up 0.6 percent of the population. The church they help lead, Denen Grace Chapel, reaches out to its community and to returnees, Japanese people who became Christians a broad. Find out more about the Lavermans
“A” Family
This this uniquely qualified family serves in Germany and ministers Christ’s love to Afghan refugees on the basis of their prior service in Afghanistan. They arrived on the field in June 2017 and are working toward discipling young Afghans.
Mark and Karen Marchak
For over a decade Mark established and facilitated a team of church planters and other urban workers in Metropolitan New York City. Beginning in 1990 he also gave leadership to the Mission’s urban ministries throughout the Eastern United States. Currently Mark is the National Director of City Church Movements (formerly Urban Ministries) for Missions Door. While based in New York, he facilitates a shared vision of city and multicultural ministries throughout the United States and in Montreal, Canada, concentrating on church planting and leadership development.
Rob and Tammy Mittuch with children Ellie, Trey, and MacKenzie
Serving with Cru in the NJ, PA, and MD areas. Rob oversees the Cru Staff on the many college campuses in the tri-state area where Cru has a campus ministry. Tammy assists as a Resource Allocation Coordinator.
Diana Muenzenberger
Diana is a middle school teacher to missionary kids at Faith Academy in the Philippines. She first served at Faith Academy in 1995 on a missions trip. Diana takes great joy in developing relationships with her students while watching them thrive academically. Find out more about Faith Academy.
Mark and Kathy Schaaf
Mark is partnering with World Venture to serve as an international training officer for Walk Thru the Bible International (WTB)focusing on international training, strategic alliances with other ministries, and exploring the implications of oral learning with WTB. Kathy works with the international refugee community in Clarkston, Georgia. The community, located outside of Atlanta, is made up of some 60,000 refugees from 145 countries and 761 ethnic groups.Find out more about the Schaafs.
Bern and Patty Schraut
Bern and Patty live in Austria with their two adult sons. Bern is Deputy Technical Director for Trans World Radio (TWR) in Austria. TWR has been changing their technologies to include internet and smart phones as well as AM, shortwave and satellite radio so they could better cross geographic borders – Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. The core content, the message of the gospel, has been repackaged in different lengths and languages and readied for multiple technologies. Their communication platform has changed from radio-program centered to content centered and will allow them to adjust quickly to new technologies in the future. Their vision required a change in the technical backbone of TWR as well as the change in programming. Bern has been working with volunteer project teams where the management of the project is based on biblical principles. Bern is an elder at a German-speaking Baptist church in Vienna where Patty is involved in their music program
Keith & Beverly Sellers
Keith and Beverly serve in Hungary. Their main work has been to learn the challenging Hungarian language and discover ways they can become involved in evangelism and church planting. They have enjoyed teaching a Bible Club as an outreach of a small church plant in their community. They also served twice a month at a church in a small town south of Budapest. Keith regularly preached in Hungarian, and together as a family they encouraged the believers in this small church. They have 3 children – Rachel, Kimberly and Joel.
Joe Violi
Joe Violi (The Navigators) recently moved from Rutgers University in NJ, where he served for many years, to Penn State University. He is excited about being part of a staff team reaching out to large and diverse student body. The Navigators emphasizes discipleship, helping students know Christ and make Him known. Find out more about Joe.
Tom and Alicia Voster With Sons Mason and Camryn
Serving with World Team in Cambodia the Voster’s mission is evangelism and church planting. They arrived in Cambodia in December 2017 and are adjusting to the culture and are in language study.
Clint and Jillian Watkins
Clint and Jillian serve with DiscipleMakers. The Watkins connect with college students through weekly Bible studies and other outreach events during the school year. Clint and Jillian have served on the campus of Gettysburg College since 2013. Now they’ve been called to transition their ministry to the Lancaster, PA area later this year. Find out more about the Watkins.
John and Stella White
John White went to Donetsk, Ukraine in 2000 to learn the Russian language. In 2002, he applied to Donetsk Christian University to work in the Public Relations Department and teach. There he met Stella, a Ukranian national working in that department. They married in 2008 and in 2012, their son Edward was born. John teaches courses in the area of mission, including Introduction to Missiology, Contextualization, History of Mission, and World Religions and Cults. In 2010, John started a part-time Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies at Biola University and is currently writing his dissertation. He and Stella now teach at Kiev Theological Seminary. John is also on the board of the Euro-Asian Accrediting Association, which oversees Evangelical higher education in the former Soviet Union. Stella continues working at KTS teaching English. John’s home church is Millington Baptist Church.
Curtis and Janna Hanover, with children Turi, Tihi, Bitsu, Zoya, Elden, and Carmen
Serving with the Jesus Film Project in Thailand, the Hanover’s primary mission is coordinating the translation and distribution of the Jesus Film in the Far East that is possible and best used to reach the least evangelized people for Christ.
