International Missions
Coordinator: Doug Hamm
[which e-mail? drhamm@hammhome.com or??][photo of Doug]
Elders of the Longmont Church of Christ believe that a better way of living includes sharing the good news about and helping others to know Jesus. Our elders have always allocated a disproportionate amount of our resources to missionaries in foreign countries. Currently, we are involved in helping these international missionaries tell their communities about a better way:
- Roy and Rita Davison in Brussels, Belgium
- Jake and Amanda Haskew in Vienna, Austria
- Paul and Dorothy Renganathan in Choolaimedu, India
- Ivan and Ruth Tesic in Zapresic, Croatia
If you’d like more information about or would like to be a part of any of these mission efforts, please contact the appropriate liaison.
[photo of Davisons]
Roy and Rita Davison |
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Alken, Belgium
EUROPE
Phone: 011-313754
E-mail: RoyDavison@oldpaths.net or 76111.646@compuserve.com
[photo of Bob]
Longmont Church of Christ Liaison:
Bob Lewis [link to Bob’s e-mail address]
Roy Davison [link to: http://www.oldpaths.com/RD/bio.html] has had a burning desire to tell others about a better way since he was 14, when he preached his first sermon.
After graduating from Abilene Christian College in 1961, he preached in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada while making preparations to go to Holland in the fall of 1963. He had studied Dutch for two years before going, and he took regular lessons for the first five years on the field.
In Holland he helped in Utrecht and Amsterdam, until he moved to Belgium in the fall of 1965 to be the first full-time worker of churches of Christ in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking, northern half of Belgium).
In 1968 he married Rita Lewis (Bob’s sister) with whom he had attended high school at Radville Christian College in Saskatchewan. She joined him in Belgium and has been a valuable asset to him and his work since.
For 45 years, Roy has traveled about Belgium showing people a better way by pointing them to Christ, who is the only way. Roy’s main area of concern has been the formation of new congregations and the training of local leadership in those congregations. As a result, he’s established six congregations in Belgium and Holland. At present there are nine congregations in Flanders and three in the French-speaking part of Belgium.
Roy recognized early on what a boon the Internet could be in helping people throughout the world to find a better way. He now publishes web sites in Dutch, French, German, Russian and English. The Old Paths Archive [link underlined text to: http://oldpaths.com/] is consulted by more than 1,000 people each day. Roy works regularly with the church in Burcht, across the river from Antwerp, and preaches once each month for the congregations in Brussels and Eindhoven, Holland.
The Longmont Church of Christ has been helping the Davisons since 1989. If you would like to know more about this work, please contact Roy’s liaison [link underlined text to Bob’s e-mail address]. Send Roy an e-mail directly if you would like to receive regular reports by e-mail.
[photo of Haskews]
Jake and Amanda Haskew |
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A–1220 Vienna, Austria
EUROPE
phone: 011-43-1-264-1983
e-mail: Jake@viennateam.org or Amanda@viennateam.org
Longmont Church of Christ Liaisons:
Steve and Ann Haskew [link to anne.haskew@juno.com]
We’re inordinately proud of this family, as Jake grew up in our church, and his parents still worship with us. He met Amanda Souther at Oklahoma Christian University, received his Electrical Engineering undergraduate degree in 2000, married Amanda in 2000, and completed his Masters of Business Administration degree in 2001. Jake worked as a Radio Frequency Engineer for seven years.
When Jake and Amanda were approached to join a mission team to Vienna, Austria they felt God had prepared and called them to go. They joined the team of three other young couples/families and committed to a five-year plan of modeling a better way to the people they would meet in Vienna, Austria.
Why Vienna? According to a group of approximately 35 current and former Christian workers in Europe, Vienna is one of the top ten cities in Europe in need of a church plant. Vienna is a city with almost 2 million people, lies in the heart of Europe, and serves as a bridge between eastern and western Europe. Young adults in Europe are more open to spiritual discussions and in the area of the city Jake and Amanda live, the average age is less than 45. The elders of the Memorial Road Church of Christ have agreed to act as the sponsoring congregation for the entire team and is providing significant support to all four families.
At this writing, Jake and Amanda are almost finished with their first, which has been and will be devoted to learning German and developing relationships among the Viennese they’re meeting. When their first year is up and they have a grasp of the language, they will begin involving themselves in their community and volunteer activities, as well as continue growing the relationships they have already begun.
By the end of the second year, they hope to have small-group bible studies and offer community-type programs to help people find a better way. These might include facilitating parent or marriage classes or Amanda starting a quilting or sewing group. Although these activities will be offered in German, Jake feels his understanding of engineering sciences and business might provide opportunity to connect with engineers and businesspeople wanting to improve their English.
The third year will see them reassess the cultural climate of Vienna which evangelistic efforts can most effectively bring a better way to Vienna. This year is also earmarked for developing discipleship classes for equipping emerging church leaders to teach their own countrymen and women a better way.
Members of the Longmont Church of Christ have been helping the Haskews since 2007. If you would like to know more about this work, please contact the Haskews’ liaisons [link underlined text to Haskews’ e-mail address] (who just happen to be Jake’s parents!).
[photo of Renganathans]
Paul and Dorothy Renganathan |
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Choolaimedu, Chennai, India 600 094
phone: +91-44-23744003
e-mail: wbschool@eth.net or wschool@vsnl.com
Longmont Church of Christ Liaison:
Byron Elrod [link to Byron’s e-mail address]
Paul, a native of Kottara, India, found a better way when
he was converted to Christ in 1970. Having been disowned
by his Hindu family, he had began studying at Faith Theological
Seminary (1970-1972) and at Southern Asia Bible College
in (1973-1975).
In 1976, he began teaching at Siloam Bible College and preached
full-time for the church at Sanatorium.
For 28 years, Paul has traveled over much of India, establishing churches as he goes. Early on, as the number of his converts and churches grew, he realized the need for the training of new converts who wanted to become ministers. This led to his establishing the World Bible College in Chennai [link underlined text to http://wbsindia.org/about.php]. Through Paul’s and Dorothy’s tireless work, the Church of Christ in India has grown from its four members of 1985 to over 40,000 today.
In addition to the Bible College (now educating 100 ministers per year), Paul’s mission efforts include: a Mobile Health Clinic, Mobile Gospel Teams, eight Children’s Homes, a wheelchair distribution service, and a free elementary and high school for the Untouchables and others unable to afford education in India, and a wide distribution of free Bibles and hymnals.
Individual members of the Longmont Church of Christ have been helping the Renganathans since 1990, and the elders have allocated money from church funds for his support since 1993. If you would like to know more about this work, please contact the Renganathans’ liaison [link underlined text to Byron’s e-mail address].
[photo of Tesic family]
Tesics at Peter’s 2005 graduation from International
University, Vienna, Austria
Ivan and Ruth Tesic |
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10290 Zapresic, Croatia
EUROPE
phone: 011-385-1-3313524,
e-mail: ruthtesic@yahoo.com
Longmont Church of Christ Tesic Team Leaders:
Bruce and Teresa Bennett [link to: teresa@t-r-bennett.com]
Ivan Tesic, a native of what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, was introduced to a better way by American missionaries while he was a young student at the University of Zagreb. He soon left to study in the U.S. where, in 1974, he became a Christian. He subsequently received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Lubbock Christian University and Abilene Christian University.
In 1980, he began working among his countrymen to establish a church in downtown Zagreb (in what was then Yugoslavia) and stayed with that congregation for ten years. In 1981, he married Oklahoma native, Ruth Witcher.
Ivan, Ruth, and their three sons moved to Zapresic and began a second congregation there with his brother, Nikola, in 1990. In 2004, Ivan brought to completion a six-year building project: a facility for the Zapresic church that also serves as a Christian outreach center for the community. Due to an antagonistic political and religious environment, the Tesics' 30 years of work has been – and continues to be – difficult.
Individual members of the Longmont Church of Christ have been helping the Tesics since 1978, and the elders have allocated money from church funds for his support since 1980. In 2000, the Longmont church became the Tesics' sponsoring congregation.
If you would like to know more about this work, please contact Tesic Team Leaders [link underlined text to Teresa’s e-mail address].