Dear GBF Family,
The Missions Team (Karen Bischoff, Wayne Applegate, Samie Noonan, Rose Fittanto) along with the Elders, would like to share basic information about the Missionaries that Grace Bible Fellowship financially supports. You will receive any updates or news letters that are sent to the Missions Team, when they become available. Also avail yourself to the missions bulletin board in the fellowship hall.
Blessings,
Grace Bible Fellowship
Dave & Vickie Hawkins
They are the founders of Grace Bible Fellowship and currently serving as missionaries with International Biblical Training, living in Chattanooga Tennessee. They are very close to celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary! They both accepted Christ during high school and attended Columbia Bible College and Seminary. They have served in churches in NJ and New Hampshire as well as Precept Ministries, Chattanooga, Caribbean Ministries Association and presently with IBT. They are passionate about shepherding God’s people “with His all-sufficient Word for as long as God gives them life and vitality.” Dave teaches Bible study classes in his home town, online and travels often for the same. This past year he taught “How to preach God’s Word effectively” in St. Maarten and a course in “Bible Study Methods” in Ghana. He is a mentor to many students! Vickie has been teaching English as a Second Language classes for many years. She is very gifted in weaving the Word of God wonderfully into her teaching. Dave recently began to teach ESL classes as well.
His Mansion Ministries
“Our mission is to restore broken lives through the hope of Jesus Christ.”
Faith-based place of healing from various struggles and addictions through a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. There they have scripture-based and other classes, one on one as well as group counseling, work and free time where residents can put their new skills to practice. At His Mansion, residents will develop relationships with others and a healthy and positive work ethic.
Risdens - T.E.A.M.
Chris and Megumi have been serving the people of Japan in Central Nagano since 2009. The help lead and support two different churches (Abundant Life Christ Church and Azumino Family Chapel) as well as to help plant a church in the mountain village of Norikura. Their vision is to see these churches help give birth to other local churches while focusing on evangelism, Bible teaching, and church planting. They have three daughters, their oldest just started college.
Joy of Living
A Christ-centered orphanage in the Archaie region of Haiti, started in 2011 comprised of many orphaned or unwanted children. Children whose parents were unable to care for them at home, they were either abused in some way or they have physical ailments (AIDs, cystic fibrosis, etc) and needed more help. In addition to providing basic daily needs, physical and spiritual nourishment, the orphanage is constantly providing for their “neighbors” Haiti is filled with many needy and JOL does all that they can to provide food, trips to doctors, schooling, really everything they possibly can. Over the years, the economic and safety conditions of Haiti have been deteriorating. Prices have dramatically increased while supplies have decreased. Daily necessities have gotten harder to fulfill. They continue to trust in God. Karen Bischoff has been visiting (short term) and serving there for over 10 years until COVID and shortly thereafter when kidnappings and gang violence became very prevalent.
Solutions
Solutions Health and Pregnancy Center is a licensed medical clinic with locations in Shrewsbury and Freehold, NJ (Spanish and English) They help sexually active women answer critical questions at no cost to them in a private and supportive setting, no insurance required. They do not provide or refer abortions. Women dealing with unplanned pregnancy are more likely to choose life over abortion after seeing an ultrasound image of their unborn baby. 516 FREE ultrasounds have been performed since 2017. Solutions is committed to demonstrating the love of Christ by proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed to women that are at risk for abortion and/or sexually transmitted disease by offering them support and a variety of free services. 631 Gospel presentations have been shared since 2017.
Kyiv Theological Seminary
(KTS) is a Ukrainian-run seminary that has been providing quality training for the next generation of Ukrainian pastors and missionaries since 1995. KTS now has over 330 graduates who minister in Ukraine and around the world. For the past several years, KTS has had record enrollments and has expanded the undergrad program and added an MA program from the Talbot School of Theology "“ Kyiv Extension. Despite the war, the seminary has the largest number of active students in the history of the seminary ministry. 774 students!
Wings of the Way
Christ-centered and mission focused! They coordinate critical and timely transportation for survivors of sex-trafficking in order to relocate them to Christ-centered safe houses. This enables them to get the care, both spiritual and physical that they need as well as to get them away from their dangerous situation expeditiously. The great majority of these kidnapped victims have no documents and cannot otherwise be transported by any other means. Wings of the Way has Christian pilots and advocates who offer their skills and resources to provide safe and comforting travel experience as they begin their relocation process. There is always an opportunity to introduce these broken individuals to the hope found only in Jesus.