Missions Ministries

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. - Matthew 28:19-20

In our post-modern society of liberalism, it has become increasingly difficult to share one's faith in meaningful ways. Our circumstances differ from the early church, but the Lord's promise to be with us has held true for every generation of believers. In the Great Commission, Christ's call was that His disciples tell others about Him, that they take His message to all the nations. Christ's command applies today as true as when He first spoke these words. And so it is the Lord's expectation that we will not only evangelize, but that we will take the next step to teach new believers and thereby make them disciples of Christ.

The Great Commission requires a great commitment.

Most of us will never experience what it's like to be a missionary in service to our Lord. We are called in service elsewhere in the church. However, there are those within our body that have responded to God's call and are serving either domestically or globally to bring the Good News of Christ to the lost. We support them financially through our monthly giving, but the greatest commitment we can make to our missionaries is to pray for them daily. Communication letters and prayer requests are in each of their boxes in the center hallway. Please consider adopting a missionary family and begin to pray and communicate with them. You will both be blessed.

Church of the Open Door supports a wide variety of missionaries both domestically and internationally. It is our fervent desire to continue to expand the mission's ministry to fulfill the great commission. Listed below are the various missionaries and missions organizations we support. (Listed alphabetically by last name)

David and Debra Almack

David and Debra Almack work with CLC International where Dave is the U.S. Director and Deb, as an accountant, works in the Finance Office. CLC's purpose is to make evangelical Christian literature available to all nations. In the U.S., CLC operates four full-service Christian bookstores and a small publishing house. The U.S. headquarters is also a sending base for CLC missionaries going overseas to serve. Dave overseas each of these areas.

Rev. John and Jan Becker

The Beckers, sent out as missionaries from COD in 1987, have been teaching and preaching the Gospel in a number of areas in the southwestern United States. Since June of 2004, they have been ministering to migrant workers and their families along with other Hispanics in the Greeley, Colorado area. John leads several weekly Bible Studies, while Jan coordinates a number of children's Bible clubs. They still make occasional trips to Mexico to encourage believers they have come to know over the years as well as to drop off clothing and other necessities. Under Integrity Mission, Inc., their ministry has extended to Hispanics, Navajos, and other peoples of the region.

Rev. David and Crissie Boyd

David and Crissie are serving the Lord with Baptist Mid-Missions in the European country of the Netherlands. David and Crissie have been involved in church-planting in Veghel in northeast Holland since 1983. David, along with his father, Herb, has helped to organize Christian summer camps for the children there for over twenty-five years.

Rev. Herbert and Madaline Boyd

Herb and Madaline have recently retired from Baptist Mid-Missions in the Netherlands after many years of missionary service. Herb has been involved in church-planting in Holland for four decades and is presently assisting a newly formed small independent Baptist church. Church growth and development of leadership have been essential areas of his ministry. Madaline, who joined Herb there in January of 2004, is using her gift of hospitality while she continues working on learning to speak Dutch.

Bill and Claudia Cariss

Bill and Claudia are involved in helping churches develop and strengthen leadership and develop a focus for their ministries. They come alongside, counseling and encouraging pastors and their wives, and also assist churches in training for evangelism and one to one discipleship. In addition, Bill is now serving as a chaplain at Zerbe Sisters Nursing Center in Narvon, PA, near their home.

Rev. Melvin and Elizabeth Floyd

Melvin has developed a multi-faceted urban ministry whose goal it is to lead people to Jesus Christ and disciple them in the Christian faith. He continues to run the Melvin Floyd School of Evangelism and Missions, hold street meetings during the summer months, teach relationship enrichment courses, and be involved in prison ministry.

Rev. Ben Gerdes

With his wife Daisy, Ben Gerdes served the Lord in Anchorage, Alaska for many years, combining ministry skills in their local church with the maintenance of the SEND International missions complex there. Following retirement in 2001, they moved to Fairbanks and continued to be active in ministry there. On April 27, 2009, the Lord called Daisy home and Ben continues to serve as he is able.

Paul and Kathy Gregowske

Paul and Kathy serve the Lord in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with Trans World Radio (TWR). Paul serves as head of the TWR Cambodian office and is involved with building/construction as necessary. Paul and Kathy mentor the TWR staff there as well as other local believers. Kathy also helps out with a special TWR ministry called Women of Hope.

Charles and Nancy Guest

Charlie and his wife, Nancy, work with pastors and local churches primarily in the area of Christian discipleship, with a special emphasis on the spiritual warfare aspect of discipling. Charlie's focus is on helping pastors, elders, and deacons to effectively counsel wounded members of their respective congregations, leading them to deliverance and healing.

Paul and Robin Johnson

Paul and Robin have been involved with missionary work among the indigenous tribes of South America for many years. Much of their time over the years. and continuing on until today. has been spent ministering among the tribes in Peru and Bolivia. Paul's work includes surveys and strategy sessions with missionaries seeking to reach the unreached people of this area. In addition, he has been involved with tribal pastors' conferences, tribal leadership conferences, and partnering with FAIENAP, the tribal church association in that area which has begun to send out missionaries of their own to other parts of that region. Recently, the Johnsons have expanded their vision by being strategically involved with an organization called ALTECO, a consortium of organizations, churches and businesses that have invested of themselves in the Amazon region. Paul was recently appointed President of that organization.

David and Linda Lackey

David and Linda have served the Lord with Wycliffe Bible Translators for over thirty years. They started their missionary service in Colombia, South America, where Dave was involved in an aviation ministry, assisting the missionaries and churches of that area. Eleven years ago, they relocated to Wycliffe's JAARS support center in Waxhaw, North Carolina, where they were involved in staff placement and missionary appointee support. In August 2005, they moved once again, this time to Washington State where Dave has assumed the role of Wycliffe's Personnel Administrator for the Northwest USA region. Linda has continued in her role of assisting accepted missionary candidates in getting out to the mission field.

Woody and Sue Lewis

Woody and Sue serve the Lord with the CrossWorld organization (formerly UFM International), being involved in discipleship training and church planting in the southwest portion of France near Grenoble. Woody and Sue rely heavily upon Friendship Evangelism to provide opportunities for sharing the love of Christ to local townspeople in the area where they live. Woody also has the opportunity to periodically teach at the Geneva Bible Institute and at Bible Colleges in the former Soviet satellite countries.

Dr. Robert and Mrs. Judy Long

Dr. and Mrs. Long have been serving the Lord with TEAM in the Far East for over 30 years. They are now officially retired and have a home in Columbia, SC, but spend many months each year visiting the foreign field ministering to and mentoring those missionaries on the front lines as part of TEAM's Member Care group. Dr. Bob is a pediatrician by trade and served in that capacity for many years before retiring in 2002. Judy recently finished her master's degree in counseling at Columbia International University and is putting what she learned to good use as she ministers to those presently on the field.

Miss Alline Marshall

Alline and her longtime faith partner, Bonnie Hanson, have been serving the Lord with Faith Ventures at Fellowship Valley Retreat in Clarkesville, Georgia for almost 30 years. Their retreat ministry which started with a vision of what the Lord could do and a plot of land in 1979, has grown considerably over the years. Prayer to the Lord has served as the starting point for everything that has been attempted and accomplished over the years. The retreat center hosts a variety of groups, many of them internationals, throughout each year. Their goal is to use this center to evangelize the unsaved and build up believers in their faith, all to the glory of God.

Thomas and Linda McBreen

Thom and Linda are associated with Roots Fellowship, a non-profit, Bible-based, Christ-centered ministry which exists for the purpose of increasing the kingdom of God and for the training of the saints. To accomplish this goal, Thom and Linda use personal Biblical counsel, seminars, workshops, weekly Bible studies, and discipleship courses. All of these are designed to teach the practical application of the believer's union with Christ for victorious Christian living.

Howard and Virginia McConnell

For the past 25 years, Howard and Virginia have served the Lord with WEC International at WEC's U.S. headquarters in Ft. Washington, PA., where Howard was the director of the Finance Office. They recently answered God's call and have move to the WEC Sending Office in New Zealand where Howard assumed the role of Finance Director. Virginia will serve as Administrative Assistant to the New Zealand Director of WEC, as well as assist Howard in the Finance Office.

Ron and Karen Oates

Ron, Karen, and their four children are serving with Military Community Youth Ministries (MCYM) in England. MCYM is a division of Youth for Christ-USA, whose goal is to minister to dependants of men and women serving overseas in the U.S. Military. The Oates family left for their assignment in England in January of 2007, and have been serving there since that time. Their work is focused on bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the teens at two of the military bases in England - Lakenheath and Mildenhall.

Sylvia Rogers

Sylvia is a retired missionary who with her late husband, Blake, served the Lord literally all over the globe. Most recently they were associated with BCM, International. During her early years on the field, Sylvia served in the Congo. The Lord brought Sylvia and Blake together after both of them lost their first spouses. After marrying, they ministered to the Spanish-speaking communities in New Jersey and central Florida before retiring to Kissimmee, Florida, where they continued ministering among the migrant workers until Blake's passing in early 2001. Sylvia now leads several weekly Bible Studies in her retirement community as she seeks to reach the lost and build up believers in her own backyard.

Paul and Kitty Trout

Paul and Kitty Trout have served the Lord ministering among Hispanics both in Mexico and in the Flagstaff, Arizona area, since the early 1990s. They originally moved from Mexico to the Flagstaff to help out at the Indian Bible College, but soon felt led of the Lord to once again be more involved with the Spanish-speaking folks of that area. They are presently associated with the mission agency known as Hosanna Ministries that has as its primary objective to aid and involve local churches in carrying out Christ's Great Commission. Paul and Kitty's ministry includes evangelism and discipleship, as well as regular trips to Mexico and other Spanish-speaking areas to encourage the local pastors there.

Richard and Carolyn West

Richard and Carolyn have served the Lord with Trans World Radio (TWR) for many years having been stationed both in Guam and in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. At present, they are living in Elkhart, Indiana, with their family, having been secunded from TWR to the HCJB Global Technology Center where Richard is involved in fabrication and assembly of radio towers used throughout the world.

In addition, COD supports missionaries in several other fields "closed" to the Gospel where conditions are too sensitive to publish their names or locations.