Global Ministry

New 2011 Mission Partners

Christ Church is excited to announce nine new mission partners this year. Members of the congregation will have an opportunity to meet these new partners at Mission Fest. In anticipation of their visit later this month, below is a brief bio on each of our new partners.

PHILIP AND JILL ASPEGREN
Casa Viva • Costa Rica _______________________________

Philip and Jill have a passion to see local churches throughout the developing world engage to connect at-risk children to families. They founded the Casa Viva Initiative in 2003 and continue to serve as co-directors. Prior to that, they worked for six years developing orphanages, schools and care centers for children in the Dominican Republic. The Aspegren family has worked internationally on behalf of children at risk for 14 years with a primary emphasis on children who do not have a safe place to sleep. With the founding of Casa Viva, they are now expanding the spectrum of care for children separated from their families in Latin America. Their vision is to see Christian, family-based solutions become the primary response for children. Philip and Jill have three boys: Skyler (16), Laramie (14), and Jadmin (11).

JEAN BAPTISTE AND JULIA MUGARURA
Youth For Christ • Rwanda __________________________

When his pastor challenged Jean Baptiste to help the church begin a youth ministry, he answered the challenge by asking the pastor to help him assemble a team so that they could also minister to the unchurched youth who lived in the country. In 1991, the team began these ministries and in 1994, Jean Baptiste became associated with Youth For Christ. Today, Jean Baptiste is the National Director of Rwanda Youth for Christ and the Regional Director of Youth for Christ International for Eastern Africa.

He and Julia serve youth who are the victims of wars, genocides, HIV/AIDS, poverty, illiteracy and oppression. Their ministry includes youth evangelism, discipleship, education, young leader development programs and social programs supporting those who are infected or affected by AIDS. The ministry plays such a key role in Rwanda that they are now permitted to go into all the schools and share the gospel with the students. They have four children: Anysie (17), Andre (8), Abiya (6), and Adielle (3).

JIM AND DEBBIE SAMLAND
Campus Crusade for Christ • Hungary __________________

Jim and Debbie are helping to train and equip national Christian leaders in Eastern Europe, primarily in the Balkans. Their goal is to provide spiritually mature, indigenous leaders for each of the countries in the Balkans, so that they may be able to evangelize, disciple and send out trained workers into their own country and other countries for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. In addition to Campus Crusade staff, they also work with pastors and lay leaders of various churches throughout the Balkans, which includes Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Montenegro.

Jim’s role in staff development has three main parts. First, he serves as the Director of New Staff Training for Eastern Europe and Russia, helping to coordinate a two-year training program for Campus Crusade staff in 18 countries. He also oversees senior staff development in Albania and Serbia and his third responsibility is directing a 10-month, cross-cultural internship in leadership for Eastern European families in Budapest. Debbie is responsible for Staff development in Macedonia and oversees the mentors of the staff internship program in Budapest. Jim and Debbie have three children: Marc (17), Alex (13), and Anna (11).

NOUH AND MATALA YATTARA
Partners International • West Africa _____________________

Nouh and Matala minister in Timbuktu, the poorest of the eight economic regions of Mali and considered to be the fifth holiest city of Islam. Less than 1% of its population is Christian. Nouh serves as Senior Pastor of the church, Eglise Evangelique Baptiste Tombouctou Mali. He is also President of Tahanint N’Massinag ETimbuktu (TNT MALI), a national, non-government organization (NGO). This NGO is the social arm of the church that helps meets the daily needs and concerns of people whose income is less than one dollar a day.Working with their church and the NGO, the couple is involved in a holistic ministry that includes direct evangelism, radio ministries, Christian literature distribution, community schools and clinics, literacy classes, one-on-one ministries and training church and lay leaders. Nouh and Matala were married in 1978 and their three adult children are all currently studying and working in the United States, while their six adoptive children are still in the home.

INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION
Washington, D.C. ___________________________________

International Justice Mission (IJM) seeks to make public justice systems work for victims of abuse and oppression that urgently need the protection of the law. IJM was founded in 1997, in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, as a response to this massive need. IJM investigators, lawyers and social workers intervene in individual cases of abuse in partnership with state and local authorities. By pushing individual cases of abuse through the justice system from the investigative stage to the prosecutorial stage, IJM determines the specific source of corruption, lack of resources or lack of good will in the system denying victims the protection of their legal systems. In collaboration with local authorities, IJM addresses these specific points of brokenness to meet the urgent needs of victims of injustice. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., IJM has offices in Cambodia, the Philippines,Thailand, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and affiliate offices in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.K.

HICHAM CHEHAB
Salam Arabic Fellowship • Lombard, IL ___________________

Hicham Chehab is the missionary pastor of Salam Arabic Fellowship in Lombard. Salam is a unique ministry because, while there are other ministries directed to immigrants who were born in Christian communities in the Middle East, Salam’s main goal is to reach the lost among Islamic Middle Eastern immigrants. In addition, Salam strives to contextualize the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Middle Eastern culture, without any compromises, the way the Apostle Paul contextualized the Gospel to the Athenians, and encourages converts to take spiritual leadership out among their people. Salam also is a practical servant partner to these people, helping with transportation, connections to medical care, filling social voids, and navigating an unfamiliar culture. Hicham is passionate about extending outreach to other communities of Muslims and in helping Christians understand Muslims and Islam through teaching in churches and other venues.

GORDON MCLEAN
Partners with Youth • Chicago, IL _______________________

Partners with Youth is a new ministry with a burden for reaching delinquent youth in the Greater Chicago area, targeting young people 16-21 who have been in the criminal justice system. Its founder and leader, Gordon McLean, has spent his life in ministry to youth, and is using his extraordinary experience to continue to minister to those at risk. Gordon’s approach is to connect the youth with role model/mentors, develop a network of services, contacts, and programs, and provide training resources and support to churches in high-delinquency areas. Above all, he wants to introduce these young people to Jesus Christ.

SOUTH ASIAN FRIENDSHIP CENTER
Chicago, IL ______________________________________

The purpose of the South Asian Friendship Center is to maintain a positive, active Christian presence and proclaim the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in Chicago’s predominantly Hindu and Muslim marketplace. SAFC is located in the heart of Little India, an ethnically diverse neighborhood of people from India and Pakistan, as well as from Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. SAFC works to make disciples and build his church locally, nationally, and internationally. Part of the ministry of SAFC is to envision, equip, and encourage members of the body of Christ in greater Chicago to share the love, life and message of Jesus Christ with the Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs that live and work among believers every day. Mark Engel, SAFC’s director, and the staff live among the people they serve, enabling them to engage deeply in the life of the community.

Resources

China Trip

China Mission Trip Back from Southeast Asia… In February, Pastor Dan Meyer, Chip Heady and Tom Mallon, both Christ Church elders, spent 8 days with several of Christ church missionaries in Hong Kong... More

Tammy West to Spain

Child of Christ Church to Become Full-time Missionary Tammy West grew up at Christ Church attending Sunday school and singing in the children’s choir. She served Christ Church for five years during... More

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