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| Long-term service | tranSend | USA church planters |
Long-term service
Caleb Benner
Caleb is a second-year history teacher at Lezha Academic Center. He serves on the LAC Academic Leadership Council. He helps coordinate sports activities and clubs for the School and participates in the local Mennonite church.
Kaitlyn Bontrager
Kaitlyn is a second-year English teacher at Lezha Academic Center. She helps organize extracurricular activities like the Christmas program. She provides tutoring to students and participates in the local Mennonite church.
Steve & Laura Campbell (Ruth, Esther)
Steve and Laura engage in language and acculturation studies in Podgorica, Montenegro, while ministering with the local congregation, a Brethren Assembly church.
Giovanni & Fiorella Greco
Giovanni and Fiorella are Italian mission workers and church planters in Termoli, Italy. This is an “approved ministry” of VMM.
Shawn & Laura Green (Lucas)
Shawn and Laura are part of the church-planting team in southeastern Italy. They assist with worship, reaching out to new persons through home Bible studies, and expanding the work with youth and young adults.
Jessica Hedrick
Jessica teaches science and biology at Lezha Academic Center. She serves on the Academic Leadership Council. She also participates in the local Mennonite church.
Steve Horst and Bethany Tobin (Anjali)
Steve and Bethany will be learning language and culture in the capital city of Bangkok. Their vision is to disciple young adults and use their gifts to serve refugees. They will serve in partnership with Eastern Mennonite Missions (http://emm NULL.org).
Rodney & Eve Knepp (Maya, Micah)
Rodney and Eve teach at the Maranatha School for the Deaf, relate to community members and the Ridge Mennonite Fellowship, a congregation of Jamaica Mennonite Church.
Harry & Kris Kraus (Sam)
Harry serves as Somali medical outreach team leader, coordinating medical outreach and education in Somaliland and making medical compassion trips to Somali refugee camps. Kris serves as a nurse. They serve in partnership with Africa Inland Mission (http://www NULL.aimint NULL.org/).
Nancy Marshall
Nancy serves as a deaf educator in Orange Walk Town, Belize, and ministers to deaf children and youth through Jesus’ Deaf Church. She serves in partnership with Eastern Mennonite Missions. (http://emm NULL.org)
Vince and LaVonne Ramella (Sid, Bradie, Justin)
The Ramella family plans to work with youth and teach English to eager students in the community. They will use their strong relational skills to connect with people and find felt needs. Their ministry will build on relationships established through a micro fresh milk plant in the same town created by previous workers.
Chris & Melody Riddle (Micah, Adam, Isaiah)
Chris and Melody assist with Centro Koinonia in Bari, working with family ministries, worship, friendship evangelism and literature distribution. Watch a video about the Riddles in Italy. (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=a1BQz1yIMLs)
Mark & Sarah Schoenhals (Heidi, Hannah) Mark and Sarah support the Life Enrichment Church, and engage in Bible teaching and leadership development. They are appointed in partnership with Eastern Mennonite Missions.
Dini & Klementina Shahini
Klementina is executive director of the Albanian Christian School, teaches and oversees development of the school. Dini serves as project manager for the school and helps in the Lezhë church.
David Shenk is serving in Quito with the Quito Mennonite Church, supporting its congregational and local ministries, especially with Colombian refugee resettlement, in partnership with Mennonite Mission Network (http://www NULL.mennonitemission NULL.net/Pages/Home NULL.aspx).
Adam and Jeanette Strode
Adam and Jeanette will be involved in full time language and culture study in order to be prepared to participate in a missional community-based ministry in Bangkok. They will have opportunity to live in a host family setting, attend language school, forge local relationships and gradually step into ministry roles and commitments under the guidance and direction of onsite team leaders, Steve and Bethany Horst.
Rafael & Solange Tártari (Paulo)
Rafael and Solange assist in the Lezhe, Albania, congregation in worship, preaching, evangelism and discipleship ministries. They serve in partnership with Junta Menonita de Missões Internacionais (http://missoesmenonitas NULL.blogspot NULL.com/), Brazil.
Norma Teles
Norma is director of the Joshua Center, an early childhood learning center for Roma children in Lezhe, Albania. She serves in children’s, youth and cell group ministry in the Lezhe congregation. She serves in partnership with Junta Menonita de Missões Internacionais (http://missoesmenonitas NULL.blogspot NULL.com/), Brazil.
Allen Umble
Allen serves in Lushnje, Albania, in discipleship formation and teaches English. He provides oversight to the Youth Evangelism Service (YES) team serving in the agricultural villages near Lushnje.
Two families serve in separate sensitive locations in South Asia.
tranSend
Joel serves with tranSend teaching English at a university in Hangzhou, China. He and his teammates have many opportunities to build relationships with students, faculty, and the broader community.
Justin Rittenhouse
Justin is a tranSend participant in his first year at Lezha Academic Center. He teaches various levels of math. Justin also helps plan extracurricular activities and participates in the local Mennonite church.
Sarah Schoenhals
Sarah serves with tranSend in Det Udom, Thailand, in partnership with the Life Enrichment Church. She works with the young adults in the area and provides child care for the two children of Mark and Sarah Schoenhals.
David and Rebekka Stutzman (Immanuel)
Dave and Rebekka provide part-time pastoral leadership at Bammental and promote mission vision and young adult leadership in the South German Mennonite Conference. They are mission associates with Mennonite Mission Network (http://www NULL.mennonitemission NULL.net/Pages/Home NULL.aspx).
USA Ministries: Church Planting
Randy & Lea Ann Coblentz (Claire, Uri, Rachel)
Randy serves as a church planter with the Hampton Roads 20/20 Vision Church Planting Board in the Hampton Roads area, sponsored by Calvary and Eastern districts of Virginia Mennonite Conference.
Serving since: 2008
newplant@verizon.net
Pablo A. Fernando
Pablo is pastor and church planter of Anabaptist Fellowship of Charlotte, an intercultural organic fellowship. The Fellowship meets together on the second, third and fourth Sundays at 418 Gray Dr., Charlotte, N.C. 28205.
Serving since: 2008
intercoaching@yahoo.com
Marvin & Mariana Lorenzana (Pablo, Alexa)
Marvin serves as director of Mennonite Hispanic Initiative. MHI’s vision is to generate leaders through both theological and on-the-job training who will plant Hispanic churches and develop new leaders. MHI launched their first church, Iglesia Discipular Anabaptista (IDA), a congregation relating to Harrisonburg District, in 2011.
Serving since: 2009, marvin.lorenzana@emu.edu
Jim & Ruth Mellinger
Jim and Ruth Mellinger coach the Outlet 10.27 house church in Graham, N.C., along with church planters Keith and Tami Nice. Jim also pastors Greensboro Mennonite Fellowship in Greensboro, N.C.
Serving since: 2005
jrmell@gmail.com
www.outlet1027.com
Chris & MaryBeth Moore (Mynor, Mario)
Chris and MaryBeth advocate for and minister to the deaf through Signs of Life Fellowship. Signs of Life meets Sunday mornings at the Deaf Club in Staunton, Va., for worship in American Sign Language and offers Bible study groups throughout the week, including Deaf Youth Fellowship and other outreach events.
Serving since: 2008, heatwolemoore@comcast.net
Keith & Tami Nice (Jacob, Andrew)
Keith and Tami Nice are church planters in Graham, N.C. with a house church called Outlet 10.27. The name Outlet 10:27 is taken from Luke 10:27, the two greatest commandments. Keith and Tami through Outlet 10:27 desire to be plugged into God and others.
Serving since: 2005
ktnice@bellsouth.net
James Rhee (Sharon, Jason, Jenny)
James serves as church planter and pastor of Stephens City Korean Community Church in Stephens City, Va., and Park View Korean Church which meets at Park View Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, Va.
Serving since: 2006
joyjames@korea.com
Chris & Heather Scott (Ruth, Esther)
Chris & Heather Scott give leadership to the Exchange, a new missional community in Winchester, Va. the Exchange is to be a place where God’s love is proclaimed, shared and lived out in community.
Serving since: 2011
mennoscott@gmail.com
(540) 313-5336
“Approved Ministries”
An “approved ministry” is a ministry that VMM does not directly administrate or control but is related to, or is like, the work that we do. We lend counsel and support to a number of such ministries that were either begun by VMM or are related in direct ways to our vision and call.
