Meet Our Newly Commissioned Workers | the Reach September 2025

by | Sep 29, 2025 | Church Partnership, Events

Dear Friends,

This year at the 44th General Assembly and Gospel Priorities Summit, World Outreach had the joy and privilege of commissioning 15 Global Workers. The commissioning service at General Assembly is a sacred time for the denomination to come alongside those who have undergone a rigorous assessment process and have been appointed by the World Outreach Committee as new Global Workers. We are thrilled to introduce you to the newest members of the World Outreach family.

Jared and Abby are excited to join in the work God is doing with the unreached first through language learning. They plan to move to Jordan to learn Arabic, and afterward, they will shift their focus to church planting among an unreached people group. Abby has a background in nursing, and Jared has a degree in applied linguistics and is pursuing his MDiv online through Covenant Theological Seminary. Please pray for them as they transition to the field and welcome their first baby this December.

If the Lord is leading you this way, Abby and Jared have an urgent need to be 100% support raised by January to be able to purchase tickets and visas. They are currently 65% support raised and need another $3000 in monthly support. If you would like to get involved in their ministry, visit their giving page here.

John and Barbara have long felt the call to missions. They were on the field as part of a church planting team in Southeast Asia from 2003-2011. After their youngest child graduated from college in 2024, God opened a door to an opportunity for them to teach at Grace International School (GIS) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. John and Barb will strive to learn the Thai language and the culture of the many Thai Muslims who will be living near them.

Please pray that God will be glorified in all they say and do and that praises will ring out to Him from the mountains and valleys surrounding Chiang Mai. If you would like to join their support team, you can visit their giving page here.

Stephen’s journey in missions and ministry began early, growing up at North Park Church, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In his youth, he was blessed with many opportunities to serve locally and nationally. After high school, he was part of various overseas short and long-term missions efforts. He is now serving in Southeast Asia teaching English to people of all ages and building relationships to share the love and truth of Jesus.

Please pray that those he encounters will feel the love of Jesus. If you would like to join his support team, you can visit his giving page here.

Benj and Corrie Giffone are based in Western Pennsylvania, and Benj’s appointment is to the International Theological Education Network (ITEN) of WO. ITEN’s mission is to train pastors and church leaders among those who are least reached with the gospel. Benj and Corrie bring a wealth of cross-cultural and pastoral experience to their role. They previously served overseas, and now Benj serves as a transitional pastor at Redeemer EPC, Erie PA, and Corrie teaches third grade at a local classical Christian school. The Giffones will remain in Western Pennsylvania for the time being as they develop partners for Benj’s ministry with ITEN and requisite travel.

Pray for Benj’s teaching with ITEN, working with seminaries and non-formal theological education partners in South Asia, for Corrie’s ministry as a Christian school elementary teacher, and for their children, Daniel and Elizabeth, to grow in faith and wisdom. If you would like to join their support team, you can visit their giving page here.

Evie Knotternus has served in ministry for 35+ years in both formal and informal roles. Based in Fremont CA, Evie serves alongside her husband Sam, Pastor of Centerville Presbyterian Church. Evie’s role with World Outreach will be discipling and mentoring those looking to serve in stateside and overseas missions, and she is discerning what this will look like longer term.

Pray that she would be able to prioritize ongoing intimacy with Jesus and serve out of the abundance He pours out on her. Pray for awareness of the Spirit and His voice, leading, and guidance. And pray that she would have discernment to know how to best come alongside global workers. If you would like to join her support team, you can visit her giving page here.

David and Melissa serve in Southeast Asia with their three sons, Isaac (14), Asher (12), and Elias (10). They have been in ministry for 14 years and currently work through Business as Mission to reach university students while contributing to local business development. They are passionate about reaching the unreached through education, coaching, experiential ministry, and connecting new believers with the local church.

Pray for transformative kingdom education for those they serve. And pray for their family in this season of life. If you would like to join their support team, you can visit their giving page here.

Mattie felt the call to the mission field at a young age. She recently launched to Central Asia where her team works alongside local believers in running outreach clubs to young adults, youth, and special-needs children across the city. They also disciple and equip local believers and are hoping to establish a church plant this fall.

The Lord is very clearly at work in the hearts of the people in Central Asia. Please pray that the few believers there would continue to be encouraged in the Spirit and each other. Pray also for Mattie’s team, that they may be effective in their work and continue to walk with Christ daily. If you would like to join her support team, you can visit her giving page here.

Nathan and Kareen Moser have been passionate about ministry and missions all their adult lives. After 13 years serving the local church, they are excited to join the International Theological Education Network (ITEN) team. Based in Washington State, they will travel between the states and Nepal to minister to local church leaders there.

Pray for them as they transition out of full-time pastoral ministry and into this new role as educators in a cross-cultural context. Pray the Lord would bring people to partner with them prayerfully and financially. If you would like to contribute to their ministry, visit their giving page here.

Noeun and Tiffany desire to serve and partner alongside the local indigenous church body in Central Asia to make disciples and build communities leading to church growth and planting. They began working full time with international students at Auburn University in 2011 and spent a two-year stint in Central Asia. They are looking to return to the field in partnership with WO to focus on laboring with the local church body for growth and further church planting.

As they prepare to launch to the field, pray that they will see a movement of local disciples. Pray for healthy growth in the local indigenous church. And pray that their family will land and adjust well. If you would like to join their support team, visit their giving page here.

Norberto “Pachy” Quesada was born and raised in a small town in central Cuba. He became a believer at an early age despite growing up in a society where the Christian faith was neither visible nor always accepted. He has served as a pastor and currently serves as director of CENCAP (Church Planting Training Center in Havana). CENCAP is a network born with the purpose of training, mentoring, and multiplying leaders for integral missions in Cuba. Pachy is excited to join World Outreach as he continues to work in church planting and overseas-missions mobilization in Cuban communities.

Pray for the Lord to guide his steps and lead him to the right partners in the EPC. If you would like to partner with him, visit his giving page here.

After many years of growing up and working overseas, Rianna “Rye” feels directed by God to move to Japan. She desires to support and encourage the local church as well as other missionaries in Japan through her educational background. She is excited to join God’s mission to save the Japanese people. She plans to launch March 2027.

Pray for her as she begins to learn the Japanese language, and that she will be a good witness to her Japanese teachers. Please also pray for financial and prayer support, that through it all God will be glorified. If you would like to join her support team, visit her giving page here.

Upcoming Opportunities for You and Your Congregation

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Nepali Time | the Reach August 2025

by | Sep 29, 2025 | Field Story, ITEN

Dear Friends,

 Nathan R. Moser works in Nepal with the International Theological Education Network (ITEN) for EPC World Outreach.

According to the Nepali calendar, the year is 2081. Most countries of the world have accepted the standard counting of years from Anno Domini, Latin for the “year of our Lord,” roughly counted from the birth of Jesus. The Nepali calendar starts in a different place.

If you are type-A person when it comes to time, Nepal will adjust you like a ham-fisted chiropractor. Our classes always started late, but just right for “Nepali Time.” If you can score some “Nepali Tea” while taking your “Nepali Time,” all the better.

Nepal breaks another rule of time. The clocks of the Royal Observatory in London set the world standard according to Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT. Most countries follow time zones that add or subtract whole hours relative to GMT, but not Nepal. If it is 12 a.m. in London (GMT), it is 6:15 a.m. in Nepal.

And there is still something else. Did you know that people age faster at higher altitude? This is not only because of sun exposure, or a thin atmosphere, or the cold. Einstein’s theory of relativity proved that time itself is curved. People of the Himalayas pass time slightly faster than people at sea level.

After our ITEN Bible course, I met what looked to me like an older man. He traveled from a high mountain village to learn with us in the valley of Nepalgunj. His skin was darkened and weathered tight. His home village was still covered with snow in the springtime, as it is much of the year. He smiled at me like a happy churchman. I learned that he was fully one year younger than I am. I took a hard look at the picture we took together. He did not look so old, and I did not look so young. Now I was counting the time wrong.

With my Himalayan friend I look to the Ancient of Days and the Eternal Son. We stand together, brothers, in time and out of time, saved for the great renewal of all things. By the Divine word we labor together, back to our villages and out into fields, for the harvest of all peoples.

By Nathan R. Moser

Nathan R. Moser teaching a group of Nepali ITEN students

Nepal is one of the many ITEN sites that serves national Christian leaders in places where the gospel is largely unknown and education is limited. Through ITEN, these leaders are equipped to minister to their own people and send their own missionaries to unreached people groups. Click here to support the work of ITEN.

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A Lifeline | the Reach June 2025

by | Sep 29, 2025 | Biblical/Missional, Mission Story

Dear Friends,

In the dusty outskirts of a conflict-torn city, Anna sat alone on the rooftop of her small apartment. Below her, life bustled in a language she still struggled to understand after two years. She had come full of passion to serve, to love, to bring the hope of the Gospel. But that night, with rockets echoing in the distance and the weight of culture shock pressing down on her, she felt more alone than ever.

Anna is not unique. She represents thousands of missionaries who serve in cross-cultural, high-risk environments—where trauma, spiritual warfare, and isolation are often daily realities. The call to follow Christ to reach the unreached is difficult. These people groups and places are unreached for a reason, because they are difficult, often dangerous places—even just to reach, let alone to live and work in. Without intentional and ongoing Care, that calling can quickly become a crushing burden.

Member Care refers to the provision of spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical support for missionaries. It’s not a luxury; it’s a lifeline.  And it matters—for their health, their effectiveness, and their longevity on the field.

Emotional Health is often the first casualty in the mission field. Culture shock, homesickness, exposure to suffering, and sometimes hostility take a toll. In Anna’s case, the lack of a safe space to process trauma led to chronic anxiety. Had it not been for a visiting Member Care worker who recognized the signs and walked with her through healing, Anna might have returned home prematurely, convinced she had failed.

Spiritual Health also needs tending. Missionaries pour themselves out in service, often with little opportunity for being spiritually refilled. Without intentional care—retreats, mentorship, coaching, debriefing, and accountability—it’s easy for their wells to run dry. Anna admitted that her passion for prayer had withered under the demands of survival. But through a Member Care provider that offered guided spiritual retreats and regular pastoral check-ins, she began to rediscover the joy of abiding in Jesus—not just in the work of ministry.

Physical Health is another area where support makes a difference. Many missionaries endure harsh climates, lack of access to medical care, and the physical exhaustion that comes with constant adaptation. A well-functioning Member Care system includes not only mental, emotional, and spiritual care but providing access and consultations for physical health, crisis plans, and even furlough planning to ensure missionaries are not only surviving but thriving.

But perhaps the most overlooked benefit of Member Care is longevity. Research and experience show that missionaries who have someone to turn to during struggles are significantly more likely to stay long-term. They are not immune to hardship, but they are equipped to endure it. Anna, once on the brink of burnout, is now mentoring younger workers in the same region—because someone made it their mission to care for her.

If we in the EPC are to take the Great Commission seriously, we must also take seriously the care of those who go. Sending is only part of the equation. Sustaining is the other. Member Care isn’t just about keeping missionaries on the field—it’s about keeping them whole.

Let us be the ones who hold the ropes, who provide the anchor in the storm, so that those on the frontlines can stand strong—for the long haul.

By Chris Gibson, Director of Member Care

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Starting Small | the Reach May 2025

by | Sep 29, 2025 | Biblical/Missional, Church Partnership

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, CORINTH, MS

Dear Friends,

It began with one. One missionary our church supported. Supporting this one missionary started a ripple effect—leading the church to build a plethora of meaningful relationships and actively participate in the growth of God’s Kingdom around the world.
 
About 35 years ago, the church I serve began supporting a single missionary with whom it had a personal connection—she was from the same small town where the church was located. That missionary is still serving on the field today. Over the years, the church has taken numerous trips to visit and serve alongside her. Today, that same church provides prayer and financial support to over 50 missionaries serving across the globe. It has been a powerful experience for me, as well as for all who have traveled to visit these workers.
 
In life, the most remarkable transformations often begin with the smallest of actions, ideas, or events. What may seem insignificant at first can grow into something far greater than initially imagined. This concept is evident in many aspects of life, from nature’s cycles to personal achievements, societal changes, and of course in God’s Kingdom. A single seed, planted with care, can grow into a towering tree; a modest idea, nurtured with passion, can evolve into an influential movement. Understanding how something small can become something bigger reveals the power of growth, persistence, and the potential for transformation in all aspects of life.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Matthew 13:31-32

Jesus told this parable to encourage people to have faith and to seek small ways to be useful in God’s Kingdom. I have seen firsthand how powerful this can be through providing prayer and financial support to missionaries around the world. A church in a small town can make a lasting impact for God’s Kingdom. It begins with one.

If you are part of a church—no matter the size—you can join in this exponential work: 

  • Start small. Begin with one. Support one missionary with whom your church has some kind of connection.
  • Every prayer matters. Keep your missionary in front of your congregation with regular updates and prayer requests.
  • Every dollar helps. Even a small gift can greatly encourage a worker on the field. Start by designating just 1% of the church’s budget to missions, with the goal of increasing it each year.
  • Contact World Outreach. There are many ways churches can partner with World Outreach to support global workers and reach unreached neighbors in the U.S.
  •  

By getting your church involved, our God will expand your world and bless you in ways you never imagined.

– By Pastor Waring Porter
First Presbyterian Church (FPC)
Corinth, MS

GROUP FROM FCP VISITNG AND SERVING WITH MISSIONARIES THEY SUPPORT

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Join a Mission Cohort! | the Reach April 2025

by | Sep 8, 2025 | Church Partnership, Events, Mission Story

Dear Friends,

Have you ever wondered what the practical, day-to-day lives of missionaries actually looks like in this modern world? Are you curious about how God is moving around the world, drawing people to him who come from peoples that have never heard the Good News of Jesus? Do you want to learn more about how you or those in your congregations can get more involved in missions?

The answer to these questions, for Cate Rivers Shipp, was a resounding, “yes.” As a young adult who grew up in the church, Cate Rivers was not new to the concept of missions, and she served on her church’s missions committee. However, she still hungered to know more. She got connected with EPC World Outreach mobilizers Jesse and Saul Huber and through them she learned about Mission Cohorts (MC).

The MCs are designed for college students and young adults who are passionate about missions. During this year-long program, the MC engages in monthly Zoom meetings where they both study the Bible together and interview WO workers on the field to hear stories and learn what missions practically looks like. The MC also takes two trips together, one within the States, and one cross-cultural.

For some of the MC members, this time is transformational in their discerning their call to the mission field. For Cate Rivers, this experience clarified her call to mobilization: “I knew I was passionate about missions, but knew I wasn’t called overseas. Learning from the amazing WO team, forming friendships with them and being discipled by them, helped me realize that the Lord was calling me to mobilization. Now, thanks to the cohort, I will be joining the WO team as a Mission Assistant in the fall,” says Cate Rivers.

For Cate Rivers, her participation in the MC strengthened her relationship with Christ as well as provided deep friendships with others feeling a similar call. The MC lasts one year, but the relationships with other young adults continue long afterward, with a solid network of cohort alumni. This is an invaluable support system for those looking to enter the mission field in any way.

For those who don’t quite fit the demographic of “young adult,” Cate Rivers encourages, “We as the church pray for the Lord to raise up missionaries, and a great way to answer that call now is to educate the youth in your congregations, your homes, and in your lives. We are the next generation, and we will do great things for the Lord with your support!”

The youth and young adults today are the missionaries of tomorrow, and the church plays a critical role in fostering a heart for missions in young people. The MC can come along side you or the young people of your church to answer the call to go into all the world.

Don’t wait! If you feel the Lord stirring your heart or the hearts of young people you know, click here to learn more and get connected.

Cate Rivers with World Outreach Mobilizer, Andrea

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