Welcoming the Nations in Our Backyard | the Reach February 2026

by | Feb 20, 2026 | Church Partnership, Uncategorized

Dear Friends,

Across the EPC, churches are discovering that the nations are closer than they think. Through diaspora ministry—welcoming and engaging international neighbors whom God has brought to our communities—congregations are finding fresh ways to live out the Great Commission. One example comes from Grace Community Church in Lakin, Kansas, where Pastor Remington Dyas and his congregation are welcoming newcomers in their own backyard. Revs. Bill and Sharon A., members of the Presbytery of the West, coordinate the EPC World Outreach Diaspora Outreach Team, helping churches explore opportunities like these across the country.

On a typical Sunday morning in Lakin, Kansas, the back of the bulletin at Grace Community Church lists an unreached people group. It’s a simple but steady rhythm of prayer, one practical expression of their mission to be “Gospel Rooted, Growing Together, and Loving Lakin and the Nations.” Week after week, the congregation lifts its eyes beyond the edges of town.

Yet for Pastor Rem, that prayer emphasis began to press closer to home.

Lakin is a rural town of about 2,200 people. Fields stretch wide. Neighbors know one another. And just 25 minutes east in Garden City, the nations have quietly gathered. Immigrant families from Afghanistan, Somalia, and across Latin America now call western Kansas home.

“The nations are all around us,” Rem said. “They’re right over there. We drive there every week for groceries.”

Grace Lakin had also been praying a “big kingdom prayer”, that their church would increasingly reflect the demographic makeup of their own community. So when an opportunity arose to host a simple community meal that would include Afghan and Somali neighbors, they sensed the Lord might be answering both prayers at once.

The idea wasn’t complicated. A friend connected to newcomer communities in Garden City envisioned a shared meal, just food and conversation. Three local churches partnered together. The Veteran’s Memorial Building in Lakin was reserved. Members donated lamb. Invitations went out widely. Afghan and Somali families were personally invited.

No elaborate program. Just a potluck.

That June evening, more than 100 people gathered. A large grill smoked outside while lamb sizzled. Afghan and Somali guests brought traditional side dishes from their cultures. Children played hopscotch and tossed footballs. Adults lingered over board games and easy conversation.

“There was diversity in the air,” Rem reflected, “and yet people were laughing together, eating good food together… like they’d done it before.” He sensed the quiet work of the Holy Spirit making strangers into neighbors.

One conversation stayed with him. Rem sat with three Afghan men working in the United States while their families remained in Central Asia. They spoke of long separations and the slow process of trying to reunite with their wives and children. As they talked about family life, one man mentioned he was searching in matters of faith. Rem listened, learned, and prayed silently for them.

When he stood up from the table, he thought, “We just have so much to learn from one another.” He described himself as a sponge that evening, discovering that others could show him aspects of Jesus he had not yet tasted or treasured.

The dinner reshaped something in Grace Lakin. It reinforced their conviction that “programs don’t reach people, people reach people.” It showed them that loving the nations begins with knowing them. What felt ambitious for a small church in a small town became a living picture of the Great Commission.

“We’re the ones who overcomplicate things,” Rem said. “We’re just called to be faithful.”

In Lakin, faithfulness looked like setting a table and realizing that the nations were already near.

Stories like this are emerging across the EPC as churches discover that the nations are near. If you would like to explore how your congregation can engage international neighbors in your area, the EPC World Outreach Diaspora Outreach Team would be glad to connect with you. Bill: bill.a@epcwo.org | Sharon: sharon.a@epcwo.org

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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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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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Partnerships for the Gospel | the Reach March 2025

by | Sep 8, 2025 | Church Partnership, Field Story, ITEN

Dear Friends,

Partnership. One small word that is absolutely essential for the work of World Outreach. There are many ways partnership plays into World Outreach’s work, and one of those ways is the partnering of local, indigenous believers around the world with WO’s ITEN, the International Theological Education Network.
 
ITEN serves national Christian leaders in places where the gospel is largely unknown and education is limited. These leaders are equipped to holistically share the gospel with their own people, and Sierra Leone is one of the various ITEN sites throughout the world.
 
The EPC’s work in Sierra Leone began more than 20 years ago with Memorial Park Church from the Presbytery of the Alleghenies spearheading the effort. Throughout the years of investment by the EPC, local people began to profess faith in Christ, and they eventually formed their own EPC denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Sierra Leone (EPCSL), which is active in the Muslim majority villages of north Sierra Leone.
 
With the formation of the denomination came the urgent need to educate and equip local Christian leaders. So, in 2018, ITEN began working with the local churches of Sierra Leone. World Outreach ITEN workers such as Bruce Anderson, Mike Kuhn, Ed and Nan McCallum, and Steven Woodworth helped teach the nine courses required for graduation from the program.
 
Two local believers, Pastor Thomas and Pastor Abraham, graduates from the program themselves, are now facilitating the education with the support of ITEN. The program is not accredited by an academic institution, but EPCSL recognizes the ITEN training, called by them the Pastor Training Program (PTP), as their own ordination prerequisite. This education model, known as “non-formal theological education,” has become essential for training the rapidly growing churches of the developing world. In fact, theological seminaries and schools can produce only a small fraction of pastors and leaders needed to keep pace with church growth in the developing world. Thus, there is a great need for non-formal theological training.
 
Pastors in the EPCSL identify people they believe to be good candidates for the program. These candidates become students who attend 5-day course intensives 2-3 times a year. The EPCSL has produced two cohorts of graduates from this program, most of whom are now serving as evangelists, Sunday school teachers, and outreach leaders in their various communities.

Sierra Leonean Pastor Thomas said that the program focuses on equipping pastors for the holistic development of the people they will be ministering to—both the spiritual and physical needs. He says, “Most of the churches are engaged in little developmental projects like rice farming, groundnut farming, Bennie [local version of sesame] farming, local chicken poultry and many more. The inspiration to do all this comes from the PTP community development module.”

The work of ITEN in Sierra Leone is tangibly changing lives. The EPCSL, which began with 6 churches, now has 26 churches in the process of being planted by PTP trainees. While ITEN comes in as a partner to the EPCSL, it is the local church that oversees and runs this program. Believers from this corner of the world are taking up the mantle—they are discipling their own people, planting reproducing churches, and proclaiming the gospel to those who have never heard. Praise the Lord for the work He is doing!

Want to learn more or get involved with the work of ITEN? Click here to give to the work of ITEN and learn more.

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Opportunities to Connect | the Reach January 2025

by | Feb 5, 2025 | Church Partnership

Dear friends,

Happy New Year! As we look to the year ahead, here are ways you and your congregations can connect with World Outreach in 2025.

Take a Kairos Course
Interested in learning more about God’s heart for the nations and how you can better live into the Great Commission? EPC World Outreach regularly hosts a nine-week course called Kairos, which offers a brief survey of what the Bible says about missions, the history of missions, and the state of missions in our current world. This is an eye-opening experience and will be a source of encouragement as you look to join in our call as Christ-followers to shine light in the darkness. Our next Kairos course begins Tuesday, April 15th.
Join (or refer someone to join!) a Missions Cohort

Late every summer, Saul and Jesse Huber lead a new group of young adults in a year-long mission cohort. They read, pray, and serve together, meeting monthly over Zoom and a periodically in person with like-minded peers, missionaries on the field, and EPC World Outreach mobilizers. It’s not too early to get the ball rolling! If you or someone you know is interested in exploring a call to missions, contact Saul Huber at saul.h@epcwo.org, or apply today.

Give to World Outreach Critical Needs

As you or your church set the budget for the year ahead, consider supporting those in the World Outreach community who are in the most need. Find workers on the field who are in need of additional support and new workers in the process of raising initial support here. Would you like more information on any of these workers? Feel free to respond to this email and we would love to share more.

Pray for World Outreach’s 2025 Family Gathering

Every three years, World Outreach workers and staff converge for what we call Family Gathering. It is a time of encouragement and rest and will take place this July. As the name suggests, it is like a big family reunion and is a delight to share this time as a community. Please join us in prayer that the Lord would meet with us in a special way as we spend time together in worship and fellowship this summer.