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The History of the Bethel Ministerial Association
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Chapter 10 |
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The minutes of a meeting early in the 1950s shares a request by Rev Merwyn Masters that the Association support him traveling to Haiti to examine the possibility of a foreign mission work there. Brother Masters definitely had a mission vision for the lost of the world, fully supported by all the other pastors. But certainly, the earliest serious devotion to the effort of world evangelism came from David and Judy Merwin when the left the U.S. for Taewan, Korea to set up a mission there that lasted for decades. Closely following their departure, another young couple departed for Durango, Mexico....Jerry and Nola Witt. The Bethel Baptist Assembly, as we were at that time called, established the "Bethel Foreign Missionary Foundation" for the sole purpose of "sending Rev. and Mrs. David Merwin to the foreign missionary field of Taejon, Korea." Rev Leonard Coote, a missionary in Japan since prior to WWII had "established a mission station and Bible School in Taejon. His Evangelistic Centers and Bible School in Japan had kept his attention divided from the Taejon work," so he had "looked to the Lord that He would call a young couple to Korea..." The Bethel Baptist Assembly board immediately voted Rev Don Matthews as its Missions Director, contributions to the Merwins were collected and Brother Matthews produced the first missionary update in the fledgling "Words With Power" newsletter. | 
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The Merwins David and Judy Merwin were "local products" of the Evansville Bethel Temple church. David had served in the U.S. Army during the Korean war Like many ministers who were "sent out" from this "parent church" of the BMA, Dave and Judy heard the call on their lives and responded by moving half way around the world to begin a virgin, faith-based ministry to reach out to a nation ravaged by WWII. It is probably not too much of a stretch to claim that thanks to their sacrifices and those of many others at the same time, South Korea is one of the largest Christian nations in the Far East.
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David and Judy quickly found life there challenging and difficult. Like others in other fields, learning the language was the hardest part. God called them to seek out the daunting task of adopting a Korean child from one of the local orphanages...an act which led to numerous changed lives and a lasting impact on Korean culture. Dave and Judy tell of the experience of visiting the orphanage and experiencing God's leading them straight to a rebellious child, a little girl they named Stephanie. Stephanie relates the experience in a book written by her years later as a traumatic one. She quite literally spit in the face of David when he reached out to her. But with a love that only comes from a devotion to Jesus, David and Judy adopted Stephanie, worked with her for years to come to assure her of their love for her and an unquestioned love from the Savior that changed her life. | 
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David and Judy also adopted a second Korean girl, Sarah, who they raised to adulthood and brought back to America with them when they left the mission field in 1975. David helped found the first Bethel church in Newburgh and Boonville area, just outside of Evansville, Indiana. After years of faithful service, Dave went home to be with the Lord in 1995. Judy is still living in Nashville, TN. Stephanie is now married to Darryl Fast and they minister from her experience in Korea to Orphan Missions Around the World.
Stephanie is the name she was given in America. She does not know her original name, birth date, or place of birth, other than that she is Korean. Because she is biracial (the forgotten and abandoned child of an American soldier and a young Korean mother), Stephanie Fast was abandoned, left in a strange place to fend for herself, likely to die of starvation, disease—or worse.
"Stephanie has made it her life’s work to try to help rescue every orphan out there—terrified, hungry, hurting, abused. If you believe that how we treat the most vulnerable among us determines our own humanity you will want to read Stephanie’s book—you will want to get to know Stephanie’s story. In She Is Mine, Stephanie shares her orphan story in the hopes that it will bear witness to the tremendous impact that just one person can have on this global crisis. This story belongs to the many orphans without a voice. She encourages us to join her on this richly rewarding, life-transforming journey. Together, she says, we can work to reverse our global orphan crisis, bringing hope and justice to the voiceless and invisible."
| The Witts About the same time that David and Judy were leaving for Korea, Nola Holder, daughter of Pastor Eugene Holder in Marietta, GA was graduating from International Bible College (IBC) in San Antonio. This small evangelical, independent Bible College in San Antonio, TX was producing pastors, evangelists and missionaries to send around the world. While finishing her studies there, Nola fell in love with a young missionary-bound man, Jerry Witt who took her to Durango, Mexico. With three young boys at their side, Jerry heard God's call on his life to pilot a small Cessna 152 into the mountains of Mexico, dropping Gospels of John from the airplane to indigenous, Mexican Indians who had never seen an airplane nor heard the Gospel. Who knows how many souls were won to the Kingdom through Jerry's novel approach to world evangelism? Not long into this calling, however, in 1965, Jerry was delivering Gospels again when his airplane mysteriously crashed into a mountain side. Nola, now alone with three little boys in a foreign land, had to rescue Jerry's body from an angry Mexican town, bury her young husband of only a few short years and decide what to do about the mission. Nola stayed on the field in Durango, continued church building, Sunday School evangelism and founding Christian schools right where God had put her. Years later, her "knight in shining armor", Frank Warren joined her on the mission field, married her giving her twin girls and stayed there faithfully serving for fifty years until he too went home to be with the Lord in 2000. Nola stayed. Having raised five children, with many other Christians' help growing a ministry there that not only affected Durango, but the area through her state and quite literally the entire nation of Mexico, Nola remained faithful |  |
 | Jerry Owens, Guatemala City, Guatemala Jerry and Sandy Owens were another Godly product of International Bible College. Having grown up in the Leroy Bethel Church, Jerry's older brother, Oscar launched out into founding a Bethel church in Licoln, IL. Jerry and Sandy, also hearing God's call on their lives, decided that Guatemala was their calling. As a young 17 year old at Bethel Youth Camp, I distinctly recall the effect that their decision to go had upon me. I remember hugging Jerry with tears in my eyes, promising to support them in this new, pioneer work. They spent decades, first in Guatemala City and then later in Quito, Ecuador, holding evangelistic meetings, sponsoring local church events, taking equipment and movies around the country proclaiming the Gospel. They raised two daughters on the mission field. Although semi-retired now, they continue regular visits to Ecuador teaching the Gospel, supporting their works and others like them and helping build mission works that continue to touch that nation. |
| Maurine Sweet, Culiacan, Mexico As a young teenager, I remember well Maurine and her brother Dana as we joined together attending Youth Camp every summer. Maurine felt a call of the Lord early in her life to serve Him in Mexico. She started an orphanage ministry in Culilacan in the early 1970s that continues today. As a contemporary, having had two careers myself, I know that Maurine is a unique, dedicated missionary who has served there for all of those years. Nola Warren helped Maurine found her work in Culiacan and helped her maintain it as a single woman, living alone on the mission field. Maurine always supported the continued work in Durango as well, and bears the fruit of her faithfulness for decades now. She is still faithfully serving after many decades of service. |  |
Ron and Christy Bishop Shepherd Shapers® is a ministry established by Ron & Christi Bishop to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and teach Bible principles, by training leaders throughout the world. Both Ron & Christi experienced a call of God on their lives in their teens.
 | They prepared themselves through prayer, faithfulness to their church, and by getting a Bible College education. They married in 1970 and have been busy in ministry ever since. In 1985 the Bishops responded to a call to foreign missions and relocated their young family to South Africa. Over the years the Bishops have served in many other foreign fields on both long-term and short-term assignments. Ron is a preacher of the Gospel and has pastored four churches on three continents. Both Ron and Christi are Bible teachers and have served in that capacity in almost 80 nations of the world. Ron enjoys sharing the wisdom he has gleaned during his worldwide ministry of many years. He has a global perspective for Christians and shares this with humor and many interesting experiences from around the world. He is a Bible Teacher and with a resounding voice articulates the stories of the Old and New Testaments, so that they come alive to the listener. Ron makes himself available as a Conference speaker but must fit things into his busy schedule. The Bishops have been in full time cross cultural work for over 30 years, having had residency in six nations and pastored four churches on three continents. |
| Don and Teleka Dewing Teleka Davids was the daughter of Harvey and Jessie Davids, long time associates with most of the ministries of the BMA. Teleka, part Indian herself, married Don back in the 1974 and moved to Wisconsin to answer the call of God on their lives to serve the
Pottowotomi Indians there. For decades, Don served faithfully, even though most of those he served refused to even talk to him because he was not Indian. Only after many, many years of staying faithful to their call to serve the Lord, was Don "rewarded" with the response of communication with those he served.
Now, with a family of nearly forty children, grandchildren and other faithful pastors and teachers, this ministry reaches out with three churches, a food pantry for the homeless and hungry and a youth camp facility that operates year round. In August of 1974 Don and Teleka were married and shortly after attended the Child Evangelism Fellowship Training Institute then in Muskegon, Michigan. There they met Avery and Bertha Wetzig and at a mission’s conference talked more with them. They applied for the position of youth workers and after taking four months to raise support arrived in Crandon in March of 1975. They began their ministry with youth groups and Kid’s Club in Stone Lake and Mole Lake. After a short time, Don took over as pastor of the Stone Lake Church. In 1978, Don was pastoring two churches, working with the youth and children and in addition took over the reponsibilities of directorship of the Mission. Another year passed and Don took over pastor of the Carter church. |  |
| Steve and Cathy Mills Steve and Cathy helped serve in and founded Lighthouse Outreaches. Their mission is to reach the Unreached and Unevangelized Peoples of the World with primary focus on Africa and the Arabian Gulf Region. They accomplish this task by Networking with National Ministries to assist them with Leadership Training and Church Planting. Lighthouse Outreaches was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Louisiana on November 29, 1993. Since that time the influence of Lighthouse Outreaches has expanded from focusing on the nation of Kenya to now reaching into more than 40 nations of the world mainly in Africa and the Arabian Gulf Region. Steve & Kath Mills have been in fulltime missions ministry since 1984. Their family lived in Haiti for 8 months and then in Kenya for 17 years. They presently make their home in Zachary, Louisiana and travel extensively to the nations. Steve is the President of Lighthouse Outreaches and the Africa Director for Vision Intentional Education Network. Steve also travels throughout the United States holding missions conferences and helping churches with their missions programs. Lighthouse Outreaches networks with National Ministries who have a passion to see their nations reached with the Gospel. They meet with these leaders in groups and individually to motivate them to increase their ministry outreach to each of the Unreached People Groups in their areas. At last count Lighthouse Outreaches was partnering with more than 140 national ministries across African and the Arabian Gulf Region. |  |
 | Garry and Becky Gaspard Becky is yet another of Eugene Holder's kids who have given their lives to serve the Lord in Missions. Her brother Buddy, and wife Judy Holder, served for many years after founding a church in Torrejon, Mexico. Buddy now pastors Bethel Church in Logansport, Indiana. Another Holder sibling, Linda Ayers, served the Lord faithfully in the mission field in Mexico. Garry and Becky have been faithfully serving a New Mexico Indian Mission in Bloomfield, New Mexico for many years now. They minister to Southwest Navajo Indians in New Mexico. |
| Rev Joe Greene, Haiti "Brother Joe" is probably the most interesting example of mission work by a parishoner and former pastor in the BMA. Brother Joe helped found the church in Rockport, Indiana and pastored there for a time. He continues to support the work at our Bethel church in Reo, Indiana, Reo Christian Center. Brother Joe served two terms as Rockport's mayor until 2004. He has served many years taking numerous trips to Haiti under the auspices of an independent ministry called "Missions of Love" to minister to the nationals of Haiti. He builds, he fixes, he does just about everything anyone needs to meet the needs of Haitians, often at personal risk to his safety. Joe reaches the people of Haiti with his love and skills built through many years of experience to build churches, repair vehicles, construct roads and a myriad of other activities. His mission is definitely a sacrifice of love for the Lord and the people of Haiti. You can see more of his ministry at www.missionsoflove.org You can also observe his selfless work any year by watching his numerous work projects at Bethel Youth Camp and Conference Center. |  |
| Rev A.M. Sambo is a most interesting case in indigenous missionary work. We first met Brother Sambo in the 1980s through a visit by Rev Merwin Masters. After a mission trip to Nigeria, Brother Masters brought Brother Sambo back with him to America. Several Bethel churches hosted Brother Sambo and soon took up the cause of supporting the work there in Nigeria. Brother Sambo went back to Nigeria and founded several churches and missionary works and gave them the title of Bethel Memorial Church of Africa. He continues, even at his advanced age, to serve as Bishop and overseer of those works today. The BMA continues to support him with finances and visits by several of our pastors. |  |
The above ministries represent only a fraction of the missionary work that the BMA and Bethel churches have sponsored, supported and sustained through years of faithful ministry. There were many others, some that we list here, that also had an impact on our association and some who were supported, often individually by one or more of our local churches. Among these are
Brother Peter Chun, China who was largely supported by the Evansville Bethel Community Church,
Marcel Louis and Brother Eteine Napo, Haiti, native workers in that country who were supported by the Rockport and Reo churches,
Mike and Mary Jo Wilson, Okinawa, Japan who were supported for many years by Evansville Bethel,
Phil and Rhonda Foley, Far East outreach to orphanages and Bible distribution in Myanmar, Indonesia and China, largely supported by Bethel Memorial Church in Indianapolis.
| Additionally, Jerry McSorley began a mission work to Mexico from Zapata, TX. After his passing in 2005, Jerry and Connie (Jerry's daughter) Rodriguez now serve as directors of Front Line Missions. The work started as a missionary endeavor to Mexico, and wound up branching out to also include works in India and China and the Philippines. Those works include Missions, Christian Schools, Orphanages, and Feeding Programs. |  |
Although not much can be safely discussed about a current mission in Nepal, Rev Walter Phillips started our support of an indigenously sponsored mission that includes many churches, especially in the mountain villages of Nepal.
It is totally doubtful that I have covered all of the missionary ministries the BMA has supported throughout the years of its existence. Certainly, having sent our own young people and dedicated ministers to these fields, it will only be in heaven when we will find out what impact this small association and its faithful ministries have had in winning souls to the Kingdom. The work has been the Lord's. But it doesn't take much examination for us to be able to say, withouth hesitation, that the Lord has used us in mighty ways and we are so thankful that He has done so.
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