MISSIONS
Avant Ministries is an interdenominational, multinational missionary sending organization that has focused on planting and developing churches in the unreached areas of the world since the 1890's. Avant defines unreached as places where less than two percent of the population is evangelical Christian. More than 2 billion people still need to hear the gospel!
Avant trains, sends and serves missionaries in 50 countries globally. Planting churches among the unreached is Avant's driving passion. Our mission statement captures this foundational reason for existence while our vision statement compels us to boldly pursue transformational ministry outcomes around the world. Four core organizational values inform, inspire and involve our missionaries and ministry partners in our joint efforts to plant and develop churches globally.
For more than 125 years, Avant has maintained a strong commitment to taking the gospel to people living in the un-evangelized areas of the world. Avant emerged out of the missionary movement of the last two decades of the nineteenth century, a movement that brought into being numerous foreign missionary societies. Through the evangelistic efforts of the YMCA, young men of Kansas were challenged to Christian service. The Secretary of the Kansas State YMCA was George S. Fisher, whose parents had been missionaries in Jamaica. Fisher’s conviction was that the gospel must be preached in all the earth, wherever Christ was not named. In 1892, Fisher and other Kansas leaders resigned from the YMCA and formed a new independent organization called the World’s Gospel Union.
For more information about AVANT MINISTRIES, please visit www.avantministries.org
Community House Damaris (CHD) is a Christian organization that operates two safe houses based in Athens, Greece and offers a long-term recovery program (3-7 years) for women ages 18 to 35 and their children who have been or are at high risk of sexual exploitation or trafficking. Our program is designed to guide survivors into full rehabilitation and reintegration into society by addressing their needs.
CHD works with a diverse array of women from various cultural backgrounds but takes on cases with the singular goal of providing an atmosphere – safe housing and therapeutic programming – that facilitates long-term restoration. The services offered at Damaris have been tailored to, but are not exclusive to, women who are considered of refugee status, internally displaced, or stateless and those who are pregnant or single mothers
For nearly ten years, Dina – founder of Community House Damaris (CHD) – worked as a volunteer in some of the 300 brothels of downtown Athens serving victims of exploitation and trafficking. She found that the girls she was ministering to faced huge barriers to escape their situation as they were largely without families, papers, money, language proficiency, or the skills to find a job outside of a brothel. During this time, she realized that something more was necessary. For years, she prayed for the opportunity to provide a safe place for these women to find freedom, experience restoration, and begin reintegration into society. Dina had a vision of an organization that would become Damaris House – a place where survivors of trafficking and exploitation could live in safety while learning the emotional and practical skills enabling them to eventually reintegrate into society.
For more information about DAMARIS HOUSE, please visit www.damaris.gr
In His Image Family Medicine Residency Program is a community-based family medicine training program fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Good Samaritan Health Services (GSHS) is our partner in reaching out to individuals and families in need in the inner-city and the greater Tulsa area. During residency, In His Image Family Medicine residents help provide free high quality medical care and at the same time share hope and God’s love with these underserved patients. In His Image local outreach GSHS uses two Mobile Medical Units (a 35-foot unit, as well as a 60-foot Mobile Medical Unit equipped with three exam rooms, a pharmacy and a lab) to reach those who cannot afford medical attention or who experience difficulty accessing healthcare. IHI residents work alongside other compassionate health professionals and over 200 caring volunteers from partner churches who desire to see the people in our local communities healed in all areas of life: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
God’s love knows no boundaries and neither do the classrooms of In His Image. Residents are encouraged to have a global health perspective and take advantage of international health rotations during residency. A resident may spend up to four months total completing graduation requirements internationally. Trip coordination and funding assistance for these rotations is available through In His Image International (IHII). IHII is an organization that takes medical care and the love of God to the far reaches of our hurting world. IHII short-term overseas outreaches include free clinics, disaster and crisis response, orphanage ministry, evangelistic retreats and a special emphasis on medical education through medical conferences and consultations in the development of family medicine residencies and primary care health systems.
For more information about IN HIS IMAGE, please visit inhisimage.org
I was born to Christian parents, and they served as good examples and encouraged me to attend church. As a young boy I made a profession of faith and was baptized, and was counted as a Christian. I was in my forties when the Lord used my sin, which more and more dominated my life, to cause me to confess and cry out to Him for real salvation. I thank God, He did save me, and changed my life from the inside, although He severely punished me for my sins.
I went to Mexico for the first time on a mission trip in 1993, and the Lord put a love in my heart for this country and its’ people from the first day. In 1998 I was invited to the Mexican Indian Training Center, where I learned Spanish and helped with evangelism. In 1999 I began helping at a Christian music institute and with other ministries in Queretaro, Mexico. In 2005 David Sitton asked GBC to send me to work with To Every Tribe Ministries, and after training, I moved to Queretaro in September of 2006. In Queretaro I currently am helping establish a new congregation in a fairly poor, but very populous area, San Jose el Alto.
When To Every Tribe Ministries does mission trips into Mexico I join them, helping in translation, music, and evangelism. We go into two areas is Oaxaca, in the far south, to the Coicoyan Indians, and to the village La Barra de la Cruz. In the north of Mexico I have helped in the villages of Emiliano, Zapata, La Poza, La Media Luna, Las Higuerillas, and on Ruby Island. Whatever the work of the Lord may give us or results He may bring, the greatest thing is the work He has done for us. It is amazing to be saved. Beyond that, I’m nothing but a seed planter and waterer whom the Lord has sent to a different culture.
Literacy is the ability to read and write. Illiteracy is the inability to read and write. According to UNESCO, there are nearly 1 billion adults around the world who cannot read and write. In the United States alone it is estimated that there are more than 30 million adults who cannot read and write well enough to function daily. Illiteracy is a problem in developing and developed countries. Those who cannot read and write are more likely to live in poverty and are more susceptible to sickness and disease.
Literacy & Evangelism International exists to help those who cannot read and write by sharing the gift of reading. Evangelism is sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe the strongest witness to the Gospel of Jesus is how we live our lives daily. An important part of our daily life is reading God’s Word, the Bible, and understanding how God relates to humankind and how we should live our lives. If adults cannot read for themselves, how can they know what God has said in the Bible? Evangelism is an integral part of our mission as we develop Bible-content literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) materials. As adults learn to read and write or learn to speak English, they do so while reading the Bible and hearing for themselves what God has revealed to us through His Word.
Literacy & Evangelism International exists to equip the Church to share the message of Jesus Christ through the gift of reading. This calling leads us around the world to develop Bible-content basic literacy materials (called primers) and Bible-content English as a Second Language (ESL) materials. In addition to developing materials LEI provides training in teaching as well as developing literacy or English language ministry (ELM).
For more information about LITERACY & EVANGELISM INTERNATIONAL, please visit www.literacyevangelism.org
Mend is a nonprofit medical clinic that has operated in Tulsa for over 35 years – supporting & empowering women, men, and families. Our medical services are provided by licensed professionals. We do not profit from any of your sexual health or pregnancy decisions. We have a strict confidentiality guideline and follow HIPAA regulations to safeguard your privacy. Mend Medical exists to provide free care and support to women with unexpected pregnancies. Our nurses and client advocates are ready and qualified to listen to your story and empower you with what you need to make an informed decision for your health and your future.
For more information about MEND MEDICAL SERVICES, please visit www.mendmedical.org
The goal is to go, reach the unreached, and make disciples. About 95% of Myanmar nationals are following a god other than the God of the Bible. The vast majority of them would identify as Buddhist and some would identify with other religions. Out of this number, 84% have no immediate access to the Good news about Jesus Christ in their communities. But God has saved many people from Myanmar already. And He’s given them a desire in their hearts to reach unsaved people in their country with the Gospel.
In Myanmar culture, Gospel booklet distribution is one of the most effective ways to build relationships and open people’s hearts to the Gospel. Tungpi and his team mostly use the Gospel booklet called “The Ancient Path,” which has been translated into Burmese among many other Asian languages.
Tungpi has Christian parents who faithfully shared the Word with him from a young age, and Tungpi accepted Christ during childhood. He decided to serve the Lord vocationally after high school, so he pursued a Bachelor’s of Theology degree and a Master’s of Divinity degree. After he graduated with both, he worked at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary (where he received his M. Div) as a professor for a few years. While Tungpi was serving the Lord at the seminary, he met a man who had a deep burden for lost souls in Myanmar. This man was passionate about spreading the gospel in the fastest, broadest, and most effective way. Tungpi was so motivated by him for spreading the gospel in Myanmar that he joined in, reaching out to lost souls and going to many unreached villages to share the Gospel by showing evangelistic films and distributing “The Ancient Path.” Eventually Tungpi decided to leave the seminary so that he could do evangelism among unreached people groups full-time. He is still burdened to get “The Ancient Path” translated into the languages of the minority peoples in Myanmar because many of them don’t even have a single book of the Bible or any other Gospel literature.
Persecution Project is a non-denominational faith-based organization providing active compassion for the persecuted— with special emphasis on the war-torn nation of Sudan. We bring crisis relief and spiritual hope to victims of civil war, genocide and religious persecution. We also provide on-the-ground assistance while restoring hope and rebuilding communities through the love of Christ Jesus.
Persecution Project was founded in 1997 by Brad Phillips. In 1998, Brad traveled to war-ravaged Sudan and shot hours of video chronicling brutal persecution against Christians by the Islamist-controlled government. This began a long journey, taking Persecution Project through many corners of Sudan.
Persecution Project partners with local pastors and churches seeking to reach their communities with the love of Christ in WORD and DEED. To this end, Persecution Project assists the local church in providing for orphans and widows, distributing crisis relief and shelter items to the displaced and homeless, and encourage the persecuted through distribution of Scripture resources in print and audio form. In addition, Persecution Project works with local authorities to provide medical and safe water needs in remote areas not served by the traditional NGO community because of war or other limitations.
From 2011 to the present, Persecution Project has engaged in an intense campaign to assist one of Sudan’s largest Christian minorities living in the Nuba mountains of Sudan. Outreaches include safe water borehole repairs, medical relief and hospital support, crisis relief items for the displaced, and distribution of discipleship materials for evangelistic efforts by the local church.
For more information about PERSECUTION PROJECT, please visit persecutionproject.org
From our founding in 1934 through today, SGA has been working with churches in the former Soviet countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia to share the Gospel, help train leaders for the church, and to help the hurting and forgotten in the name of Jesus. Through a network of 6,350 evangelical churches in 10 countries across the former Soviet Union, Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) has the ability to distribute aid at the exact point of need.
We partner with local churches and missionaries to share Jesus’ love and help meet the specific needs leaders identify in their community. SGA works in Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The vast region stretches more than 4,000 miles with a population of 290 million.
Today, SGA connects evangelical churches and individuals in North America with local evangelical churches, pastors, and missionaries across Russia and the former Soviet nations to spread the Gospel in cities, towns and remote villages. SGA shares the Gospel with – and provides vital aid for – orphans living in state-run orphanages and children’s homes. These children face a dismal future without Christ - but SGA-supported missionaries aim to change that! SGA also strengthens indigenous evangelical churches through training for pastors, evangelists, and children’s workers, and partnering with these local leaders to meet humanitarian needs.
For more information about the SLAVIC GOSPEL ASSOCIATION, please visit www.sga.org
John and Gail served at Memorial Bible Church in Tulsa for 25 years before being called to Guatemala. In Guatemala John taught at Central America Theological Seminary initially and then pastored at the Union Church of Guatemala. They served in Guatemala for nearly ten years and then returned to Tulsa. In Tulsa John served as mentor to some of the local HIspanic pastors, assisted in preaching, teaching and training of Hispanic believers. Also since returning he has been involved with Avant's Hispanic Initiative by mentoring potential Hispanic missionaries via Zoom distance connections. He has connected with potential candidates from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Honduras. At this point two couples have continued this process and just recently were accepted as members of Avant and are in the process of developing prayer and financial partners for a future service in India.
Hunter and Laura Quinn are called to minister to University students in Cape Town as a part of the MTW church-planting team in South Africa. They long to see students come to love Christ and His Church, a desire planted in them through their time with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Oklahoma State. Having participated as both students in RUF and staff with RUF-International. Hunter & Laura understand how people desperately need to hear about Jesus and to join a gospel-centered church. This is especially true of Cape Town’s universities, where students from all across the African continent come to study, but also experience the pull of secularism, tribal religions, and false teaching.
While Hunter was earing his Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary and Laura was teaching special education at a Christian school, God began calling them to overseas missions. They spent several years going on missions trips to discern where God might be calling them before He gave them a specific heart for Christ’s Church in South Africa. They long to see Reformed churches spread in a country afflicted by the prosperity gospel. Pray for the Quinn’s as they evangelize and disciple university students in Cape Town.
We, Bryan and Kerra Twombly, met at a missionary training school in South Texas in 2013. After getting married the following year we graduated and moved to Bryan’s hometown of Stuart, FL to pursue pastoral training through his local church and The Expositors Seminary. After eight years of serving in the church, six of those years in seminary, having three babies, and working full-time in construction, the elders of Community Baptist Church ordained Bryan to be sent out as a church planter in the town of Madang, Papua New Guinea with FinisTerre Mission.
In 2023 we moved to Madang Town and began learning language and culture. Upon arriving we knew that whatever ministry we were going to do in town was going to have to be at a slow pace. Over the last year and into the next year our primary focus has been and will continue to be to learn and to make observations. For the first 7 months we went to the best church in town to our knowledge and once I, Bryan, was at a place linguistically to better understand my surroundings, I began visiting churches around town for a couple of Sundays in a row to make observations and get a more clear pulse on the state of the church in Madang as well as setting up meetings with pastors, trying to ask them as many questions as possible about the specifics of their churches.
Our goal in Madang Town is to see God raise up a mature church. As long as the Lord will allow us to serve here we will strive to see God’s Word faithfully and clearly preached, believers equipped for the work of ministry, men qualified and able to serve as elders in the church, and the church being a support of the truth in this broken world. We also desire to train men from the villages in the Finisterre mountain range and send New Guinean men into villages to plant churches in places that don’t have the Gospel, the Bible, or a church.
GBC holds a very tight relationship with the Twomblys due to Kerra being raised there and her family’s, the Fergusons, long term commitment as servants and members.
To Every Tribe exists to extend the worship of Christ among all peoples by mobilizing the church, training disciple-makers, and sending missionary teams to plant churches among the unreached. We seek to train obedience-oriented disciples who make other disciples in planting indigenous churches that are self-led, self-supporting, self-theologizing, and self-reproducing.
We believe God is sovereign over all, including the process of salvation, and strive to be God-centered. We believe every believer is to be publicly baptized immediately following conversion. We affirm the work of spiritual transformation is the Holy Spirit’s, and humbly seek to minister in the freedom Christ has granted from all external expectations other than those specifically stated in Scripture for Christians. We humbly commit ourselves to be a Spirit-led mission fueled by intercessory prayer.
We invest in extensive theological and missiological training of missionaries to equip them to thrive on the field and to enhance their ability to plant healthy churches. We are committed to ministry through communities of believers where individual gifts work together for the good and effectiveness of the whole and model the body of Christ to unbelievers. The first field assignment a To Every Tribe missionary has is to serve on a church planting team in Northern Mexico. During this first two-year term, our missionaries are trained, guided, and mentored by veteran missionaries and church planters. We help our missionaries learn how to cross a culture, be fruitful in mission, endure on the field, share the gospel, make disciples, and strategically plant churches. Throughout their first two years, our missionaries are involved in Mexico trips and debriefs, One-to-One mentoring, and yearly trips to other To Every Tribe mission fields. One year of the training is focused on the Mission and the other on the Missionary.
For more information about TO EVERY TRIBE, please visit www.toeverytribe.org
TMAI’S MISSION IS ALIGNED WITH OUR LORD’S GREAT COMMISSION IN MATTHEW 28:19-20 TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS. WE BELIEVE THAT THE MOST STRATEGIC WAY TO DO THIS IS TO TRAIN GIFTED AND QUALIFIED INDIGENOUS CHURCH LEADERS, GIVING THEM THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO PLANT AND PASTOR BIBLE-CENTERED, CHRIST-EXALTING CHURCHES.
At TMAI, our core values are based on biblical principles, and shape everything we do: The inerrant and sufficient Word of God is our ultimate authority. Therefore, we submit to His word in all areas of life and ministry. The church is the pillar and support of the truth, the institution that Christ promised to build. Therefore, our training has as its goal the strengthening of His church. The gospel of Jesus Christ alone is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1:16). Therefore, fundamental to our theological education is an accurate and thorough proclamation of this true gospel.
We uphold God’s high standard of holiness and integrity for spiritual leaders. Therefore, we provide accountability in doctrinal, financial, and academic matters. We approach international ministry with a commitment to honoring our co-laborers in other countries. Therefore, we purpose from the outset to train in a way so as to entrust the training ministries into their capable hands.
For more information about TMAI, please visit www.tmai.org