[1]From American Samoa to Montreal, Quebec, more than 5,000 North American missionaries are involved daily in fulfilling the Great Commission. During the March 3-10 Week of Prayer for North American Missions and throughout the year, remember to pray for these featured representative missionaries — as well as their counterparts across the continent.
Marc and Sandra Johnston, Florida
Marc Johnston has served as resort ministries director for the Greater Orlando Baptist Association since 1994. Last year the couple worked with 1,500 volunteers, many of them college students who witness through creative arts and other ministries in the Orlando area — which attracts 46 million visitors each year. Pray for Marc and Sandra as they seek guidance about the best way to provide housing for greater numbers of volunteers.
Stu and Jan Cundiff, Indiana
Stuart Cundiff is director of missions for South Central Baptist Association in Columbus, Ind., and Jan serves as state literacy missions consultant. Using innovative approaches, including contemporary worship and country music, the association has started several new churches in the eight-county region. It has grown from nine churches and one mission to twenty churches and five missions in the past few years. Pray with the Cundiffs that God would call more indigenous pastors for the churches.
Tom and Rhoda Anderson, Oklahoma
As a catalytic church-planting missionary, Tom Anderson works with four associations of Native American tribes across Southeastern Oklahoma. He works with directors of missions to plant new churches, provide leadership training, and help the work to grow. In addition to visiting and consulting with ninety churches, he also is personally involved — along with Rhoda — in starting churches. Join the Andersons in prayer that God would provide a permanent worship site and pastor for the mission congregation where he now serves as interim pastor.
Wesley Garrett, Washington, D.C.
As a child growing up in Newport News, Va., Wesley Garrett received food and clothing from loving Christians at the Friendship House Baptist ministry center. Those experiences prepared him for his current work as director of the Johenning Baptist Center in inner-city Washington, D.C Among his greatest joys are building relationships with neighborhood children, seeing them come to Christ, and watching them grow. Pray with Wesley for committed volunteers willing to mentor children.
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Bill and Annette Breunle, California
As a church planter strategist, Bill Breunle disciples and encourages church planters in northern California, and is also pastor of a new church. A former body builder, professional wrestler, and health club owner, Bill describes his ministry style as being "a Barnabus, not a dictator." In the post-Christian culture of northern California he finds that traditional methods often fail, but that God still creates ways of building relationships. Pray with the Breunles that more churches can be started, and that people will choose to follow Christ.
Gihwang and Hye Sun Shin, Washington
There are 107 different language groups in the Seattle area, where Gihwang Shin serves as language new work strategist. Gihwang, himself Korean, currently works with fifteen of those groups. In addition to the challenges of working with so many cultures, Gihwang and Hye Sun also find challenges in the differences between first-generation immigrants and their second-generation children. Join them in prayer that God will help ethnic and Anglo churches work as partners in starting churches among Native Americans on forty-six reservations in the area.
Norman and Lori Flowers, Texas
Before becoming a campus evangelism coordinator, Norman Flowers served for many years as a youth minister. It was then that he caught a vision for reaching young people on their campuses. "That's where the lost students are," he said. "They don't come to church or our events, but they do go to school." Norman encourages the formation of student-led evangelistic Christian clubs on campuses. Pray with Norman that doors will remain open for students to share their faith at school.