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August 20, 2008
New mission appointees begin service
Assignments stretch from Mexico-U.S. border to Korea
By Pat Cole
Associate for Mission Communications
LOUISVILLE — Twelve new Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission appointees completed orientation last month and have begun their international assignments.
K. J. BaeK. J. Bae joins his wife, Sook Hee, in mission service in Seoul, Korea. Sook Hee, who was appointed to mission service in 2000, is facilitator of the Women Ministers Association of the Presbyterian Church of Korea. She offers a ministry of compassion to battered women and teenagers and empowers female clergy by offering them counseling and continuing education. K. J. assists Sook Hee in her work.
After taking early retirement as a chemist from Crompton Corp. in Tarrytown, NY, in 2005, Bae moved to Korea to accompany his wife. He now will be working alongside her under PC(USA) appointment.
Paul and Darlene HellerPaul and Darlene Heller are serving with the Ministry of Hope, a crisis nursery in Mzuzu, Malawi. Paul is director and Darlene serves as matron.
The Ministry of Hope, which is based in Lilongwe, operates a nursery in that city and feeding centers in six villages. The Ministry of Hope nurseries care for children born with AIDS or who have been abandoned in other life-threatening situations.
Paul was pastor of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations for 35 years, most recently serving at First Presbyterian Church in Plattsburgh, NY, where he spent 17 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College and a Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Darlene was a public health nurse, working as an in-service educator with the Clinton County Health Department in Plattsburgh. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Cornell University.
Jane HolslagJane Holslag is returning to mission service as a professor of theology and English at LCC International University in Klaipeda, Lithuania. She also works with congregations in the Evangelical Reformed Church of Lithuania and with the theological faculty of the University of Klaipeda.
She resumes her duties on the LCC faculty after taking a study leave to pursue doctoral studies in Germany. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Prior to entering mission service, she worked with youth and students at First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs and served as associate pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, CA. She is a member of the Presbytery of Los Ranchos.
Amy RobinsonAmy Robinson is U.S. coordinator of Pasos de Fe, one of six sites along the U.S./Mexico border that are part of the Presbyterian Border Ministry. Presbyterian Border Ministry is a joint mission of the PC(USA) and the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico. Its ministries include evangelism, new church development, community health and development, and mission education.
Robinson facilitates the work of short-term mission teams from U.S. congregations, working with colleagues from the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico to help teams plan work, worship and living arrangements.
A former PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer, Robinson holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Whitworth College in Spokane, WA, and a Master of Divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Doug and Liz SearlesDoug and Liz Searles are consultants and evangelists working in church growth, small group development, music ministry, and an English as a second language (ESL) program with the Evangelical-Reformed Church in Poland.
The Evangelical-Reformed Church was founded in 1551, but presently has only 10 ordained pastors, 10 churches and four preaching points.
From 2001 to 2007 the couple served in international mission with Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. They trained English teachers in western Sichuan Province in China. They also served shorter terms overseas as English teachers in China’s Changchun, Jilin Province and on the staff of Woodstock School in India.
Doug is an ordained American Baptist pastor who also holds ministerial standing with the United Church of Christ. He has served congregations in Illinois and Iowa. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University and a Master of Divinity degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Liz has experience as a newspaper reporter and editorial writer, an account representative for a classical radio station, founder of a drama troupe, and a college English teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, a master’s degree in English literature from DePaul University in Chicago, and a doctorate in English literature from Loyola University of Chicago. She is a member of Schleswig United Church of Christ in Schleswig, Iowa.
Bruce and Lora Whearty Lora and Bruce Whearty are serving in educational mission in schools related to the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, based in Addis Ababa.
The Wheartys are returning to mission service, having worked in Vanuatu as educators from 1992 to 1994 and from 2002 to 2005. From 2005 to 2008 they served in the national offices of the PC(USA) in Louisville. Lora chaired the team that organized Mission Challenge ’07, the nationwide effort to reconnect Presbyterian congregations with mission workers around the world. Bruce was a member of that team and also helped mission workers plan their interpretation assignments.
Lora will be teaching English at Bethel Mekane Yesus Girls’ School, and Bruce will be involved in teacher training with several schools.
The Wheartys were public school teachers in their native Montana prior to entering mission service. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Montana State University. Bruce is also a graduate of Montana State, earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational computing. He is completing requirements for a doctorate in teaching and learning from the University of Louisville.
They are ordained PC(USA) elders and members of Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church in Louisville.
Three other PC(USA) mission appointees completed orientation in July. The three — two who will serve in educational ministry and one in health care — are currently engaged in language study.
Also attending orientation was Bob Louer, a recent seminary graduate who is being sent to Zambia by Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. He is the congregation’s second global mission fellow.
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