Mark and Cindy Irwin

As career missionaries, we have been privileged to assist the local church in Latin America, countries of the former Soviet Union, and the U.S. Our goal has been to build up the body of Christ so national

believers will be motivated and committed to train others to follow Him.

We served 25 years in missionary broadcast ministries. For more than a decade, we have been honored to help Muslim-background believers. For the past three years, we’ve been reaching out to disciple people from Muslim backgrounds in the U.S. Now, the Lord is leading us to turn our full focus toward ministry among Muslims who have left their homelands.

Later this year, we plan to move to Europe to join a group of Muslim-background believers. They’ve start new fellowships and train new church leaders. We will work with a group already helping to establish fellowships within their home country in the Middle East and among emigrant communities in Europe.

You can partner with us in ministry by praying for us as we…

• Move to Europe in late 2012
• Learn a new language
• Acclimate to the culture in which we will work
• Assist the church so they can make disciples more effectively
• Mentor current/future church leaders

Donate to this ministry.

Pat Russell

In a city in China, women gather from various places for a weekend retreat. Though they do not know each other, they mutually desire a deeper connection to God and women who
are leaders in other Christian communities. For the next 18 months, they will leave family, work and ministry to meet regularly.

I’m part of a leadership team that guides and teaches these wonderful women. I desire to lead them into a more intimate relationship with Jesus so they will fully experience the depth of His love for them in every season and know how to care for their soul in the midst of their very busy, pressed lives. This is my work with Paraclete.

After a year and a half, the women have tools to strengthen their souls, and have deep friendships with other women. I do not minister to create a dependency, but to build them up in Christ. I pray they will be able to do the same for others. In the process, my own soul is encouraged by their courage
and openness to the work of Christ, no matter the cost.

Linda Swanson

Our God, who doesn’t waste anything, is amazing! He has taken my history as a Mission Aviation Fellowship missionary, my experience at a retreat center for clergy, and my roles as a retreat speaker, writer, editor, spiritual director, and administrator and placed me with Paraclete to care for pastors, missionaries and people in my congregation.

I'm privileged to serve as a speaker and organizer at several retreats each year. My husband and I travel to Kalimantan, Indonesia, to speak at the annual MAF staff retreat. We lead marriage retreats for clergy and lay people, and I travel with Women of the Harvest to put on retreats for missionary women. As a writer and editor, I come alongside Paraclete, Link Care Center, Women of the Harvest and Metro Community Church to assist with newsletters, brochures, blogs and web site content. My blog, Journey in Process , gives me the opportunity to encourage and mentor women around the world. Spiritual direction is another component of my caring role. Skype and the Internet allow me to have significant conversations with missionary women. My home is a safe place to meet with women from my congregation.

God has blessed me with a place to serve that fits the gifts and experiences He has given me. I’m thankful for the people who pray and give so I can serve. What a wonderful God! What a wonderful team!

Donate to this ministry.

Gary and Sandy Wittevrongel

In February, we became Paraclete Associates. We’re very excited to come alongside missionaries, mission teams and nationals with a message of grace, healing, and identity in Christ. While ministering in our previous mission agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I was asked by a young believer, “What do you do here?” I told her it was easier to describe my effect than what I do. She asked, “Then what is your effect?”  I responded, “When I spend time with believers, they rise up and take their place in the
Kingdom of God. Then, they outdo me in everything! That’s my effect.” With a smile she said, “That’s a good effect!”

We had been working at the time as team leaders for a church planting team, but over the next several years, our mission organization recognized our effect was valuable for other missionaries and teams. They asked us to broaden our coaching audience. We are humbled and delighted by the results. Now, with Paraclete, we have an even broader scope of ministry.

Julie Field

Julie comes to Paraclete after 24 years of retail sales management, and eight years of full-time ministry and non-profit management. A licensed minister, she adds rich education to her experience; M.A. in Cross-cultural Leadership from Fuller Seminary, and holds certificates in Mediation, Human Resource Management and TESOL.

A missionary with the heart of a pastor, “Julie cares for our souls”, says Bamlaku Dessie, an emerging leader she mentors in Northern Ethiopia. Julie comes alongside “Simply the Story, Oral Bible Inductive Style,” as part of a leadership team that teaches workshops around the world. Julie is excited to help lead women’s conferences in Northern Ethiopia and Kenya. Only 30% of Ethiopian girls complete high school. Overcrowding in the classes, lack of community support and traditional cultural expectations do not give girls the opportunity to complete their education and become the women they were created
to be.

PinkGirl targets high school girls with a tutoring program, life skills classes and provides educational assistance to impoverished Ethiopian young women. Today, the pilot program supports over 110 girls on four Compassion International/Ethiopian church campuses in Northern Ethiopia. Julie is the Executive Director and is truly in her “sweet spot.” (PINK-Power In Knowledge)

Barbara Boers Joins the Paraclete Board

Paraclete welcomes Barbara Boers to its Board of Directors. She brings both financial and cross-cultural depth. Barbara served as a missionary with HCJB Global—first as an accountant in Ecuador for twelve years, and then, three years as a vice president. Currently, she lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is the CFO of the Reformed Church in America. She says, “I have been seeking an opportunity to serve on the board of a non-profit organization, and I am thrilled that the door opened to work with Paraclete. I have a passion for evangelism and for helping organizations function efficiently in order to keep their call and purpose primary.”

Paraclete Associates Prayer Focus – Fall/Winter 2012-2013

Your prayers for traveling mercies are always appreciated, and never more than in these turbulent times in the Middle East. Please also pray for the preparation times and logistical details involved with each ministry opportunity below. Thank you for your constant and faithful support. 

Dave and Debbie Bochman

11/2-4 Aphesis Discipleship Facilitator Training Conference Boise, ID (Dave and Debbie)

12/14-15 Aphesis Annual Planning Meeting (Dave)

1/13-15 Meeting in Hong Kong with local seminary (Dave)

1/16-21 Team building/Leadership development consultation for Chinese ministry leaders in Thailand (Dave)

1/22-28 Aphesis Discipleship Facilitator Training Conference for largest mission working in China – in Thailand (Dave and Debbie)

3/6-12 Aphesis Discipleship Facilitator Training Conference China (Dave)

Carey Childrey

11/2-5 TN Ministry Trip

12/14-17 SC Ministry Trip

1/27-29 Washington DC Ministry Trip

2/22-29 CA Ministry Trip

Jan.-Mar. Writing/study on impacting nations for Christ

Julie Field

10/20-27 “Simply the Story” workshop Oral Bible inductive style Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

11/15-2/15 Raising awareness of PinkGirl and STS. (Grandson to be born 1/24/13) CA

2/15-4/15 PinkGirl leadership development, Assist Grace Center for Families, Ethiopia

5/25-7/1 Baylor University short-term mission for PinkGirl, prep for Women’s Conference, Ethiopia

Jerry Hogshead

November Training with national partners working in urban poor communities in India and Bangladesh

Nov.-Mar. Skype and email coaching with national partners

February Training and partnership meetings in India and Bangladesh

Mark and Cindy Irwin

2012-13 Move to Europe in late 2012, learn a new language, acclimate to the culture, assist the church,mentor current and future church leaders

Tom and Bonnie Kopp

On-going Need for prayer/financial partners

Jim and Arline Parris

11/1-6 Mentoring, Marriage Training for Pastors Stettler, Alberta, Canada

12/1-12 Trip for ministry to pastors and families, Uganda

2/1-3/8 Trip to mentor, equip, strengthen pastors and workers, South Africa

On-going Follow-up: Global pastors and ministry workers via technology

Gordon and Judy Rohn

February Go Ye Fellowship committee & Trustee meetings

On-going Meetings, events, and counseling opportunities in five Chaplain positions and three other offices at various levels, American Legion & American Veterans Association

On-going In-person and phone meetings for three ministries leadership/steering/event planning committees.

Monthly Church Mission Committee meetings

Larry and Jean Rus

On-going Identify and communicate regarding administrative consulting opportunities

11/13 Board meeting for Olive Tree Counseling Center for Eurasia - Michigan

2/8-12 International Weekend & Retreat Grace Community Church, Tempe AZ

Pat Russell

2013 Teaching at retreat and personal visits with women, China

Linda Swanson

February  retreat for missionary women, Portugal

Fall/Winter Providing Member Care through Spiritual Direction

Fall/Winter Providing Administrative assistance to Paraclete, Link Care, Thrive, and Metro Community Church

Jim and Leta Van Meter

On-going Advising missionaries on sabbatical

11/5-9 Life Story Retreat, Colorado Springs

On-going Soul Care Mentoring for Mission Leaders 

Pending Pre-field training for a short-term team

Glen and Shelly Volkhardt

11/14–16 Leadership Development Council in Chicago (Glen)

12/13 Paraclete Board Meeting (Glen)

2/15 Biola Alumni Meeting

3/7–8 COICOM (Latin American Christian Media) board meeting

4/23 Teaching Cross-cultural Communication to MAF new missionaries

Mick Wilson

1/6-20 One-on-One ministry to Christian workers and their children who have suffered the loss of a loved one, ministry assignment or job

Pray for these workers, the effectiveness of

their ministry, safety, and for tho