First Baptist Church is a strong supporter of missionaries both in Canada and internationally. Keep reading to get to know some of our missionary families.
Earl and Kathy Cooper
Serving with: ABWE Canada (Across Borders for World Evangelism)
Serving in: Canada/Africa
The Coopers spent 25 years in pastoral ministry in Ontario before the Lord called Earl to serve with ABWE as International Professor of Theology. Their focus is on training national pastors in West Africa. In this role, Earl does extensive traveling in Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cameroon, spending time in Bible Colleges and Institutes sharing the riches of the Word of God with pastors and students so that they can share those riches with others.
Hillside Church Plant
Serving in: Milton, Ontario
Learn more about Hillside Church on their website here.
Chris and Karyn Ball
Serving with: MAF Canada (Mission Aviation Fellowship)
Serving in: Africa
Chris grew up in southern Ontario as a pastor’s kid, and accepted Christ at the age of 8. In high school, Chris was on an overseas mission trip where God called him into ministry. Following high school, he attended Heritage Bible College where he completed a one-year certificate in Bible. During this time he also received flight training at the Waterloo Airport. He realized this was his passion and a practical way to serve God. Chris continued his studies at Prairie School of Mission Aviation in Three Hills, AB, and continued on as a flight instructor after graduation.
Karyn also grew up in Ontario as a pastor’s kid. She accepted Christ at the age of 5 and dedicated herself to following Him through camp and youth ministries. After completing a one-year certificate program at Heritage Bible College, she went on a mission trip to Kenya and felt God calling her to missions. She studied biology at York University in Toronto, ON, and then completed teacher’s college. She taught in an inner-city school, furthering her passion for reaching those in need.
Chris and Karyn met during their time at Heritage Bible College. They were married in the summer of 2011, with the dream of entering the mission field together. For the past few years Chris and Karyn have been living in Northern Ontario where Chris gained experience as a pilot serving remote communities. Chris and Karyn are proud parents of a son, William, and daughter, Addy.
As Chris and Karyn continue to fulfill their calling to physically and spiritually help those in need in South Sudan, we invite you to prayerfully consider joining their ministry partnership team with regular financial support that will help to make the work they are involved in with MAF possible.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with Chris and Karyn as they serve the Lord with MAF in South Sudan.
Rob and Kathryn Fleming
Serving with: Fellowship International (The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada)
Serving in: Japan
Rob and Kathryn are natives of Timmins. Kathryn grew up in First Baptist Church where her parents were members. Robʼs father was a high school teacher and Kathrynʼs father an O.P.P officer. The Flemings have served in Japan since 1994 as church planters. One of the significant ministries they have begun is designed for youth. OASIS has provided for Kathryn and Rob some open doors to young people, and to their parents. The devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011 also created opportunities not only to help people physically and materially but also to minister to them spiritually and to provide the comfort and encouragement that only God can give when life falls apart.
Learn more about Rob and Kathryn here.
Dianne Friesen
Serving with: Wycliffe Bible Translators
Serving in: Nova Scotia
Dianne works with the Mi’kmaq people on Cape Breton Island. Her task is to translate the Scriptures and other resources into the Miʼkmaq language so that this First Nation will have the Word of God in their heart language expressed in a way that they understand the best. Such projects take huge blocks of times as translations are revised, checked, revised and corrected again.
Learn more about Dianne here.
Peter and Betty Green
Serving with: Wycliffe Bible Translators
Serving in: Philippines
Peter and Betty Green met, by “divine design” in the late 90s. Peter, and his wife, Chris, had served in Mexico in translation ministry since the 70s. Betty, and her husband, Don, had served both in Quebec and Mozambique. In 1997, Don died of ALS and Chris died of cancer. Mutual friends decided that Peter and Betty should meet and the rest, as they say, is history. Peter and Betty have now been serving in translation ministry in the Philippines since 2000. The work of the translation of the Scriptures and other resources, into local dialects, is an exacting one, requiring hours of checking and rechecking to guarantee accuracy before going to print.
Learn more the Green’s here.
Edwin and Helmi Karwur
Serving with: Fellowship International (The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada)
Serving in: Indonesia
Helmi and Edwin met at the Indonesian Theological Seminary in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. In 1995 they married. Edwin pursued further education in Canada. They returned to Indonesia in 2006, where Edwin has been teaching at the same seminary he once attended and also spearheading the efforts of the students as they reach out to establish churches in communities which had never been exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At present there are five church-planting projects underway in North Sulawesi. Edwinʼs passion for reaching people has translated into a like passion in his students.
Jon and Jill Mork
Serving with: Wycliffe Bible Translators
Serving in: Papua, New Guinea
Jill Mork is a native of Timmins and grew up in First Baptist Church where her parents were members. Jon and Jill work with Wycliffe Bible Translators in New Guinea where Jon is a pilot. He carries translators to their villages and transports mission personnel back and forth to their various assignments. He is also responsible for training new pilots and is sometimes called upon to do medical evacuation flights. Jill works in the personnel department and arranges for visas and work permits for new missionaries.
Nathan and Sarah Montgomery
Serving with: Mission Aviation Fellowship
Serving in: Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
Sarah grew up in Forest, Ontario in a strong Christian family and was the second oldest of 6 children. She accepted Christ as Saviour at age 11 and continued to grow in her faith and understanding of Christ throughout her teens years. During this time she was able to serve for 2 weeks in Dominican Republic with a short term missions team. Through this experience and also after attending a missions conference in 1996, Sarah began to see that God was preparing her heart to serve Him, where ever He chose to place her.
Sarah loves working with children and has been actively involved in her home church in children’s ministry. She is grateful that God has allowed her to be a stay at home mom and be able to serve her family in this way.
Nathan was born and raised in Forest Ontario, a small town in southwestern Ontario. While attending a missions conference at 17 years old, he felt God’s call to mission work with MAF. This call helped to guide his decision to pursue a career in aircraft maintenance. Following high school, Nathan attended Centennial College, graduating in 2000 from the aircraft maintenance program. From there, Nathan started working for Air Ontario…. which later became Jazz Air in London Ontario, finishing his apprenticeship and becoming an AME. In the fall of 2011, Nathan again felt called to re-engage with MAF and began the application process. In June, 2013 Jazz closed their London base and moved the work to Halifax, NS, effectively ending his employment with Jazz. August 2000 was also the year Nathan and Sarah were married. Sarah and Nathan are proud parents to Hannah, Jasmine, Aliyah and Lauren.
Learn more about Nathan and Sarah here.
Miriam Tyers
Serving with: ABWE Canada (Across Borders for World Evangelism)
Serving in: Portugal
Miriam has many years of experience in ministry in Portugal. She specializes in work with children and youth, and is actively engaged in outreach through program such as ESL (English as a Second Language). God has opened doors of opportunity for Miriam to do ministry with students in the public education system in Portugal, as well as to train others to do this vital work of reaching youth for Christ.
Learn more about Miriam here.
Summer Missions 2023
Isabel Rheault
Serving with: Family Legacy
Serving in: Lusaka, Zambia
Isabel was born and raised in Timmins, Ontario and started attending First Baptist Church in 2015. FBC is where she first heard about the Gospel, gave her life to Christ, and grew in her love for children’s ministry. Isabel is currently working towards completing an undergraduate in dietetics at Ottawa University.
Isabel loves working with children and has been actively serving in FBCs children ministry as a teacher and teachers assistant. Through participating as an FBC summer intern in 2022, the Lord has increasingly grown this passion.
This 2023 summer, from May 30th – July 16th, Isabel will be going to Lusaka, Zambia where she will be serving as a summer camp counselor. Family Legacy camp works to serve the vulnerable children of Lusaka through proclaiming the hope of the Gospel, caring for their practical needs, and providing a safe place for these children to learn and play.
If you would like to support the work the Lord will be doing this summer in Lusaka, through prayer and/or financially, please visit: https://give.familylegacy.com/mobilization/Rheault-2023-Camp-726