Missions and Missionaries
Click on the Mission or Missionary name to learn more about their ministry. Clicking on a picture will also drive you to their website.
Bill & Aletha Green
“Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Rev. Bill & Aletha Green have served the cause of Reformed missions in Costa Rica and Latin America for 27 years in church planting, Christian school education, leadership training and publications.
The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century recovered the central biblical teachings of God’s sovereignty and grace in salvation, Christ’s lordship over the Church and the world, and the Holy Scripture’s role as infallible rule. This is called the “Reformed faith”, but this is the same Gospel taught by the early Church, and indeed by the apostles. The Green's passion is to see people come to faith in a sovereign and merciful God, in whose Word we can have absolute confidence.
In some countries of Latin America, Reformed churches have a long history. In other countries the Reformed faith is virtually non-existent. In all cases, the historic faith of the Church is under attack, either by liberal tendencies which undermine Scripture’s authority, or more recently by the neo-pentecostal “health and wealth” message.
Rev. Bill & Aletha Green have labored in church planting in Costa Rica, and are currently involved in their third church plant on the north east side of San Jose, Costa Rica. They also helped establish the Tepeyac Christian grade school and high school which Aletha served as principal for over 15 years. And Bill is Executive Secretary for the “Latin American Fellowship of Reformed Churches” (CLIR) which has as its goal bringing Reformed churches and groups together throughout Latin America to strengthen church leaders, provide support for those who need it, and serve the propagation and defense of the Reformed faith. Toward that end, CLIR has established a publishing ministry, and is providing Latin America with solid, Reformed resources.
Rev. Green provides updates of the work with their Facebook page: Reformed Missions in Latin America
CLIR (the Spanish acronym for the Latin American Fellowship of Reformed Churches) was begun well over a decade ago with the purpose of equipping the reformed church in Latin America with literature and leadership training for the work of the gospel. Over the last decade, we have been faithfully producing solid, confesisonally reformed literature in Spanish, as well as training through conferences and other educational endeavors, both here in Costa Rica and throughout Latin America.
The recently completed Costa Rica Ministry Center which houses the CLIR print shop, Tepeyac high school, and the Pacto de Gracia congregation was inaugurated April 6, 2018.
URCNA Missions Website
The URCNA Missions website provides information about foreign and domestic missions by the URCNA Federation. There is a map showing where our missionaries are located throughout the world. If you are interested in materials for evangelism and missions, go to the resources page. You can also download and sign-up for the latest issue of the Trumpet Magazine, the URCNA monthly missions newsletter, from the website.
Ontario, CA Spanish Language Ministry
Iglesia Reformada Unida de Ontario is a ministry to Spanish speakers in Ontario and the greater Los Angeles area. Rev. Taylor Kern is pastoring the church plant. Rev. Kern is a fully bilingual M.Div. graduate from Westminster Seminary California, and native to San Bernardino County. If you were to frequent the Ontario supermarkets, gas stations, and parks, you would quickly realize that more people speak Spanish in Ontario than English. Today Latinos make up nearly 40% of the country’s most populous state. Since Spring 2006, the English-language congregation in Ontario has sought to bring desperately needed light to this expansive Latino community through the Spanish-language ministry. Our hope is that Iglesia Reformada de Ontario may become a base from which Spanish-language church plants are formed all over greater Los Angeles.
Taylor and Ariana Kern
If you can read Spanish, here is a biographical sketch of Rev. Taylor Kern.
Taylor Kern nació y creció aquí en el sur de California, en la ciudad de San Bernardino. Se convertió al cristianismo bajo el ministerio de un pastor bautista de jóvenes quien también lo discipulaba en las escrituras hacia un entendimiento de las doctrinas de gracia. Luego estudió el Español en la universidad de California de Santa Barbara (UCSB). Ahí se juntó con una comunidad universitaria reformada (RUF) bajo el ministerio del Revdo. Jaimeson Stockhaus de la iglesia presbiteriana de America (PCA). Durante sus estudios se fue al Distrito Federal en Mexico para ser un estudiante de intercambio en la prestigiosa universidad nacional autónoma de Mexico (UNAM). En 2011 se casó con Ariana Martinez Kern y ahora tienen un hijo, Josiah. Pastor Taylor se graduó del seminario Westminster en Escondido California en 2015. Fue ordenado en 2016 con el cargo del ministerio en español.
Michael Brown, Andrea Ferrari, and Mihai Corcea
Rev. Michael Brown in Milan, Italy
Chiesa Evangelica Riformata ‘Filadelfia’ in Milan, Italy is pastored by Rev. Michael Brown, who is called and overseen by Escondido URC. They presently have about 50 members, and meet twice every Lord’s Day for worship and catechism classes. Read Rev. Brown’s updates at the Reformation Italy website.
Rev. Andrea Ferrari in Perugia, Italy
Rev. Andrea Ferrari is now living at and ministering to a group of Christians in the Italian city of Perugia. He is called and overseen by Christ URC in Santee, CA. Read Rev. Ferrari’s updates at the Reformation Italy website.
Vincenzo and Judit Coluccia in Lecce, Italy
Although Italy was the birthplace of the Renaissance, the Belpaese became the graveyard of the Reformation. During that time, the Roman Inquisition wiped out any real hope for an Italian Reformation. And then as today, Italians are still hostage of darkness.
In Italy, only 1% of the population belongs to a Protestant church, and of them, less than 150 believers are members of Reformed and Presbyterian churches. Therefore, today around 60 million of Italians are unable to hear God’s Word because there are not enough gospel-centered Christians and churches around them.
Vincenzo was born and raised in a Roman Catholic family in Lecce, Southern Italy. He was 25 when Christ saved him. Over the years the ministerial call was visible upon his life. So in 2016, after working ten years as an engineer, he quit his job to enroll in the Master of Divinity program at Westminster Seminary California. After completing his studies in June 2019, he continued to serve as a pastoral intern at New Life Presbyterian Church in Escondido (CA). Vincenzo has been called by MTW to plant a Presbyterian church in Lecce, and he is an ordained Teaching Elder of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) at South Coast Presbytery.
Please, pray that
They may get the legal status soon as non-profit;
Vincenzo's time-management, especially in light of the upcoming trips, meetings, and opportunity to strengthen new relationships with other Italian and European ministers;
As they continue working on the remaining part of the fundraising;
The church plant in Lecce may thrive.
Rev. Mihai Corcea
Mihai & Lidia Corcea
Rev. Mihai Corcea graduated from Westminster Seminary California in May 2016, Mihai was examined by Classis Southwest US on July 19th 2016 and then ordained as a URCNA minister by Christ URC Santee, CA on July 24 2016. Following his ordination, Mihai and his wife Lidia returned to his home country as a missionary to Bucharest, the capital of Romania. For more information about the work in Romania, go to Reformation Romania website. His latest newsletter can be viewed from here.
Mihai writes: "This is the mission of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Bucharest, to preach the Gospel of Christ to the people of Bucharest, to bring people the good news that God, by his grace, gives away freely a bread which nourishes our souls for eternal life."
Yi, Huimin, Alessio, and Berit wANG
Rev. Yi Wang
Rev. Yi Wang was born in northern China and became a Christian while studying architecture at the University of Turin in Italy. As a new Christian, hungry to learn God's word, he came upon Reformed literature online. As he began reading John Calvin and some of the Puritans, he started looking for a Reformed church and made contact with Rev. Ferrari in Milan, Italy. Yi and his wife Huimin became members of Chiesa Reformata Filidelfia in 2013. And then came to Westminster Seminary in California in 2015. He graduated from Westminster Seminary California in May 2018.
On November 24, 2019 Yi was ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament at Christ Reformed Church. He is called by God’s grace to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Mandarin speaking peoples in the greater Los Angeles area.
Rev. Wang is married to Huimin. They have two sons Alessio and Berit.
For more information about the Mandarin speaking worship services at Christ Reformed Church visit the website www.ccreformed.org (Covenant Chinese Reformed).
pROVIDENCE cHRISTIAN cOLLEGE
Providence Christian College
At Providence, faith is integral to learning – in every subject. Learning assumes that faith is the engine, the driver, the heart of knowing. Here it’s called Faith Guided Learning™ because the Scriptures give purpose and freedom to learning.
The principles that guide Providence are adherence to the teachings of Scripture, Christ-centeredness in both doctrine and practice, and faithful service in extending the Kingdom of God into every area of life. These principles are woven throughout the Providence experience, from school mission statement to syllabus.
Westminster tHEOLOGICAL sEMINARY
Westminster Seminary California
"For Christ, His Gospel, and His Church"
Westminster Seminary California (WSC) exists to support the church's mission to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners through the education and preparation of future teachers, preachers, and missionaries. The Seminary believes that Christ works through His Word to build His Church. The Church needs, above all, faithful ministers and teachers who know the Scriptures and are committed to defending them in this world.
Dr. W. Robert Godfrey writes: "We believe the church is best served by those who know and love God's Word. Through my 43 years of teaching, I have become convinced that better churches make better Christians, better pastors make better churches, and better seminaries make better pastors."
kIM rIDDLEBARGER & Michael hORTON
White Horse Inn
"Know what you believe and why you believe it."
The White Horse Inn (WHI) is a radio talk-show exploring issues of Reformation theology in American Christianity. WHI is now a part of Sola Media where you will find resources such as Modern Reformation and Core Christianity as well. White Horse Inn
mODERN rEFORMATION mAGAZINE
A bi-monthly magazine dealing with theology, apologetics, and cultural issues. Since the late 1980s, Michael Horton has been host of the White Horse Inn and editor in chief of Modern Reformation.
The editors believe that each generation must rediscover and apply the gospel to their own time. They long to see a second reformation – a modern Reformation take hold of churches and return to the God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-wrought places of worship they should be. Over the past twenty years, the editors have grown more hopeful that such a reformation is possible. So, they are putting their time and resources to work toward one, helping Christians “know what they believe and why they believe it.”
"I believe God has raised up Modern Reformation as a voice to call us back to the Scriptures as our only infallible guide to truth." –Jerry Bridges, staff, The Navigators
"[Modern Reformation] has championed confessional Reformation theology in an anti-confessional and anti-theological age." –J. Ligon Duncan, III, senior minister, First Presbyterian Church
Word and Deed - Malawi Projects
Word & Deed partners with Chibulika Orphan Care, Lizulu Orphan Care Centre, Logos Ministries, Neighbour Mission Orphan Care, New Life Girls' Home and True Friends Orphan Care in Malawi.
Christian Education Program: This program works in the Central Church of Africa, Presbyterian (CCAP) churches under the leadership of Logos Ministries, to educate youth about biblical lifestyles. The root of the AIDS problem in Africa is behavioral and needs to be addressed using the instructive principles of God’s Word. Those who are involved in teaching children from Sunday School through catechism age are trained to instruct youth in biblical principles relating to marriage and family relationships, HIV/AIDS, church and society, leadership and doctrine.
Logos Ministries: The winds of change are affecting almost every sector of public and private life in Malawi. Traditional practices and beliefs are being questioned and abandoned in many places. The wholesale importation of western videos has completely changed the morality and values of an entire generation of the young people in Malawi. The goal of Logos Ministries is to create an understanding of the major issues of modernity as they affect the people of Malawi, and to explore some of the ways in which God wants His people to approach these problems and situations.
After working closely with the Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian (CCAP; a large denomination of over 1 million members) for a number of years on the orphan sponsorship program, Word & Deed was given the opportunity to provide CCAP pastors, elders and leaders with the practical and doctrinal tools they need to better serve their congregations (which often number in the thousands). To that end, and in partnership with CCAP, Word & Deed offers training seminars to church leaders to equip men in CCAP churches to lead and instruct their flocks. Multiple seminars are held each month, and are conducted by visiting pastors and teachers, as well as by Logos staff.
Orphan Care Programs: Word & Deed first became involved in Malawi to take over the orphan program begun by Dr. Timothy & Dorothy Monsma. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. There are an estimated one million orphans in Malawi, mostly as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Word & Deed currently partners with the Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian (CCAP) in meeting the basic physical and spiritual needs of several thousand orphans in the village based orphan care projects listed below. The orphan care centers serve as a base where children and their caregivers can go to receive biblical instruction as well as assistance with food, education, clothing, agricultural inputs, and other necessities.
Chibulika Orphan Care
Neighbour Mission Orphan Care (Salima)
True Friends Orphan Care
Lizulu Orphan Care Centre
African bIBLE cOLLEGE IN mALAWI
African Bible Colleges train Christian leaders across the continent of Africa. There are now three African Bible Colleges in Africa: Malawi, Liberia, and Uganda. We support the one in Malawi.
The African Bible College in Malawi offers a bachelor of arts and master of divinity degrees in biblical studies. Students come from Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Mozambique.
aRTESIA cHRISTIAN hOME
"Do not cast me away when I am old, do not forsake me when my strength is gone." (Psalm 71:9)
The Artesia Christian Home located in Artesia, CA has been offering quality services to the elderly community for over 50 years. The home is supported by local Reformed Churches. Our own Ron Ornee is on the board of directors.
Memory care community Facility
The new Memory Care Community building is a single story, residential dwelling for people living with Alzheimer's and other types of Dementia. The facility is a licensed, 24 hour care community, with a garden for residents to freely and securely go in and out as they please. The home is divided into two separate sections connected by one large common activity room, each section has 14 beds and its own country kitchen. The facility is located on 18105 Mundare Avenue in the city of Artesia.
