Missions
nicaragua
Pedro Batres is a native of El Salvador and a graduate of the Sunset School of Preaching in Lubbock, TX. He and his wife, Mireya, who holds a degree in social service and is from Nicaragua, worked in Nicaragua from 1971 to 1985, and in Guatemala from 1985 to 2000, when they moved to Nicaragua. Pedro has helped establish congregations and strengthen churches throughout Central America and the US. He currently works with the Nueva Libia congregation in Managua, teaches at the Nicaraguan Bible Institute that he helped found in 1975, and has a live radio program on Sunday mornings at 7 AM CST that can be heard on the internet at www.radiomipreferida.com.
Nicaragua
Henry Gutierrez has preached for the congregation in Juigalpa, Nicaragua (about 70 miles east of Managua) since 1989. He is a graduate of the Nicaraguan Bible Institute in Managua. In addition to his many ministerial duties, he teaches at the Nicaraguan Bible Institute in Managua and has a live radio program at 7 AM CST on Sunday mornings that can be heard on www.radiosabrosita.com. He and his wife, Rosa, have been married since 1991 and have three daughters, Eunice, Aurisol & Kimberly.
Italy
Falls Church began support of long-term missionaries Jay and Piera Young with their work in Italy and Ukraine in 2014, the year the Youngs celebrated their 50th year in the mission field. Due to declining health, Jay and Piera moved to assisted living in 2021 and were no longer able to continue traveling overseas. This is when the “Jay and Piera Young Mission Fund” was founded—administered by Falls Church—providing support for Salvatore Sparacello, preacher of the Palermo Church of Christ, the largest Italian congregation. This energetic church has administered a radio program throughout Italy as well as an online Bible Course and has continued to grow in recent years, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vietnam
Our brothers and sisters in Christ in Can Tho worship together regularly in this small room every Sunday and have an average weekly attendance of about 20 people. Sometimes the air conditioning or fan doesn’t work but they don’t complain and faithfully attend classes and worship services. We also have brothers and sisters meeting in the capital of Ho Chi Minh every week in a room lent to them by a friend. Our congregation helps support two missionary couples. The first are Hai and Loan Huynh. Hai graduated from Four Seas School of Missions and Evangelism in Singapore in 2012. He is now the preacher at the Can Tho church. The second couple are Hiep and Quyen Huynh. Hiep graduated from Four Seas in 2014. Hiep also preaches and teaches in the Can Tho church. Hiep and Hai travel to remote areas outside Can Tho to teach Bible stories to children and to provide school supplies, food, clothing, and other necessities to the poor. Hai and Hiep also alternate in preaching to the church in Ho Chi Minh on Sundays which is three and a half hours away.
Ethiopia
Habtu Zemech, a member and Elder of the Falls Church congregation, leads “My Neighbors Foundation,” a not-for profit organization funded primarily by Falls Church members. The foundation started in 2011 and it provides rental, medical and food assistance to the elderly and helps school age children with school fees, uniforms, and supplies. The program supports children who have different medical needs. For example, many children who were born with a club-foot birth defect receive assistance to surgically correct the deformity at a non-governmental hospital. In Ethiopia “My Neighbors Foundation” works with the Church of Christ Mission that provides different services in the country, such as deaf education, water wells, and five preacher training schools across the country.