Missions

Missions

Fair Havens Community Church is a fellowship of believers that is focused on the Lost.  It is our desire to know Christ and to make Him known.  Our missions emphasis and focus is on making Christ known both locally and globally. Some of our international missionaries are in closed countries.  By closed we mean that these countries are closed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Due to safety reasons we are unable to comment on their activities. In this area of our website we can and do report on our missionaries who work in open environments.

Short Term Mission

March 4-20, 2019
March 4-20, 2019

Pastor David and Ann Sparrow have just returned from South Africa where they were on missions for 9 days in Adelaide in the Eastern Cape Province partnering with the Bible Zone.

Missionaries Working in Canada

Kelly Souffer
Kelly Souffer

Kelly Souffer serves with Urban Promise in Toronto. She is a COMMUNITY DIRECTOR.

Kelly’s background as an athlete led her into sports ministry and eventually to Urban Promise in 2005. Nowadays Kelly is widely known as ‘Mama Kells’ among youth in the Warden Woods community. Kelly has special giftedness in making people laugh, and creating music video spoofs.

Kelly also grew up through Fair Havens Community Church.

Gary and Betty Stevenson
Gary and Betty Stevenson

Gary is the BC Training & Internship Coordinator with Frontiers, an organization that is committed to sharing the gospel message with Muslims (who represent 23% of the world’s population).

International Missionaries

We are not able to display or broadcast some of our missionaries for safety and security reasons.

Brian and Linda
Brian and Linda

Brian and Linda serve in Chiang Mai, Thailand with OMF. They are involved with candidate processing, field orientation, and pastoral care of field missionaries for Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and SW China. They also serve as church advisors for the Inter Tribal Church in Chiang Mai.

Kevin and Lynn Baker
Kevin and Lynn Baker

In 1990, Kevin and Lynn Baker with their three young sons applied to TWR Canada to do a one-year missionary assignment on the beautiful island of Bonaire. They had been interested in missions for quite some time. While on Bonaire, Kevin used his skills as a tool and die maker to make parts for tools, repairs and also found out he loved to do the tower rigging.  Lynn took care of their small children at home and helped on the hospitality team.

Kevin and Lynn were career missionaries with TWR from 1995-2000 on the island of Bonaire.  In 2000 they returned to Canada where they ministered with Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada as support staff. In 2011, they felt God calling them back to radio ministry and were accepted with TWR Canada that year. They have ministered on the island of Guam, for a short term, Kevin on the rigging team and Lynn in the programming departments. In 2013, they were invited back on the island of Bonaire with TWR as long term career missionaries.

Kevin and Lynn have three grown sons and three grandchildren.

“It has been a real blessing to hear the reports of listeners who have heard the radio broadcasts, and found a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and grown in their Christian walk, finding peace and hope.”

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).

Marty and Ron Barkey
Marty and Ron Barkey

Marty and Ron Barkey have been serving Wycliffe for about 40 years, first in Peru, then at the linguistic training center in Canada and presently at the Jaars Center near Waxhaw, North Carolina. Ron serves as Office Manager in HR and does government required drug and alcohol testing for aviation. Marty directs ICC (Intercultural Communication Course), which is cross cultural training for new missionaries and travels globally facilitating spiritual and relational vitality retreats for missionaries and nationals.

Through the years they have been blessed with a strong financial and prayer support team. Only recently have some of their earlier (older) supporters been unable to continue. (promoted to Glory).

Mission's Policy

(As of December 20th, 2015)

All Missionaries supported by the Fair Havens Community Church must familiarise themselves with the policies contained herein, and commit to keeping them, while receiving financial support.

Missio Nexus

Missionaries who are affiliated with a recognised missionary agency in membership with “Missio Nexus” will be eligible for financial support.

Approval from A Mission’s Agency

When a missionary is approved by a mission’s agency, and when they go to the mission field, they will receive their support on a month-to-month basis.

Support for a Two-Year Term Only

Missionaries will be supported for a two-year term only (starting January 2016) and as long as the Lord sends the funds. Six months prior to this term end, supported missionaries should again seek FHCC support through the reapplication process. If missionaries change mission agencies, they must not assume that they will automatically receive support. Missionaries who serve independently [not under the supervision of a recognised missionary agency] should not expect to be supported by our church.

  1. Starting January 2016 all missionary support in the present form will be terminated.
  2. Opportunity will then be given for all our supported missionaries to apply for a two year support term.
  3. Each support term period will determine the value of a share as the church can afford.
  4. At the end of the two year support term the missionaries must reapply for another two year term, 6 months prior to the supported term.
Commitment of Missionaries

Once missionaries have committed themselves to a mission agency, they are responsible to said agency. The outworking of this oversight structure means that Fair Havens Community Church, as a sending church is not responsible for supported missionaries in the field. Direction and responsibility must be forthcoming from the sending agency, with regards to all matters to and from the field of service, especially in crisis situations.

Financial Support

Financial support may not be solicited from our people through direct mail appeals, or promotions of any kind. Where a missionary has a project worthy of consideration, this project must first be presented to the sending agency, and in turn if they approve it, the sending agency should write to the FHCC Missions Committee and make the appeal. Close relatives are considered eligible as people a missionary may contact for further support, but if FHCC takes on your support, it is not fair to write to people within FHCC to acquire further support. Letters reporting on missionary activities are acceptable, but appeals for funds would be an abrogation of this policy. This policy does not prevent any person from making unsolicited donations in support of a missionary.

FHCC

Member couples of FHCC who reach the field, as missionaries will receive two shares of missionary support.

  • A non-member couple of FHCC will receive one share.
  • A member single missionary of FHCC will receive one share.
  • A single non-member of FHCC missionary will receive one half share.
Church Policy

The church’s usual policy is to support missionaries on their regular furloughs but not on extended study courses etc.

Missions Committee Will Review the Value

The Missions Committee will review the value of a share of missionary support annually.

Board for Ratification for Support of Candidates and their Financial Stipends

The Missions Committee will bring all matters regarding the support of candidates and their financial stipends to the Board for ratification. Ultimately the entire church at the budget meeting in November when the members accept or reject the church budget will vote for the missionary share support amount.

Accountability of Missionaries

In keeping with the increased vigilance requirements of CRA, FHCC supported missionaries will be reviewed annually by FHCC Missions Committee.

The criteria which will make up such a review will be:

1. A Missionaries ongoing standing and keeping with FHCC. (i.e. how do they relate to FHCC through reporting by means of News letters and or emails, Video updates)

2. Their area of service

3. Reporting back to their supporters at FHCC through Missionary Week-ends, attendance at our Annual World Mission’s Conference, Ladies meetings and all invitations extended to them by FHCC.

4. Keeping their specific projects before FHCC and reporting on the expenses of these projects.

5. All missionaries in Ontario within a given year of that year must meet with the Mission’s Committee.  Missionaries supported by FHCC living elsewhere must program this visit into their home assignment.

Assistance from the Fair Havens Community Church Scholarship Fund

Potential missionary candidates who are contemplating a missionary career, may request assistance from the Fair Havens Community Church Scholarship Fund, toward preparation for such a career.  While the fund does not offer a great deal there is sufficient resource to possibly cover a portion of the tuition, or living or textbook costs of a candidate as their needs arise.

1. Candidates seeking assistance from the scholarship fund should do so by writing a letter addressed to the Chair of the Mission’s Committee.  The letter should contain:

a. a short description (testimony) of their journey to Christ.

b. a brief description of the journey to date with Christ

c. a description from whence a sense of call to career missions has come. (Has the Lord Jesus burdened them with a particular people group, area of ministry, type of ministry etc.)

d. a brief outline of their prospective course to equipping themselves for mission, viz. name of school, costs involved, how they invisage supporting themselves, etc.

2. Approval of an applicant will be made first by the Missions Committee who will pass it to the joint Board for ratification.

3. Upon ratification from the Joint Board a candidate will be informed of what they will receive from the Scholarship Fund.

Retirement

Upon retirement from active missionary service, FHCC will cease to support such candidates.