WENDY BERNHARD, 30 YEARS OF EMBRACING THE CAUSEby the Rev. Laura Dalton, Contributing Writer

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“Africa was a complete unknown to me in 1980 when students from that continent—who were attending the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Vaux-sur-Seine, France, as I was—encouraged me to teach there,” says the Rev. Wendy Bernhard, International Ministries (IM) missionary. “That invitation to an unknown area of the world was like the Apostle Paul’s Macedonian call.” (Acts 16:9)

Although Wendy thought she might use her ability with the French language as a missionary in Europe, she was excited to learn of a need for an IM missionary in Africa. She began her Congo ministry in 1983 by teaching at an interdenominational Bible institute in Kimpese and soon

served as director of that school (1985-1996) sustained by 2 Timothy 2:2—”Take the teachings that you heard me proclaim in the presence of many witnesses and en-trust them to reliable people, who will be able to teach others also.” In 1986, she was the first woman, the first unmarried person and the first missionary ordained by the Congo Baptist Community, an IM partner organization.

During the 1997-98 academic year, Wendy was mission-ary in residence at Central Seminary in Kansas. This time of reflection helped to reignite her desire to embrace the cause of Christ, and she returned to Congo with a renewed sense of mission. Soon afterward, a new chal-lenge unfolded.

From 2005 to 2012, Wendy Bernhard hosted a twice-weekly, 15-minute radio program called, “Youth:

A Jewel and A Treasure.” Guests, including Pastor

John Mbokino (left), joined Wendy to reach up to 50,000 listeners with messages on the infinite worth of young

people in God’s eyes.

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What does it mean to embrace the cause of Christ? Answers to that ques-tion will be the central focus of this year’s quarterly publication, International Ministries ON LOCATION. The response to God’s call is personified by the former Executive Director of American Baptist International Ministries (IM), the Rev. Dr. Chester J. Jump Jr., whom I knew well. Chet died on December 13, 2012 at the age of 94.

Born into a Christian family in Latonia, Kentucky, Chet was baptized at age eleven. “Even though I am sure that I had admitted Christ to my heart as Savior, Master, and Friend,” he wrote later, “still I recognize how inadequate was my comprehension of His wondrous sacrifice for me.“

Chet had come to faith in Jesus, was growing in his re-lationship with God, and wanted to be used by the Holy Spirit to help change the world, to embrace the cause for which Jesus had come.

Attending seminary in New York, Chet felt called to be a missionary while working with immigrants in Manhattan and hearing talks by Burma missionary Raymond Buker.

When considering missionary appointment, Chet and his wife, Margaret, said, “Please send us where the

need is greatest.” Like Adoniram and Ann Judson who sailed for India but served instead in Burma, embracing the cause was more important to the couple than where they would work.

Appointed to serve in Congo, the Jumps departed in 1945 during World War II, sailing from Philadelphia on a neutral ship. They arrived at Vanga where people were coming to faith in a great mass movement following the war and thousands were being baptized. In two years of working with the Congolese Baptists, Chet counseled and baptized nearly 10,000 new believers.

Increasingly, Chet was recognized as a gifted administrator. In 1957 he became field secretary and the mission’s legal representative in Congo, and in 1962 after 17 years in Congo, the Jumps returned to the U.S. where Chet continued working as area secretary. In 1965 Chet became Executive Direc-tor of IM, his ministry for the next 18 years. After retiring, he served five more years as the Director of American Baptist World Relief and an additional year as the Interim General Secretary of American Baptist Churches USA.

Born on an Easter Sunday, Chet was also baptized on Easter (1929), celebrat-ing Christ’s resurrection. He died during Advent, celebrating Christ’s coming into our world and his coming again. In his life Chet embraced the cause of Christ, who now embraces him.

REMEMBERING CHET JUMP

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On LocationInternational Ministries

P.O. Box 851Valley Forge, PA 19482

Reid S. Trulson, executive directorCatherine Nold, communications director

James G. Layton, senior writer/editorial managerLaura J. Dalton, contributing writer

Devon Nassif, senior designerJill Mussel, project manager

International Ministries (IM) ap-points missionaries who embrace the cause of Christ and are called to make disciples through cross-cultural, holistic ministries. Some feel called to go anywhere—as with Adoniram and Ann Judson, Chet and Margaret Jump (see column on left), or Wendy Bern-hard (page 1). Others, like Robert and Dorothy Vick, discern a call to a specific country or people (pages 4-5). In addition to ap-pointing and employing its own personnel, IM also partners with people who pioneer new min-istries outside of their home countries, like Iwao and Michiko Kochihira (page 6), or who serve within their home nations on the frontiers of new work like Go-ran and Antonia Dvetnarov (page 7). How is the Spirit of God lead-ing you to embrace the cause?

The Judsons began serving in Burma in 1813.

I N T H I S I S S U E

by Reid Trulson,Executive Director

3WWW.INTERNATIONALMINISTRIES.ORG | ON LOCATION WINTER 2013

As a result of the rebel activity and political unrest of 1998-99, American Baptist missionaries serving in Congo were evacuated to South Africa. While there, Wendy and her fellow missionaries organized a school in the hotel where they were staying. They developed a compre-hensive kindergarten to 6th grade education for the missionaries’ children who had been uprooted along with their parents. Wendy taught French and Bible.

Upon her return to Congo in March 1999, Wendy was assigned to work in Kinshasa as mission correspondent. She also taught at two seminaries and at a graduate- level missiology institute. It was in Kinshasa that she helped design and lead Responsible Living Skills Semi-nars (RLS).

With an estimated 66% of the Congolese people un-der the age of 24, RLS has filled a vital need for young people who often live without adult role models be-cause their parents became victims of AIDS.The RLS seminars include workshops on time management, study skills, securing employment, avoiding substance abuse and biblical principles for sexual behavior. In 2000, the program was recognized by the Congolese govern-ment for its significance.

In retirement, Wendy hopes to serve as a volunteer am-bassador for theological education and youth seminars worldwide. She exclaims, “As long as the Lord grants me good health and a plane ticket, I’m good to go!”

“As a student in my early thirties at Fuller Theological

Seminary, my status as an unmarried woman concerned

me. I wanted neither to be elevated on a pedestal as a ‘super-spiritual’ woman nor viewed as ‘abnormal’ for not being married. I’ve

experienced ‘celibacy crises’ from time to time, like when

my younger siblings got married and had children. But I resolved those, by

God’s grace, and really feel good about being who I am.”

WENDY BERNHARD, 30 YEARS OF EMBRACING THE CAUSE(continued from page 1)

CE

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BRATING 200 YE

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1814 – 2014

July 18-20, 2014 Call Retreat

Seek to know more fully God’s will for your life

July 21-25, 2014 World Mission Conference

Join all IM missionaries from their 29 countries of service

Green Lake Conference Center

Green Lake, Wisconsin

PLAN TO ATTEND — SAVE THESE 2014 DATES

Robert was just one of many students who encouragedyoung people to attend the “True Love Waits” seminars,

which have been offered in seven languages.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo during 2000, more than a million people were HIV positive and AIDS deaths were rampant. At that time Wendy Bernhard, an IM missionary focusing on theologi-cal education, began leading Responsible Living Seminars (RLS). Their primary purpose was to teach young adults how to live an abundant life. (John 10:10)

Thousands of Congolese attended “True Love Waits” classes, which advocate biblical principles for sexual behavior as part of the RLS program. Among them were Luke, who later became a pas-tor, and Robert, a medical school student. Pastor Luke gave a testimony at his 2012 wedding, saying that “True Love Waits” helped him keep his 2002 pledge of sexual abstinence and may have saved his life. Robert recently told Wendy that he was also able to keep his ten-year celibacy pledge until his marriage in January 2013. These life-saving semi-nars, now led by an ecumenical team of facilitators, are continuing to have a lasting, positive impact on Congolese young people.

“TRUE LOVE WAITS” SAVES LIVES IN CONGO

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After earning his Juris Doctor degree, he joined a legal practice with a focus on estate planning and estate tax work. During his career he served American Baptists in the Roches-ter area and the American Baptist Churches of New York State’s camp-ing ministry. He was instrumental in services supporting the develop-ment of a hearing impaired ministry, an emergency shelter and support programs for victims of domestic vi-olence. He also helped transform a

closed church building into the home of Cameron Community Ministries, a program endorsed by the American Baptist Home Mission Societies.

Paul became a member of the Board of Directors for International Minis-tries (IM) in 2008, and in 2011 became IM’s treasurer. After he gave a pre-sentation at an IM meeting about his parents’ lives, he heard a report about the growth of the church in China. He says, “At that moment I knew it was time for me to return to China and see how extensive that growth was. I knew that soon after my parents gave their lives to spread the gospel, the Communist govern-ment forced all missionaries to leave. Then religious persecution reached its height during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76).”

His motivation for the trip was understandably personal. Paul says: “Peng Bay and Tien Men, where my parents died, is in the center of Hubei Prov-ince, which is considered ‘the heart of China.’ Because of their strong calls, the hearts of my parents were there before they arrived, and their bodies were buried there.”

As a result of his trip to China (October 21 to November 5, 2011), Paul discovered:

“Churches are everywhere, overflowing with worship

services of up to 8,000 in average at-tendance. New seminaries are being built; the average seminary has ten times as many applicants as they can accept. Even the present government has begun to see the transformation of communities in which the church is engaged and in some cases has en-couraged the effort of the churches.”

When Paul arrived at the field where the plane crashed, he saw cotton ready to be picked. “There was go-ing to be an abundant harvest in just a few days, but I had already seen in my travels to the churches and semi-naries in China God’s eternal harvest that resulted from the seeds sown by missionaries like my parents!”

PROMISING LIVES CUT SHORT

“Just before the plane hit the ground,” Paul Vick recounts, “my mother jumped with my brother in her arms and my father did the same with me. My father lived long enough to know that my mother and brother had died imme-diately and that I had survived. He refused pain medication so that he could let it be known that I was to be cared for by his parents.”

Paul Vick, a “missionary kid” (MK), did not have the urge to return to China until 65 years later. His grandparents were careful not to influence him to fin-ish the work his parents had begun. He explains, “Although my grandparents did for me what they did for my father—create every opportunity for me to feel God’s call in his life—they also encour-aged me to find my own path. In fact, my grandfather invited me to enter his insurance business.”

Although Paul did not accept his grandfather’s invitation, his response to what his Heavenly Father wanted him to do eventually led him to earn a Master of Divinity degree at Col-gate Rochester Divinity School. “My outreach assignment in my first year,” he says, “was with the South Avenue Baptist Church in Rochester. I helped develop the Southeast Ecumenical Youth Ministry.”

Because his community work was requiring a better understanding of the law, Paul went to Buffalo Law School upon his seminary graduation in 1971.

ORPHANED MK RETURNS TO CHINA AFTER 65 YEARSby the Rev. James G. Layton, Senior Writer/Editorial Manager

Sixteen-month-old Paul Vick was the only survivor of the 1947 plane crash, which killed his missionary parents traveling to

begin their first term in China. Paul endured a concussion and two fractured legs; for a time he did not utter a sound or eat.

Paul, seen here with his grandparents (left to right) Ethel Vick, Esther Flanders,

Clarence Vick, Lester Flanders, was raised by

Mr. & Mrs. Vick.Two years after Robert and Dorothy Vick were appointed for American Baptist missionary service in West China, they and their two preschool sons were aboard ship, nearing Shanghai on December 28, 1946. Robert wrote: “We don’t know as yet what experiences await us. We expect to find a most turbulent country. We know we shall be finding a country where the loving Christ has gone on ahead and is patiently beckoning to us to come....”

On January 28, 1947, the China National Aviation Corporation plane on which they and 22 others were flying exploded and crashed in flames at Peng Bay, approximately 90 miles west of Hankow. All on board, except for Robert and his youngest son, Paul, died instantly. It was never deter-mined whether the accident was due to mechanical failure or sabotage resulting from the increased tension between the Chinese Nationalists and the Chinese Communists.

Paul miraculously survived the crash, but Robert Vick died 40 hours later, being ministered to at a mission clinic in Tien Men (meaning “Gate of Heaven”). After two months’ hospitalization in Shanghai, Paul, who was 16 months old at the time of the crash, was returned to the United States.

God has used the witness of Robert and Dorothy Vick and their son Teddy, as well as scores of others who likewise em-braced the cause, to touch the hearts of people both in China and the U.S. with the power of Christ’s love to change lives.

“Bob thought he was marking time— waiting to go to the China he had such a burning zeal to serve. We know now that he was accomplishing his life’s work then [while he was ‘waiting’].”

XEthel Vick, Robert’s mother

“I cannot get away from a strong faith in God as a loving father who will ultimately iron out all the unknown and hard things that now blind us.”

XLester Flanders, Dorothy’s father

“It may be that Robert’s and Dorothy’s lives are meant to be as seed fallen into the earth to bring forth a more abundant harvest—for Christ, for China, and for the world. If so, it matters little, in the economy of God, that they should have compassed so brief a span here on earth. The worth of a life is not measured by its length.”

XJesse R. Wilson, Home Secretary, Am. Bapt. Foreign Mission Society

Perspectives on Robert & Dorothy Vick’s Deaths

All were killed in the 1947 plane crash except for young Paul, age 16 months.

Today, the Rev. Paul A. Vick serves as the treasurer of International Ministries (IM) and continues to use his legal knowledge to assist American Baptist efforts in the Rochester, N.Y. area. He is writing a book about his parents, IM mission work in China and his response to the fatal plane crash.

Dorothy & Robert Vick went on a blind date in 1940 and

were married two years later.

The Vicks’ mission work in China was delayed until 1946, due to WWII.

During Paul’s return to China he met a woman who, when eleven years old, witnessed Paul

and his father being taken from the crash site.

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IM MISSIONARIES MENTOR YOUNG ASIAN MISSIONARIESby the Rev. James G. Layton, Senior Writer/Editorial Manager

International Ministries (IM) missionaries have an eye to the future as they encourage the growth of the missionary force around the world. Iwao & Michiko Kochihira are two of the people who were mentored by Stan & Martha (Marty) Murray when they served as IM missionaries in Okinawa, and Bucky & Carole Sydnor contin-ued the process during their ministry in Nepal.

Iwao was a junior high student when Stan, now IM’s Area Director for South-east Asia and Japan, baptized him in 1982. Iwao says, “Stan and Marty also helped me with English and shared their meals and Bible knowledge.” Later, Iwao and the young woman he would marry, Michiko, were among the youth the Murrays took to a mission seminar in Thailand. Stan of-ficiated the Kochihiras’ 1996 wedding, and Marty sang a solo. And in 2000, Iwao graduated from Palmer Theo-logical Seminary, Stan’s alma mater.

When Iwao and Michiko became missionaries themselves, in Nepal, they turned to the Sydnors. Iwao says: “Bucky and I discussed cultural, biblical and family issues. Carole also became a wonderful mentor for my wife, especially when our son was hospitalized after being hit by a motorcycle. As a former nurse, Carole always gave encouragement and even provided hints about child care.”

RUBBISH BECOMES A RAINBOWOnce famous for its lush green beauty, Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu has become known for its sprawling garbage dumps. Yet from mountains of smelly trash come raw materials to build creative treasures. Iwao and Michiko Kochihira and the Nepal Baptist Church Council (NBCC) are helping people transform refuse and improve their lives through the ministry called EDEN.

Entire Development for Environment and Nature (EDEN) organizes river-cleaning campaigns and teaches citizens how to use recycled materials, make compost and build septic tanks. These improve health and generate income. “To protect God’s gift of creation,” Iwao says, “means to change a lifestyle, including a religious mindset. Some Hindus have become fol-lowers of Jesus Christ as a result of EDEN.”

Iwao and Michiko became the first mission-aries of the Okinawa Baptist Convention in 2003 when they began their nine-year work in Nepal. Their initial focus of help-ing churches took on a new dimension. Iwao explains: “Our first impression when we entered downtown Kathmandu was how dirty the city was. With NBCC’s guid-ance we decided to try to do something about it. That’s how EDEN started.”

The Kochihiras have returned to Okinawa, where Iwao is the senior pastor of the Oroku Baptist Church. But the ministry of EDEN is continuing through Iwao’s ongoing contact with Kathmandu Baptist leaders.

Hand-picked garbage and sorted recycled items yield the raw materials for handicrafts, like a rainbow-colored plate

(inset), which generate income for needy Nepalese families.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO TRAIN RURAL LEADERSVolunteer opportunities are avail-able in Japan at the Asian Rural Institute (ARI). ARI is an inter-national training farm for rural leaders from throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Volunteers will help with planting crops and caring for animals, working with students as they learn sustainable agriculture, community development and leadership. For more information go to: www.internationalministries.org, click on GET

INVOLVED, scroll down to “Asian Rural Institute....”

Okinawan missionary Iwao Kochihira (2nd from left) has led “cleaning campaigns” in Nepal, one way to care for God’s creation.

7WWW.INTERNATIONALMINISTRIES.ORG | ON LOCATION WINTER 2013

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“How do our World Mission Offering (WMO) contributions help to start new churches globally?” some donors ask. “Are WMO gifts helping us be like the Apostle Paul during his church-planting missionary journeys?”

The answers are YES and YES! WMO gifts help to start new churches in two ways. First, the majority of WMO funds are helping to support more than 100 missionaries globally, many of whom work in church planting. The remain-ing portion (nearly $500,000) is used to start churches and for holistic ministry through IM’s partnerships with Christian groups globally, like the European Baptist Federation (EBF). Through EBF, work has begun on a new church in Serbia, part of the former communist country of Yugoslavia.

Goran and Antonia Cvetnarov found-ed a storefront church in the center of Srbobran, Serbia in 2009. Goran says, “My wife and I do not see any other purpose for our existence, but to win the lost for Christ and to plant new Baptist churches.”

However, the storefront church was not growing because its name, “Baptist,” was seen as not open to all. When Antonia’s mother died and left her home to them, the couple saw this as a way to close the storefront church and begin

anew. Their own house, once remodeled, became the place for the con-gregation. Although still Baptist, they call the new ministry “Oasis,” a more acceptable word to non-Baptists. It also reflects the couple’s feeling that they are “in the midst of a spiritual desert, surrounded by spiritual darkness.”

Adults and children of Orthodox and Roman Catholic backgrounds now freely participate in ministries that include worship services, Bible studies, a “Good News Club” and “English-through-the-Bible” classes.

The Cventnarovs thank U.S. churches and individuals for their WMO gifts, which help make this new church start possible.

YOUR WORLD MISSION OFFERING HELPS START NEW CHURCHESby the Rev. James G. Layton, Senior Writer/Editorial Manager

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The Rev. Charles Jones, IM’s Area Director for Africa, Europe and the Middle East, was part of an American Baptist group that met Goran, Antonia and their oldest son, Alexander, last October.

Children dramatized the Resurrection story last Easter at a new Serbian church that receives

support from World Mission Offering donations.

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VOL. 5, NO. 1

American Baptist Churches USAP.O. Box 851 • Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851

MISSION SUMMIT/BIENNIALOverland Park/Kansas City, Kansas

IM LuncheonFEATURING

Dr. Allen Yeh

An airplane, carrying passengers that included a young Inter-national Ministries missionary family, crashed in a Chinese rice paddy in 1947. Everyone perished but the missionary couple’s 16-month old son. How did the couple’s parents and friends cope with the loss? What happened to the survivor in the years that followed? The story is on pages 4-5.

CONTINUING TO FOLLOW CHRIST WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES

Register now at:

www.americanbaptists2013.com

June 21-23, 2013

Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies & Missiology

Biola University La Mirada, California

Saturday, June 22, 2013 at 12 noon

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Celebrate Judson’s200th Anniversary