Active Missionaries
Rev. William R. and Lillie Ann Aiken have been working in the field of Jewish evangelism since 1975. They have served the Lord in that capacity in the US and Canada.
As the Director of Remnant Ministries in Cleveland, Ohio, he was responsible for the oversight of a staff of nineteen located in several cities of the US and two couples working in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He edited The Trumpeter, a quarterly magazine devoted to the work of the ministry, Biblical doctrine, and God’s work with the Jewish people: past, present, and future. For ten years he was the National Director of The Christian Friends of Israel of Canada, Inc., the Canadian “arm” of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., Bellmawr, NJ.
Presently Bill and Lillie are serving the Lord under the auspices of Israel’s Hope Ministries of USA. For ten years they had worked under the Canadian branch of this outreach. We have now incorporated the ministry in the USA. He is involved in outreach to the Jewish communities of Cleveland, Warren, Akron, Canton and Youngstown, Ohio. For five years, along with his Jewish work, he also pastored a small church in Rome, Ohio. After five years of ministry to the church he resigned and now is working exclusively in Jewish ministry. This involves evangelistic Bible studies, personal witnessing, special outreaches for Jewish people, speaking at conferences --both missionary and prophetic-- and pulpit supply.
Doug is the son of one of our former pastors and we have supported him and his family since 2006. Having previously served in Chile, Doug and Heather now work at the home office of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE). Doug is the Director of Missionary Finance and Donor Services, and Heather is the ABWE Missionary Kid Education Consultant; the Amundsons support the roughly 1,000 ABWE missionaries and their children located in over 60 countries around the globe. As former field missionaries themselves, Doug and Heather bring vital “real-world” experience to their roles as they encourage and support the missionaries and their families who serve around the world.
Mel met his beloved wife Sally (a member of Gospel Life Church) while they attended the Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music. They married shortly after graduating and GLC started supporting them in March 1977 after they were accepted to serve with North America Indigenous Ministries (NAIM). They started ministry with the Sto-lo People of Agassiz, British Columbia and from there they moved to Lytton, British Columbia to work among the Thompson (Ntlakyapamuk) people. It was here that God burdened their hearts to serve people. They then moved on to Vernon, British Columbia among the Okanagan people to serve as interim director of Kla-How-Ya Wilderness trails. In 2001, this camping program moved to Alberta, taking the Boeremas with it. After five years, the trails program came to an end, but God then led Mel to pastor Piikani Lighthouse Fellowship on the Piikani Reserve (a part of the Blackfoot confederation). Piikani Lighthouse is a developing local church that is active in reaching their own community making disciples of Jesus Christ and reaching out beyond.
The Lord called Sally home in December of 2022, while Mel continues to serve in Alberta. He is training and discipling Doug Ironshirt to help take over the leadership of the church.
Nancy is one of our longtime missionaries to Brazil and grew up in Brazil as part of a missionary family (our church supported her parents, Ed and Jane Lieb and also support her sister Lucy). Her work through the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission includes involvement in the Awana program and as a counselor to the Finance Committee. Nancy is involved with the ladies' group and helping with the children's ministry. Nancy is also active in a ministry which helps Brazilians purchase computers at cost so that they are able to study online.
Although born in the United States, Lucy grew up in Brazil in a missionary family (our church supported her parents, Ed and Jane Lieb and also support her sister Nancy). After the Lord saved her, she was baptized at nine years old at First Baptist Church of Evans City during furlough. It was a few years later that God called her to the mission field during a missions conference here at the church. After college, she spent five years serving in Brazil, teaching English as a foreign language. Lucy then spent a year studying Christian Education at Moody Bible Institute with the intent of returning to Brazil as a full time missionary. In 1982, the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission (BGF) accepted Lucy as a missionary candidate. This allowed her to return to Brazil later that year as a full time missionary. Since 1984 our church has supported Lucy as she has been serving with SIBIMA (Maranatha Bible Institute and Seminary) in teaching education classes and serving in the library. Once a week, she gets the opportunity to work with Priscila School, and also serves at Nova Metropole Bible Church with the Christian education team.
Serving with in the border town of Juárez, they have started a ministry in the Anapra area (a 30,000-person squatter settlement on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez). In an area "owned" by the cartels, his vision is to reach the children and to hopefully change a generation with the hope found in Jesus. They've recently built a new home and are raising their son Isaías to love God. GLC has supported the Vielmas' since 2017.