"The purpose of this church is to glorify God through the salvation of the lost and the edification of believers.”

It is the vision and goal of Northfield Baptist Church to carry out the command of Christ's Great Commission. Therefore, we view missions as an integral ministry of our church and of our individual members.

Northfield Baptist Church has the opportunity to support many who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ both in our country and throughout the world by meeting financial needs, offering encouragement and through prayer. Following is information on people as well as ministries that NBC supports.

Below, all of the missionaries and ministries are listed that Northfield Baptist Church supports. Here are some ideas of how you as a church member can support them.

1. Be aware of their needs, prayer requests and praises provided through the prayer letters.
2. Pray for our missionaries and ministries regularly.
3. Send them special offerings through funds collected in the ABF groups. Requests can be sent to the Treasurer through the church office.
4. Send them notes or cards of encouragement.
5. Spend time with missionary families when they are in our area on furlough.

Included here is a prayer list of praises and requests for our current missionaries.

Nate and Maam Beckman in Thailand

• Praise the Lord for the opportunity to celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of Pinklao Baptist Church. While they were burdened because of those who have walked away in those ten years, they rejoiced to add five new members on the Sunday of celebration!
• Pray for Pinklao to grow enough to purchase its own building and call its first Thai pastor.

Dave and Jeannie Ferguson, Baptist Mid-Missions

• Praise the Lord for the privilege Dave has to be a part of the Baptist Mid-Missions Strategic Planning Committee as well as continuing his responsibilities as administrator for Bibles International. New projects have been adopted, completed, gone to press, and now are in the hands of the people in their intended languages.
• Praise the Lord for the opportunities Dave has to preach, lead their Young Adults' Sunday School class, and be a part of their church's strategic planning.
• In September, Dave required surgery to remove an unusually large, benign cyst from his liver and diaphragm. Praise the Lord he is recovering well from surgery.
• Praise the Lord for the two additions to the Ferguson clan - Elisabeth Jo to Bryan and Stacey and Callum Dean to Andrew and Emily!
• Continue to pray for their children and grandchildren who are dealing with several significant health issues.

Steve and Beth Gault, Baptist Mid-Missions

• Steve and Beth had opportunity to visit the Ivory Coast and have returned home safely. Pray for the people to have received needed encouragement and strength through their ministry.

Joe and Esther Keim, Mission to Amish People (MAP)

• Praise the Lord for the ministry Joe and Esther's Bible study group had in Germany! They shared their testimonies and fellowshipped with Germans and Russian immigrants. As a result of this trip, many from the group has come home and begun discipleship with young believers here at home!
• Pray as preparations begin for the Step Out of the Boat Conference in March. The date is set for March 12-15 and many have already registered to tell their God-story!
• Praise the Lord for the work God has done through the MAP Ministry in saving souls and helping many grow in their walk with God.

Ken and Amy Lowe in Portugal 

• Pray for Ken and Amy as they meet with their Portuguese language tutor that they will quickly remember things long forgotten or never quite learned. Pray also as she reviews Ken’s Portuguese study guide of the book of Ruth that her heart would be open to the Gospel as they share God’s Word with her.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment as their schedule fills. Pray for them to choose the right activities for the right time.
• Pray for Ken and Amy to have spiritual fortitude. They live in a country that is only 0.4% evangelical.
• Pray for discernment and wisdom as they help people in many different struggles. They are engaged in several counseling cases and supervising other counselors.
• Pray for Ken as he meets with three different groups of pastors the first week of each month, which is a significant work of helping leaders lead well.

Bill and Becky Petite in Japan

• The greatest burden of their hearts is that the Japanese people, especially those in Izumi, might be saved. Pray that people will not passively reject the gospel message but instead will repent and believe.
• Pray for the Lord’s leading for a young couple who is considering coming to lead the church in Izumi. Pray for God to clearly reveal His plan for them.
• Continue to pray for Chizuru, Shuichi, Hiroyuki, Masaaki, Mrs. Uchizono, Hiroe, Mayumi, Hitomi, and many others, who have heard the gospel repeatedly, to trust in Christ.
• Pray for healing for Mrs. Urakami, who has had a recurrence of her cancer.
• Pray for reconciliation among two women in their church.

Dave, Ruth Ann and Andrea Rogers, ABWE Chile

• Dave underwent an ablation of the heart on December 17 to correct the atrial fibrillation that he has been dealing with for a long time. After an overnight stay, he is required to rest for five days. Pray for the procedure to be effective.
• Pray for the teaching opportunities Dave will take part in during the month of January. They include Evanglistic Apologetics for Logos Seminary as well as teaching the staff and counsellors of the Tierra Alta Camp to stay strong and refreshed when serving in the intense setting of summer camp.
• Pray for a refreshing and rejuvenating winter break for Andrea as she spends it with Melissa and Evan.
• Pray for pastoral encouragement, partnering with local leaders, and encouragement of brethern involved in church planting.

Josh, Rachel, Nate, Anna Stewart in Taiwan

• Praise the Lord for the opportunity Josh had to lead Mr. Woo to the Lord. He is a resident at one of their nursing homes. Pray that Mr. Woo will be able to learn and grow, and that he will be able to help other people at the nursing home be willing to hear the Gospel.
• Praise the Lord that some of the people and difficult situations are on the path to a resolution. Continue to pray for God’s work to continue as more needs to take place.
• As Josh and Rachel prepare for Winter Camp taking place in January 2025, pray for them to finish everything on time, pray as they work through the finances as prices have increased, and pray for those attending to have open hearts for God’s work in their lives.
• Pray for God to keep working in all of them for greater growth in godliness.

Michael and Sherri Vanek, Faith Baptist Community Church and Center

• Praise the Lord for His perfect timing as Michael’s battery completely ran out at the right place and in the right time for him to have it replaced. The surgery was a success, and right away he was back to normal.
• Praise the Lord for the successful surgery Sherri underwent on her hip, again in God’s perfect time. She is recovering well and building strength through therapy.
• Michael and Sherri are thankful to have visited some of their supporting churches in recent months. They have been encouraged and supported through these meetings.
• Pray for them as they have lost a few of their individual supporters. Special gifts have come in to supplement their needs. Pray that their monthly support will be increased back to full support.

Chris & Darcy Vergiels, Brazil with BMM

• Praise the Lord for the decision Calvary Baptist Church in Presidente Prudente has made to call Sid to be a part of their pastoral staff. Pray for Sid as he continues to work on his doctrinal statement in preparation for his ordination sometime in mid-2025.
• Pray for their special Christmas services on Saturday, December 21 with Pastor Evandro from the Bible College coming for a special music service and for their Christmas Eve service. Pray many visitors will attend these special services. These special services give their members preparation as they have opportunity to spend time with unsaved family members.
• Praise the Lord for the provision of Christmas gifts allowing Corrina and Steve the opportunity to travel to Brazil for Christmas. Pray for safety in travel and for the Lord's continued work in their lives.

Rob and Penny Whitty in Ghana Africa

• Pray for people to respond to the Gospel message in faith.
• Pray for God’s provision for their current building project.
• Pray for the safety of their students/teachers as they travel each day.
• Pray for spiritual freshness and good physical health for Penny and Rob.
• Pray for the raising up/identifying of those who can be 2nd tier leaders - SS teachers, deacons, etc.
• Pray for doctrinal clarity in their preaching and teaching.
• Pray for a replacement for Penny at the school - someone with administrative experience, which will be a need in the distant future.

Cameron and Kerry Woolford, Servant Leaders International

• Pray for Cam as he continues his travels sharing the SLI ministry seeking to build more partnerships. Pray for safety in travel and for them to be able to raise up the additional support needed.
• Pray for Cam and Kerry as they will be traveling to Nicaragua in the first part of November to conduct training and meet with the SLI team for strategic planning.
• Servant Leaders Ecuador has finalized their non-profit approval and can now begin to plan and carry out ministry recognized by the Ecuadorian Government. Pray for wisdom as they begin to open new doors to ministry throughout the country.
• Cam is currently teaching two courses: Team Ministry and Processing Life Biblically. Pray for the 86 students taking classes from Ecuador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Nate & Maam Beckman

Serving in Thailand

Serving Missionaries in Asia & The Pacific

Baptist Mid-Missions

Nate grew up in the Central African Republic as the son of BMM missionaries Larry and Paula Beckman. Nate later served short-term in Thailand, where he met his wife, Maam. They joined BMM in 2001 and serve as church planters in Bangkok, Thailand.

Dave & Jeannie Ferguson

First Vice President and Administrator for Missionary Services

Baptist Mid-Missions

Dave and his wife, Jeannie, served as BMM missionaries with Campus Bible Fellowship from 1987 until 2002, before Dave joined our home office team as Assistant to the President/Director of Special Projects. He took his current position in 2017.

As Administrator for Missionary Services, Dave is responsible for administrative oversight and coordination of the Missionary Services working group, which is comprised of the following services: Missionary Finance, Field Administration, Special Projects, and Crisis Management.

Steve & Beth Gault

Field Administrator for Africa and Europe

Baptist Mid-Missions

Steve grew up in Central African Republic as a BMM MK. In 1991, he and his wife, Beth, joined BMM and served as church planters in his homeland. Civil wars caused the Gaults to relocate to Côte d’Ivoire and then to Cameroon. In his last 11 years in Africa, Steve also served as BMM’s Africa coordinator before joining the home office team in 2015.

Steve serves in a pastoral and consulting role for the missionaries serving in his fields. Steve and Beth come alongside missionaries to help them thrive in life and ministry.

Joe & Esther Keim

Mission to Amish People

Joe and Esther Keim were both born and raised in the Old Order Amish Community. They had been taught that only by keeping the Amish ordinance would they be able to get to heaven. Through the testimony and prayers of his friend, Paul, Joe realized that it was only through accepting Jesus as his Savior that he would get to heaven. Both he and Esther came to know the Lord, were married and soon became outcasts of the Amish for their new beliefs. Though they became involved in church and began to serve, they were burdened for the Amish and the desire for each to hear the clear message of salvation. The result of this call is Mission to Amish People. The three-fold purpose is to 1) Evangelize and disciple Amish and former Amish people; 2) Assist older teenagers and young adults who have already left the Amish culture by providing basic life skills; and 3) Expand MAP all over North America.

Ken & Amy Lowe

Serving with Faith Global Missions in Portugal

Ken and Amy have extensive experience working in Portugal. The Lowes worked in Portugal for over 15 years before returning to the States for the last 10 years. They are now desiring to return to Portugal to focus upon Biblical Counseling training and leadership development with local Portuguese churches. This is a key time of resourcing leaders in Portugal as churches strive to grow and reproduce. Ken has been ACBC certified since 2007 and his D.Min focused on leadership development through the local church. 

Bill & Becky Petite

Serving in Japan

Association of Baptists for World Evangelism

Bill and Becky Petite are serving in Southern Japan and are involved with church planting, English teaching, the Living Hope Gospel Choir and Bill is Field Council Treasurer. They also teach English and Bible Classes, interpret for the deaf.

Dave & Ruth Ann Rogers

Serving in Chile

Association of Baptists for World Evangelism

Dave and Ruth Ann Rogers serve in Chile. Dave focuses on partnering with Chilean believers to plant churches (presently New Life Baptist) and equip leaders through the Seminary, overseeing the publications ministry, and field team leadership. Ruth Ann emphasizes the discipleship of women and teaching.

Josh & Rachel Stewart

Serving in Taiwan

Baptist Mid-Missions

The Stewarts joined BMM in 2010 to serve in Asia. Their current ministry is in Taiwan.

Michael & Sherri Vanek

Faith Baptist Church and Community Center

Baptist Mid-Missions

Michael and Sherri Vanek serve at the Faith Baptist Church and Community Center in inner-city Cleveland, Ohio. The church and center exist to preach the gospel, teach the Scriptures, and helping people grow into productive servants of Jesus Christ as He builds His church in inner-city Cleveland. To accomplish this mission, the Church & Center offer a variety of programs and free services including meals, a clothing store, medical services, pregnancy services, parenting classes, addiction classes, men’s, women’s and children’s programs, and church services.

Chris & Darcy Vergiels

Serving in Brazil

Baptist Mid-Missions

Chris was saved from a Catholic background in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Darcy was born in Brazil to Baptist Mid-Missions missionaries, Bob & Corrine Jones and trusted Christ as her Savior when she was five. We met in grad school at Bob Jones University and sensed God’s call in our lives for Brazil in 1991, joining the BMM in 1993. After our deputation ministry, we arrived in Brazil in January of 1997, where we worked in team ministry in metro Sao Paulo. After 6 years, we moved to the interior of the state of Sao Paulo to start Victory Baptist Church in Osvaldo Cruz. After this church graduated, the Lord moved us an hour away to the city of Presidente Prudente in 2016. Presently, we have a group of believers and meet in a rented facility. We are looking forward to purchasing property and constructing our church building. This is especially important in a Catholic culture because they look at the building as the church. Once our building is constructed, that barrier will be removed and more will come to hear the gospel preached and respond to accept Christ as Savior. We are excited to be part of God's work, building His church here in Presidente Prudente!

Rob & Penny Whitty

Serving in Ghana

Baptist Mid-Missions

Our story is really our journey of becoming the "living sacrifice" mentioned in Romans 12:1. We are both products of a Christian home, but we both struggled as teens to find our way in the Christian life. We married on October 27, 1984, and God richly blessed us in the succeeding years with five wonderful children. Early in our journey we committed to the local church and to our own personal growth. It was in the arena of the local church that God planted the desire for Him deep in our hearts.

In the Spring of 1995, we committed ourselves to ministry, knowing it would be the mission field but not certain of the location. After several years of deputation and several bumps in the road, we landed in Ghana in the fall of 2003. Looking back we sense that God used every step of the journey to prepare us for this ministry. Even when we didn’t know where we would be, the Lord knew! Right now we are privileged to serve the Lord in the Bono Region. Here we have helped a national-led church expand its ministry and, in 2019, the church opened a Christian school. We cannot believe how God has directed and led through all these events!

Cameron & Kerry Woolford

Church Planting through Church Multiplication

Servant Leaders International

Our family has been involved in Church Planting and Leadership Training for 25 years. We have participated in 7 church plants working in the United States, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. We are grateful that God has given us the privilege to see His church become a light in communities where confusion and spiritual darkness reign. We look forward to seeing how God will use our family in the years to come to further His Kingdom.