CECELIA & FELIX (PALUCH) CHIRISERI

Felix and Cecelia have been Africa for over ten years ministering to youth, children and adults.  Their vision is to see lives transformed through Gospel empowerment and to be catalysts for change - finding real, long-term solutions and integrated strategies that address the complexities of poverty.

Felix and Cecelia will build relationships with pastors and church leaders in communities by providing discipleship training, basic life skills training, HIV/AIDS training, youth empowerment as well as some income generating projects for widows. They will also be involved with youth and children's ministry within the communities where they will be ministering. Their goal is to help people to be self-sufficient, empowered and equipped to live lives full of purpose;  helping to break the cycle of poverty and disease which will ultimately change their communities for good.

Felix and Cecelia will also oversee the CCP ministry in Pretoria, reaching out to those living in poverty in the townships around the city by providing school fees, food and children’s ministry to those who need it most.

Their goal is to Encourage those around them; Engage communities in learning and being involved in their own development; Equip communities to take action and share the love of Christ; and Empower them to make a difference and teach other communities.

DAVID & KRISTEN BURKE

MISSION CANADA - TORONTO

David works with students in Toronto’s downtown core at Ryerson University. This university campus desperately needs a faith community that will bring the gospel in an authentic and relevant manner to its students. Through God’s provision, David is part of this community and is influential as a Mission Canada worker in reaching the next generation.

PETER & PATRICIA DEWIT

France

Peter and Pat have been part of PAOC since 1982. After learning French at L’Université Laval in 1982-83 in the FLITE program, they spent almost ten years church-planting in Quebec. Then, in 1991 they loaded all their belongings into a homemade wooden crate and shipped it off to Bangkok. With three boys and ten suitcases they came through the arrivals gate at Don Muang International airport on August 17 at exactly 14: 43 p.m. All five DeWit children have grown up in Thailand, and Bangkok holds the nostalgic ghosts of their childhood memories.

Peter and Pat worked alongside the pastors and leadership of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Thailand, and later with the Newsong and Xealot network. After 22 years in Thailand they are excited about the next destination: France. They will join the Eurasia team of global workers, with a desire to learn, love and serve in the city of Paris.

KATHRYN MIZEN

Kathy has had a passion for missions since she was a young girl and has been involved in several short term mission trips. She has always known that she would be serving somewhere on the mission field with children, but not sure when or where.

In January 2014 Kathy went to work with Schools of Hope, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She had the opportunity to see God at work in the children and schools where Schools of Hope ministers. Through evangelism in public schools, feeding programs and childcare sponsorships, she clearly saw what Jesus meant by being 'his hands and feet' in such a practical way.

While there God clearly spoke to Kathy that this was the city where He wanted her to serve so she now begins the adventure of leaving what she knows here in Canada to exploring a new chapter in her life in Honduras. Kathy is excited to be working with Schools of Hope as the Administrator, overseeing the ChildCARE Plus sponsorships, ERDO In School Feeding Program as well as other administrative duties.

DANIEL PERREE

MISSION CANADA - QUEBEC

Is the first ‘Mission Canada’ missionary to be sent to youth of Quebec. He is working with the Francophone students of Drummondville and surrounding cities. This is a new strategy in Quebec, where high schools have opened doors for teaching about Jesus through an “Ethics and Religious Culture” course, where students at the CEGEP colleges are engaged in small group studies. Daniel & his wife Catherine had their first child, a son, in 2010. Their passion is to see the glory of God being manifested in the most unlikely place; Quebec’s educational system.

ROBIN WALLAR

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY

Robin and Laura Wallar are the Pastoral Directors at LIFT church. LIFT is a campus church at McMaster University. Robin and Laura have been Involved since the inception of LIFT and have a deep commitment and passion to see students develop their faith and trust in Jesus. Amongst a plethora of competing ideologies, world-views and unbelievably challenging situations LIFT stands to point students to Jesus. McMaster hosts students from more than 140 countries and all over Canada. The mission field is right here on our doorstep. Over the years LIFT has seen hundreds of students develop individual and personal relationships with Jesus and then take that passion back to their respective communities as equipped, trained and motivated leaders.

TOM THOMAS

INDIA

Tom’s passion is for lost souls in the villages & remote areas of India. GOD has called them to reach the unreached through evangelistic work in the villages of India with the life changing Gospel of JESUS CHRIST.

Their ministry also helps to strengthen the new believers in their spiritual journey. This resulted in pioneering church plants where none exist. The LORD has brought 1000’s of people who accepted JESUS as their LORD and Savior, and opened the way to plant over 115 churches! Recently they’ve opened the first mobile medical village clinic and feeding program in the villages.

GARY EMPEY

Gary works to support and equip churches in Cuba to “Retain the Harvest” through pastoral education via Global University and leadership training through conferences facilitated by Pentecostal Assemblies Of Canada pastors. He also focuses on Bible purchase and distribution as well as installing water purification equipment in local churches for the community.

In 1991, Gary led a Short-Term Missions team to evangelize at the Pan American Games where God arranged a divine meeting with a local Havana pastor named Hector Hunter.  In the early 90’s, there were less than 300 Pentecostal churches on the island; most in remote locations. Pastor Hunter knew these churches needed love and support from the Canadian church and with Gary’s encouragement PAOC churches began sending STM teams to visit and support them.  In 1999, revival exploded all over the island and now there are over 7,000 churches and domestic missions.

Charles & Desirea Silva

After ministering in Chennai, India for 2 years, the Lord led the Silvas to Sri Lanka where they have been since March 1st, 2012.

There is much beauty for the tourist to behold, but there is also desperation. Within the population of 22 million people, only about 10% of them have the economic means to a better life.  Spiritually speaking, the vast majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists with less than 1% professing to be born-again, evangelical Christians.

Shortly after their arrival, the government declared one of their main needs to be English Teachers. Previously only available for middle to upper class citizens, this mandate would help the poor receiving language training as well. With both Silvas trained to be ESL teachers and Charles of Sri Lankan decent, the doors were opened for them to open a government-registered English training centre: Destiny Lanka International. Their desire is to help Sri Lankans reach their destiny, not only in this lifetime but ultimately in Jesus as their Lord & Saviour.

TREVOR & BECKY GINGERICH

MISSION CANADA - TORONTO

Trevor and Becky planted a campus church at Humber College as the first appointed Mission Canada missionaries with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. The Embassy was born in 2008, and is still Humber’s only Christian ministry on campus.

The Embassy exists to help students discover hope, purpose and life to its fullest through the message, mission and living person of Jesus Christ. It’s a church without walls, bent on reaching students for the Gospel in real, relevant ways.

GARY & BEV LAING

From 2007 to 2011, Gary and Bev served as the first PAOC global workers in the Buddhist nation of Cambodia. In January this year, during their annual return trip to teach a block course at Cambodia Bible Institute (Gary), and to join a medical mission (Bev), God clearly spoke to them about moving back to this quickly developing third world country.

Gary and Bev are excited to lead the growing Canadian team in Cambodia and to mentor national church planters. They will also teach at the Cambodia Bible Institute and the Impact School of Missions, Bangkok, as needed. Gary dreams of a modern Khmer church plant aimed at reaching the unreached middle and upper classes of Phnom Penh. Bev will continue medical missions trips to the villages and once on the field, plans to work with a ministry that supports girls rescued from the sex trade.

LIBERTY FOR YOUTH

Liberty for Youth is an agency that works with at-risk youth in Stoney Creek and Hamilton, ON.