Missions Partners
First Baptist Matthews is honored to partner with missionaries and organizations around the world to take the hope of the gospel to a wide group of people. We carefully cultivate relationships and support mission work through strategic partnerships where we come along side others to offer prayer, training, and financial support.
Josh and Susan Bolden
CRU - Chief of Staff | Missions Operations
Josh and Susan joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as CRU) in 1999 at Duke University. In 2005 they moved to Western North Carolina to begin ministries on 25 campuses in the region. Josh and Susan lived in Holly Springs, NC where they worked for Mid-South CRU. In the fall of 2018 they moved to Orlando, FL. Josh had been promoted to Chief of Staff - Mission Operations for Cru. Josh leads a team that prepares students for summer mission trips. They work on travel arrangements, housing contracts, giving websites, the application system, virtual training for team leaders and many recruiting tools.
Brandon and Ansley Hammond
CRU - South Carolina Low Country
Brandon and Ansley joined the full-time staff of Cru in 2004 after they graduated from College of Charleston and got married. They served at UNCC for four years and then had the opportunity to go to Brooklyn for three years where they reached students for Christ on many campuses in New York City. They had the chance to return to Charleston, SC in 2010 where they have continued to partner with students on many campuses in the area. Brandon and Ansley want to give every college student in the Low Country a chance to say “Yes” to Jesus Christ.
Carmen Heffner
ABWE - Live Gobal
Carmen joined ABWE in Nicaragua in 2007. For 10 years she supported church planting through teaching and equipping national pastors and their wives in Nicaragua. Carmen also supported the local churches through a teaching ministry. In 2018, God brought changes in her role with ABWE. Through GAP, Carman began to connect local churches with national partners throughout Latin America and the world in order to more effectively spread the Gospel. GAP has now changed to Live Global and Carmen is working with the children’s ministry. She is traveling the globe providing training for children’s workers.
Loren and Michelle Rothmann
JAARS
Loren and Michelle serve Wycliffe Bible Translators at the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, NC. Loren provides technical support and training to Wycliffe missionaries globally. Michelle is a nurse and works at the JAARS Health Clinic serving missionaries with assignments in Waxhaw and all over the world. Please pray for the 2,000 people groups (270 of which use sign language) who have no Scripture in their language and the 2,600 groups who have active translations. View JAARS Events
Tom Brown
Great Commission Ministries
Great Commission Ministries is about living the Great Commandment and fulfilling the Great Commission both locally and globally. It is a pioneering Gospel work among the Nepalese and Bhutanese people groups in Nepal and dispersed Nepalese scattered around the globe. GC believes in equipping indigenous leaders to train their people groups to teach and transfer the Great Commission to the ends of the earth. Nations have come to us. By reaching them here, we reach them there and reaching them there, we reach them here. It’s no longer domestic or foreign mission rather reaching the unreached people groups wherever they are.
Jacob and Jen Rose
San Jose’ de Pane’, Honduras
In the last three years, Jacob established opportunities to share the Gospel through his efforts in community development in Honduras. He worked with the local government to help provide higher quality and quantity of drinking water. He also built a farm and training center where he taught sustainable farming practices in Pane'. Jacob has also been involved with the New Life Project, a Christian education program for children. Jacob and Jen were married in March 2021 and now live near a children's home where Jen has worked for eight years. Jacob takes frequent trips to Pane' and also does projects for the children's home.
M, G, & L
E3 Partners | MECANA
M & G are a newly married couple who have just had their first baby. They previously served as missionaries at Appalachian State University. They have a vision to see NO PLACE LEFT where the Gospel has not been heard. Their mission field has just grown from 20,000 students to a city of 20 million as they labor in a country where 1 person dies every minute far from God. They knew that for them if the Lord hadn’t called them to stay, then they were called to go. With over 1.7 billion Muslims in the world and only about 4,000 missionaries laboring to reach them it is clear this is a work that only God can do. M & G have asked us to be their prayer support while they serve as the boots on the ground to be a part of the way that God answers our prayers for the 80 million lost people in their country. We are trusting in the Lord for the first church planting movement among this people group and 45 others since the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys