"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Him be the glory forever. Amen"
Missionary Bios
Missionaries
Joel and Anne Favre
Joel was born in 1989 in Aix-en-Provence, France, and grew up in Evangelical Baptist Church in Lausanne, Switzerland. His father, Olivier, was the pastor so Joel attended church and learned the Scriptures from a young age.
During an extended stay in the U.S. during his teen years, Joel was struck by the hypocrisy of many professing Christians for whom church attendance was simply a matter of culture and upbringing. The Lord used this negative example to convict Joel of his own sin and need of a Savior, and he turned to Christ for salvation. Soon after returning to Switzerland he was baptized and joined the church.
After mandatory service in the Swiss military in his late teens, Joel approached his father and expressed a desire to attend seminary and enter the pastoral ministry. Olivier responded by telling him not to go to seminary right away but get several years of secular work experience instead! Joel followed his father’s advice and credits this time with seasoning him for ministerial training.
Joel eventually attended London Theological Seminary to begin formal training. After two years in London he moved to Aix-en-Provence for a two-year internship with David Vaughn. He continues to pursue an advanced degree in theology and hopes to serve as a pastor in one of the existing Reformed Baptist congregations in France or Switzerland.
David and Nicky Vaughn
As David grew in his spiritual life, he soon became persuaded that he should devote his life to the work of spreading the Gospel. After graduating from university, he applied for a one-year overseas evangelism project with Campus Crusade in Ivory Coast, West Africa. He ended up serving there for six years. David learned to speak French fluently and gained experience in cross-cultural adaptation and ministry.
In 1987, while attending a Campus Crusade leaders’ conference, David met Nicola Fuller, a South African who had often thought of going to French-speaking Africa as a missionary. David had recently become convinced of the doctrines of grace and, through David’s influence and her own study, Nicky also came to embrace these truths. Shortly afterward she contracted Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (a disease which weakens the immune system) which eliminated the possibility of future service in a malarial zone. In June,1989, David and Nicky were married and were blessed with a daughter, Caroline, in February, 1991.
A special report at the 1990 RBMS Convention challenged the Vaughns and turned their attention to France. They were set aside for service by their home church, Heritage Church of Fayetteville, Georgia, where David had served as Associate Pastor for three years. They went first in October 1991 to Chalon-sur-Saône in the Burgundy region of France where they labored for seven years in church planting work. During the years in Chalon, the 1689 Confession was translated and published in French, a literature stand ministry was begun and an annual Reformed Baptist Family Camp was started.
The Vaughn’s were also blessed with two more children during these years: Jonathan (Oct. 1993) and Michelle (Oct. 1997).
In March of 1999, they moved to Grenoble, France to begin a new church-planting work. Grenoble is a city of over 400,000 people, the 10th largest metropolis in France and home of four universities and important scientific research. The work began in March 1999 with one French family. A number of French men, women and young people came to Christ over the next 13 years of church planting in Grenoble, and in July 2012 the Vaughn’s left a church with a regular attendance of between 40 and 50 people. Three men from the congregation were called to the eldership and now lead and preach in the church. During the years in Grenoble, an annual conference for university students was started as well as a book ministry which now sends reformed books to over 100 pastors in France and Switzerland every year.
The Vaughn’s moved (July 2012) to Aix-en-Provence, a city of 140,000 people in the south of France with 60,000 university students. They have become a church plant with a small group of about 10 French Christians. David is also teaching part of a course at the “Faculté Jean Calvin”, an reformed seminary in the city.
Allen and Katie Beardmore
Allen and Katie Beardmore are currently located in the small town of Clinton, LA where Allen serves as the associate pastor for First Baptist Church. Lord willing, Allen, Katie and their four children will be moving to Perth, Australia later this year to begin a church plant. This move comes as the result of the Lord’s gracious working in their lives ever since he saved each one of them in childhood about 20 years ago.
Although Katie was born in Papua New Guinea and spent the first six years of her life there, her family returned to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania where she grew up. Toward the end of high school, a few years after conversion, Katie’s family began attending Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle and for the first time Katie received a steady diet of solid preaching and teaching. She also met a certain young man who had grown up in the church but would leave in a year to attend Furman University in Greenville, SC. After a couple of years of friendship, Allen and Katie began dating long distance and were married in May 2005 after Katie completed her degree at Bloomsburg University in north central PA.
The first few years of marriage were spent in Baton Rouge, LA while Allen completed a master’s degree in medical physics from LSU. They had the privilege of becoming members of First Baptist Church and for two years were blessed by sitting under the ministry of Pastor Fred Malone. During this time Pastor Fred mentored Allen and encouraged him to consider the pastoral ministry and whether or not the Lord would be calling him to enter. After much prayer and consideration of the needs of a growing family, Allen decided it would be best to work as a physicist rather than to pursue the ministry. So, the Beardmores moved to Chambersburg, PA in order for the family to attend Grace Baptist Church and to be under the ministry of Pastor Craig Harris while Allen worked in Hagerstown, MD at a radiation oncology center.
Over a span of almost four years Allen completed his certification in medical physics by the American Board of Radiology, the Lord added two more children to the family and with direction from the elder board of GBC was given more opportunities to preach and teach and was encouraged to continue praying about the Lord’s will concerning the pastoral ministry. With a growing sense of God’s calling by means of a burden to preach the gospel and the blessing of the Lord in so doing, the Beardmores moved again, this time in June 2011 to Jackson, MS where Allen could attend Reformed Theological Seminary. While at RTS, Allen served as an intern at FBC, Clinton, LA. After graduating from RTS in 2013, the Beardmores moved to Clinton, LA, where Allen served as an Assistant to the Elders and was then elected Associate Pastor in 2014.
During this time both Allen and Katie seriously considered missionary work overseas as a means of serving the Lord. After adding one more child in seminary and obtaining a Master of Arts degree in May 2013, Allen visited both New Zealand and Australia and met with a number of different pastors in various cities to discuss the possibility of doing church planting work. The Lord graciously provided an opportunity in Perth where the Beardmore family, together with a small group of believers, plan to form a nucleus from which we pray that the Lord will build a local congregation of believers.
Oscar Bloise
Oscar Bloise, a Jamaican citizen, was converted in 1953 through the witness of a tourist visiting his land. From his earliest days as a believer, Oscar desired to enter the gospel ministry. In 1956 he pursued biblical studies at Philadelphia College of the Bible. It was during this time that God led Oscar into a long-standing relationship with Leon Blosser and Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
While Oscar was obtaining an education in the United States, his future wife, Dolly (whom he had not yet met), was studying nursing in Jamaica. They met in 1960 when Oscar returned to pastor in Morant Bay and Spanish Town. She was a member of the church in Morant Bay and in 1962, they were married. Dolly went home be with the Lord in 2011 and is greatly missed by Oscar.
During those years, Oscar kept the Carlisle church informed of his labors. In 1968, as he attended a pastors’ conference in the United States, the Lord opened his eyes to the doctrines of grace. In 1971, with support from Grace Baptist, Oscar began to gather a church in Kingston. His first meeting was with four adults and four children. There are now about 45 members and an average Lord’s Day morning attendance of 70, with 50 in Sunday School. In 1981, they constructed their own building for worship. Grace Reformed Baptist is one of 15 churches who comprise the Fellowship of Independent Baptist Churches in Jamaica.
Ministry in Jamaica is made difficult by a number of social conditions on the island. Deep poverty and high rates of unemployment plague the nation. If young people are well trained, they often leave their homeland for work in more prosperous nations. If they stay at home it is difficult to find work. Many young couples live together outside of marriage and therefore avoid all attendance at worship. The transportation of drugs from South America to North America through Jamaica has also had a bad effect upon Jamaican life, bringing a dramatic increase in violence. These sins and others are seriously weakening the moral fiber of the country.
Through the years, Oscar has seen many young people confess Christ and serve Him in a variety of ways and places in Jamaica. The greatest need in the church today is the training of leaders for the next generation. The Bloises are grateful for everyone who prays for God’s mighty grace to touch Jamaica.
Dafydd and Maria Hughes
Dafydd was brought up in a Christian home in Wales where, at the age of eleven, he experienced God’s peace through forgiveness following some weeks struggling with the reality of his sin and the justice of God’s condemnation. A few months later he made a public profession of his repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ by being baptised in his home church in Aberystwyth.
Throughout his years in higher education Dafydd was active in church and Christian student groups. As a result of various opportunities for Christian service in these contexts a few people began to ask him whether he sensed any call to the Christian ministry. This sparked a prayerful interest in developing the gifts others had observed while waiting upon the Lord for clear direction.
Following college and a short time in secular work, he spent five years working in two different Christian organisations. During that time he gained valuable experience of church life and had increasing opportunities for preaching and teaching. Then came a period of full-time theological training at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales. At the conclusion of the course Dafydd was ordained to the Christian Ministry on 24th August 1996 by Dr. Eryl Davies, then the College principal, and the elders of his home church, Pollard Park Evangelical Church (now called Christ Church), in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and a week later he was on a flight from the UK to New Zealand.
It had been almost ten years filled with active service, painful lessons, serious private study and, finally, formal theological training, before the first sense of call in his teens at last became reality with his move to the South Island of New Zealand. Dafydd had been called to Christchurch to help with planting and establishing Grace Baptist Church, and he ministered there between 1996 and 2006. During that time he met and married Maria and God blessed them with a son, Ajinkya, in June 2005. Maria is from Pune, India, where she worked for a number of years for Grace To India, a branch of John MacArthur’s Grace To You ministry. Maria compiles Fellowship News, the quarterly newsletter of the Fellowship of Reformed Baptist Churches in New Zealand.
In 2006 Dafydd moved with his family to Palmerston North to help with another church planting endeavour, where the Lord also added a daughter, Anjali, to the family in September 2007. Palmerston North is in the lower North Island of New Zealand and has a population of about 80,000 people. Dafydd is the pastor of Crosspoint Church, which initially experienced five years of slow growth, but these were followed by five months of devastating attack by the evil one. The church is now small, but it is in good heart, and there is an air of hopefulness and expectation among the members as they look to the future.
Olivier and Denise Favre
Olivier Favre approved by ARBCA to plant a church in Mulhouse, France.
Oliviér was born in a Christian family which attended the only church –Reformed liberal– in a small village of Switzerland.
As far as he remembers, he never questioned the existence of God and the way of living of his parents. But at the age of twelve, he understood that this wasn’t sufficient and that he had to come personally to the Lord in repentance and faith.
After his training as a cabinet maker, he felt God’s call for the ministry and attended a Bible school to get trained. There he met his future wife, Denise, who also comes from a Christian family and had the same burden of serving the Lord.
At the end of the Bible school, in 1983, they were married and met the Pastor Stuart Olyott who was pastoring the Lausanne’s Evangelical Baptist church. It is through his ministry that they were convinced of the biblical bases of the Reformed Baptist doctrines and they came to a God centered theology. This discovery made them change their plans for their future ministry. Instead of going back to France they stayed in Lausanne for five years, enjoying Pastor Olyott’s ministry. It is during this time that Olivier was appointed as an elder of the church.
His pastoral gifts being recognized by the church, he studied for three more years at the “Faculté libre de théologie Réformée” in Aix-en-Provence. It is during that time that their third son was born, Joël (12.1989), the two other being born in Lausanne, Loïc (09.1985) and Sylvain (10.1987).
Since Pastor Olyott was going back to England, the Lausanne’s Evangelical Baptist Church called Oliviér to the ministry. He answered this call in 1991 and was pastor that church for nearly 14 years. In July 2005, he and his family left Lausanne for Payerne, convinced that it is the more experienced pastors who have to work in news areas and small churches. For quite a number of years Olivier took care of two pioneer works planted by Lausanne’s church in Payerne and Neuchâtel. Each of these new churches actually had about fourteen members. After seven years the church in Payerne became a self-supporting church. The church in Neuchâtel now has called church planter Tim Wenger to be their pastor. Oliviér and Denise rely on the Lord to give them wisdom and strength to be His faithful servants in the task involving expository preaching, Bible studies and reaching out non Christian with the Gospel in various ways.
Raymond and Diane Perron
Raymond Perron gives an update on the work in Quebec in this video
Raymond Perron came to faith in Christ on January 15, 1977, simply through reading the Scriptures. He had experienced no ongoing discussion with a believer, no preaching or church life and was not even the subject of specific prayer by Christians. For twelve years he had what was considered a successful career in broadcasting. As news director of a leading Quebec radio station, he felt no need for religion. A friend had given him a New Testament which had joined other miscellaneous articles in the glove compartment of his car until, in God’s grace and time, a “felt need” was created and he remembered the Bible. A hungry reading of it over a brief period of time brought Raymond to cry out to God for mercy. That cry was heard, and Raymond became a new creature.
Two years earlier, through the witness of a friend, Diane was brought to salvation in Christ. While enjoying all the benefits of working in a travel agency, Diane was challenged to leave the agency and volunteer as a secretary at Berea Bible Institute in Montreal. It was in this college that Raymond enrolled to study the Bible that had changed his life. After completing the diploma course, he began a pastoral ministry in the Montreal area. He taught anthropology and introduction to the New Testament at Berea, and he also married the secretary on December 19, 1981.
As the evangelical world of Canada heard of the conversion and ministry of Raymond, it was no surprise that World Vision Canada lured him away from his beloved Quebec to serve as French communication specialist in Toronto. While missing their French culture, the Perrons nevertheless enjoyed the cosmopolitan nature of Toronto, and they soon discovered the further education available at Toronto Baptist Seminary. While continuing to serve with World Vision, Raymond successfully completed the Master of Divinity program at T.B.S. The call of Quebec prevailed, though, and with their son, Jonathan, born October 14, 1986, they returned to Quebec City to plant a church. Raymond had not only been introduced to Reformed theology, but he also embraced it and desired to preach it to lost sinners and to disciple believers in these truths.
Laurentides Evangelical Church (Reformed Baptist) began in the Perrons’ living room. With very little encouragement and even less financial support, their first years back in the province were difficult. Once again Raymond was able to teach, this time as guest lecturer in New Testament and Theology at the (Presbyterian) Farel Institute. Following the advice of friends, he began a course of doctoral studies at the University of Laval. He successfully defended his thesis on “The Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til” and was urged to start a pastoral training course. In the meantime the church grew to 18 members with nearly 40 attending on a regular basis.
With a severe space problem in their facility and the possibility of several other ministries if space was available, the church moved closer to Quebec City and renovated a small office building. The name was changed to Église Baptiste Réformée de Charlesbourg (Reformed Baptist Church of Charlesbourg.) Recently, the church has moved again, this time to Quebec City itself, and again the name changed to Église Baptiste Réformée de la Capitale. The Lord has blessed this church with substatnial growth due to the uniting of another church in Quebec City with Église Baptiste Réformée de la Capitale.
Trinity Reformed Baptist Church of La Mirada, California, is the ARBCA member church with responsibility for the Perrons. With the involvement of the California congregation, other US churches have assisted in granting adequate financial support for Raymond, Diane and Jonathan.
Beginning in January of 2001 Raymond launched out into a full-time church planting ministry in the province of Quebec. God has raised up groups of believers in Montreal and in Drummondville that Raymond is shepherding. U.S. churches have picked up Raymond’s full support financially which has enabled the Quebec City church to call a pastor to take his place. Raymond has started a “Log College” in Quebec City to train men to pastor the churches he endeavors to plant all along the St. Lawrence River. On April 6, 2005 as Association of Reformed Baptist Churches (AÈRBQ) was incorporated. There are now 6 churches in this Association. In September of 2008 a new church plant effort was begun in Aylmer and also in 2008 a Christian radio began broadcasting in Quebec City. The glorious Gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace is being preached in the very uniquely French culture of Quebec to perishing souls in need of the Savior and churches are being planted for the glory of God.
Brian and Necy Ellis
Brian Ellis has the role of main preacher at Cubao Reformed Baptist Church in the Philippines for what is now the English Service on a Lord’s Day afternoon. Numbers are usually about 120 or so. The morning Tagalog service however sees their Worship Hall almost full with over 200 in attendance. The church rejoices in the Lord’s goodness and mercy to them with new members being added to the church, some through profession of faith and baptism. Two of those who recently joined the church are young ladies from the Christian Compassion Ministries (CCM) homes, a ministry of Cubao Reformed Baptist Church. www.ccmmanila.org.
Brian continues to teach a class in Church History at Grace Ministerial Academy. Historically, Grace Baptist Church, Carlisle has directly supported the efforts of Grace Ministerial Academy and the training of men for the gospel ministry. www.crbc-ph.org/grace-ministerial-academy/
The church remains involved in an annual Pastors’ Conference as well, which is typically held the first week of February. This is a gathering where approximately 300 pastors and preachers come together for good ministry over a three day period. They also distribute numerous God honoring books to the conference attendees. Three different books are given away each day to all who attend. The Lord has been using the conference over the years to bring many men to a much more biblical position in their ministry and churches.
Christian Compassion Ministries (CCM) is the church’s ministry which helps children and the poor and needy. Brian continues as Chairman of the Board which oversees the work of CCM. They thank the Lord for the marvelous staff the he has given to them. They do a great work and often for little reward. As they look to the future, please pray that they will be able to continue to find the right staff to work among the poor in the Cubao communities and among the homeless.
The church in Cubao is also rejoicing that their outreach work in Lubao, about one and half hours north of Manila has now been constituted as a church. They are small but slowly growing. The church in Cubao still gives oversight to the work in Tondo which has recently installed a new Pastor.
The Ellis’ would like to express their gratitude for all those who continue to pray for them personally and for the ministries of Cubao Reformed Baptist Church. They thank the Lord for all those who hold them and the work up before the throne of grace.
Michael and Ashley Emadi
A Brief Personal History
1990
- Michael baptized at the age of 9
2004
- Michael graduated from University of Utah
- Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force as an Intel Officer.
- Ashley started college at Lindsey- Wilson College in southern KY
2005 – 2007
- Michael stationed at Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, TX for Intelligence School then sent to Misawa, Japan
- Ashley was baptized at Heritage Baptist Church
- Michael moved to Owensboro, KY to start seminary at MCTS / Reformed Baptist Seminary
2008 – 2011
- Visited Ireland and spent 3 weeks with Matthew Brennan and 3 weeks with Stephen Murphy
- Married Ashley O’Neal
- Moved to Utah and Michael worked as the Deputy Program Manager for C-5 trainers at Hill AFB, Utah
- Had two children: Liam (3) and Lorelai (2)
- Graduated from RBS
2012-2013
- Moved to Houston, TX to pursue another masters in biblical languages
- Returned to Owensboro, KY
- Visited Ireland for the third time, this time with the whole family
- In November of 2013 our third child, our daughter Méav, was born.
Michael’s Education
- BA in Political Science and minor in Persian (Farsi) Language from University of Utah
- Certificate of Completion of Intelligence School from Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, TX USAF
- Masters of Divinity from Reformed Baptist Seminary
- Masters of Arts in Biblical Languages from Houston Baptist University
Our Goals
Our goal is to plant a church in a village/town in Co. Louth, Ireland. We will be working with Pastor Stephen Murphy from Dundalk Baptist Church and using his insight and wisdom as to where our efforts should be focused. There are several villages within 15 minutes of Dundalk that not only are there no evangelical churches but no one knows of any Christians living in those villages. There is indeed much work to be done there.
Why Carlingford?
A legitimate question is why Carlingford, a relatively small town has been chosen for a church plant in Ireland. Michael Emadi in consultation with Stephen Murphy, the resident pastor in Dundalk, Ireland gives this compelling argument that you will read below.
The question about Carlingford is legitimate and I want to express why Stephen Murphy and I see this area as a strategic and why we chose this area.
- The Irish government has labeled the city of Dundalk a “gate-way city.” That is, it is a city that allows access and growth to come to its surrounding areas through the increase in business activity. Xerox has a plant there and just recently Paypal opened up an international office there which has brought more people into the surrounding areas of Dundalk.
- Because that area is so close to the Northern border, its growth has been artificially suppressed over the last 30 years because of the violence involving the IRA. Since that has ceased over the last 10 – 15 years, the area is growing and expanding.
- The attention to Carlingford is as the “main” city of the Cooley Peninsula. By that I mean that a church in Carlingford would affect the entire Peninsula. Right now there is NO church on the Cooley Peninsula. So while we hope to plant a church in Carlingford, our outreach will be to the entire peninsula. We can’t look just at the number of people in Carlingford and think that is all we are going to be able to reach. There are somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 people on the peninsula. While all the villages are small, as a whole (considering the peninsula), it is a rather large group of people to reach.