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The EFCA mission is to "multiply healthy churches among all peoples." The workers below are involved in that process. Their churches represent beachheads from which we pray that other churches will be planted. Two of our churches below are already in the process of planning for future church plants and the Arabic church has a growing ministry overseas.
Christian & Ximena Aguilar
Sons: Martin & Joaquim
Serving at Iglesia Nueva Vida in Harrisburg, PA
Christian and Ximena (pronounced (he MEN - a) came from Chile in 2003. They are gifted in the areas of worship, drama and youth. They serve at Iglesia Nueva Vida in Harrisburg, PA. This church plant is in partnership with Community EFC in Harrisburg. The leaders at Community saw the demographic shifts coming into their surrounding neighborhoods and wanted to offer a place of bilingual ministry. Christian and Ximena also continue to lead worship at the annual Hispanglo conferences.
Safwat and Nivin Attia
Sons: Meyer and Muller
Pastor of Arabic Evangelical Church in Brooklyn, NY
Pastor Safwat ministers the Word and models servant leadership by helping immigrants and those new to this country by meeting them at the airport, providing them with a place to live, and help in filling out paper work, etc. He also serves at the Arab-American friendship Center where Bridges are being built to immigrants who come from different backgrounds. He is the pastor of the Church in Brooklyn and is developing a core group of believers in Staten Island to plant a church there. He also he leads Bible studies in various locations in the NY Metro area.
Dave and Sharon Martin
Director, GATEWAY Theological Institute, Eastern District
After serving as Senior Pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Hershey for 37 years, Dave transitioned to service in the district as the Director of GATEWAY Theological Institute. Dave's passion is to train spiritual leaders to be effective teachers of the Word and leaders of God's people. Over many years in ministry, Dave has seen God bless His Word and bless those who live by it and explain it faithfully.
Since 2009, approximately 100 students from the Eastern District have graduated from GATEWAY, Phase One, a year-long study based on our Statement of Faith. Those students graduated from nearly a dozen sites located from Long Island to Northern VA. Currently about 15 students participate in Phase Two classes (a three-year study) in Newark, NJ; Allentown, PA; and York, PA.
As Director for the Eastern District and a member of the National Directional Team, Dave has had the privilege of meeting and mentoring dozens of younger leaders in our churches. He has been greatly encouraged by the deep commitment of these folks to the Lord and the mission of the church. Dave invites whoever might be tempted to be pessimistic about the future of the church to visit one of the GATEWAY sites to see what the Lord is doing to raise up new, spiritually strong servants for ministry! Dave hopes you can join him and his team in working toward and celebrating the development of many new leaders for our churches!
Lorenzo and Betsy Meson
Director of Hispanic Mission, Lebanon, PA
Lorenzo came to Christ in Argentina when missionaries shared the gospel with him. His meat business became his first pulpit for sharing the gospel. Betsy's father was one of the missionaries who discipled him. He and Betsy ministered in Argentina for 25 years before moving to the U.S. in 2000.
He was the founding pastor of Iglesia El Faro (The Lighthouse Church) and oversaw its expanding ministries until 2008 when he became the first director of the Eastern District Hispanic Ministries. He has developed relationships with potential church planters and mentored them as they have begun serving in Harrisburg and Reading.
Lorenzo and Betsy have developed relationships with several area churches which have in turn motivated their churches to become active partners with Hispanic church plants. He leads the Hispanic Mission leadership team which oversees church planting, theological education, communication tools and the annual Hispanglo workshop which introduces a blended Hispanic/Anglo worship and workshops to churches around the district.
Dr. & Mrs. Marcos Solt
Assistant Director EFCA Gateway and Director of Development for EDA
After many years, of church planting and evangelistic ministry in Newark, NJ and Allentown, PA, Dr. Marcos Solt has been called of God to fulfill the critical role of training and developing pastors for new and existing churches in the EFCA. This ministry will take place through his new role as Assistant Director EFCA Gateway. Dr. Solt will also fill a smaller support role in the Eastern District as Director of Development.
During this transition Marcos and Colleen's ministry can be described as urban evangelism, leading to conversion growth resulting in the formation of a new bilingual church. They are looking to train a pastor to lead the church during a 1-2 year transition time. During the transition Marcos will continue to train church planters and pastors through Gateway Theological Institute. As well as work with the EDA in cross cultural ministry and development.
Ron and Julia Tilley
Son: Keegan
UIM Missionary serving in Harrisburg, PA
Ron has been a missionary with the Urban Intercultural Mission since 1994. He has been a bridge builder for the EFCA to the African American community and serves on the task force for Biblical Diversity. He laid the groundwork for our church plant in downtown Baltimore.
For the past several years, Ron has been the executive director for Firm Foundation of PA, Inc. (see our section on Wholistic Minsitries). Firm Foundation focuses on rebuilding lives and thus renewing their community. The statistics of men in prison and men who are absent fathers are staggering. Firm Foundation offers transitional housing for men who are getting their lives together again, Proud Dads to help mentor men in relating to their children, job training programs, and employment services. Please check out the description of Firm Foundation and then check out their website.
Renee Young
UIM Missionary serving in Brooklyn, NY
Renee has served as a missionary with the Urban Intercultural Mission since 1996. She has served churches and community-based ministries in Minneapolis, Denver, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and now serves in Brooklyn NY. For several years, she was the national coordinator of BUMP (Bridging Urban Missions Project), facilitating week-long urban missions experiences for over 500 students in 8 cities.
In the fall of 2011, Renee transitioned to a focused role in the Eastern District where she will be the Compassion and Justice Advocate in our district. This is a wonderful blend of her passions connecting with the needs around us. She will be directly involved in the Immigrant Hope — Brooklyn NY ministry, assuming administrative tasks and ministry to the poor and indigent who come through our doors. She is also networking with other EFCA — ReachGlobal missionaries who are involved in justice issues such as human trafficking and sex-trafficking. She will be able to connect our district churches toward resources to understand these issues and tangible ways in which they can help.
Lisa Yeung, Legal Director of Immigrant Hope
Lisa Yeung is the legal director, an immigration lawyer and seminary graduate
Two accredited reps and three more applications pending
Over 20 have taken volunteer training — several want to commit to serving
Began seeing clients: Fall/2011
Lisa Yeung has a unique skill set that allows her to serve in multiple capacities in the Eastern District. Born in Hong Kong, she can speak, read and write fluently in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. She is an attorney who practiced immigration law in Maryland for 6 years and in other law practices in the 14 years before that.
But God was also calling her into ministry and in 2006 she enrolled in Alliance Theological Seminary, earning a Masters of Divinity in 2009.
In 2009 -2010 Lisa served as an associate pastor of the NY Chinese EFC and was the Executive Director of Dorcas Ministries which serves the needs of the Chinese immigrant community in Brooklyn.
In February of 2011 she began serving with Immigrant Hope, a non-profit ministry under the Evangelical Free Church of America. Immigrant Hope has as its mission statement to build relationships among the immigrant community in order to provide:
- the HOPE of the Gospel,
- HELP toward legal residency, and
- a HOME in the church which cares for their needs
Brooklyn, NY was chosen as the pilot center where volunteers and trained immigration counselors will lovingly provide legal services to qualified immigrants, guiding them through the processes of obtaining a green card for permanent residence, citizenship and other immigration benefits. As we earn their trust we hope to have opportunities to invite them to other church-related activities and share the Good News with them.
Lisa and her husband Herman live in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn.