SCHEDULE
Friday, March 22
Missions Committee,
Staff & Missionaries Meal & Prayer
Saturday, March 23
9:00 to 11:00 AM
Church Wide Breakfast, Panel Discussion, Q&A
Multipurpose Room
6:00 - 8:30 PM
Home Meetings
Sign up in the church lobby
Missions Sunday, March 24
9:30 – 10:30 AM
Sunday School Round Robin
Adult Combined Class (sanctuary)
Student Class
Combined Children class
10:45 AM
Worship Service (flag processional)
Rev. Dan Iverson preaching
Missionaries participating
12:30 - 2:00 PM
Church-wide Lunch & Fellowship (Multi-Purpose Room)
MISSIONARY GUESTS
Matt & Emma Hegler - MTW Japan
Matt and Emma developed a heart for youth ministry through various leadership roles in the church, which helped them to recognize the need for gospel-centered discipleship among teens. Through an internship in 2018 with the Next team in Nagoya, Japan, Emma was drawn to the Japanese people. In her time there, she developed a vivid picture of how Japanese culture groans for the gospel. Additionally, after finishing the application process for veterinary school, Matt could see God closing doors and guiding him in a new direction. Through prayer and a love for youth ministry, the Holy Spirit moved Matt’s heart to develop a burden for missionary and Japanese youth. Matt and Emma married in December of 2021 and were approved to join the MTW Next Asia-Pacific team in January of 2023. The mission of this team is to work alongside the church to reach Japanese youth with the gospel, to train youth leaders, and to sustain missionary families on the field. With a passion for the next generation, Matt and Emma hope to come alongside the fading Japanese church by reinforcing its mission to dissolve the burden of sin and anxiety with the overwhelming grace of the gospel.
Dan & Carol Iverson – MTW Japan
Dan grew up in a ministry family. He met Carol in college where both were discipled. Carol went on to graduate school and Dan became a Marine infantry officer, serving initially in Japan. They married in 1976, and spent seven years in the Marines. God led them to Reformed Seminary where He impressed on them a central Bible theme they had missed: God’s heart for all nations. A team of four seminary couples formed. Three Japanese pastors invited the team to come work together in East Tokyo planting churches to start a presbytery. The four couples made 12-year commitments to Japan. The Iversons arrived first in 1986 with five children.
The Japanese are the world’s second largest unreached people group, but Jesus is building His Church as promised! (Matt. 16:18) God blessed the ministry, churches were planted, and the Tokyo/Chiba Presbytery was born. It now has over 1,000 members in 20 congregations. By God’s grace, the one team has become five teams in Metro Tokyo with more than 120 MTW, other American, Korean, Australian, and Japanese ministry partners. Since 2010, Tokyo city center church planting has become a fruitful new emphasis in partnership with Redeemer City to City. We pray for a church-planting movement throughout Japan. Currently U.S.-based, Dan has handed off duties as pastor, team leader, and country director, and now focuses on mentoring, coaching church planters, teaching/preaching, and recruiting. Carol handed off duties as principal in our team's school, and now focuses on mentoring women, Parakaleo training for women, Japan member care, and teaching.
The Iversons have nine children, eight wonderful spouses, and 34 grandchildren.
Tial & Annie Thanga - MTW Southeast Asia
Tial Thanga was born in the home of an animistic priest. After his father's death, his mother raised him in a Christian home and received Christ as his Savior shortly after finishing university. He was a mathematics public school teacher before enrolling at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned a Master of Divinity (Missions) and a Doctorate of Missiology (Inter-Cultural Studies) in 1988-1994. He wrote a dissertation on “Analysis in the value of myth and story among the Mizo people in Myanmar” to find a good communication bridge to his tribal people about God, man, and nature. Tial's family returned to their home country and became a pioneer Reformed Presbyterian church planter in his homeland in 1995.
Tial and Annie are engaged in the ministry of missions, evangelism, discipleship, and planting God-glorifying churches through his founded "Myanmar Reformed Theological Seminary and Discipleship Training Center." They opened an orphanage home in Yangon and helped start several village primary schools for children in the rural areas to become government-recognized ones.
Tial and Annie (RTS Jackson alumni) have three children: Eden (RTS Jackson alumni), David, and John, and three grandsons: Abraham, Jason, and Benjamin!
Bridget and David Walls – New Direction Mustard Seed
Bridget and David Walls founded of New Direction Ministries 1996. New Direction Farm, a therapeutic boarding school for teenagers operated from 1998-2014. From 2014 until present our focus has become single mothers and children who have left households of domestic violence. We assist in providing legal represenation for protective custody of the children; professional Christian Counseling; supplementation of income; and safe housing. Ours is an extensive and intensive relational ministry. The average length of help for each family is 3 years in length. It is our goal to assist mothers and their children until there is restoration. Serving Asheville and surrounding area and Blowing Rock and surrounding area.
www.newdirectionmustardseed.com
Emma Cade Marshall – MTW Arden Missionary Intern: Latvia
Emma Cade Marshall grew up worshiping at Arden Presbyterian Church with her family. She is now a junior at Anderson University studying Elementary education. Emma Cade is excited to be joining a team of MTW summer interns in Latvia, where she will be serving youth in the capital city of Riga. During the summer she will have the opportunity to study God’s word, lead Bible studies, plan youth events, and meet one-on-one with students.
Emma Cade has been encouraged to hear of how the Lord has already been moving in the lives of the youth in Latvia. She is looking forward to witnessing the Lord’s faithfulness to His people as she serves alongside His church.