Six Sessions, All Day

Sabrina Galloway, FBC Safford (Safford, Arizona)

I am the ASL interpreter at First Baptist Church of Safford. I have been interpreting for a short time, about 2 years, personally disciplining and interpreting sermons. God knows my hands like to be busy, with either creativity and worshipping with music. But I never expected He would use my hands to speak a language, to bring knowledge of Him, and lead individuals to Christ within the deaf community. It has been an honor and growing experience. Praise God!

Sue Stephenson, Grace Church (Chino Valley, Arizona)

I attended my first sign language class when I was 12.  It was a Sunday School class that was held at a deaf ladies house.  Every college I went to, I took a sign language class if it was offered.  Finally, I found Mt. SAC in Southern California and graduated with an AS in Sign Language Interpreting.

I worked for 20 years as an interpreter at an adult school.  I interpreted at my church in Southern California for a few years.  I retired and moved to Arizona 8 years ago. I’ve been interpreting at my church here for 3-4 years.

Dr. Jeff Denlinger, President of WorldVenture

More about him:

• Extraordinary God

Pastor Mark Hanke, FBC Salem (Salem, Oregon) and Board Chair with WorldVenture

More about him:

• Missions in the City

Beth Meverden

Beth Meverden has been ministering to children, teens, and their parents for over 25 years. Beth has authored numerous resources, articles, and teaching curricula for parents, youth, and children’s ministry including her book, Church(ing) Kids: 4 Keys to Keeping Your Children Engaged in Church. Beth and her amazing husband live in Colorado with the three coolest children ever!

Look for Beth’s Resources at BethMeverden.com or connect with her on Instagram: @TrainingYourChild

Steve Hubler, Legacy Ministries

Since the mid-nineties, Steve has served as a Pastor, Church Planter, Leadership Coach and Missionary who is committed to mobilizing families for God’s harvest. Steve earned his Doctoral Degree in Discipleship at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.

He completed his Masters Degree in Theology at Talbot, and his Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Steve is also an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Steve and Melissa founded Legacy Ministries International in 2017 to meet the growing need to equip parents to raise their children with an Unshakable Faith in Jesus. Steve hosts the radio broadcast and podcast Unshakable Faith®.

He loves hiking and mountain biking. Steve and his family live in Prescott, AZ.

Njenga Maina is a Christian Leader who immigrated from the US from Kenya in 2010. In the United States, Njenga studied at Moody Theological Seminary and earned his Masters in Urban and Intercultural Ministry. Njenga Arrived at Grand Canyon University through the recommendation of a friend he met during his time at Moody and began serving as a Global Outreach coordinator there in 2016. Approaching his 10^th year at the university, Njenga now serves as the Global Outreach Manager at GCU. Njenga, his wife Dominique, and his two daughters live in Phoenix and attend Church at Alhambra Beloved Community.

Brennan Smith spent most of his childhood in the Bay Area, CA, but moved to Phoenix, AZ to pursue a degree in Worship Arts from Grand Canyon University (GCU). Brennan began his cross-cultural ministry journey as a student leader at GCU by mobilizing college students to participate in English classes for refugee adults. Shortly after graduation, He joined the Spiritual Life Staff at GCU where he helps coordinate the same Global Outreach Program that he was a part of as a student leader. Brennan and his wife, Aliyah live in Phoenix and are a part of Redemption Church Peoria.

Shelli Deckard serves at Grace Church in Chino Valley alongside her Pastor husband of 42 years!  Shelli is involved in women’s ministry, planning two large events each year, teaching a younger woman’s Bible study, and mentoring a small group of women.  Shelli finds joy by leaning into her gifts of teaching and exhortation. She also loves to spend time with her four adult children and her four especially adorable grandchildren!

J.D. Payne

J.D. Payne serves as the Thomas Welby Bozeman Chair of Christian Ministry, Professor of Christian Ministry at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He has taught missions, evangelism, and theology for twenty-seven years in the Academy, and was a pastor in the United States for nineteen years. His publications involve sixteen books including Theology of Mission, Apostolic Church Planting, Apostolic Imagination, and most recently, Understanding Evangelism. J. D. writes at jdpayne.org, hosts the podcast Strike the Match with J. D. Payne, and produces a YouTube channel. He is married to Sarah, and they have three adult children.

Ralph Thompson, WorldVenture Global Director of Africa

Ralph and his wife Sandra serve together as WorldVenture’s Global Directors for Africa, overseeing workers across the region and promoting innovation, collaboration, and Gospel impact among the least-reached communities across the continent. Born and raised in Connecticut, Ralph came to faith as a young child and at age 10, felt a call to missions. In 2005, he moved with his family to a predominantly Muslim area, where they served in church planting and development for thirteen years. During that time, Ralph was part of a multicultural church planting team ministering in one of the city’s predominantly Muslim neighborhoods, marked by radicalism, drug abuse, and crime. He helped establish a youth-focused community center that became a beacon of hope, offering practical help and the message of Christ’s love.

Over the years, he has mentored and equipped global church leaders for cross-cultural ministry. He holds a Bachelor of Biblical Studies from Boston Baptist College (1999) and two master’s degrees from BIOLA University – Christian Apologetics (2010) and Science and Religion (2018), both with a focus on apologetics to Islam.

Keith Carey, Joshua Project

Keith has been with Frontier Ventures since 1986, working with the Global Prayer Digest (GPD). The purpose of the GPD is to fill the bowls of incense with prayer for unreached Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and animistic peoples for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. In 2020, GPD merged with Joshua Project’s similar Unreached of the Day (UOTD) prayer effort. Keith spends most of his time gathering information, editing, and coordinating prayer efforts with like-minded believers in various organizations. We currently have 27 writers, and we are starting to use AI tools to finish the remaining profiles and other prayer materials.

John White, WorldVenture (Ukraine)

John has been a missionary in Ukraine with WorldVenture for over 20 years, teaching cross-cultural and urban mission. He is currently the director of the master’s program in Urban Mission at Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary and serves as the Urban Initiatives Coordinator for WorldVenture. John has authored two books, Factors Behind the Ukrainian Evangelical Missionary Surge from 1989 to 1999 and A Stroll Through the Cities of Eurasia: The Flow of Urban History and the Values of Today.