Pizza & Salad Missionary Night

**Join us for pizza and salad on June 23rd at 5 pm in the Coffee House! We will be hearing from Bernie and Rhonda Slingerland from the Mesoamerica Mission Region.**

Bernie, Rhonda, and their two daughters, Hannah and Abigail, are Global missionaries for the Church of the Nazarene serving in the Mesoamerica Region (MAR=31 Countries): Mexico, Central America, Panama and the Caribbean. The MAR Regional Office is in Panama City, Panama. They have served in missionary assignments in the MAC Region (7 Countries), MAC South Field (Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama), and Venezuela in South America, and have been missionaries since 1995.

**Bernie is the MAR Regional Coordinator of Evangelism.**

**Rhonda is the MAR Regional Coordinator of Finances.**

Both are ordained elders in the Church of the Nazarene.

Bernie facilitates church planting and development for the 31 countries utilizing the integrated ministry model, which includes: forming partnerships, evangelistic campaigns, the Jesus Film project, the EvangeCube, personal evangelism, leadership development, the Holiness Cube, regional evangelism strategies, and the project “Refocus” (which promotes church health).

He has raised up 150 Jesus Film Teams/Missional Zone Planters. He has participated in the organization of 10 new districts; facilitated the planting of 6,000 church missions; and helped the Church of the Nazarene to enter country number 159 (Turks and Caicos). He is helping the Region to enter the countries Bonaire and Curacao.

Currently, the Region is planting 750-1500 missions a year (1,204 missions in 2013). He is the author of To Be Like Him church planting manual, Holiness Cube/Cards, the book “Collision Between The Law and Grace”, book “Real Hope”, book “Missional Zones”, “Evangelism Training Manual”, “The Power of a Glorious Church”, Six Book Series School of Leadership on evangelism, and new book called “Now Serving in His Kingdom Business”.

He holds a Doctorate and Masters Degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City Missouri. Also he completed a Bachelor and Associate degrees from Nazarene Bible College Colorado Springs CO. He was born and raised in California. He pursued education in business, law and commercial photography, and worked in small businesses until he answered the call to full-time ministry.

Rhonda oversees the finances for the region which consists of 5 field offices, 31 countries and 72 districts. She was born in Kansas City and was raised in Ohio and Upstate New York. She is a fourth generation Nazarene (Knox). She graduated from Olivet Nazarene University and Vanderbilt University School of Law. She practiced law for nine years in Colorado before answering her call to ministry. She attended Nazarene Theological Seminary as well. Her testimony is in a book, “Call Waiting”.

Also, she teaches Sunday School at her local church, writes materials for leadership training manuals, and she enjoys a good read, as well.