Christ To The World Ministries

Dr. Leroy Ford: Senior Advisor

Dr. Ford serves as senior adviser to the president on all aspects of the ministry of CTTW.

A native of Oklahoma, Dr. Ford became a Christian at the age of 14. He received his B.A. degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford. He taught business education in high school and then worked as a training specialist with the United States War Department.

Following a call to Christian ministry in 1947, Dr. Ford attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) in Fort Worth, Texas, receiving the MRE degree. He served as minister of education and music of churches in Oklahoma and Texas and as Minister of Education, First Baptist Church, Norman, Oklahoma. He returned to Southwestern Seminary and earned the EdD degree while teaching at Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth.

From the mid-50s to the mid-60s, Dr. Ford served at the Baptist Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He became an authority in the field of training and learning and played a key role in curriculum development for the Southern Baptist Convention.

Dr. Ford joined the faculty at SWBTS in 1966 as Professor of Programmed Instruction in Religious Education. Later he became Professor of Foundations of Religious Education. He was instrumental in the development of a course description book for the degree programs in the School of Religious Education. He led in the development of the seminary audiovisual learning center, the curriculum lab and the continuing education program.

A prolific writer, Dr. Ford has written over 15 books on learning theory and methods. He developed a cartooned-writing technique for a series of books on instruction methodology. His books are used in churches as well as in colleges and seminaries in the United States and abroad. Several of his books have been translated into many languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian and Japanese. His book, Design for Teaching and Training, is a classic in the field of interactive learning and instruction. He translated the theological aspects of the works of Netzahualcouyotl, a pre-Hispanic intellectual of Mexico, and compiled Noble Thoughts from the Aztec World.

Dr. Ford has led curriculum design and interactive writing workshops and conferences in many parts of the world, including Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. He served as lecturer at the Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi and the Universidad Autonoma de Guanajuato. He has led workshops and conferences in seminaries, Bible schools, churches, and denominational and professional organizations throughout the United States.

In 1998 LifeWay Christian Resources of the SBC designated Dr. Ford “the father of interactive writing for Southern Baptists.” His workshops and leadership resulted in the development of many interactive courses, including curricula like The Survival Kit for New Christians, MasterLife, Experiencing God, The Mind of Christ and the Beth Moore interactive courses.

Dr. Ford has been a major influence on the field of Christian education throughout the world. Campbell Wyckoff, Professor of Christian Education Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary, wrote: “No one has done so much as LeRoy Ford to put good learning theory to work in theological education or been so utterly consistent in theory and practice. LeRoy Ford is today’s leading exemplar of rationale lesson planning and curriculum planning.”

Dr. James Charnel Anderson: Writer

Professor of History (Catedrático) Inter American University, Metropolitan Campus

Education:
Ph.D. George Washington University, Latin American History, 1970
M.L.S., University of Puerto Rico, Library Science, 1978
M.A., George Washington University, Government, 1960
B.A., McNeese University, History and English, 1958

 
Experience
 Professor of History, Inter American University, 1968-to present
Assistant Professor of History, McNeese University, 1967-1968
Visiting Professor of History, Faculdade de Filosofia, Crato, Ceara, Brazil, 1967
Peace Corps Volunteer, Ceara, Brazil, 1965-1967
Research Assistant, HUMRRO, George Washington U., 1962-1964
Selection Officer, Peace Corps, Washington, D.C., 1961-1962

 
Principal Publications
 The Spanish American War in the New York Time, Writers Circle Fetschrift , Plaza Mayor, San Juan, 2005
The American Presence in Puerto Rico (Chapter I Historical Background), Publicaciones Puertorriqueñas: San Juan, P.R., 1998
American Ships and Seamen in Puerto Rico During the Age of Sail, The Tropic Times: San Juan, P.R. (various issues), 1991-1992
1830: Analysis of a Year of Trade between San Juan and the United States, SER: Revista de Literatura, Inter American University: San Juan, P.R., no.1, 1984
An Analysis of Americans in Quien es Quien in Puerto Rico 1933-1949, Homines: Revista de Ciencias Sociales, San Juan, P.R., vol.8 no.1, enero-junio, 1984
Was the United States Interested in Puerto Rico Before 1898? An Inquiry Based on the New York Times, Homines: Revista de Ciencias Sociales, San Juan, P.R., vol. 6, no.1, Enero-Junio, 1982

 
Honors
 Scholar in Residence, Hispanic Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Summer 1999
Pilar Barbosa Puerto Rico Congressional Internship, Summer 1999
Outstanding  Teacher Award, English Trimester Program, Inter American University, 1998
Distinguished Teacher Award, Golden Key Society, Inter American U. Chapter, 1996
Fellow, National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar, Tulane University, 1976

 
Recent Conferences
 Using Primary Sources to Teach History; Baldwin School, March 2005
Pre-Columbian Civilizations of Puerto Rico; Baldwin School, November 2004
Humor in Brazilian Literatura de Cordel; Association for the Study of Humor in Hispanic Literature, San Juan, April 2003
The Foraker Act; Radio WOSO (series of news casts), April-June 2000
The Spanish American War in the New York Times; IAU Senate, Spring 1999
American Influence in Puerto Rico in the 19th Century; Spanish American War Centennial Celebration, San Juan, February 1998
Americans in Puerto Rico; WOSO Radio, April 1998
Spanish American War Day-by- Day; WOSO Radio (with news announcer Gary Taumenin), April- October 1998
Spanish American War in Puerto Rico; Retired Officers Club, Ft. Buchanan, 1998
Santiago de Cuba on the Eve of the Spanish American War; UPR , 1998

 
Research in Progress
 U.S. – Puerto Rican Relations in the 19th Century
U.S. Consuls in Puerto Rico (1815-1898)
Puerto Rico in World War I
English Language Journalism in Puerto Rico 1898 to present
The American Community in Puerto Rico in the 20th Century.
The Prohibition Era in Puerto Rico.
American Teachers in Puerto Rico, 1898-1920

 
Recent Committee Participation 
 AVANCE committee (spring 2005- present).
Distance Learning Committee (2004)
Middle States Self-Study Committee; Missions and Goals Sub-Committee (2003-2004).
Faculty Writers Circle (1990- present)
History Graduate Planning Committee (2000-present)
Centennial Committee for the Celebration of the Spanish-American War (1997-1998).
  

Coming Soon...

Ruth Bochte: Artists and Graphic Designer

Ms. Bochte does all of the art work and design for the study guides. Ms. Bochte is a native of North Dakota, the daughter of Rev. J. Richard Jones, a Presbyterian minister. She accepted Christ as her Savior at age eleven. She graduated as salutatorian from Mount Hope High School, Mount Hope, Alabama, and attended John C. Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama. She earned the Associate in Applied Science degree in graphic design at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Ms. Bochte is married to Jim Bochte, and they have one daughter, Tessa, born December 27, 1990. They are members of the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church USA in Decatur, Alabama. Her hobbies include horseback riding, art, and writing.

Ms. Bochte serves on the staff of the Phil Waldrep Ministries, Decatur, Alabama, as graphic artist and designer.

Dr. Trent Butler

Coming Soon...

Dr. Lorin Cranford: Bible and Theology Editor / Writer

Dr. Cranford makes sure all of the study guides are biblically correct and theologically sound. He also is a writer for the ministry.

“After pastoring two churches over a ten-year period (one in a ranching community [First Baptist Church, Graford, Texas] and the second one, a multi-staff church in Fort Worth, Texas [Springdale Baptist Church]), I accepted an invitation to join the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth in 1974. I served as Professor of New Testament and Greek from 1974-1997 in the School of Theology. During that time I also helped develop the Modern Languages Study Program and served as its Director from 1983 to 1994. This responsibility involved directing four semester programs of study in German, French, Latin, Spanish and Arabic as a part of the preparatory work for seminary students entering the PhD program in the School of Theology. I also taught the advanced Theological German courses in that program. Also during this period I served as interim pastor, Bible conference teacher and revival preacher at a large number of churches in the north Texas region.

“During the time spent at Southwestern Seminary I had the opportunity to spend two year-long sabbatic leaves from my seminary responsibilities. The first sabbatical was spent as a guest research professor at the University of Bonn, Germany. During that year I gave some lectures (in German) at the German Baptist Seminary, then located in Hamburg. The second leave was spent at the University of Heidelberg where I served as guest research professor. During that year I received invitations to deliver lectures in German at the universities in Bonn, Gottingen and Heidelberg. Additionally, I preached (in German) in a number of German Baptist churches. During the summer before the beginning of the academic year at Heidelberg in October, I studied French at the Alliance Francaise in Paris, France. During the summer I was invited to preach in several French Baptist congregations.

“As a developing New Testament scholar I felt the need to become conversant in a number of foreign languages, both ancient and modern, in order to explore the interpretation of the Greek text of the New Testament more thoroughly. This involved gaining at least a reading ability in Hebrew, Koine and Classical Greek, some Coptic, Latin, German and French. From 1982 through 1997 I was asked to teach a year-long PhD seminar in New Testament Critical Methodology, and then, beginning in 1992, I began also teaching the year-long New Testament History PhD seminar. These languages, and more, were heavily used in the teaching of these two doctoral seminars.

“In December, 1997 I took retirement from Southwestern Seminary and accepted the invitation to join the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, where I continue to teach presently. Most of my teaching at GWU has been different levels of Koine Greek to both undergraduate and divinity school students. Beginning in the fall, I will begin offering seminars in the new GWU Master of Arts in Biblical Studies program.

“During the period from 1974 to the present I have had the opportunity to have a number of books and articles published both in the United States and in Germany. The full listing of these can be found at my web site, Cranford.com:http://cranfordville.com/Cranford/resumelc.htm. Some of these include an article in Billy Graham’s Decision Magazine and a couple of articles in the German Baptist Die Gemeinde magazine. Presently I am working on a commentary on Colossians in the Smyth-Helwys Bible Commentary Series.”

Dr. Art Criscoe: Writer and Editor

Dr. Criscoe serves as a writer of the study guides. A native of Alabama, Dr. Criscoe became a Christian at the age of nine. He received the B.A. degree from Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, and the MAE degree from Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee. He received the MDiv, MA(RE) and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. He has done additional study at several schools, including the Instituto de Lengua Espanola in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Dr. Criscoe has served as pastor of churches in Texas, South Carolina and Tennessee. He served as professor of Bible and Christian Education at Columbia Bible College, Columbia, South Carolina, 1972-76. He was academic dean at the college, 1974-76. He served for 25 years in the area of discipleship at LifeWay Christian Resources (SBC), Nashville, Tennessee. He currently serves as adjunct professor in the graduate program at Cumberland University. He is author of several books and numerous teaching resources and articles.

Dr. Criscoe has conducted workshops and conferences on teaching and interactive writing in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, the Caribbean, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar. He has served as guest professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky.

Rev. Bobby and Maria Devine

Bobby and Maria serve as writers of Bible dramas and leaflets. They are currently writing on the series of The Life and Ministry of Simon Peter. Maria is also an illustrator. Most recently, she has completed the illustrations for the Early Church series.

Bobby and Maria were born and raised in Alabama. They have been Christians since their teens. They met while attending Oxford High School, Oxford, Alabama. They were married in May, 1963 following Maria’s graduation. Bobby served in the Air Force at Clinton-Sherman AFB, Oklahoma until his discharge in December 1966, when they returned to their hometown along with their son, Michael. In 1968, Bobby answered the call to preach at Coldwater Baptist Church near Oxford. Bobby received a BS Degree in Business at Jacksonville State University in 1970. He and Maria are retired federal employees.

Bobby has served four churches as bi-vocational pastor in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Between pastorates, he taught Sunday School, served as Deacon, held other offices and preached as needed in local churches and nursing homes, as well as the Nashville Rescue Mission. He currently serves as Interim Pastor of Baker’s Grove Baptist Church, Mt. Juliet, TN. He also serves as a volunteer Chaplain two nights a week for Truckstop Ministries, Inc., at the Truckstop of America in downtown Nashville and is employed as a part-time Chaplain with Marketplace Chaplains USA. He has continued his education through the years and received the MDiv (2001) and DMin (2005) degrees from Covington Theological Seminary, Rossville, Georgia.

Maria graduated from the University of Louisville in 1980 with a BS Degree in Business. She has also been active in the church assisting, encouraging Bobby, and teaching Children’s Sunday School, and Girls’ Auxilliary. Maria has been drawing and painting for most of her life. During her career, she worked several years as an illustrator with the U. S. Department of Army at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. She has worked with oils, acrylics, water colors, pen and ink, charcoal and pastels. She serves other local churches decorating bulletin boards and providing themed artwork and decorations for children’s programs.

Their son Michael is an active deacon at Mt. View Baptist Church. He and Windi have three children.

Bobby and Maria feel blessed to be a part of Christ to the World Ministries and to utilize the gifts they have been given by God to help spread the gospel to other parts of the world.

Vona Elkins

Vona serves as a writer for the study guides and the oral Bible studies.

“I was born into the family of Buford and Earline Brackin in Alabama. My father was a Baptist pastor and evangelist so I had many opportunities to “Hear the Word” from the pulpit and often heard the scriptures discussed, and sometimes debated, in my home. From this early training I was grounded in the truth of God’s Word. I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior as a teenager.

“After graduating from high school, I married Billy Clark Elkins. We have one son (Andy) and two daughters (Beth and Penny), and eight grandchildren. While raising our family we were active in a Presbyterian church where I taught Sunday School at every level, facilitated Women’s Ministry, and helped with the music program.

“God placed a desire in my heart to write when I was a young person. While raising my family, I was editor of the community newsletter and wrote plays and skits for youth programs, including devotionals and several pieces of music.

“After my husband’s early death, I began to pursue my writing in a serious manner. I attended writing classes at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama and writing workshops and seminars in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Cleveland, Tennessee. I studied psychology at Shoals College, Tuscumbia, Alabama, and completed computer classes at a technology center. I received special training as a facilitator of grief support groups from Hospice.

“I am now actively involved in Women’s Ministry in a Baptist church where I am also a soloist and choir member. I am a conference speaker for ladies’ groups, and write devotionals and ‘life experience’ articles.

“I am engaged in community activities, including The American Cancer Society, Hospice, and ‘Friends of the Library.’ I work part time for Auburn University Extension. I have been a substitute teacher for gifted education classes, a discharge planner in a Baptist hospital, and served on the county Board of Registrars.

“I enjoy music, reading, hiking, traveling, grandchildren, and Auburn football!

“Recognizing who Christ is, and who I am in Christ, has made me passionate about helping to get the message of salvation out through my writing ministry with Christ to the World.”

Mary Lee Gossett

Coming Soon...

Beth Henderson

 A native of Cleveland, Tennessee, Beth received a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in English and Communication. During her career she has worked as journalist for her local newspaper, public relations/marketing director for a couple of different companies in her area, and she most recently publishes three local real estate magazines.

In addition to her career, Beth has taught for ladies Sunday school classes, spoken to ladies groups at various churches, and has written several small dramas for local churches, as well. She especially enjoys being able to participate in the work of the great commission.

“I became a Christian when I was six years old. My relationship with Christ has always been a backdrop to everything else in my life,” she said. “There has never been a doubt that the Holy Spirit was present -- ready to help, protect, correct, and even scold when necessary. I have chosen a career in communication, but it is my true joy to communicate the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, to others.”

Beth still lives in Cleveland with her husband and two young daughters. They attend Waterville Baptist Church.

Dr. John Joslin

John Joslin and his wife Kathy were reared in the Wears Valley community of Sevier County, East Tennessee. They attended Valley View Baptist Church with their parents, accepted Christ while they were both teenagers and were baptized in Little River, located in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. They attended Wearwood Elementary School, Sevier County High School, and both received Bachelor degrees from Belmont College, Nashville, Tennessee. Also, John holds a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from International Seminary. His doctoral dissertation was on the ancestral religion of Okinawa, Japan and the impact it has had on missionary efforts, as well as on other religions.

He retired from the United States Air Force in 1978, after having served 20 years. During that period he was ordained as a deacon in 1966, by Glencarlyn Road Baptist Church, Arlington, Virginia. He answered the call to ministry in 1978, and was licensed by Smith Springs Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee. Later, he was elected to serve as the pastor of that church and was ordained by that congregation on July 23, 1978. He served as pastor of Smith Springs Baptist Church until 1990 when they were appointed by the Foreign Mission Board, SBC (now International Mission Board), to serve in Japan.

John and Kathy were appointed as Missionaries during an appointment service held in San Diego, California on April 3, 1990. Following missionary orientation, they arrived in Japan on August 21, 1990, where they served at Central Baptist Church on the Island of Okinawa. They returned from the field April 15, 2005, and retired as Emeritus Missionaries on July 17, 2005. Following their retirement from the IMB, John was called to serve as pastor of their home church, Valley View Baptist Church, Sevier County.

John has written articles for the Deacon and Home Life magazines. He has also written two books on church history: Smith Springs Baptist Church and Valley View Baptist Church. They have two sons, Jeffery and Christopher, and five granddaughters.

Roger Kuykendall

Roger leads our prayer ministry. He felt a calling to start a prayer team to assist Christ to the World Ministries as it continues to grow and reach the world for Christ. At this time, 11 couples serve with Roger and his wife, Debbie. The prayer team prays regularly for each member of the ministry and for the various countries where Christ to the World ministers. Roger considers it a true blessing to pray for everyone who is involved with this ministry.

Roger was reared on a farm in East Texas. He was blessed to have been born into a Christian home. At the age of seven, he came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and has continued to grow in his faith. Roger has served the Lord through his home church, Mobberly Baptist, in Longview, Texas, for the last 40 years: being on many committees, teaching Sunday School, serving as a deacon, and participating in the music ministry. He is a firm believer in the power of prayer and that God has told us that we have not, because we ask not.

Roger anticipates that many prayer teams will be formed to pray for Christ to the World Ministries. He will be glad to share with any person or church wishing to begin prayer teams for the ministry ideas and suggested schedules for a prayer team, along with specific prayer requests on a regular basis.

Coming Soon...

Cal and Joyce Robertson: Drama Writers

Cal and Joyce are the drama writing team for “Christ to the World Ministries.” Each drama is the result of their joint creative talents, and the inspiration they derive from the Master of all creation. They were both raised in Christian homes, and accepted Christ during their early childhood years. God has called them to use their collaborative talents in music, drama and writing to further the cause of Christ across America and around the world as He opens doors of opportunity.

Cal was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and attended Seattle Pacific College and Northwest College earning a Bachelors Degree of Divinity, with honors. He had a teaching fellowship during his senior year in Northwest.

He started acting and singing in churches and on the secular stage in plays, dramas and musicals from a very early age. He later served as Music Minister in various churches in the Northwest and Southern California, was a recording artist with Sacred Records, and toured throughout the west giving sacred concerts.

He spent nine years in the Hawaiian Islands where he worked as an entertainer on stage, television and radio. 

His broad spectrum of experience in the field of music and drama includes many years of writing, directing and performing musical productions, both sacred and secular. From the many performances in which he has been featured, some of his favorites were playing the lead role in:

Man of Lamacha

South Pacific

The Sound of Music

I Do, I Do

The Memphis Passion Play at Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, TN

The Dallas Christmas Festival at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX

He also writes and performs “One Man Dramas” (with musical inserts) in various venues around the country, however, Cal’s interests have not been single-minded. He has also been successful in his secular pursuits as an architectural designer and general contractor, both designing and building custom homes, apartment complexes, and churches. He has also donated this talent to assist in the design and building of orphanages in Brazil.

Joyce was born in Mississippi where her father was a pastor in The Church of the Nazarene. She sang her first solo in church at five years of age, and along with her two younger sisters, started singing three-part harmony when she was still a pre-teen. From childhood through their young adult years, they sang on stage and recorded sacred music. During high school, she was writing dramas for church youth groups to perform, and received encouragement to pursue a writing career from the adults who attended those performances.

She graduated from high school at the age of sixteen, ranking #10 in a class of 200 students, and entered Trevecca Nazarene College in Nashville, TN as the youngest freshman in her class. Because of her youthful dream to become a writer, she majored in her favorite subject, English grammar and composition. Circumstances intervened that prevented her graduating from college, but her spirit of determination refused to allow this misfortune to discontinue her intellectual growth.

Her career in business began at the entry level, but her multiple talents and intellectual capabilities were soon discovered. She was rapidly promoted to office manager, then up through the ranks to the executive branch. Over a span of years and relocations to various parts of the country, she served as Executive Assistant to Vice Presidents, then Presidents of five major corporations. During the last several years of her business life, she was Manager of Human Resources for a large pharmaceutical company from which she retired in 2000. All these years in the business world provided her with continuing education, national and international travel (Hong Kong, London and Scotland), and unending opportunities to use her writing and creative skills. She communicated extensively through the use of the written word in letters and e-mails, wrote business manuals and reports, created and taught employee training classes, etc.

She is a self-taught musician and has continued, from youth, to use this God-given key board talent both professionally and in the work of the Lord. She accompanies her husband in his solo concerts and dramatic performances.

Ruth Scoggins

Drama—does Ruth Scoggins write dramas? Certainty not! She has not the skill, training, nor knowledge. She is only an older lady who reflected upon her past and found the stones of a foundation God laid long ago. The first stone was an active imagination used to entertain and teach children for many years. The second stone was a burning desire to see people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Perhaps another was the many sermons, lectures and studies she has sat under. 

Over the years she listened to many trials of friends and co-workers; some of these made deep impressions and God is using them to place another rock in the foundation He is laying. Later He placed more stones in the form of men sent to push her beyond her comfort zone.

The first was the Minister of Music, Sammy Parris. He asked her to direct the Christmas play for a mid-sized church. Ruth did not have the training; she only possessed knowledge of organization and had the capability of bullying people into submission. This same man requested she change a weak play that went along with music he wanted to use in another program. Please remember this woman had not even been in a play, and now he wanted her to re-write a weak one.

Joe Brooks, the associate pastor, saw her work and like a dog with a bone he persisted with the idea that Christ to The World Ministries could use her abilities. Again what abilities? She had none. Under the gentle correction and guidance of editor, Dr. Art Criscoe, along with heaped praise, he lifted her up to the point she tried. God blessed her willing hands and used her mouth to spill stories that will be used to lead many more people than she could ever reach by any other method. She has been humbled to the point of embarrassment by the vastness to which God has raised her foundation.

Ruth Shelton

A native of Washington, D.C., Ruth is a gifted artist, poet and author. Raised in the Episcopal denomination, she later started attending a Baptist church and trusted Christ as Savior there. She says, “I surrendered my life to Him and serve Him now as my Lord and Master.” She earned the B.S. degree in Special Education. Ruth has been painting and drawing for many years. Her work includes large murals done for churches. She is the author of Until . . . An Illustrated History of Faithfulness, Obedience, and God’s Passionate Love for Us.

Ruth and her husband Gene live in Decatur, Alabama, and have five children, twelve grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Myrna Curry Sizemore Ed. D.: Writer

A native Texan, Dr. Myrna Sizemore has recently retired after a 32-year career in public education. She served 10 years as an administrator--the last six as a principal. In the two schools where she served as principal, she led campaigns that significantly raised standardized test scores. She is an expert in basic education principles. Both schools she served as principal are English Language Learner Centers where immigrant children learn the language of their new country while studying alongside their American peers. Dr. Sizemore considers the experience of working with this richly diverse population of children from more than 20 nations as one of the most fulfilling opportunities of her professional career.

Having committed her life to Christ during childhood, Dr. Sizemore has always felt called to minister to children and their families in a secular context. By joining the Christ to the World Ministries Team, she now feels led to utilize those gifts to communicate the basic truths of Christianity to the peoples of the world.

Dr. Sizemore earned her doctorate in school administration from Vanderbilt University and her Master’s in reading education from Middle Tennessee State University. She completed her undergraduate work at Texas Tech University. She has traveled in the Holy Land, Turkey, Greece, and Canada. She has published children’s Sunday School curriculum materials with LifeWay Christian Resources. She has served as teacher, chairperson of the Personnel Committee, and member of various other committees at her church.

She and her husband, Lee, have been married 37 years and have two sons and four grandchildren.

Heather Smith

Heather Collins Smith is the voice for Rachel in the “Hear the Word” series in English, as well as, a writer for Christ to the World Ministries. She is currently working on the Persons Who Met Jesus Series.

I grew up the middle daughter of small business owners in an East Texas town. I was taught be sweet, play nice and make the family proud. Church was a regular part of our family routine. Our family had their own pew, seating grandparents and extended family. Christ drew me to Him at the age of nine. I remember several other friends in my Sunday school class had become Christians and even the mischievous boys had made the long walk down the aisle of the small Baptist Church. (Red brick, white columns, you know the drill.) I was acutely aware I was not a “Christian” and that my soul was in jeopardy. I made that first walk to no longer live with the shame of being a non-Christian in my fourth grade Sunday school class. When you live in the Bible Belt, being a non-Christian out of ignorance is not permitted. I was confused about what being a Christian really meant and fell into the trap of desperately trying to earn my salvation with good works. My church’s emphasis seems to be on obedience out of fear of God. I had heard of Jesus’ love for me but “fire and brimstone” stood out in my mind. I lived a very straight-laced life and would have made a fabulous Pharisee at that time. I used my “good works” to condemn others and make myself feel superior. Students at school called me the “Church Lady” to go along with the Saturday Night Live skit. (My own sister started that one.) I became enamored with the artistry of the Catholic faith and seriously considered being a nun. My Baptist upbringing was a minor detail. I later decided that my call was to be a missionary but I hadn’t the courage to leave Texas. I felt an anointing on my life at a very young age but I had no idea what God wanted from me. I spent hours deciding what God would have me do with my life to the point of severe anxiety. I completely confused my relationship with my Lord. I mistakenly held the reins in my own hands instead of handing them to Him. I forgot that I am the servant and He is the master. This power struggle caused me much grief over the years.

My college years at Stephen F. Austin State University were dominated by indecision. After declaring majors from psychology to visual impairment, even taking a class in Braille, I proved a failure at deciphering God’s plan for my life. To my amazement my parents allowed me to become a Theater major with a History minor late in my junior year. At that time, I thought being a soap opera star would suit me. My mother wanted me to be a broadcaster. I had perhaps over-estimated my beauty and taken a bit of a college sabbatical from my previous dedication to my faith. I was still just good enough to permit myself to judge those around me but very uncomfortable with who I was becoming. I had already changed my major numerous times and my parents allowed this degree plan as long as I graduated with a teaching certificate. I agreed, never believing I would need it. I proved to be mediocre as an actress but worked very hard to lose my dialect. My East Texas accent was not welcome in the production of Antigone. After kissing more that a few toads, I stumbled upon my prince and future husband, Brett Smith. He persistently pursued me. We met at a time that I was deeply depressed about my future. I was no closer to figuring out what God wanted from me. I had made enough mistakes to no longer warrant His presence. Brett was convinced our destinies were intertwined. He planned to be a high school football coach. We soon married and I put my teaching certificate to use without ever attempting to do anything else. We moved around the state of Texas with my husband’s work. I took whatever teaching position I could find in the area. At one point we moved to 8 different homes in 12 years. Over the years, I taught fifth grade through twelfth grade. My assignments were World History, Theater, Speech, Reading and Language Arts. We moved from small town to small town and I found the experience to be a bit of a fish bowl. The lack of privacy brought me discomfort and I felt I had settled by becoming a teacher. Mainly I was tired of being poor. Determined to improve my financial circumstances, I earned my real estate license. Real Estate had been in my blood and it seemed glamorous to me. Being a Realtor proved to be a tireless endeavor that brought me significantly less time with my family. Working for commission made financial planning for the future difficult. I convinced myself that I would be the honest Realtor. I would serve God by helping people through making the biggest purchase of their lives. I loved many aspects of the job but saw God closing the door. My real estate company was sold three times in three years and Brett had been offered another opportunity to advance that would require a move. By now we had our first daughter Reagan and going back to teaching made sense. Our second daughter Meredith was born the following year. I had such high ambitions to do something big for God and spent many years wearing myself out teaching school and Sunday school to youth while singing in the choir. I reasoned that God didn’t care what I did for a living as long as I did it for Him. I also clung to Mother Teresa’s famous quote, “If you want to do something great for the world, go home and love your family.”

Loving my family had always been a bit of a challenge. Many of my precious family members struggled with sins that burdened all of us. For generations a family curse of depression, alcoholism, adultery and drug use haunted us. As a child, I had been taught our family had a legacy of entreprenership and pride but as an adult I was disappointed and even ashamed to realize that these high functioning people had very real demons. I seemed to always take on a counseling role with my family but I understood the depression they suffered. My family’s problems proved to be an idol in my life. The burden consumed and overwhelmed me. All family conversations fixated on past struggles and failure. I desperately wanted something different for my own children. At one point, I realized that my role as counselor may feed my pride as the “good one” in the family but it also kept family members satisfied enough to not go to the “Great Physician.” I studied Jesus’ family and discovered he had some black sheep in His family, also. Jesus did not allow His bloodline to deter Him away from cooperating with God’s plan in His life. He didn’t sit around the campfire “whoa is meing” about His ancestors so neither would I. I struggled with honoring and loving my family without being CO-dependent with them. Jesus’ word clarified His expectations of me in Matthew 10:34-40. Once I broke free from fixating on my family problems and truly placing God on the throne of my life, Jesus answered several lifetime struggles. He revealed to me the medical reasons my family was vulnerable to such tragedy and created an opportunity through Christ to the World ministries that would exceed my wildest dreams. Within a very short period of time, God revealed to me that I had never been the aimless ship I believed myself to be. He had been there guiding me all along. My loving heavenly Father had used a lifetime of struggles to prune me for a fruitful life in Him. Every problem sent me to my knees in prayer and to His word for answers. And each heartache and revelation is now a tremendous gift being used for His glory. Without God, I am a lost soul without a compass. My father continues strengthen and heal me. He clears my sight and uses my failures for His glory. I am grateful for His never-ending mercy.

Dr. Sophia Steibel

Dr. Steibel serves as a writer of the study guides. Dr. Sophia Regina Gomes Steibel was born in Brazil, in a Christian home. At the age of seven, she accepted Christ as her Savior and Lord, under the influence of her father, David Gomes, the late evangelist and founder of the international radio ministry, the “Bible School of the Air.” She attended Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she received the MA(RE) and PhD degrees in Christian Education.

Dr. Steibel and her husband, Dr. Eduardo Steibel, served in Brazil, where he pastored a local church and she directed the Baptist Theological School in Campinas, Sao Paulo. Since 1994, she has taught Christian Education at the Gardner-Webb University undergraduate Religion Department and currently is teaching in the M. Christopher White School of Divinity.

Velma Darbo Stevens: Writer

Velma writes many of the Bible study guides in The Life of Jesus Christ series. At present, she is finishing an entire series of Bible study guides on Encounters with Jesus, a series dealing with encounters with Jesus by various persons from throughout His ministry. These studies focus on the mighty power of Jesus to save and transform a person’s life.

A master writer with deep biblical knowledge and theological insight, Velma  possesses the ability to write in a manner that brings God’s truth to the reader in a way that can be easily understood. She writes from a background of many years as a writer and editor.

A native of Kentucky, Velma’s parents were Carl Darbo, a first-generation immigrant from Oslo, Norway and Abbie Keithley, descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier. She received her AB degree in English from Milligan College, Milligan College, Tennessee and her Master of Religious Education degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. She did additional graduate study in pastoral counseling at Southern Seminary.

For almost 20 years Velma was an editor with the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) in Nashville, Tennessee. She worked on many books, periodicals and teaching resources for youth and adults. For a number of years she was editor of Upward, a periodical for youth. She was one of a large group of recognized leaders of her denomination that produced the two-volume Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists.

In 1967 Velma married Dr. H. C. Brown, professor of preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In the years following Dr. Brown’s death in 1973, she wrote extensively for Sunday School quarterlies and also authored three books. One of these books, After Weeping a Song, is about her widowhood experiences.

In 1980 Velma married Vance L. Stevens, a retired civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense. She has a stepdaughter, Sherry Baugh and husband Bob, and step grandchildren Chad and Heather Hughes. Following Vance’s death in 1986, Velma continued her writing ministry, publishing two books. One of these, Until Christ Is Formed in You, is a book on Christian growth for women. For many years Velma wrote Bible study notes for teachers at her home church, Broadway Baptist, in Fort Worth.

In addition to her heavy writing responsibilities for Christ to the World Ministries, Velma is currently working on a book regarding living daily in the presence of God. Her present church membership is with Agape Baptist Church, Fort Worth.

Velma receives great fulfillment from her ministry with Christ to the World, knowing that her work is being used in many countries around the world, and that many persons will come to trust Christ as Savior and Lord through reading her Bible study guides.

Pray for Velma and her writing ministry. Pray that God will continue to bless her with good health and that He will direct her thoughts as she writes the Bible study guides. Pray that God will open the minds and hearts of those who read her work.

Maria Providencia (Viden) Rodriquez Aponte

Viden was born in Barceloneta, a small town on the northern coast of Puerto Rico. She studied at the University of Puerto Rico, graduating with a B.A. in Home Economics and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. She worked for the government of Puerto Rico, first in the Department of the Family, and then in the Office of the Governor. She worked with grants for the Federal Head Start program in Puerto Rico.

Raised in a traditional church, Viden was always searching for something deeper. In the early 1990s she began attending Calvary Baptist Church in San Juan. She trusted Christ as her Savior and was baptized in April 2001. She serves her church faithfully in several important leadership positions and sings in the church choir.

Ken Haas

Ken was born and raised in Fort Madison, Iowa in a Christian family. After graduating from high school, he attended college in Florida, where he became fascinated with computer programming. He worked for Burroughs Corporation (now Unisys) in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Detroit, Michigan, and Atlanta, Georgia. He was then assigned to Manila, Philippines, from where he worked in Australia, China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, and Venezuela. While in the Philippines he met his wife, Juliana, and they lived in Manila for seven years. He transferred to Puerto Rico in 1986, from where he has also worked in Venezuela and Brazil.

Ken accepted Christ and was baptized in his early teens. In late high school, he began to question and doubt Christian doctrines and the Bible. This progressed for many years until he almost became an atheist. His mother, sister, and brother earnestly prayed for him during these years of searching. While assigned in Manila, he brought a Bible on one of his trips to Beijing, China. Having nothing to do after work, he read the entire Bible with an open mind. This experience, along with a special message heard in Australia, and the ministry of a pastor in Manila, finally resulted in everything coming together, and his faith was restored.

After coming to Puerto Rico, he and Julie became active in Calvary Baptist Church. Ken is presently Chairman of the Deacons, Music Director, Choir Director, and Treasurer. Julie serves as Sunday School Director, Church Clerk, and leads a very active children’s ministry.

Carlos Felix Hernandez Mattei

Carlos was born in Jayuya, a small town in the mountains in the middle of Puerto Rico. After graduating from high school, he moved to New York City to work and study. He attended City College of New York, and in the daytime worked in international trade. His family was not particularly religious, and he searched for an answer to life. He trusted Christ as Savior in April 1958.

Carlos served as a youth leader in the New York Crusade of Bruce Wilkerson where Nicky Cruz was saved. In 1962 he met his wife, Iris, and they were married in Calvary Baptist Church, New York City. He served in several leadership capacities in the church for about eight years, including the “Shepherd’s Plan,” a spiritual follow-up program. He returned to Puerto Rico and joined Calvary Baptist Church in San Juan, where he teaches Sunday School and Discipleship, sings in the choir, and also serves in several other capacities.

Pansy Adora Walters

Pansy was born in Charlestown, Nevis, a small Caribbean Island. Coming to Puerto Rico in 1968, she worked for a time at the Bible Correspondence School of the Caribbean, a ministry of Calvary Evangelistic Mission that also runs several radio stations that broadcast to Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles.

Pansy learned Bible stories and Bible songs from her mother at a young age. She learned much about the Bible while reading it to her blind mother. She was deeply involved in the Methodist Church and sang in the choir. After coming to Puerto Rico and attending Calvary Baptist Church, the Bible became more personal to her. She made a profession of faith in Christ and was baptized in 1975. She teaches a ladies’ Sunday School class, composed mostly of women from the Lesser Antilles, and sings in the choir. She has served the church in many different leadership positions. She is known as “the Bible lady” for her extensive knowledge and understanding of the Bible.