This Week's Missionary Focus, October 11th - 17th

Joseph Bir, a 1978 graduate of Texas Bible College, and his wife, Loretta, worked in a Christian school and served as assistant pastors before they pioneered a home missions work.

They received their appointment as United Pentecostal Church missionaries to Paraguay in May 1986. This appointment resulted from the Birs’ long-standing foreign missions burden. Following a year of language study in Costa Rica, the Birs arrived in Paraguay in December 1988. He is now the field superintendent and “is involved in just about all aspects of ministry.” He also serves as the area coordinator for the South America’s Southern Cone, which encompasses Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Loretta Bir is involved in children’s and ladies’ ministries and teaches in the Bible school. She can usually be found translating material into Spanish late at night and in the wee hours of the morning.

This Week's Missionary Focus

The Stephen Bennett family has served 15 years with foreign missions in the Middle East while Lloy has spent 25 years in the region.

They have pioneered works in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates and have completed a year and a half of Arabic language study. Steve served on the district board as vice president of the UPC of the Gulf States.

In partnership with Home Missions Division, the Bennett family, including their two daughters, are the voices behind various characters in many of the episodes of then ew "Kids Power Up" radio series. The Bennetts look forward to continuing the harvest in Israel/Palestine as superintendent of the Arabic works as well as serving as adjunct professor for the Jerusalem Biblical College.

This Week's Missionary Focus

The Stephen Bennett family has served 15 years with foreign missions in the Middle East while Lloy has spent 25years in the region.

They have pioneered works in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates and have completed a year and a half of Arabic language study. Steve served on the district board as vice president of the UPC of the GulfStates.

In partnership with Home Missions Division, the Bennett family, including their two daughters, are the voices behind various characters in many of the episodes of the new "Kids Power Up" radio series. The Bennetts look forward to continuing the harvest in Israel/Palestine as superintendent of the Arabic works as well as serving as adjunct professor for the Jerusalem Biblical College.

This Week's Missionary Focus

Samuel Balca, a native-born Yugoslavian with Canadian citizenship and the son of John Balca, has a long-standing burden for the people of Europe. He and his wife, Pat, who are both skilled linguists, have been involved in evangelizing and training Europeans since 1971.

They received their appointment as UPCI missionaries to Eastern Europe in 1979, and he served as the area coordinator for 16 nations of Eastern Europe. The Balcas resided in Budapest, Hungary and traveled extensively throughout Eastern Europe.

The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe has opened unlimited opportunities to encourage, evangelize and train the 132.5 million people behind the former Iron Curtain.

In September 2003, the Balcas’ appointment was changed to France and Monaco. The Balcas live near Paris and teach in the Bible school while helping to establish the United Pentecostal Church in the new field of Monaco.