The Free Methodist Church in
Europe
St. John’s Home Dedication in Bulgaria
Photo Credit: Kevin Austin
Praying – The Way Forward
FMWM Europe is working alongside committed leaders in churches where the gospel of Jesus is proclaimed without reservation. Throughout Europe, I have witnessed a deep sense of community and fellowship. It is a great joy to see how deeply people love and care for one another and how they joyfully spend time together. This joy and sense of community are making an impact on communities across the continent. By God’s grace, many who are searching are visiting our worship services and finding places of joy and love.
The way forward is to embrace, preach, and live out our faith in word and deed. People in Europe desperately need the Bible. They desperately need truth. They need to know personally the God Who transforms lives.
The church in Europe needs much prayer, and at the same time, we rejoice knowing God is at work. In places where Jesus Christ is exalted and the gospel proclaimed, we see people coming to faith and becoming worshipers of Him. In the Balkans, one of the least-churched regions in the world, and one of the poorest, the number of evangelical churches has seen growth even in these challenging times.
Current situations in other parts of the world have created a tremendous opportunity for the church in Europe and FMWM. More than 2 million refugees have arrived on the continent in the last two years. Many came from Africa, the Middle East and South America. Churches have helped many refugees, and by His grace, hundreds or possibly even thousands of refugees have come to faith in Jesus Christ. This ministry is bringing revitalization to our churches.
Please continue to pray for Europe. Pray for:
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- the 15 countries where the Free Methodist Church is working
- continued avenues for training and equipping national leaders
- hearts to be opened and that there will be increasing opportunities to engage in sharing the gospel with unbelievers
- church-planting efforts and the establishment of transformational churches
- opportunities to demonstrate compassion and share the good news with the 2 million refugees on the continent
Thank you for partnering with us and praying for us as we work together for the kingdom of God in Europe!
More about Christianity in Europe
Countries
Europe Area Director
Josh Fajardo
Impact Europe
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Give to Church Planting and Development (CPD)
Give to Extra Mile Projects (EMP)
Give to Area Development and
Extra Mile Projects (EMP) for Europe
About the Europe Area Development Fund
The Europe Area Development Fund allows the Area Director to assist with special needs as they arise throughout the year. The fund is used to help subsidize conferences and training events and respond to other unexpected financial needs. These funds also help support church planting and development efforts in Creative Access Countries.
About the African European Church Network
The African European Church Network (AECN) has been established to address the unique needs of families who come to Europe, facing a very different culture and viewpoint of the Church. God has placed gifted African leaders in some of the most secular areas of Europe. The Free Methodist Church in Europe and the AECN are working to connect and resource these diaspora leaders as they seek to develop churches that put Christ at the center of their communities.
About the Europe Church Multiplication Network
The Europe Church Multiplication Network exists to come alongside and resource church planting and ministry expansion initiatives throughout the continent.
About the Europe Area Education Network
This fund supports pastoral education throughout the continent, providing resources and scholarships for students and travel expenses for teachers.
About the Impact Europe L10E Network
Luke 10 for Europe (L:10:E) is a discipleship and church planting initiative based on the principles and teaching found in Luke 10:1-20. L:10:E contextualizes the Community Church Planting (CCP) methodology of planting churches for the various cultural and political realities that exist throughout Europe.
Your support of L:10:E helps train national leaders to plant faith communities throughout Europe.
• Church planting and leadership training.
• Establishing training centers.
• Establishing church planting networks in new areas.
About the Iranian European Church Network
Luke 10 for Europe (L:10:E) is a discipleship and church planting initiative based on the principles and teaching found in Luke 10:1-20. L:10:E contextualizes the Community Church Planting (CCP) methodology of planting churches for the various cultural and political realities that exist throughout Europe.
Your support of L:10:E helps train national leaders to plant faith communities throughout Europe.
• Church planting and leadership training.
• Establishing training centers.
• Establishing church planting networks in new areas.
Missionaries
Cathy Alford
Cathy is serving as a U.S.-based partner, providing leadership support for missionaries and national leaders, and helping our European teams become more connected by using their giftings. She also engages with partners of Free Methodist World Missions to facilitate and support the reorganization and development of new programs.
Eduardo & Cindi Angelo
Cindi and Eduardo Angelo have planted and pastored churches near Lisbon since 1999. They focus on planting pioneer churches, reaching the lost, and training and releasing new Christians as leaders of small groups and future churches.
Raul & Abigail Araña-Santana
Raúl and Abigail (Abi) Araña-Santana serve as national missionaries to Spain. Raúl leads the Light & Life Free Methodist Church in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, serves as the national director of the Spanish FMC, oversees the John Wesley Theological Seminary, and acts as general director of the Mosaico Learning Center. Abi supports local church ministries and the national FMC in an administrative capacity, serves as the administrative assistant to Europe Area Director Josh Fajardo, and is an active member of the Set Free team in Europe.
Paulo & Clara Bettiol
Paulo and Clara Bettiol are international missionaries from Brazil. Paulo has been serving the Europe area remotely by working alongside Area Director Josh Fajardo, providing support in administration, finance, leadership training and community development. The Bettiols will transition to Madrid in the summer of 2025, where Clara will continue to serve in Christian education around the Province of Madrid.
Algent & Erjona Bregu
Algent and Erjona Bregu are affiliate missionaries in Albania. Algent works bi-vocationally as a barber and engages his community through cycling, fishing and camping ministries. Erjona is a certified primary teacher. The Free Methodist Church in Europe is partnering with the Bregus, Eagles Wings (a nongovernmental organization) and the Korçe Adventure Center (a new ministry outreach point in the southeastern city of Korçe).
Eric Casteel
Eric and Amy Castell are both ordained elders in the FMC. They relocated from the East Michigan Conference to Leuven, Belgium, seven years ago. Eric is passionate about growing and multiplying the church by developing and mobilizing leaders. Amy’s passion is supporting spiritual growth among internationals and those who cross borders. They are co-founders of LEAP International, an organization focused on encouraging and catalyzing healthy communities.
Albert Delali-Yevunya
As an international missionary, Albert Delali-Yevunya is the coordinator of the African European Church Network (AECN), a ministry initiative of FMWM Europe. This network addresses the unique needs of families coming to Europe who discover a vastly different culture and viewpoint of the church. Albert works with gifted African leaders in some of Europe’s most secular locations.
Josh & Susy Fajardo
Josh Fajardo serves as Europe Area director. In addition, he provides leadership as chairperson for Impact Europe, an initiative for Community Church Planting and social, holistic ministries on the European continent. Susy serves as program director of the Mosaic Learning Center based in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, a suburb of Madrid.
Chance & Dee Dee Galloway
The Galloways currently reside in Kyustendil, Bulgaria. Their primary ministry objective is to encourage, empower, teach and train national leaders. They continue to work with church-planting initiatives throughout Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Serbia, having assisted in the planting of 46 churches since 2015. Other involvements include agricultural projects that teach farming techniques and provide food for the poor and elderly, leadership in establishing the St. John’s Home, a safe house for those at risk for human trafficking, and a discipleship school.
Erin Kingsley
Erin began serving in Budapest in 2022. Her time is split between the local church in Budapest and working with the Set Free Movement in Budapest and Győr. In the Budapest fellowship, Erin assists with Sunday morning worship, opening the service with a short devotion and preparing the hospitality before and after the service. Erin leads weekly outreach ministries, such as teaching English to retirees. With Set Free, she assists with ministry to the children at the safe home in Budapest and the children’s home in Győr.
Kristi Lancaster
Kristi Lancaster grew up in Columbus, Georgia, where she attended Columbus State University, majoring in Early Childhood Education. She later completed a master’s degree in middle grades English. Kristi has passionately served military families and students for the last 14 years, teaching in Fort Moore, Georgia. She anticipates serving at the Mosaico Tutoring Center in Spain while assisting with church planting.
Catherine Leech
Catherine serves as a project manager with Josiah Venture (JV), equipping young leaders to fulfill Christ’s commission through the local church across Central and Eastern Europe. Having previously taught math in secondary schools in the U.K., she is excited to use her teaching experience and skills while serving JV’s school ministry highway. In addition, she provides support for projects in sports, music, and summer camp ministries. Catherine lives in the Czech Republic and serves with the youth group in her local church.
Michael & Maria Long
Michael and Maria Long’s ministry is a unique, strategic, open-door response to the global immigration and refugee crisis. The FM Church of Thessaloniki Anagenesis (New Birth) is multicultural and multilingual, with English as the common language. Those from non-Christian countries often acknowledge that the Anagenesis church is the first church they have visited. Some discover Jesus, but all gain a positive impression of Christianity and the church. Ministries include assistance at a refugee center, aid distribution to refugee camps, language classes, weekly Bible studies in Farsi and Arabic, and relationship evangelism.
Cida Matos
Cida Matos has served as a missionary in Portugal since September 2000, supporting church-planting work and developing leaders. As an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church, she leads the cell-group network in Portugal. She also teaches at the theological seminary and trains evangelism groups.
Todd & Deann Miller
Todd and Deann Miller have been married since 1982. As partners in ministry, they served 29 years in youth ministry, taking numerous teams of adults and students on short-term mission trips in seven different countries. Following their years in youth ministry, they served as VISA missionaries in Belgium. After their return to the States, they planted and currently lead The Gate, a congregational network of missional communities in Indianapolis. Todd and Deann provide pastoral care and support to our Free Methodist missionaries in Europe. This role includes encouragement and care through Zoom, phone calls, emails, field visits, and special care in emergencies and times of crisis.
Camilo & Magaly Mora
Camilo and Magaly Mora were appointed to Europe and moved to Madrid, Spain, in September 2019. They are part of the training center helping implement the Community Church Planting strategy through the Impact Europe Network, where national leaders are developed to reach others. The Moras started a new community church in Mar de Cristal in Madrid. In addition, Magaly teaches at the John Wesley Theological Seminary in Spain, and Camilo serves as regional director for Southern Europe.
Misha & Lena Petrochenko
Misha and Lena Petrochenko have served in Rivne, Ukraine since 2010. As director of the Christian Mission, “The Lighthouse of Hope,” Misha oversees the recovery ministry for drug and alcohol addicts. He also serves as the Rivne church team leader and is involved in leading the Next Step program for the men who have fulfilled the rehabilitation program. Lena serves on the leadership team of the Rivne fellowship, directs children’s ministry programs and serves as secretary of the mission.
Moisés & Jacione Souza
Sent by the Free Methodist Church in Portugal, Moisés and Jacione Souza serve as international missionaries to the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe off the west coast of Africa. They launched the first Free Methodist church in São Tomé in January 2019 and now work consistently through various discipleship ministries for children, youth and adults. Many believers are growing in their faith. The couple’s next goal is to identify and train leaders for pastoral ministry. Both Moisés and Jacione were ordained as elders at the 2020 annual meeting of the Free Methodist Church of Portugal. Because the church in Portugal is the sending church, this mission district is under the European area.
Children: Filipa, Giovanna
Larry & Katie Winckles
Larry and Katie Winckles served as career missionaries in Hungary from 2000 until 2025. They will continue to be part of the FMWM team as U.S.-Based Partners sharing about missions in Europe, serving as advocates and consultants for missionary colleagues and national leaders in Europe and advising leaders in other world areas as needed.
Creative Access Europe
Creative Access workers are involved in education, leadership development, discipleship and micro-enterprise.
GO
Spain Long-Term Missionary: Church Planter
Church planters in the region of Madrid and possibly other regions in Spain. Minimum of two years or more for most positions. Open to single persons or couples. Must be fluent Spanish speaker or willing to take an intensive language course upon arrival. Teaching/training abilities needed as well as experience in the specific position.
Spain Long-Term Missionary: Leadership Development Assistant
Help with leadership development and the Bible training institute. Minimum of two years or more for most positions. Open to single persons or couples. Must be fluent Spanish speaker or willing to take an intensive language course upon arrival. Teaching/training abilities needed.
Spain Long-Term Missionary: Youth Ministries Coordinator
Youth ministries Coordinator(s) for Madrid churches. Minimum of two years or more for most positions. Open to single persons or couples. Must be fluent Spanish speaker or willing to take an intensive language course upon arrival. Teaching/training abilities needed as well as experience in the specific position.
Greece VISA Voyagers
Greece is looking for youth workers, musicians, church planters, evangelists and ESL teachers. Minimum one-year commitment.
HEARTBEAT
God’s Calling to Reignite the Church in Europe
For the past 100 years, church attendance in Europe has been declining, and the continent has largely seen the church lose its roots in the local...
When the Church Prays
Merly, an immigrant from Ecuador, began attending our Bible study in 2020. She had come to Spain many years ago to start a new life here. She...
Friends with a Cause
For over two decades, we have watched Gabi and Zsuzsi blossom from young girls into remarkable women. Gabi, a social worker in Szeged, Hungary, and...
Resourcing the African Diaspora
"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love...
Crossing the Globe – Spreading the Gospel
Nearly a century ago, in 1928, Massayoshi “Daniel” Nishizumi, a Free Methodist pastor from Japan, embarked on a remarkable mission. He moved to the...
Revolving-Door Church
Most pastors despise the idea of a ministry where members come and go but rarely stay. Yet, God has blessed the Free Methodist Church “Anagenesis”...