The Free Methodist Church in
Europe
FMWM IN EUROPE
ALL COUNTRIES
ALL MISSIONARIES
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:
-
- 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 (Article)
Countries
Europe Area Director
Josh Fajardo
Impact Europe
Missionaries
Cathy Alford
Cathy Alford is a credentialed coach with the International Coach Federation, a certified CliftonStrengths® coach and a certified Daring Way Facilitator. She is a former corporate trainer and a recognized leader. Cathy has a passion for helping others discover their uniqueness and helping them in their personal development. She is serving as a VISA Voyager in Spain. Her primary responsibilities include providing leadership support to missionaries and national leaders, developing and implementing programs for children and families at the Mosaic Cultural Center, and engaging with local partners for community development and transformation.
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 to be leaders of small groups and future churches. They were instrumental in beginning the FMC in Madrid and working on the affiliation process for the church in Lanzarote (Canary Islands). They also started the FMC in Guinea-Bissau, in West Africa, with native Guinean Rito Mande in 2000. The FMC in Portugal is now a sending church, having sent a family to plant churches and develop leaders in the former Portuguese colony of São Tomé and Príncipe (Africa) in 2019.
Raul & Abigail Araña-Santana
Raul and Abigail (Abi) Araña-Santana are appointed as International Missionaries to Spain. Raul will serve as lead pastor for the Light & Life Free Methodist Church and as National Director. Abi will support the local church and local ministries and serve as Administrative Assistant to Europe Area Director Josh Fajardo. They will be transitioning in mid-December, with an official start in January 2022. Raul and Abi have served in the Free Methodist Church in the U.K. and Northern Ireland for the past twenty years. They have one daughter, Alex.
Algent & Erjona Bregu
Algent and Erjona Bregu are appointed as international 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 and NOVO; a ministry focused on discipleship movements using the Discovery Bible Study method. Together they are mobilizing the people of Albania for transformation and multiplication.
Eric Casteel
Eric serves as regional director of Northern Europe. He and his wife, Dr. Amy Casteel, live in Leuven, Belgium. Amy and Eric are both FM elders from the East Michigan Conference and have a passion for growing and multiplying the church by developing and mobilizing leaders. Amy completed her Ph.D. in theology at KU Leuven. They are co-founders of LEAP International, an organization focused on encouraging and catalyzing healthy communities.
Josh & Susy Fajardo
Josh Fajardo serves as the Europe area director. Susy serves as director of the Mosaic Cultural Centre based in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, a suburb of Madrid. The center is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) encompassing an afterschool program and compassionate ministries. In addition, Josh provides leadership for Impact Europe, an initiative for community church planting and social, holistic ministries on the European continent.
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 with 42 churches planted since 2015. Other involvement includes agricultural projects that teach farming techniques and provide food for the poor and elderly, and leadership in establishing the St. John’s Home, a safe house for female orphans at risk for human trafficking. Loving God, loving others and making disciples is the primary mission of their ministry. Dee serves as regional director for the Balkans. The Galloways have four children living in the U.S.; two are married, and the youngest two attend Spring Arbor University.
Erin Kingsley
Erin Kingsley graduated from Spring Arbor University with a bachelor’s degree in visual arts education. In 2018 she received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University. Part of Erin’s educational training included student teaching at Morrison Christian Academy in Taichung, Taiwan. In March 2022, she began serving in Budapest. Her time is split between establishing a children’s program at the Free Methodist Church in Budapest and working with Set Free throughout Hungary.
Michael & Maria Long
The ongoing refugee crisis has changed the focus of Michael and Maria Long’s ministry. The FM Church of Thessaloniki is multicultural and multilingual, with Muslims regularly visiting since Easter 2016. Currently, there are separate meetings in English and Farsi. The Greek FM nongovernmental organization (NGO) called Anagenesis (New Birth) runs language classes, youth activities and women’s groups to befriend refugees and build family trust as a community. These activities open the door for sharing the gospel and growth in the Christian faith.
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.
Gerry & Kati McNamara
An Irish missionary, Gerry McNamara serves as both Hungary team leader and regional director of Central and Eastern Europe for FMWM. He also leads supervision of the ministerial education and guidance process across Europe. Kati is involved in full-time ministry in both Győr and Pécs, where she reaches out to orphans and the needy for Christ. They both serve through teaching, leadership and hospitality.
Michael & Tanya
Michael and Tanya have served the orphans, disabled and elderly since 2003. They and their two children live among the people, transforming the lives of their community. Michael and Tanya serve with local Christians to spread the gospel and provide necessities to the needy in their community. Together with a team of Christians, they are working to disciple young Christians. Their goal is to plant a Free Methodist church in their city.
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.
Philip More
Philip More graduated from Marrara Christian School in the Northern Territory of Australia and received an associate diploma in environmental biology. He has worked as a baker, librarian and web programmer and now serves as director of the Vis de Copil foundation (A Child’s Dream) in Arad, Romania. Vis de Copil works with poor and disadvantaged families and operates a day center, which provides showers, laundry facilities, warm meals, activities for children and support for families. Philip joined the Free Methodist Church and is a local ministerial candidate licensed through the FM church in Győr, Hungary. Philip enjoys exploring Europe but misses the Australian beaches.
Mitch & Lynn Sue Pierce
Since taking the role of FMWM pastoral care for Europe in 2019, the Pierces have been able to travel to Europe only once. It has been challenging to build relationships without visiting, but they are thankful for what the internet has allowed. Their primary task is developing relationships for soul care by listening to, reflecting with, and praying for the missionaries and leaders in Europe.
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
David & Jill Sweet
David and Jill Sweet currently live in Kyustendil, Bulgaria. Since their arrival in the summer of 2017, the Sweets have been assisting with church planting, pastor training and hosting short-term mission teams from around the world. They also help with the St. John’s Home, a safe home for at-risk young women. David is an ordained elder of the Free Methodist Church. He engages church pastors by teaching biblical truths and looks forward to expanding his teaching role in the coming year. Jill provides accounting and administrative support to the foundation that supports the church-planting project, Bible school, the Pure Farm agriculture program and the St. John’s Home. Together, they pursue a passion for serving marginalized and vulnerable people to live their fullest potential in Christ. The Sweets are parents to twins adopted out of the Bulgarian foster-care system.
Children: Elijah, Matthias
Larry & Katie Winckles
Larry Winckles serves as the Europe Area associate director, working closely with Josh Fajardo, Europe Area director. As associate area director, Larry helps resource and equip developing FM ministries within continental Europe. He also serves as secretary of the Hungarian Bread of Life Foundation and the Budapest mission team leader. Katie serves on the leadership team of the Budapest fellowship, facilitates women’s ministry programs, oversees a weekly English class offered free to the community and has a ministry of hospitality. Both Larry and Katie are involved with the Hungarian Set Free Movement. Larry also represents the Bread of Life Foundation in the European Freedom Network.
Children: Elijah, Matthias
HEARTBEAT
God’s Plan and Provision
God’s plans and provisions are often like connecting the dots. It begins with me, an international missionary from Ireland serving the Free...
Bitterness to Forgiveness
Can you imagine immigrating from Central America to Europe? Because of growing violence among youth in El Salvador, immigrating to Spain is exactly...
Obedient to the Call
When forced to leave their home in the Congo, many Free Methodists landed in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania.The Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania...
GIVE
Give to Church Planting & Development
Give to Extra Mile Projects
Bulgaria
Greece
Hungary
Portugal
Romania
Spain
Ukraine
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.
Romania VISA Voyager: Help at Vis de Copil
Individual/Couple/Family needed to help with ministry in Arad, Romania. Responsibilities would include helping at Vis de Copil (A child’s dream) with cooking, cleaning, maintenance work etc.
Romania VISA Voyager: Church Planting
Individual/Couple/Family needed to help with ministry in Arad, Romania. Church planting skills such as the gifts of discipleship, preaching, worship would be a blessing as FMWM seeks to develop ministry in Arad and across Romania.