Welcome to IMB Alumni Connections!

Photo of Victor Hou


In recent years, the term “innovation” has gained popularity across a range of applications. It’s a concept that the business world has embraced, but does it have relevance for missions? At its core, innovation is creating something of new or unique value for a specific purpose. Scripture is full of examples of God anointing people aligned with His purposes to innovate, such as the farmer in Isaiah 28:26-29.

As alumni, you may recognize the fact that field teams face a global landscape considerably more complex and volatile than in past decades. For that reason, our team has spent the past several years exploring ways to support the ability of field teams to collaboratively innovate. The ability to innovate is proving to be a blessing in the missionary task toolbox. It’s helping us to take a fresh look at our established methods and to explore outside of our comfort zone. Missional innovation is bringing new tools to the task, such as artificial intelligence to speed up translation, digital engagement to reach people in new locations, and guiding us to enter new harvest fields, such as reaching Japanese inside virtual reality.


Don Barger, Director, Innovation and MX Labs 


Resources and Events

Events

IMB presence point icon
Missionary Parent and IMB Alumni Gathering
10 Remington Drive, Little Rock, AR 72204
May 17, 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
$10 per-person 
Register: [email protected]
IMB presence point icon
IMB Alumni Fellowship at SBC
Indiana Convention Center
June 12, 8 – 10 a.m.
IMB presence point icon
Vietnamese Baptist Union – Celebrating 65 years of missions in Vietnam.
Missionaries who served in Vietnam from 1959 to 1975 are invited.
July 4 – 7, Atlanta, GA
IMB presence point icon Together for the Nations
In person
Various locations and times
Find an event

In Memoriam

IMB presence point icon Remember our IMB missionary emeriti
READ MORE

Lottie Moon Resources

IMB presence point icon Promote Lottie Moon in your church and networks
GET RESOURCES

IMB Careers

IMB presence point icon Share our staff openings with your networks
VIEW JOBS

Quick Links

IMB presence point icon

Download the App
Global Impact Guide
IMB Resource Store
Logo & Brand Resources
Newsroom 

Church Connections

Feature Story

Alumni needed as Olympic digital responders

In front of an Olympic venue, her phone camera hovers over the Olympic pin. The link appears and she selects her language, scans the landing page, and then decides she’d like to chat live with someone. Hesitatingly, she types “Hello” and waits.

Three gray dots bounce up and down, indicating someone is responding. The answer comes from a digital responder who’s sitting on their couch, nursing a coffee as they wait anxiously for this moment. From there, a conversation starts, diving into the “Who am I” question she and so many people grapple with today. Jesus says He is the way, the Truth, and the life, the volunteer shares, and then they talk about who we are in Christ.

This is the kind of interaction IMB missionaries are hoping and praying for.

Thousands of people from across the globe will descend on the city that’s home to the Eiffel Tower for the Olympics. The IMB has ministered at many Olympics, and volunteers who’ve traveled to the global cities have long been crucial to their ministry strategy. While ministry has been successful, interactions are often fleeting as visitors scatter.

That’s where digital engagement strategies come in. While volunteers are traveling to Paris to serve, people can also minister from their living rooms.

How?

The IMB is using a digital engagement strategy that will extend the on-the-ground evangelism. Brant Bauman serves with the IMB as a digital engagement strategist in Europe. He said pin trading is a favorite Olympic pastime, and for many years, Southern Baptists have used custom-designed pins in their outreach.

Brant and other missionaries created three pins, each available at a different location, so pin traders have multiple opportunities for gospel conversations with on-the-ground volunteers.

The Olympic pins have an NFC tag (near-field communication), which, with just a tap of one device to another, takes you to a website with questions and information about who Jesus is. It has a YouVersion Bible reading plan, and there’s the option to chat live with a biblical responder who speaks one of the 16 languages the team chose.

Messages from interested people will also come from online social media ads run in Paris and worldwide.

What this strategy relies on is people who are willing to be responders to these “chat now” requests.

Brant said that’s where alumni come in.

“Alumni — they could be, and should be, our bread and butter. They have cultural knowledge. They've spent time on the field. They have language because they lived there,” Brant said.

He said without responders who speak different languages, gospel conversations with people who are asking about Jesus can’t happen. Alumni fill a large gap with their language skills.

The Olympics and Paralympics start in mid-July and run through the beginning of September. Digital responders can sign up for a week-long virtual mission trip where they’ll be on call to answer chat requests. Volunteers will go through onboarding training that will expand on the strategy.

“I would hope being a digital responder would really give alumni a great sense of joy to be able to invest in their people again,” Brant said. “Just because they've retired and gone home does not mean that their love for their people has waned. In fact, it's probably increased because now they can't physically be with their people.”

He said he doesn’t see alumni as “retired,” but as people who are relocated for this season of life.

“While relocation happened, for whatever reason, their ability to reach their people is still there,” Brant said.

That’s the beauty of digital engagement—there’s no reason alumni can’t minister to their people. People who alumni chat with during the Olympics can be connected to a missionary serving in their country so that communication can continue long-term.

For those interested in being a digital responder click here. “And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” Romans 10:15 (ESV).

Thank You, Father, for making a way for those with such beautiful feet to continue serving You, as they share the good news with people on the other side of the world! Please raise up many digital responders who are willing to be a part of Your story in the lives of the many who are attending the Olympic Games.

In front of an Olympic venue, her phone camera hovers over the Olympic pin. The link appears and she selects her language, scans the landing page, and then decides she’d like to chat live with someone. Hesitatingly, she types “Hello” and waits.

Three gray dots bounce up and down, indicating someone is responding. The answer comes from a digital responder who’s sitting on their couch, nursing a coffee as they wait anxiously for this moment. From there, a conversation starts, diving into the “Who am I” question she and so many people grapple with today. Jesus says He is the way, the Truth, and the life, the volunteer shares, and then they talk about who we are in Christ.

This is the kind of interaction IMB missionaries are hoping and praying for.

Thousands of people from across the globe will descend on the city that’s home to the Eiffel Tower for the Olympics. The IMB has ministered at many Olympics, and volunteers who’ve traveled to the global cities have long been crucial to their ministry strategy. While ministry has been successful, interactions are often fleeting as visitors scatter.

That’s where digital engagement strategies come in. While volunteers are traveling to Paris to serve, people can also minister from their living rooms.

How?

The IMB is using a digital engagement strategy that will extend the on-the-ground evangelism. Brant Bauman serves with the IMB as a digital engagement strategist in Europe. He said pin trading is a favorite Olympic pastime, and for many years, Southern Baptists have used custom-designed pins in their outreach.

Brant and other missionaries created three pins, each available at a different location, so pin traders have multiple opportunities for gospel conversations with on-the-ground volunteers.

The Olympic pins have an NFC tag (near-field communication), which, with just a tap of one device to another, takes you to a website with questions and information about who Jesus is. It has a YouVersion Bible reading plan, and there’s the option to chat live with a biblical responder who speaks one of the 16 languages the team chose.

Messages from interested people will also come from online social media ads run in Paris and worldwide.

What this strategy relies on is people who are willing to be responders to these “chat now” requests.

Brant said that’s where alumni come in.

“Alumni — they could be, and should be, our bread and butter. They have cultural knowledge. They've spent time on the field. They have language because they lived there,” Brant said.

He said without responders who speak different languages, gospel conversations with people who are asking about Jesus can’t happen. Alumni fill a large gap with their language skills.

The Olympics and Paralympics start in mid-July and run through the beginning of September. Digital responders can sign up for a week-long virtual mission trip where they’ll be on call to answer chat requests. Volunteers will go through onboarding training that will expand on the strategy.

“I would hope being a digital responder would really give alumni a great sense of joy to be able to invest in their people again,” Brant said. “Just because they've retired and gone home does not mean that their love for their people has waned. In fact, it's probably increased because now they can't physically be with their people.”

He said he doesn’t see alumni as “retired,” but as people who are relocated for this season of life.

“While relocation happened, for whatever reason, their ability to reach their people is still there,” Brant said.

That’s the beauty of digital engagement—there’s no reason alumni can’t minister to their people. People who alumni chat with during the Olympics can be connected to a missionary serving in their country so that communication can continue long-term.

For those interested in being a digital responder, click here.

“And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” Romans 10:15 (ESV).

Thank You, Father, for making a way for those with such beautiful feet to continue serving You, as they share the good news with people on the other side of the world! Please raise up many digital responders who are willing to be a part of Your story in the lives of the many who are attending the Olympic Games.

Get Involved

You are needed! There are multiple ways to participate in the evangelism efforts surrounding the 2024 Olympics.

Learn more about serving as a digital responder by clicking here: https://volunteer.whoamitoyou.com/

Not confident in your language skills but still wanting to be a part? Please pray: https://pray4digital.com/olympics/

Consider contributing to Olympic-themed tracts, pins, and New Testaments here: https://www.imb.org/give/project/paris-2024-olympic-and-paralympic-games/

Affinity Highlights

Olympic Rings

Let the games begin! Olympic ministry in Paris is underway

European Peoples

A medal isn’t in everyone’s future sadly, but victory is achievable for everyone. Thousands of athletes and spectators will hear this message when they interact with International Mission Board missionaries, 300 Southern Baptist volunteers, 14 summer interns, international Baptists, and French Baptists.

Nineteen Haitian Baptists will make the trans-Atlantic trek for a pre-Olympic mission trip, and another Haitian team plans to serve during the Olympics.

If you think about it, it’s a prime time to proclaim the gospel as the world converges on the French capital. Many will have the chance to hear the good news, and the cool thing is they’ll take the message of truth with them when they return home.

Jason Harris leads the missionary work in Paris. The IMB missionary is excited to form deeper relationships with French Baptists during the Olympics. He says their goal through Olympic ministry is to serve the French church in their church-planting efforts.

IMB missionaries and French Baptists will utilize three approaches in their Olympic ministry. The first is through volunteering through official Olympic channels and getting the gospel into the hands of Olympic volunteers, athletes, coaches, and security personnel.

Their second approach is to share the gospel within geographic areas where existing French churches are already and where they hope to start churches. The third approach is broad gospel sowing with visitors and athletes.

Though they’ll be using traditional means of sharing the gospel, like handing out literature, creative ways people will interact with the gospel include street art, music, and sports. Pin trading is another way IMB missionaries and volunteers will have gospel conversations. Check out the feature story to learn how the Olympic pins will allow people to interact with a Christian online.

Let the games begin!

Jason and his team need your help. They are currently $175,000 short of their funding goal. One dollar buys four Olympic-themed gospel tracts. Two dollars buys one Olympic-themed New Testament, and $10 buys 10 Olympic pins. Give now.

Your prayers are also needed. Sign up now to be a prayer partner during the Olympics.

“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name,” Psalm 86:9 (ESV).

Thank You, Father, for the way You are bringing people together from across the globe for the Olympic Games. May the many who are able to hear the good news of Jesus for the first time receive the gospel with joy.

For prayer requests unique to the affinity where you served, download the IMB Pray App below.

Olympic rings

Let the games begin! Olympic ministry in Paris is underway 

European Peoples


A medal isn’t in everyone’s future sadly, but victory is achievable for everyone. Thousands of athletes and spectators will hear this message when they interact with International Mission Board missionaries, 300 Southern Baptist volunteers, 14 summer interns, international Baptists, and French Baptists.

Nineteen Haitian Baptists will make the trans-Atlantic trek for a pre-Olympic mission trip, and another Haitian team plans to serve during the Olympics.

If you think about it, it’s a prime time to proclaim the gospel as the world converges on the French capital. Many will have the chance to hear the good news, and the cool thing is they’ll take the message of truth with them when they return home.

Jason Harris leads the missionary work in Paris. The IMB missionary is excited to form deeper relationships with French Baptists during the Olympics. He says their goal through Olympic ministry is to serve the French church in their church-planting efforts.

IMB missionaries and French Baptists will utilize three approaches in their Olympic ministry. The first is through volunteering through official Olympic channels and getting the gospel into the hands of Olympic volunteers, athletes, coaches, and security personnel.

Their second approach is to share the gospel within geographic areas where existing French churches are already and where they hope to start churches. The third approach is broad gospel sowing with visitors and athletes.

Though they’ll be using traditional means of sharing the gospel, like handing out literature, creative ways people will interact with the gospel include street art, music, and sports. Pin trading is another way IMB missionaries and volunteers will have gospel conversations. Check out the feature story to learn how the Olympic pins will allow people to interact with a Christian online.

Let the games begin!

Jason and his team need your help. They are currently $175,000 short of their funding goal. One dollar buys four Olympic-themed gospel tracts. Two dollars buys one Olympic-themed New Testament, and $10 buys 10 Olympic pins. Give now.

Your prayers are also needed. Sign up now to be a prayer partner during the Olympics.

All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name,” Psalm 86:9 (ESV)

Thank You, Father, for the way You are bringing people together from across the globe for the Olympic Games. May the many who are able to hear the good news of Jesus for the first time receive the gospel with joy.

Finally, they have the Bible in their heart language

Deaf Peoples

Setia’s eyes lit up. The woman in the video was signing in her heart language, her “natural sign language,” which is distinctive from the sign language awkwardly translated directly from her country’s spoken language. What Setia was watching was in the language she thinks, dreams, and prays in. For the first time ever, the Bible story came alive.

Vesta and Mark Sauter, who shared Setia’s story, direct the International Mission Board’s Deaf ministry globally. Vesta was born to Deaf parents, and she and Mark have worked among the Deaf in 28 countries.

She said a common misconception is that when spoken language is translated into sign language, it is a Deaf person’s heart language.

That’s not true. Their natural sign language develops spontaneously within the community out of need. It’s not dependent on the majority spoken language. Their sign language is also not the same as sign language created specifically for educational purposes following the grammar of the spoken language.

Sign language is not universal, Vesta explained, yet each of the world’s natural sign languages shares a root system of movement and markers, made with the face, body, and hands, that enable cross-cultural communication and understanding among the Deaf. She calls this SignRoots.

These visual-spatial languages use a wide variety of hand shapes distinguished by palm orientation, movement, and location and by distinct body and facial movements. Sign Language is a Deaf person’s native language and their core identity.

Countless sign languages exist, but 187+ natural sign languages of Deaf people groups have been documented.

For the Deaf, the Bible is most effectively communicated through videos. IMB missionaries and national believers work tirelessly to record videos in sign languages, using the SignRoots system so people like Setia can experience and respond to the Bible in their heart language.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” Psalm 119:105 (ESV).

Oh Lord, thank You for Your Word that lights our way. I thank You for the ministry of translating Your Word into the many sign languages around the world. Please bless this work and use it to give many people access to understand and embrace Your gospel.

Finally, they have the Bible in their heart language

Deaf Peoples


Setia’s eyes lit up. The woman in the video was signing in her heart language, her “natural sign language,” which is distinctive from the sign language awkwardly translated directly from her country’s spoken language. What Setia was watching was in the language she thinks, dreams, and prays in. For the first time ever, the Bible story came alive.

Vesta and Mark Sauter, who shared Setia’s story, direct the International Mission Board’s Deaf ministry globally. Vesta was born to Deaf parents, and she and Mark have worked among the Deaf in 28 countries.

She said a common misconception is that when spoken language is translated into sign language, it is a Deaf person’s heart language.

That’s not true. Their natural sign language develops spontaneously within the community out of need. It’s not dependent on the majority spoken language. Their sign language is also not the same as sign language created specifically for educational purposes following the grammar of the spoken language.

Sign language is not universal, Vesta explained, yet each of the world’s natural sign languages shares a root system of movement and markers, made with the face, body, and hands, that enable cross-cultural communication and understanding among the Deaf. She calls this SignRoots.

These visual-spatial languages use a wide variety of hand shapes distinguished by palm orientation, movement, and location and by distinct body and facial movements. Sign Language is a Deaf person’s native language and their core identity.

Countless sign languages exist, but 187+ natural sign languages of Deaf people groups have been documented.

For the Deaf, the Bible is most effectively communicated through videos. IMB missionaries and national believers work tirelessly to record videos in sign languages, using the SignRoots system so people like Setia can experience and respond to the Bible in their heart language.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” Psalm 119:105 (ESV).

Oh Lord, thank You for Your Word that lights our way. I thank You for the ministry of translating Your Word into the many sign languages around the world. Please bless this work and use it to give many people access to understand and embrace Your gospel.

Deaf Affinity
Download IMB Pray:
            

Affinity Statistics

European Peoples:


  • More than 4 million Ukrainian refugees have sought asylum in Europe because of the war. 90% are women and children.
  • People from around the world come to Europe for education, economic opportunities, or to seek refuge. Europe's diversity and global reach make it a critical place.
  • 800 million people live in Europe, and only 1% are evangelical Christians.

Deaf Peoples:


  • An estimated 72 million culturally Deaf have almost no access to Scripture in their heart language.
  • Although there are nearly 300 different sign languages, many share foundations that we call SignRoots. IMB missionaries use SignRoots as the basis for translating 300 Bible stories into multiple sign languages.
  • The majority of the Deaf have never seen Jesus’ name signed in their language. Often ignored and oppressed, the Deaf are some of the least evangelized people on earth.

Alumni Spotlight

Mark and Linda Whitworth were appointed as missionaries to Japan, where they served for 11 years.

Alumni prioritize care for missionaries

Providing emotional support for missionaries on the mission field, rather than bringing them home, was a new concept when Mark and Linda Whitworth moved to Richmond to build the IMB’s member care department.


The Whitworths served in Japan from 1986 until 1997. Recognizing the need, former vice president Avery Willis asked Mark to lead the effort. Mark spent the next 19 years growing the member care team from four to 53 people worldwide. Meanwhile, Linda found her sweet spot as the director of stateside conferences.

You will remember Mark and Linda’s lively debriefs if you attended a stateside assignment conference, missionary kid re-entry retreat, Journeyman debrief (now called Beyond), or an emeritus conference before 2016 when they retired and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to help care for Mark’s dad.

After leaving Richmond, Mark and Linda missed connecting with personnel, listening to their stories, and providing emotional support. Today, their mission field is the area around their church — the same Maywood Baptist Church that sent them out back in the 80s, but the neighborhood has changed. Mark and Linda worship with and minister to people with different vocabularies, values, and worldviews. Mark does pro-bono counseling at the church for people with addictions, abuse, trauma, and felony backgrounds. The two of them team up to teach parenting and marriage seminars, something they have been doing together since they were in Japan over 30 years ago! They enjoy seeing the miracles of changed lives in the people they work with.

After 30 years of speaking to large groups and counseling hundreds of people every year, Mark and Linda have made it their goal in this stage of their lives to go deep with a few people. They spend much of their time pouring into their family in the Kansas City area. Their daughter, Brooke, is a professor at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, and they love to travel with her. When asked what they would like to say to their fellow alumni, they said they love and miss you and that you should stay active!

Mark and Linda Whitworth are enjoying their retirement after counseling and debriefing returning missionaries for 19 years.

Businessman uses skills to aid missionary access

Mark and Linda Whitworth were appointed as missionaries to Japan, where they served for 11 years.

Mark and Linda Whitworth are enjoying their retirement after counseling and debriefing returning missionaries for 19 years.

Alumni prioritize care for missionaries

Providing emotional support for missionaries on the mission field, rather than bringing them home, was a new concept when Mark and Linda Whitworth moved to Richmond to build the IMB’s member care department.

The Whitworths served in Japan from 1986 until 1997. Recognizing the need, former vice president Avery Willis asked Mark to lead the effort. Mark spent the next 19 years growing the member care team from four to 53 people worldwide. Meanwhile, Linda found her sweet spot as the director of stateside conferences.

You will remember Mark and Linda’s lively debriefs if you attended a stateside assignment conference, missionary kid re-entry retreat, Journeyman debrief (now called Beyond), or an emeritus conference before 2016 when they retired and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to help care for Mark’s dad.

After leaving Richmond, Mark and Linda missed connecting with personnel, listening to their stories, and providing emotional support. Today, their mission field is the area around their church—the same Maywood Baptist Church that sent them out back in the 80s, but the neighborhood has changed. Mark and Linda worship with and minister to people with different vocabularies, values, and worldviews. Mark does pro-bono counseling at the church for people with addictions, abuse, trauma, and felony backgrounds. The two of them team up to teach parenting and marriage seminars, something they have been doing together since they were in Japan over 30 years ago! They enjoy seeing the miracles of changed lives in the people they work with.

After 30 years of speaking to large groups and counseling hundreds of people every year, Mark and Linda have made it their goal in this stage of their lives to go deep with a few people. They spend much of their time pouring into their family in the Kansas City area. Their daughter, Brooke, is a professor at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, and they love to travel with her. When asked what they would like to say to their fellow alumni, they said they love and miss you and that you should stay active!

TCK Corner

Public diplomacy career a perfect fit for TCK



Cassia Waligora was born and raised in East Asia. She loved living there and was sad when her family had to return to the U.S. when she was in high school. Her desire to return to Asia influenced her decision to major in international relations and Chinese at Wheaton College. During a school trip to Washington D.C., Cassia met another TCK working for the U.S. Department of State. A career in foreign service seemed like an ideal way for her to use her knowledge of Asian culture and language as a bridge between the U.S. and Asia. A three-month internship at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore confirmed her desire to work in public diplomacy as a Foreign Service Officer. After completing her undergraduate degree, Cassia received the Charles B. Rangel Fellowship, a prestigious program to prepare young adults for foreign service. This enabled her to get a master's in Asian studies at Georgetown University. Last summer, Cassia was assigned her first two-year tour at the U.S. embassy in Indonesia. After completing six months of language school, Cassia began her new assignment in April.

Pray for Cassia during this time of transition. Pray she will find a church and a community in Jakarta. Pray that she can be a voice of encouragement and light to her colleagues and Indonesian counterparts.

Home Office Staff

Longtime international missions leader Clyde Meador dies


Longtime International Mission Board leader Clyde D. Meador died April 26, 2024. Meador worked closely with four IMB presidents as a top advisor and executive vice president, and as the mission organization’s interim president from August 2010 to March 2011 and again briefly in 2018 before the election of current President Paul Chitwood.

When he retired a second time on June 12, 2020, after more than 45 years of service to Southern Baptists, John Brady, the IMB’s vice president for global engagement, called Meador “the glue” holding the IMB together.

Meador was known — along with his wife, Elaine — among missionary teams and staff for steady, unflappable leadership. Yet long years of service appear to testify to the Meadors’ simple steps of obedience even more than to their strategic insights and leadership. “When you look at Clyde’s and Elaine’s lives, it’s step-by-step obedience in the same direction towards the Father’s will for their lives,” Brady said.

Read the full article here.

Three ways to stay engaged

Update your contact information

The best way to stay connected and ensure you learn about special opportunities in your area is to update your contact information. 

Get in touch with us

Send us feedback, tell us about upcoming alumni gatherings, share about your ministry, request prayer, ask questions — we want to hear from you! 

Follow us

Are you a member of our Alumni Facebook Community?

Your Alumni Team

Laura Harrell, Director Alumni & Advocate Engagement
Sharon Pumpelly, WMU, Alumni & Parent Networks Associate
Marlo Salamy, Alumni Engagement Coordinator

 [email protected]
 +1 (804) 353-0151

3806 Monument Ave. Richmond, VA, 23230

 imb.org

Send us a message

Follow us:

IMB apps: