 Our Missionaries
Our church currently contributes to the partial support
of seven mission partners, all but one missionaries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Here is
a brief description of their positions.
Dr. & Mrs. Salvador de la Torre - Kenya
Dr._&_Mrs._John_Fletcher - Congo
Ms._Emily_Griggs
- Rwanda
Ms._Nancy_McGaughey - The Sudan
Rev. and Dr.
Donald Wehmeyer - Mexico
Rev. and Mrs.
Michael S. Weller - Ethiopia
Northern_Africa
Mwandi_Hospital_Project
Dr. & Mrs. Salvador de la Torre
 Salvador
and Irma are medical missionaries in Kenya. Salvador is
regional liaison for the Christian Hospital Association of Kenya,
coordinating HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment through 20 mission
hospitals. Irma, who is a Registered Nurse,
is helping the Presbyterian Church of East Africa establish day care centers
for orphans and vulnerable children. The Salvadors, who are natives of Mexico, have a special gift for developing mission
hospitals. They spent several years at a Presbyterian hospital in Haiti, and ten years at
the Mwandi Christian Hospital in Zambia (see
below), and several more years helping to redeveloping the Kikuyu
Presbyterian Hospital in Kenya. The Salvadors have three grown children. For a full profile,
click here.
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Dr.
& Mrs.
John
Fletcher
 John
and Gwenda were appointed in 2009 to serve in the Kasai region of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. John is a surgeon at the Good Shepherd
Hospital and is medical director of all the hospitals of the Presbyterian
Community of Congo (CPC). Gwenda also works with the CPC, helping with
teacher training, administration, and community involvement. John and Gwenda
both grew up as children of Presbyterian missionaries in India, and formerly
served in the Congo. For a full profile and
recent letters,
click here.
Ms.
Emily
Griggs
 A
"Daughter" of First Presbyterian Kannapolis, Emily has been serving in
Rwanda since August 2009. She is a fourth grade teacher at the Kigali
International Community School, teaching children from Rwanda and from all
over the world. Emily also has found other areas of service in Kigali. She
provides a wonderful illustrated blog of her time in Rwanda at
emmyginrwanda.blogspot.com.
Emily formerly served as a Young Presbyterian Volunteer in Mission in Kenya.
Ms.
Nancy
McGaughey
 Nancy
was appointed in 2009 to serve as health coordinator with ACROSS, the
Association of Christian Resource Organizations Serving Sudan. She is
charged with building the capacity of ACROSS’s field staff who work in
health, HIV/AIDS, and household food security. As the southern Sudan
redevelops after years of war, Nancy also is building and fostering
relationships with government departments, church and community leaders, and
other NGOs and stakeholders. Nancy formerly served in Nepal.
For a full profile and recent letters,
click here.
Rev. and Dr. Donald Wehmeyer
 Donald and Martha serve in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Donald is
director of the School of Continuing Education at San Pablo Theological Seminary. In that
position he organizes conferences and workshops, teaches theology courses, and leads
workshops in many of Mexico's rural areas. San Pablo Seminary trains students from
throughout Central America. Our youth group has traveled to Merida with Son
Servants on three different summers to help with construction of the new
campus for the seminary. In the summers of 2005 and 2006 a group of adults
and youth from First Presbyterian spent a week in Merida, helping with
church and retreat center construction and leading Vacation Bible Schools. Martha, who is a native of Merida, ministers from the home as a volunteer
medical doctor. Donald was born in Wisconsin and has an M.Div. degree from Austin
Presbyterian Seminary. Martha earned her MD degree from the University of Yucatan School
of Medicine. The Wehmeyers have three children. For a full profile,
click here.
Rev. and Mrs. Michael S. Weller
 Michael
and Rachel have served for many years in Ethiopia. Currently Michael is
PC(USA)’s regional liaison for the Horn of Africa, where PC(USA) works with
partner churches in Sudan and Ethiopia. Rachel serves as health coordinator
for two Presbyterian Synods in Ethiopia. They currently are living in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Rachel is earning her degree in nursing and
Michael divides his time between Pittsburgh and Africa. Michael was born in Durham, NC and
has a M.Div. degree from Union Theological Seminary. Rachel has a RN diploma and was born in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They have three children. Both have done mission work in Egypt.
For a full profile and recent letters,
click here.
Northern
Africa
In 2009, First Presbyterian Church initiated a
relationship with a PC(USA) couple serving in a Northern African
country. Please
contact the church office for additional information about this couple and
their ministry.
Mwandi Hospital Project
The Mwandi
Christian Hospital is located in the village of Mwandi, on the Zambezi
River, midway between Livingstone and Sesheke, in the southwest corner of
Zambia. The hospital is a mission of the United Church of Zambia, which has
been assisted in this work by the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Medical
Benevolence Foundation, and Medical Missions, Inc. In addition, a management
team, operating out of the Thyatira Presbyterian Church at Mill Bridge,
Salisbury, N.C., provides leadership and logistical support, and guides the
fund raising efforts for the hospital community. Up until 1986, the hospital
was run by the government and was quite run down. In that year, the United
Church of Zambia assumed control, and with the help of Presbyterian medical
missionary Salvador de la Torre (see above), rebuilt it into one of the
better medical facilities in the country. In 1990 we joined more than 20
other area Presbyterian churches in raising funds and providing manpower for
the construction of an electrical substation and electrical wiring at the
Mwandi Hospital. Between 1990 and 1998 our church alone raised in excess of
$55,000 for this and related projects. Through the years, seven of our
members have joined work teams in Mwandi helping to install the wiring at
the hospital, helping to install a walk-in cooler and a morgue cooler,
helping with general repairs and maintenance, and assisting with a new
computer system. In recent years we have contributed through our budget to the project's
ongoing expansion and ministry in and around the community of Mwandi.
Presbyterian
Church (USA)'s Work in the World - a link to lots
of information about Presbyterian international mission activities.
This page was last updated on
June 03, 2005. |
