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Eastern Europe & Russia

Leanne Carter

Agency — Discipling the Nations
Location — Austria
Ministry — Women’s Ministry & Leadership Development

The Carters are long-term Calvary people who have served the Lord in East and Central Europe since 1984. Leanne’s husband, Warren, went home to be with the Lord in February 2011 after a skiing accident. Leanne and her sons, Jonathan and David, remain in the field. 

Leanne’s focus is helping to raise up the next generation of Titus 2 women in Austria by discipling, mentoring, and developing women leaders.  She serves in multiple capacities: as a deaconess for women’s ministry in her local church; as an Austrian liaison for LDNGlobal, a leadership development ministry; and serves on both local and national levels of Wounded Heart Ministries (a national discipleship ministry) with a special emphasis on leadership development.  She has also recently started her on Youtube channel called “The Everyday Princess” to help encourage women and what it looks like to be (or become) a daughter of the King of Kings in every day life. 

Contact: Leanne@D-t-N.org

Mike & Vanessa Katzenberger

Agency — Communitas International
Location — Eastern & Central Europe
Ministry — Development & Church Planting

Michael and Vanessa serve with Communitas International (CI) as the Eastern & Central European regional ministry directors. Joining CI (formally Christian Associates International) in the fall of 2004, Michael initially began coaching and developing the ministry partnership between Calvary, Communitas International and six churches in Russia, Latvia and Ukraine.

 
Communitas International is a global organization focused on extending God’s Kingdom through church planting networks who emphasize discipleship, leadership development and starting new Gospel oriented fellowships in cities throughout the globe. CI now has projects in over 100 cities in Western, Central and Eastern Europe and The Americas.
 
Michael along with his wife Vanessa and son Joseph now live in Warsaw, Poland. 

Contact: Katz@gocommunitas.org  

UNGARS & GUNdega gulbis

Agency — Communitas International
Location — Riga, Latvia
Ministry — Church Discipleship

Ungars is the lead pastor at Riga Reformed Church, which is a church plant in Riga, Latvia. He and his wife Gundega focus on preaching and teaching the Word of God and training and developing leadership to the young urban, post modern professionals in the fields of business, arts, and culture.

They also offer opportunities for their congregation to be involved in outreach with the goal of renewing the city of Riga spiritually, culturally, and socially.

Contact: ugulbis@gmail.com 

bogdan & bozena jachym

Agency — International Messengers
Location — Warsaw, Poland
Ministry — Evangelism, Discipleship, Biblical Teaching & Counseling

Bogdan and Bożena have been in full-time ministry since 1986. They became born-again Christians through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ and they served with CCC for 17 years with the primary focus of evangelism and discipleship among college students and young professionals. In 1991 they completed one-year training at Great Commission Training Center in Manila, Philippines.

They presently serve with International Messengers, an organization focused on reaching people in Central and Eastern Europe, which they joined in 2008. They serve to extend God’s Kingdom through English evangelistic camps and other Christian projects, using English as a means to reach the unsaved.

Serving as leaders in International Church in Warsaw Bogdan and Bożena are dedicated to life-to-life discipleship for young people from all over the world, building and equipping them to become effective witnesses for Christ in their respective countries.

Contact: bbjachym@gmail.com

jim & ruth overton

Agency — Pioneers
Location — Ukraine/Poland/Hungary
Ministry — Missions mobilization and strategy

Jim Overton was first sent out as a Calvary missionary to the Soviet Union in 1988. Since marrying in 1994, he and Ruth have been serving as missionary mobilizers with churches in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and other post-Soviet countries. Jim is best known for co-authoring “Missiology” – a missions textbook, and for coordinating the “Encountering the World of Islam” missions training course. The goal of their ministry is to assist Slavic-speaking churches to send and support their own missionary evangelists and church planters. The cry of their hearts is for all nations of the world to hear the message of Jesus. 
As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Jim, Ruth, and Leeza (age 17) have relocated from Kyiv, Ukraine to Budapest, Hungary.
 

Contact: mail2jim@swissmail.org