The International Mission Board (IMB) sends and supports missionaries to share the gospel, make disciples, and plant churches where Jesus is not known. First Baptist Church Covington supports two missionary couples through the IMB: Travis & Beth Burkhalter, and Jeff & Liesa Holeman.
International Mission Board missionaries Travis and Beth Burkhalter, along with their children, serve with the International Mission Board (IMB) in Medellín, Colombia. They have been with the IMB since 2010, initially spending eight years in a small jungle town on the Amazon River before relocating to Medellín in the Andes Mountains. Their ministry focuses on evangelism and discipleship among indigenous groups, particularly the Embera people. The IMB team partners with a local Baptist church, aiming to plant an indigenous church in the city. During weekly interactions with displaced Embera families, they share the Gospel in the people’s heart language through Bible storying and discipleship, often introducing these stories to them for the first time. First Baptist Church began a relationship with the Burkhalters and their ministry in 2022, seeking to deepen this partnership and discern how God will work through it.
International Mission Board missionaries Jeff and Liesa Holeman, serve alongside a team of other IMB personnel in Oaxaca, Mexico. They previously served on the field in Costa Rica, Peru, and Mexico for about a decade before returning to the States in 2017. In 2024, they returned to the field as Team Leaders in Oaxaca. Their team specializes in church revitalization strategies for Baptist churches in and around Oaxaca City. They work alongside these churches to help them remain healthy, flourish in their community, and reach those around them with the gospel. Discipleship is rooted in everything they do with these churches. This team is also involved in street evangelism, engaging people on the street with questions and offering to practice English with them. These questions and conversation starters open the door to gospel conversations and invitations to local churches. First Baptist Church began a relationship with the Holemans and their team in 2026, seeking to come alongside them and the churches they serve. Through this partnership, we hope to help strengthen these churches and the team as they work together to reach the lost in Oaxaca.
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