CALMS provides resources to both Central American and North American churches. These take the form of consultation, research, cross-cultural and short-term leadership training resources.
Consultation and Research
CALMS' staff members and adjunct volunteer leaders have many years of missionary experience and are uniquely prepared to help Central American churches evaluate their ministries and provide consultation services to help them plan for mission expansion. It is through regular field visits with our Central American partners that CALMS is able to develop strategic short-term projects that can help them move their ministries forward. These opportunities are matched with the talents, experience and spiritual gifts of North American partners in order to provide a "win/win" situation for both groups of leaders.
CALMS' staff members regularly lead training teams of interested North American leaders including pastors, seminarians, teachers, etc. to Central America. Participants participate in research designed to help equip them to listen and learn in a cross-cultural context. The research is usually done on behalf of a Central American partner and with their participation. This makes the research more practical and helpful to both groups. For example, CALMS recently helped our partner organization, Holy Cross Clinic in Amatitlan, Guatemala study the medical needs and opportunities in a village called, Llano de Animas. We did that with a group of seminary students who wanted to learn more about how to work in a cross-cultural environment. As a result of the research, the clinic is now providing regular medical services to this village.
Training and Leadership Resources
CALMS has developed a very practical system of training resources to help short-term leaders prepare for their trips. These include resources for Bible study related to God's mission, group covenants, how to deal with cross-cultural tensions and how to work in ways that are helpful to Central American partners. CALMS also provides a helpful book for team short-term team leaders to use with their teams to help them prepare for their mission experience. See CALMS' resources section in this website for specific types of resources.
Consultants and Trainers
Pastor B. Steve Hughey, Executive Director of CALMS, has over 40 years of mission experience as a career missionary in Venezuela, on the US Border with Mexico and with the International mission program of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. He has trained short-term leaders and led teams for many years. He has conducted research that has led to new mission fields in a number of countries and has written extensively about short-term mission issues and has produced a variety of mission videos and resources.
Pastor Miguel Torneire, CALMS' Missionary At-Large, served for four years as a missionary in Guatemala. Pastor Miguel is originally from Brazil and studied there and in Argentina. He is highly qualified to teach North American leaders about Latin American culture and has a unique perspective about the church and society in Guatemala.
Mrs. Grace Hughey served with her husband Steve as a cross-cultural missionary in a number of settings. She has led over 20 mission trips to Latin America. She is also a recognized expert in the area of missional small groups and is presently a staff member serving as director of small group ministry at St John Lutheran Church in Ellisville, MO. Her training for short-term has been very helpful in order to build strong relationships for effective short-term teams. She has also led very helpful training events for Central American leaders such as a recent seminar on missional small groups that has helped the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Panama (IELPA) rethink its whole approach to church planting.
Miles Richmond, CALMS' Counselor for Human Care Projects in Central America, has many years of experience in cross-cultural settings having led the ministry of Habitat for Humanity in Southern Africa for 10 years. He now lives in Guatemala where he guides CALMS housing and other human care ministries. Miles provides training to CALMS teams that work with CALMS' housing and other human care ministries.
Peg Wolframhas served for 10 years as a cross-cultural missionary - most recently in Cambodia. She began serving in September 2009 as CALMS Mission Coordinator for Belize. Peg has many years of experience in children's and youth ministry. She helps train Sunday school teachers and is a valuable resource to Belizean church workers and other leaders. She also works with short-term leaders and their team members to help them understand the cultural realities of their Belizean partners and helps equip them to serve effectively with short-term projects such as VBS outreaches, ministry to nursing homes and capacity building seminars for church workers, etc.
Dawn Timm has served as a missionary among Russian people and Jewish people for many years. She facilitates CALMS' short-term teams by providing logistical support, training resources and counsel to team leaders.
Trainers and Leaders
NOTE: CALMS' board members Sue Dick, David Reed and Bruce Collet are some of the adjunct leaders who regularly help train short-term leaders.
Sue Dick has led many short-term mission teams to Belize and participated with Steve Hughey in five separate research projects in that country. She has pioneered new work among the Garifuna people in Belize and is an excellent short-term and small group trainer.
David Reed is a consultant for the Indiana District and an active leader in his home congregation, Carmel Lutheran in Carmel, Indiana. David has led many short-term mission teams and regularly helps equip short-term leaders and others to lead effectively. He also leads North American leaders through congregational self-evaluation and helps them develop strategic missional plans.
Bruce Collet has worked for over 10 years as director of communication and outreach for Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. He is also a recognized leader in the area of stewardship training and has presented a number of seminars and workshops in Central America.
Pastor Dar Karsten, Ozark Area Mission Coordinator for the Missouri District-LCMS, is an adjunct trainer for CALMS and helps with outreach training to help CALMS prepare short-term leaders and their teams to share their faith effectively. Dar has many years of evangelism experience and served for many years as the Chairman of the Board for Evangelism for the LCMS and pastor of St. Marks Lutheran Church in Eureka, Missouri.
Medical Consultants and Trainers
Medical doctors and dentists who currently are involved in leading medical teams and training new medical team leaders include Dr. Mike Frith, Dr. James Dageforde, Dr. Michael Orr, and Dr. Hans Behrens. Contact CALMS at calms@calms.org for more information about this program.
