We both have a Christian history but from opposite sides of the pew. I (Stan) was raised in a Christian family and Paula in a pastor’s home. Paula came to believe in Jesus at a camp. I had been converted as a small child when I prayed with my pastor at church.
The next stage of our journey happened at a Christian college. As a student, I visited England three times and gradually morphed from tourist to missionary. In this time, I met Paula at college, and my letters from England convinced her of God’s call.
That was nearly 40 years ago. Over the years, Paula and I pioneered a church and trained leaders, and we continue to lead the congregation. Within the community, Paula and I serve in a variety of contexts, including public school teaching, hospital chaplaincy, and a range of informal relationships.
Our next steps are to secure new pastoral leadership, but that is a challenge. Secularism, theological liberalism, postmodernism, and a host of other cultural factors have created a spiritual vacuum as well as a dearth of Christian leadership. The UK needs people to give their lives in service to the Lord.
(The Boelmans have been emeritus BMM missionaries since 2021, and they continue to serve the Lord in retirement.)