Missions Conference 2018

Fri - Sun, Sept 14 - 16

Rod & Debbe Mays, RUF

Rod has served the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) for 41 years, having pastored churches in West Virginia, Mississippi and South Carolina. For 16 years he served as the National Coordinator for Reformed University Fellowship, (RUF), the campus ministry of the PCA. He currently serves RUF as the interim National Coordinator. Rod is an adjunct faculty member at Reformed Theological Seminary, (RTS) in Charlotte where he teaches counseling and campus ministry courses and an adjunct faculty member at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is also a board member of the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation, (CCEF). Rod has been married to Debbe for 42 years. They have one daughter, Meg, a son-in-law Michael, a grandson Mays and a granddaughter Eliza. Rod and Debbe are privileged to worship at Downtown Presbyterian In Greenville, SC.

Keith & Ruth Powlison, MTW in Peru

Keith was born in California, but spent his formative years as a missionary kid in Peru. In high school, he made a commitment to go back to the mission field and then attended Columbia International University where he met Ruth who shared that desire. Ruth was born and raised in Paxton, Illinois where her dad was the pastor of a small Bible Fellowship Church. She accepted the Lord when she was about eight, during a tornado. Due to an aunt who ran an orphanage in Brazil for 15 years, she had a desire to be involved in missions. While attending Columbia International University Ruth’s walk with the Lord became deeper, and she met Keith. They were married in 1978, went to Mexico as short-term missionaries in 1984, went to Ecuador as long-term missionaries in 1987, and then spent their last 20 years in Cusco as church planters, builders of a clinic and founders of a small orphanage. Keith was ordained in 1989, but started out as a lay missionary. He has been most active in leadership development among Quechua speakers and mentoring existing leadership around Peru. Ruth and Keith have phased out of the leadership of the Josephine House, but continue to be active as volunteers, handyman, and transporter on Sundays or when there is an emergency. Over the years Ruth has worked in women’s ministry, taught Sunday School teachers, led a girls’ Bible club, played piano for the Church and helped start the Josephine House. Her main ministry, however, is raising and schooling their two girls, 11 and 14.

Jay & Donna Outen, MNA Chaplain

Jay is a PCA Chaplain ministering to Soldiers and Families in the United States Army. Jay was born and raised in Lancaster, South Carolina. During his sophomore year at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, he came to faith in Christ and soon after became involved with Reformed University Fellowship. Upon graduating from Winthrop in May of 1991, Jay served as an RUF Intern at Clemson University. In August of 1993 he moved to St. Louis, MO in order to begin his studies at Covenant Theological Seminary. The following summer he was asked to serve as an interim RUF Campus Minister at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. He returned to Covenant the next summer and graduated with a Master of Divinity in May of 1997. Three weeks later he married the former Donna Reeves (also a Covenant graduate) and soon after they moved to Cleveland, MS where he served as an Assistant Pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church until July of 2002. Jay was then called to work as the Director of International University Ministry at Mission to the World. His tenure in this position was relatively short-lived due to his hearing of the need for Military Chaplains (the Iraq War had just begun). In the summer of 2003 he pursued and was accepted into the United States Army Chaplaincy. Jay and Donna’s intention was to fulfill the three-year commitment and then move back into civilian ministry. God has had other plans. Life in the Army has taken the Outens to Ft. Bragg, NC, Ft. Campbell, KY, Ft. Jackson, SC, Ft. Eustis, VA, and Ft. Leavenworth, KS. Jay has served as a chaplain in the 82^ndAirborne Division, the 160^thSpecial Operations Aviation Regiment, United States Army Special Operations Command, and the 101^stAirborne Division (AIR ASSAULT). Jay is married to Donna (a wonderful and supportive Army wife) and has four children: Sydney (19), Reeves (17), Sadie (15), and Ross (14).

Peter & Megan Green, RUF at WVU

Peter grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and attended Lehigh University. In 2006 Peter moved to Covenant Theological Seminary to pursue an M.Div. As students at Covenant, Peter and Megan met and married. After graduation in 2010, they moved to Wheaton, Illinois and for the next four years Peter worked on a Ph.D. in Biblical Theology at Wheaton College. The Lord blessed them with two children during their time in Wheaton (Elijah, born in 2011, and Amelia, born in 2013).

After finishing his on-campus courses for his doctorate, Peter and Megan moved to Megan’s hometown in Alaska. While there, Peter simultaneously worked to finish his dissertation and help a group of families start a church. After their full-time church planter arrived, Peter took a job on Alaska’s “North Slope” working in the oil and gas industry. During their time in Alaska, the Greens enjoyed raising goats, chickens, rabbits, and bees with Megan’s parents and fishing for salmon. The Lord also blessed them with another child, Isaac, born in 2016. In the spring of 2016, Peter officially graduated from Wheaton College with his Ph.D., and in December he accepted the job as RUF campus minister to WVU.

Beyond working on various farm and building projects, Peter loves reading, hiking, playing with his kids, and talking with college students about just about everything, especially the Bible and God’s love for them.