Paraclete Mission Group 2018 Summary of Ministries and 2017 Annual Report

Paraclete: Greek word for “An advocate who comes alongside to give help and counsel.”
1988 - 2018
Summary of Ministries

Business Office:
P.O. Box 63450
Colorado Springs, CO 80962-3450
Donations:
P.O. Box 912576
Denver, CO 80291-2576
www.paraclete.net
info@paraclete.net
(719) 302-2500
Paraclete Mission Group is a
nonprofit, tax-exempt religious
501(c)3 organization
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Barbara Boers, Chair
Director of Finance
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Daniel Enns, Treasurer
Retired Businessman, IMB Rep.
Tempe, AZ
Rob Skinner, Secretary
Attorney,
Sherman & Howard, LLC
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Janet Seegren
Retired Educator, Consultant
Tempe, AZ
Calvin Wilson, Vice Chair
Retired MD
Denver, Colorado
April 2018
Greetings,
Praise God for the growth of Paraclete Mission Group!
In 1988 when Paraclete was born, a handful of associates were
helping a small number of mission startups. When I came on
board with Paraclete 10 years ago, we had grown to become
a committed group of 25+ associates, honored that God had
chosen us to make a difference.
Today, Paraclete has 66 associates serving 57 countries around the world, ministering
to over 15,000 people per year. As you will see in reading this document, God is doing
remarkable things in and through this ministry.
We think of this publication as a report to shareholders. We hope it encourages you to
learn how you are helping gifted associates to come alongside Christian leaders around
the world, to fulfill the mission of Paraclete.
The “evidence” in this report takes three main forms. Numbers can seem cold, but they
give a good idea of the scope of how God is using Paraclete. Stories, warm things up, as
you meet the people God is using to expand mission enterprise. Photographs capture
the heart and the joy of Paraclete’s impact. It is my hope that together, the numbers,
stories and photographs increase your gratitude for how God is at work through
Paraclete!
One interesting number is how many folks, like you, have invested in these capable
Christian leaders around the world. Last year 1,624 people gave 10,820 donations
totaling almost $2 million. That financial foundation made possible everything you see
in this report. Thank you for your investment in Paraclete’s ministry. We look forward
to what God will do in the next 30 years!
Blessings,
Glen Volkhardt
CEO, Paraclete Mission Group
ON THE COVER: Paraclete Mission Group associate Julie Kay Field
(right), has been serving Ethiopia for 12 years, and 7 years ago she
co-founded PinK Girl (PinK=Power in Knowledge), which helps girls
with educational assistance and life skills so they can graduate from
high school and attend universities. Today, PinK Girl has grown to
240 girls (from 7th to 12th grade) enrolled in the program with 13
girls in the scholarship program, and 80 girls in universities.
Project Manager Rahel Belay (left), says about Julie, “She encourages
me to speak up and always reminds me that I am created for a
purpose. She sends me many emails when she is away, which
inspires me. She shows me how to lead and passes to me everything
she knows. She shows me both grace and truth.”

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help
you and be with you forever.” -John 14:16
THANK YOU FROM AFRICA
“Thank you for coming alongside me these two
weeks as a paraclete and encourager. I thank the
Paraclete himself who spoke wisely through you in
the times of counseling.” -Uganda
THANK YOU FROM CENTRAL AMERICA
“We are refreshed, energized, settled and
much better equipped to lead our team of 38
missionaries. How grateful we are that your
Paraclete associates came alongside us in this
pivotal season of ministry.” -Mexico
66
Number of Associates
2,412
Years of Experience
23
Average Years of Missions Service
God’s Work in Southeast Asia
When Rahat first met Fatima and was introduced to a local Self
Help Group, her family was barely getting by, and her children
visibly malnourished. Slowly she learned to save and gradually
her life and family began to improve. She heard the stories of
Isa-al-Masih, Jesus the Messiah, and came to faith. Fatima saw
Rahat’s leadership skills and invited her to join the project staff as
a literacy teacher, where she began helping other women escape
the scourge of illiteracy.
Today, Rahat is a mature follower of Jesus with her own small
business, a women’s dressmaking shop. She leads one of 20
women’s house churches and is an officer in a network of over
100 Self Help Savings Groups. The Self Help Groups and project
staff have helped the poor acquire more than 15,000 personal,
family and community benefits including identity documents,
financial services, educational and medical benefits and
community improvements. Rahat says, “Thanks for bringing us the
good news of Jesus and for giving us technologies to improve our lives!
Ravi, Fatima, and Brother Jerry are helping us to transform not only
our lives but also our communities.”
30 YEARS OF GOING AND GROWING
In 1988, Paraclete began its ministry with just
a handful of associates working out of the US
Center for World Missions in Pasadena, California.
Today, your support has made it possible for
Paraclete to serve some of the hardest to reach
corners of the earth!

THANK YOU FROM EUROPE
“Thank you so very much for your prayers, support, and care in every
way possible, for me and my children. I am so thankful to our Father for
all that you do. I am beyond grateful to you because these days in front
of me and the events of my life are extremely difficult, and to have you
standing with me means more than you can know.” -Serbia
Filter of Hope
Filter of Hope is a ministry that serves communities all over the
world that need clean drinking water by providing and installing
water filters, and offering the message of Christ at the same time.
Paraclete is honored to come alongside Filter of Hope through
associate Cliff Peters, who served communities in Haiti last year.
Here’s what Director of Partnerships Don Johnson has to say
about the importance of Cliff’s work:
“Cliff Peters has some methods of purifying the water that might be
more effective in this situation. He is in high demand as he travels
a good bit, teaches lots of classes for sustainable solutions for third
world environments and works with missionaries and organizations
all over the country. He is also one of kindest men you’ll ever
encounter, and God has anointed Cliff with a creative and problem
solving brain like no other we’ve ever met.”
13
Languages Spoken
123
Ministry Specialties
4,240
Total Counseled, Mentored,
Coached or Discipled
11,793
People Taught and Trained
30 YEARS BEYOND BORDERS
Paraclete’s mission over the years has
always been to come alongside pastors and
leaders, enjoying God’s blessings and our own
spiritual growth and understanding, in unity
with the brothers and sisters we serve.
Our Mission
Paraclete’s mission is to come alongside
Christian leaders around the world.
We give priority to those with limited
resources, those who work with
unreached peoples, and those who reach
people who are often overlooked.
Our Vision
Paraclete’s vision is to see a flourishing
global Church served by faithful, effective
leaders.
Our Methodology
How We Come Alongside
• We serve as catalysts, without
personal or institutional agendas.
• We stay only as long as needed
and welcome.
• We view all our work as spiritual
activity with eternal significance.
• We promote effective and godly
stewardship of resources as a
model for business and ministry.
• We practice the accountability of
planning and evaluating our work,
and teach others to do the same.

THANK YOU FROM SOUTH AMERICA
“I want you to know what an amazing blessing
this ministry is. Over the past few days I’ve
witnessed hearts and lives changed. God was
here and moving in each of our lives. I am leaving
today refreshed, renewed and knowing that I am
100% loved by our Savior. The memories I have
made will last a lifetime. A truly impactful 3 days.”
-Bolivia
God’s Work in Africa
Paraclete associate David Stevens pastors an international church
in Belgium and travels to North Africa to train pastors. He writes:
You may have heard the saying, “Give a man a fish, and you
feed him for a meal. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him
for a lifetime.” The primary objective of our Thompson Bible
Institute is to “teach a man to fish.” Our vision is to help these
pastors and church leaders learn how to better study God’s
Word on their own and thus feed themselves spiritually. Only
a small minority of pastors in Africa have the possibility of
receiving formal theological training. In three days we are able
to train these leaders in some of the basics of inductive Bible
study, equipping them to better study God’s Word on their own.
Not only do we teach them “to fish” for themselves, we
also help them learn how to prepare a spiritual meal for
others! Nearly 50% of our course is focused on the process
of developing biblical messages that apply God’s Word to
everyday life.
At the end of the seminar, each participant is given his/her own
Thompson Chain Reference Bible. These graduates are now
better equipped for a lifetime of biblical study to effectively
communicate the truth of God’s Word. On this most recent trip,
53 church leaders participated in the seminar. Here’s what one
participant had to say: “Personally, I’ve had a Thompson Bible for
12 years, but didn’t know how to use it . . . this training has given
me much greater knowledge of God’s Word.”
THANK YOU FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC
“Character-building and discipleship is at the
center of our mission at Sekolah Papua Harapan
and is a core value of my work through Paraclete
Mission Group—What a privilege it is to be raising
up well-equipped leaders who have a heart for
Jesus; it’s changing the future of Papua. Thanks
for making this important work possible!”
24
Boards on Which We Served
57
Countries Served
149
Churches Served
202
Organizations Served
30 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIPS
Paraclete’s network of churches and
organizations has been the cornerstone
of our grassroots movements for these
last three decades. Paraclete is humbled
by the strength and integrity of our
partnerships.
THANK YOU FROM ASIA
“You came all this way to visit us on behalf of a church that
loves Jesus Christ, and you spoke with more than words to
our hearts. Thank you for caring about our family and our
ministry here.” -Central Asia
THANK YOU FROM NORTH AMERICA
“We are so filled with gratitude that God in His providence placed you in our
lives this week. Your kindness, hearts to serve, and prayers for us were such a
blessing. You are part of our story forever. This week was a gift from God, and
we are so thankful for your tremendous impact on our lives. -United States

www.paraclete.net
Income
2017 Expenses
TOTAL $1,876,891
2016 Expenses
TOTAL $1,549,837
2017
2016
$0 $500,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000
$1,980,674
$1,606,221
99.9%
donations
79%
Program
7% Fundraising
14% Admin
76%
Program
8% Fundraising
16% Admin
THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THE PARACLETE LEGACY
Paraclete Mission Group Associate Carey Childrey (left photo, center) has been with Paraclete since its inception, and
has served in missions for 45 years. Jacinda Basinger (right photo, center/front) is one of three associates finishing
their first year with Paraclete; she is serving the future leaders of Papua, Indonesia. We praise God that 30 years of
ministry has brought together those who have served Paraclete for many decades alongside associates who bring a
fresh perspective. And we are grateful for those of you who are part of the Paraclete legacy with your financial support
and your continued prayers. Thank you for assuring that Paraclete Mission Group is paving the way to reach even
more leaders in the Kingdom for the next 30 years.