Around The Corner (Our Home Missionaries)
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Ake Bowonzong
Ake was saved in June of 1988 in New Guinea through the work of a missionary. On the day of his salvation, Ake was burdened to preach.
Back in his hometown, he became a member of Faith
Baptist Church. From 1989 to 1997, Ake workedin the church from assistant youth director to interim pastor. In April of 2000, with help from a preacher in New York, Ake learned about Marietta Bible College.
Since then he has graduated from Marietta and Cornerstone Baptist Temple began supporting Ake in March of 2004.
Ake and Daphney were married in December 2010 and they have one child Eranu (pictured).
Eric & Mariah Hendricks
Eric was born in Springfield, Ohio and raised in a primarily Catholic family. At a young age, he was introduced to drugs and alcohol and declined quickly. In 2011, while at a company conference in North Carolina, Eric was invited to a Sunday morning church service. At the altar call, Eric knew something was happening inside him, and he went forward. It was there that he was introduced to Jesus Christ, and he accepted Him as his Saviour.
After college, Eric spent a few years working in remodeling, carpentry, and high-end building. It is through this hands-on training, along with his Bible education, that Eric believes this will make him incredibly useful on the field in Zambia.
A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Mariah was born and raised in a Christian home. She accepted the Lord as her Saviour at the age of five after hearing a lesson on salvation in her Christian school. While at church camp in 2006, Mariah felt the Lord dealing with her heart in the area of missions, more specifically, Africa. As she became older, her passion for missions increased as she was able to serve on several missions trips in various places. Mariah followed the Lord's leading to Bible college to study missions where she met Eric, and they married in June 2014.
Dave & Carole Ross
Dave and Carole Ross are both from Dayton, Ohio, natives and long-time members of Dayton/Cornerstone Baptist Temple. In a mission conference here in 1974, they surrendered to go to the mission field and after just two years of deputation, they, along with their two young sons, David and Steve, arrived in Indonesia. Dave and Carole have now faithfully served there for thirty-seven years.
During the first five years of their Indonesian ministry, they set up an ACE school for missionaries' children. They are now involved with work in a Bible Institute where Dave is the advisor and Dave and Carole are both teachers. They also work with three local churches.
The Ross' sons are now grown and married. David works in commercial real estate; he and his wife, Sue, and their eleven-year-old son, Alex, live in Columbus. Steve and his wife, Jody, are both physicians and reside in Pennsylvania with their four children-Cory, Ben, Maggie, and Katie.
Marilyn Pitzer
In April 1961, Marilyn surrendered her life to do anything
the Lord wanted; and then the year before she graduated from Bob Jones University, she surrendered to go to the mission field. A few years later, the Lord burdened Marilyn's heart for those who did not have the Word of God in their own language. She obtained information on various ministries of that nature and found one that she felt suited her ministry desires. Because of her excellent response on her doctrinal questionnaire, she was able to begin the missionary process immediately and was not required to take a further year of Bible training. Marilyn gratefully credits Pastor Gerald Flemming's good, solid Bible teaching for this.
She left for the field of Venezuela in 1972 and has remained there ever since, serving under missionary pastors in various ministries of the churches. She has been asked to teach a Sunday School teacher training class for women upon her return, as well as attempt to begin a children's choir and orchestra.
Marilyn has since retired from the field but continues to serve God to the best of her abilities.
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Stetson & Sandy Planck
Stetson was reared in a Christian home and attests that some of his earliest memories were of his family attending church together as well as kneeling as a family to pray before bedtime. He received Christ as Savior at the tender age of eight.
Though Sandy was not born into a Christian home and was subjected to the false doctrine of baptismal regeneration, she genuinely desired to know the truth. It was after college and through the providence of God that she visited Grace Baptist Church in Middletown, Ohio, and there she received Jesus Christ after hearing seven months of sound doctrinal preaching.
Stetson yielded to God's call for ministry in March of 1999, but it would be nine years before God would give him a specific direction of his call to preach the Gospel in Italy. The Plancks have been serving in Italy since December 2011.
Stetson and Sandy have two children- Isaiah and Pearl.
Zach & Sarah Smith
Zach was born and raised into a Christian home. Growing up, he attended church faithfully, which helped him develop a deep love for God. He made a profession of faith at the age of five, but at the age of sixteen, he made assurance of his salvation. As he continues to grow in his walk with the Lord, he has had many opportunities to share the gospel by preaching and teaching in church.
Sarah was also blessed to be born and raised in a Christian home. Much like Zach, she made a profession of faith at a very young age but made full assurance of her salvation while working at youth camp. Sarah surrendered to the Lord’s call on her life for missions in 2011.
Zach and Sarah were married at Cornerstone Baptist Temple in 2013. They served faithfully for many years, and in 2022, the Lord made it abundantly clear to them that it was time to go full-time into missions. After much prayer and research, it was evident that God was calling them to American Samoa. They are excited about all that God will do through them in this new adventure!
