Making Moves to Better Serve Our Missionaries

Exciting changes are taking place in the CMF office in Indianapolis! Several of our long-time staff members are taking on new roles to better serve our missionaries now and into the future.

David Giles grew up in Ethiopia as a missionary kid with CMF. After graduating from Milligan College and Fuller's School of World Mission, he and his wife Linda served in Kenya among the Maasai from 1985-1994 with CMF.

He has been working in the CMF Indianapolis office since then, first in Recruitment and for many years as Director of Church Catalyst Ministries, overseeing our church-planting teams, researching new fields, and developing new teams.

In January, David will step into the newly established role of Director of Fields, where he will use his wisdom and years of experience to lead and coach our staff whose roles directly impact our field ministries. David says, “I’m really looking forward to working closely with the staff who support our missionary teams and to be a resource to them as they guide our incredible CMF ministries. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to invest in CMF ministries in this next chapter.”

Stepping into the role of Director of Church Catalyst Ministries will be Jake Moore. Jake, his wife Erin, and their family previously served on CMF’s Church Catalyst team in Ethiopia for more than 11 years, working as church planters in partnership with Ethiopian evangelists in a remote setting among the Gumuz people. They also offered a practical example of God’s love for the Gumuz through medical care offered at their bush clinic and pharmacy.

Jake most recently served as the Director of Mobilization with CMF and is ready to bring his own experience and ideas to the Church catalyst role. Jake shared that, “These will be so big shoes to fill, but I am excited to build off of David’s legacy of ministry and to help our teams navigate the changing landscape of ministry and to creatively engage with new communities that need to know the hope of Jesus.”

Bethany Rivera has already stepped into the role of Director of Mobilization and is actively seeking out opportunities to connect with individuals and families who are interested in becoming a part of God’s Kingdom work around the world.

Bethany started out as a REACH intern with CMF in 2008, served as a CMF missionary in Kenya 2010-2012, and has served on the Mobilization Team in other capacities for 11 years. Bethany shared that, “As Director of Mobilization, I have the privilege of connecting with people every day who are considering opportunities to serve for a summer, a semester, or long-term in missions. It is a joy to see transformation happen through what God is doing around the world through CMF ministries and teams and to invite others to, ‘Come do this with us!’”

Kip Lines, CMF’s Executive Director believes that these are great transitions for us as an organization. “Bethany, Jake, and David are highly experienced, know who we are, and understand the particular tasks we are facing in our current season as an organization. All three of them care deeply for our missionaries and recruits and will be running in 2024 to help us raise up the next generation of missionaries and effectively integrate them into our existing CMF teams. I am thankful that they continue to serve God’s mission through CMF!”