Marilyn Beecher

Partnering with Missionaries

The Rev. Marilyn Beecher is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church serving as a Church and Community Worker with the Church and Community Connection (CCC) of the Florida Annual Conference.

Marilyn shares the purpose of CCC, "CCC works to equip congregations for transformational mission. Individual congregations are supported while developing new outreach ministries and clusters of congregations serve together to provide ministry in strategic locations. Priorities include working with children and youth, disaster response, immigrants and hunger programs."

Dakin Cook

Partnering with Missionaries

Dakin Cook is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church currently serving at the General Board of Global Ministries offices in New York with Mission Personnel as the Regional Executive for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dakin was born in New Haven, CT and moved to New Delhi, India with his parents when he was twelve years old. During this time he attended an American International School and spent a month each summer doing volunteer work with various projects sponsored by the National Christian Council of India. The projects were different each year and included famine relief, flood relief, vaccination programs and refugee resettlement programs. During the school year he worked with a team of volunteer high school students to help build and maintain a leper colony for a period of five years.

My parents have always been the greatest influence and examples in my life, Dakin says. Their entire lives were involved in mission recruitment and service. It was their support, advice and prayers that helped me make the commitment to live out a life of faith as a missionary.

Wilma Frances Lynch

Partnering with Missionaries

Wilma Frances (Fran) Lynch is a Deaconess and missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church assigned to the Willow Anvik Grayling Church and Community Ministry in Alaska.

Willow is about 75 miles north of Anchorage and Fran spends about two-thirds of her time coordinating the outreach ministry of the Willow United Methodist Church. This includes the food bank, clothes/household items, help with heating fuel, transportation, home repair and response to other basic emergency needs of families. She also organized the Willow community to build the first Habitat for Humanity house.

Mark and Rebecca Smallwood

Partnering with Missionaries

Mark and Rebecca Smallwood are serving as Associates in Mission Service (AIMS) with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church at Red Bird Mission in Kentucky.

Mark and Rebecca came to Red Bird Mission in August 1988 to serve as teachers at Red Bird Mission School during its first full year as a private Christian School. Mark directs the vocal and instrumental music programs for the elementary, middle school and high school. Rebecca taught 4th grade for 9 1/2 years and now teaches Elementary Christian Education.