Leader appointments

Hiake Hegui, North East India Director, second term

Start date: July 2020

Hiake and wife Rangteigong joined SIM in 2011. Hiake directed and managed the Unity Education Centre in Doro, South Sudan. After three years, he returned to NEI as the Acting Director. By January 2020, 29 NEI missionaries were fully supported by churches and individuals. Praise God for his seven years of leadership.

Peter Okaalet, Kenya Director

Start Date: 9 April 2020

Peter Okaalet, a physician from Uganda, is an SIM Kenya member. He served for 15 years with Medical Assistance Program (MAP) International, including fi ve years as senior director for Health and HIV/AIDS Policy and Advocacy. Peter has masters’ degrees in divinity and theology, and he is a trainer for the Haggai Institutes. TIME Magazine honoured him in 2005 as a hero battling preventable diseases through church engagement

Jonathan Cross, South Sudan Director

Start Date: 9 April 2020

Jonathan joined SIM South Sudan in 2012. As Water Project Manager and Country Security Coordinator, he trained the staff to reach communities with clean water and the gospel, and colleagues to manage the security environment in South Sudan. He helped design and construct solar systems, carried out network programming and installation, and provided logistics.

John Denbok, Regional Director for North America

Start Date: 30 March 2020

John has served as SIM Canada Director for eight years and has led mission organisations for the past 20 years. Prior to this, he was an executive and entrepreneur in the agri-food processing sector.

Lee Sonius, Ministry Point Person for Media

Start Date: May 2020

Lee has served in radio and media ministries with SIM and Reach Beyond for 32 years in Africa. Most recently, he was regional director for Sub-Saharan Africa at Reach Beyond. Lee is a founding member of Africa by Radio (now AbR Media).

SIM INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORS PAST AND PRESENT

Three SIM International Directors met in Israel on an SIM leader development event in February 2020 - Joshua and Joanna Bogunjoko (2013-present), Malcolm and Liz McGregor (2003-2013) and Jim and Carol Plueddemann (1993-2003).

Malcolm & Liz McGregor:

Our lives are full. Malcolm spent four years on the pastoral team at our Edinburgh church, Carrubbers Christian Centre, working on community engagement.

Liz joined the Langham Partnership’s Post Graduate Scholars programme. In 2017 Malcolm joined her to care for international PhD scholars studying in the UK and Western Europe. We also coordinate the Langham Global Scholar Care Team.

SIM was new to our church, but two people have completed SIM medical electives in Angola and a couple will serve with SIM Ecuador.

We continue to mentor SIM leaders and run the unofficial SIM Guest House in Edinburgh!

malcolm.mcgregor@sim.org, liz.mcgregor@sim.org

Jim & Carol Plueddemann:

We are in our second year at SIM’s retirement village in Sebring, Florida. Carol is involved in a community chorus, helping at a food pantry with Spanish-speaking guests, YMCA classes, a book club, gardening and many prayerful friendships.

Jim teaches at Trinity Divinity’s Florida campus and has led seminars in Seoul, Budapest, and in the US. He has enjoyed leading a Village Book Conversation group. We participate in a Spanish Bible study and church plant. Th is is our sixth year in SIM’s Leadership Development programme and the mutual learning has been a deep joy!

jim.plueddemann@sim.org; pilgrims2gether@gmail.com

Peter Okaalet, a physician from Uganda, is an SIM Kenya member. He served for 15 years with Medical Assistance Program (MAP) International, including five years as senior director for Health and HIV/AIDS Policy and Advocacy. Peter has masters’ degrees in divinity and theology, and he is a trainer for the Haggai Institutes. TIME Magazine honoured him in 2005 as a hero battling preventable diseases through church engagement