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Profile in Excellence
Joshua and Julie (Stephens) Marcum ’01 traveled more than 11,000 miles to meet each other on the York College campus 23 years ago. Two missionary kids from opposite points on the equator — Kenya and Ecuador — who met and fell in love in Nebraska. They were married in York's Harrison Park the summer before their senior year, each sharing a dream of someday working in a mission field.
Julie was born and raised in Kenya, Africa, where her parents Larry and Diane Stephens made their home as missionaries. Joshua had spent half his life in South America, from the time his folks Kent and Sharla (Sikes ’73) Marcum, along with four other families, had begun a new congregation in the capital city of Quito in 1989.
The newlyweds weren’t sure where they would plant roots, but with Joshua being fluent in Spanish and his experiences in Ecuador, they were committed to doing mission work in Latin America. On January 10, 2006, together with a team of four other families, they embarked on a five-year work in Cochabamba, Bolivia, beginning a congregation of the Lord’s church in the downtown area of the city.
June 9, 2000
At the end of that commitment, Joshua received an invitation from his dad to be a part of the work in Ecuador, specifically, the Quito School of Biblical Studies (QSOBS) where Kent was the director and to also lead the thriving church planting program. Feeling the Lord’s nudge, Joshua and Julie along with their three beautiful daughters began their work with Operation Ecuador in March of 2011, with their son Enoch being born the following month.
While raising their support, Joshua reached out to one of the congregations in York. During their time as students, Joshua and Julie served as youth interns with the East Hill Church of Christ and invited them to be a part of the exciting ministry opportunity, not only financially, but in a hands-on partnership.
Joshua told the eldership that they were seeking more than a church’s mission funds. They wanted a personal investment of time, resources, and people. They wanted work groups to help with building projects, outreach ministries in the jungle, volunteers assisting with medical missions, youth groups to visit, etc.
The answer was a resounding “Yes,” and a youth mission trip to Ecuador was immediately put into place. In the last ten years, there have been nine sponsored groups from East Hill in Ecuador along with three student groups from York College.
“Nothing can substitute witnessing in person the work you support,” said Joshua. “Being an active participant, touching and being touched by those you are trying to reach with the gospel, makes all the difference in the world when it comes to partnering with a ministry. It not only strengthens the efforts made by those of us living and working on the mission field, but it gives great buy-in to the supporting church.
“We’ve made some incredible strides these last ten years because of those willing to give their time, resources, and hearts to the work here in Ecuador,” Joshua went on to say. “It’s an invaluable testimony to who the church is and what it means to be the body of Christ.”
Operation Ecuador is an umbrella organization that connects several US-supported mission efforts. It has grown
to include many facets of ministry across Ecuador by which thousands of people have been baptized.
In 2014, Joshua took over as director of the institute and in 2016 earned his Doctor of Ministry from ACU. His thesis project implemented and evaluated the inclusion of a technical-skills component in the QSOBS’ seminary training and is still being used today.
QSOBS is now noted as the largest Bible institute in South America in the Spanish language, offering courses online, including master's level studies, and a second to none Bible Institute for 35-40 full time students in Quito. In its 24 years of operation, the school has had more than 250 graduates and is making the most remarkably positive influence in Spanish speaking South America in the history of missions among churches of Christ.
In many ways, a mission's maturity is measured by its transition to local leadership. At this year’s graduation
ceremony, Joshua, joined by his dad, passed the baton of directing the
QSOBS to Oswaldo Albarracín, an Ecuadorian from Cuenca and a member of the faculty at the institute for the last eighteen years. His remarkable wife Lourdes has been involved with the women's program at the school, coordinating it since 2013.
“Operation Ecuador is blessed to be at this point in history where it can entrust such an important ministry to such a godly couple,” said Joshua. “I’m so grateful to God for raising up national leaders whose skill and honor make them the ideal partners to carry
(above) Joshua, Michaela, Jana, Enoch, Eliana, and Julie. (Inset) A family trip to the Galapagos Islands in September was just part of the homeschool curriculum for the day.
Joshua commissions the 2021 Quito School of Biblical Studies graduating class to join the ranks of their fellow brothers and sisters in the Latin American work force of missionaries, preachers, teachers, elders, and as most prefer to be known, “siervos del Señor” (servants of the Lord).
this work and God's dream to greater heights.”
Joshua continues to serve the QSOBS in the capacity of Director of development for operation Ecuador. He remains the U.S. liaison for the school and teaches part-time with the faculty. It is his hope that this new role will free him to focus more on the many other areas within OE, such as the QSOBS mission teams, the master's program, medical missions, campus ministry, evangelism efforts along the Cayapas River, and short-term mission groups from the U.S.
Due to the pandemic, strict travel restrictions in the city of Quito have been confining these days on the Marcum household, but with Julie now homeschooling the children: Michaela (16), Eliana (15), Jana (13), and Enoch (10), there is more freedom to travel as a family both stateside and with various mission groups that visit. Teaching in the home and on the road is just part of normalcy these days.
With the kids getting older and visits to colleges and universities already taking place, one might ask, “Are there third generation missionaries in the Marcum family’s "I’m so grateful to God for raising up future?” national leaders whose skill and honor Time will tell on that one. make them the ideal partners to carry this But if a teenager work and God's dream to greater heights" from Ecuador can find his soulmate from East Africa on a small Christian college campus in Nebraska once upon a time… God only knows if it just might happen again. n by Steddon Sikes ’84
(above left) Kent and Joshua Marcum pass the baton to new QSOBS Director Oswaldo Albarracín during the 2021 graduation ceremony.
(far left) Four families along with Joshua, Julie, and their newborn daughter Michaela are ready to begin the work in Cochabamba, Bolivia in 2006.
(left) As part of the QSOBS faculty, Joshua looks forward to sharing a meal with some of the students.
(right) In 2016, the youth group and sponsors from York built swing sets along the Cayapas River where the gospel was being preached. Seven YC alumni were part of the work crew.
