It all started when…
A few dedicated Christ followers from various backgrounds in ministry and missions came together with a passion for heeding the Lord’s call to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) Compassion for Life began by answering this call, sharing Jesus’s love and compassion to underserved people around the world and making obedient disciples of Jesus who make more disciples, focusing on multiplication and ongoing movements.
Years later, Compassion for Life has launched Disciple Making Movements, trained hundreds to effectively make disciples within their own communities through Discovery Bible Studies, helped bring transformation into hurting communities by teaching people to become followers of Jesus, provided clean water, food and vital necessities, and built bridges and marketplaces that improved underprivileged communities. All this was done by following the Lord’s leading and direction and we look forward to seeing what He has for CFL in the future.
Our Mission
Compassion for Life helps people discover who God is, and understand Jesus’s gift of salvation through the Discovery Bible Studies. We believe that everyone deserves a chance to live a good life, and we are committed to helping people by offering a hand up, not just a hand out, through providing a variety of services and support, we build relationships with the people we serve.
BOARD MEMBERS
“Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ” (Colossians 4:3)
Richard’s greatest commitment is to work with churches, Christian agencies, and individuals who are committed to the fulfillment of the Great Commission as given in Matthew 28:18-20. He has spent the last 15 years training church leaders and individuals on making disciples who in turn “go and do likewise”.
In all, Richard has over 30 years of executive leadership experience working with churches and Christian organizations, including start-up design and program development. He has become well known for his ability to develop innovative solutions that deliver results to poor and underserved populations globally.
When asked what the biggest challenge facing the Church today is, Richard states, “the answer is found in Revelation 2:4&5… “You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first. Look how far you have fallen. Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first”. That requires a return of being obedient to Christ’s last words to us found in Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey”.
Anita has an extensive background as a administrative assistant at the senior executive level. She has a versatile skill set and is adept to filling several different roles within management. Those roles include but are not limited to maintaining financial records, bank account reconciliation, cash flow, billings, and bank reconciliation. In addition Anita has been a leader in event planning and fundraising. Her greatest asset is a natural ability to make everyone around her feel important and appreciated. She is the backbone of being a team player.
Dr. Dave Hunt and his wife, Lynn, joined Cityteam in 1984 where Dave served as Youth Director, then V.P. of Development and Expansion. In 2005, David transferred to the international division and relocated to Addis Ababa Ethiopia. During their five years in East Africa, Dave coached local leaders in disciple making and church planting throughout a seven-country region while consulting with numerous organizations in the start-up of simple schools, safe water systems and other humanitarian services. Lynn provided a service of rescuing high-risk babies who had little chance of survival in the tough environments where they lived and ran a guesthouse in Addis Ababa. Returning to the US in 2010, Dave was assigned to engage in the same disciple making and community development throughout North, Central, and South America. Currently, he serves with NewGenerations with responsibility for catalyzing mission movements and development in North Africa.
Dave completed undergraduate studies in Canada and later completed post-graduate work. He was awarded a Doctor of Ministry degree in Transformational Leadership from Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Washington. Dave and Lynn are currently living with their two Ethiopian children, Tariku and Weyitu in Fallbrook, California. Their other three sons and six grandchildren live in California and Texas.
William Strine Sr. has served as the CEO of Media Real Estate Company for over 35 years. Media Real Estate is a design, build, lease, and manage firm specializing in residential and commercial properties. Bill has a background in civil engineering and is a licensed professional structural engineer in addition to being a real estate broker/salesperson in PA, NJ, and DE. Bill is very active in his community. He is a longtime member and former President of the Media Rotary Club. He is an Elder at the Media Presbyterian Church. He has served as a member of the Middletown Township Planning Commission, Director at the Rocky Run YMCA, and a former member of the Delaware County Tourist Bureau. Bill currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the Williamson College of the Trades located in Media, PA. He also serves on the National Board of Directors of City Team Ministries in Chester, PA. In addition, he holds a 4th degree black belt in Roo Koo Kempo karate. Bill resides in Media, PA with his wife of over 58 years. He has three children and five grandchildren.
Jerry Trousdale grew up in Nashville and attended Lipscomb University. His Junior year he met his future wife Gayle when they were volunteer camp counselors for kids at a Christian Camp on Short Mountain.
After they married in 1968, he attended Graduate School at Abilene Christian in Texas to study Missions before they deployed in 1971 to the interior or Sierra Leone among the Muslim, Mende people.
After four years in Africa, Jerry began doctoral studies in Missiology at Fuller Seminary in California. But that was interrupted when a Southern California church called him to be their pastor. Over ten years the church became a mission sending church, and a church that interceded for unreached peoples.
In 1990, Jerry and Gayle returned to Tennessee where he spent several years in Christian media: first, doing an afternoon drive Christian talk show in Nashville, before being employed at Thomas Nelson Publishers to launch the Contemporary English Version of the Bible, and later to serve as Director of Marketing.
In 1997, Gayle and Jerry sensed that God was calling them back to missions. He resigned from Thomas Nelson to pastor another mission sending church. In 2002, he discovered the phenomenon of Kingdom Movements happening in India and co-founded Final Command Ministries to empower great African leaders to catalyze Disciple Making Movements among 19 Unreached Muslim People Groups in Africa.
Since 2005, Jerry has served as Director of International Ministries for New Generations where, in partnership with hundreds of Global South ministries, more than 420 people groups have been successfully engaged in 29 countries. 113 of them have become Disciple Making Movements with at least 100 churches and four generations of churches planting churches.
In 2012, Jerry published Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims Are Falling in Love with Jesus, which became a best-selling book for Thomas Nelson.
In 2014, Jerry asked Dr. Glenn Sunshine to co-author with him The Kingdom Unleashed: How Jesus’ 1st Century Kingdom Values are Transforming Thousands of Cultures and Awakening His Church. That book was a three year project, and was released in June 2018.
STAFF
“Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ” (Colossians 4:3)
Richard’s greatest commitment is to work with churches, Christian agencies, and individuals who are committed to the fulfillment of the Great Commission as given in Matthew 28:18-20. He has spent the last 15 years training church leaders and individuals on making disciples who in turn “go and do likewise”.
In all, Richard has over 30 years of executive leadership experience working with churches and Christian organizations, including start-up design and program development. He has become well known for his ability to develop innovative solutions that deliver results to poor and underserved populations globally.
When asked what the biggest challenge facing the Church today is, Richard states, “the answer is found in Revelation 2:4&5… “You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first. Look how far you have fallen. Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first”. That requires a return of being obedient to Christ’s last words to us found in Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey”.
Full-time ministry since 1978 in teaching, writing, church planting, pastoring and missions. involved in global disciple making sense 2011.
Personal
Rachel and her husband Bill reside in Harrington, Delaware. Bill is a retired police officer and currently works for the Delaware National Guard. Bill serves alongside Rachel in their ministry efforts. Together they have 5 children ranging from age 15 to 32 years of age. They are currently active members of Crossroad Community Church.
Ministry
Rachel is a nurse by trade and has relied upon her experience in this field many times during her various ministry assignments.
Having had a heart for missions her entire life, God has continually increased her love and compassion for other people. Particularly the lost and those less fortunate. Some of her ministry efforts include but are not limited to;
- Currently serves as the Prayer Coordinator for Compassion for Life, as well as DMM coach for the Delmarva area. In addition, she serves as an essential support to the staff when special projects require for additional assistance.
- Served in various ministry positions for over 20 years at Faith Community Church in Camden, Delaware.
- Home schooling for 20 plus years
- Led a team of youth to Kingston, Jamaica to serve at the Salvation Army School for the Blind.
Rachel is deeply passionate about making true disciples for Christ and mentoring others to do the same. Her personal mission statement comes directly from Christ in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and in earth has been given unto me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And teach them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age”.
Marty and Elaine Mattocks have been involved in short-term missions throughout their adult lives, in Central America, Africa, Central Asia, and most recently through Youth with a Mission in India. They are retired (Marty from project development and Elaine as an emergency room RN), but even during their busy family and work lives they were involved in both local and foreign missions, local churches, street ministry to the lost, and workplace Bible studies. They are ordained pastors through Antioch International Ministries and are currently involved in disciple making ministries with the lost, both here and abroad. They are active with helping non- believers from unreached countries to improve their English by studying the Bible. Marty also has a keen interest and involvement with business as mission and Elaine loves to share “God stories” to encourage both believers and non-believers. They both delight to see people transformed by Jesus, as their own individual lives were powerfully transformed by God’s love and grace. They currently live in Dover, Delaware.
My name is Gabriel Dunsuah Cole. I was born April 22, 1976 in Firestone, Rubber Plantation, Margibi County , Republic of Liberia.
I am married to Kolu K. Cole, and we are blessed with four children.
Carole P.Z. Cole
Mary S.L. Cole
Charles P. Cole
Jallah K. Cole
I came to know Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior in 1995 through the late Rev. Patrick Nuahn who led me through the sinner prayer.
Since I gave my life to Jesus Christ, my life has never been the same. The Lord placed in me passion for soul winning and discipleship. Due to this great zeal for souls, I have been led to establish five churches.
I realised that the Lord was calling me to something more bigger that is beyond just sitting in the church. He called me to make more disciples beyond the walls of church building. This promted me to get involved with Compassion for Life with the DMM program. Since I began the DMM with Compassion for Life, I truly feel fulfilled beyond explanation.
I am grateful that I have truly identified my calling and I am now walking in it with Compassion for Life.
I came to know the Lord in 1997 through Rev. Thomas Dowie who was doing DMM in our community(bassa community monrovia)
My desire is to see many been saved as I will have the opportunity to meet the unsaved through the DMM.
Wish all will know God served him.
I came to know the Lord in 1986 through some American missionaries who came to our town, Mambolo.
I am doing DMM because I want to see ALL come to REPENTANCE and WORSHIP God.
I have the heart to LOVE and HELP people know and follow God
Books written by members of our team!
Click on book image to take you to Amazon for purchase.
