Eight Alabamians were in the group of 98 recently appointed International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries addressed by IMB President Jerry Rankin March 15 at First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, Tenn.
Jim and Laura Collins of McCalla have been appointed to serve in Middle America. They are members of Tannehill Valley Baptist Church in McCalla where Laura has served as secretary.
Jim, who graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2002 will serve as a strategy coordinator for the IMB. He has previously worked for the United Parcel Service and the United States Steel.
Laura has a bachelor of arts from the University of Alabama and will be doing communication and home outreach.
She has previously worked for the Bibb County Board of Education as a teacher. The couple married in 1991 and have two children.
Tommy and Cindy Taylor of Tuscaloosa have been appointed by the IMB to serve in Western South America. They are members of Valley View Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa.
Tommy, who graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in counseling, will be working as an evangelist and church planter.
He was recently employed as a director of operations at Shelton State Community College.
Cindy will also be working as an evangelist and church planter. She has a bachelor of arts and bachelor of science, both in teaching, from the University of Alabama. She was recently employed as a teacher at Holt High School in Tuscaloosa.
The couple have been married since 1988 and have three children.
Auburn University graduate Jeff Walters and wife Melanie will serve as IMB missionaries in Western Europe. They currently live in Chapel Hill, Tenn.
The two are also members of Smyrna First Baptist Church where Jeff has served as pastor since 1999.
Jeff received his master of divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary after receiving a master of arts in history from Auburn.
He received his bachelor of arts in history from Belmont University in Nashville.
Melanie received her bachelor of arts from Belmont University with a major in English.
She will serve the IMB through communication and home outreach. She has previously been a schoolteacher in New Castle, Ky., Chapel Hill, Tenn., and Auburn. The couple married in 1990 and have three children.
Alabama Baptists Shane and Stacy Sullen of Lehigh Acres, Fla., have been appointed by the IMB to serve in Southern Africa.
They are currently members of First Baptist Church, Slocomb.
Shane has a degree in theology from the Baptist College of Florida in Graceville and will be serving through student ministry. He has previously worked as a handyman in Florida.
Stacy has a degree in education from the Baptist College of Florida and will be serving through communication and home outreach for the IMB. She has previously worked as a library assistant. They have three children and have been married since 1994.
The new workers were the second-largest group in Southern Baptist history. The largest group — 124 — was appointed in November 2001, just weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
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