An International Mission Board (IMB) missionary couple is recovering in South Africa following a March 14 car accident in the Congo that claimed the lives of two fellow IMB missionaries.
Jeff and Barbara Singerman, of Ohio, were injured in the single-vehicle accident, as was their Congolese friend and driver, Jean Louis. Randy and Kathy Arnett, of Missouri, were killed.
The missionaries were traveling from Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, to Kikwit to conduct a training. The accident occurred about two-hours’ travel from Kinshasa, according to the IMB.
The Singermans were flown to Johannesburg, South Africa, on March 17 to receive treatment for their “serious but not critical injuries,” the Facebook page Congo4Christ reported.
A later update on the page said Jeff Singerman “seems strong” and will likely have surgery March 19 to address infection in a wound on his forearm, a dislocated shoulder and a lack of finger and hand movement that he is experiencing.
“Jeff asks that you pray for his hand and finger movement to return. Pray for guidance as the doctors and surgeons come together to repair the damage,” Congo4Christ reported.
Barbara Singerman was expected to have surgery on her fractured elbow March 18. Their driver, Jean Louis, was released with “an excellent post-op report” and returned home, according to the update.
The Singermans have served in the Congo since 2015. Previously they served 24 years in Benin. Barbara Singerman wrote about serving in West Africa in a book, “Beyond Surrender.”
Congo4Christ reported that shortly after the accident, a Baptist pastor, Claude, who the Singermans knew, arrived on the scene. Barbara Singerman said Pastor Claude stayed with them as they were transported to a local clinic and then to the hospital in Kinshasa.
“He was a genuine source of encouragement, prayed with them and served them well. God is so good to provide comfort and this reminder of His faithfulness to the Singermans,” according to a Facebook post.
Killed in the accident were IMB missionaries Randy Arnett, 62, and Kathy Arnett, 61. The Arnetts served as theological education strategists for Africa.
“Randy and Kathy Arnett in so many ways represent what is best about the IMB,” said IMB President David Platt. “They gave their lives and family for over 30 years proclaiming the gospel, planting churches, and training pastors and missionaries across Sub-Saharan Africa. They did all of this with a zeal for God’s name, a confidence in God’s Word, and a dependence on God’s Spirit. They lived — and died — for what matters most in this world. They will be missed deeply by their family and friends, our entire IMB family, and men and women across Africa, yet we are looking forward to a reunion with them when one day we will see all the fruit of God’s grace in them for His glory among the nations.”
Randy and Kathy Arnett were appointed as Southern Baptist missionaries on Oct. 14, 1986. Following French language study in Tours, France, they moved to roles in theological education in Lomé, Togo. Randy taught at Ecole Baptiste de Théologie pour l’Afrique Occidentale (the Baptist Seminary of Theology for West Africa), and Kathy directed the Bible Correspondence School and then served as director and professor in the seminary wives’ program.
In 2000, the Arnetts moved to Cote d’Ivoire to coordinate Southern Baptist human needs ministry for West Africa. Kathy also served as regional HIV/AIDS coordinator, responsible for the research and development of church and team HIV/AIDS responses for West Africa. In 2003, Randy became the West Africa research and analysis coordinator. From 2004-09, he served as West Africa regional leader, still based in Cote d’Ivoire. Kathy became the regional events coordinator for West Africa, organizing large-scale meetings, mid-term conferences and training events.
From 2009 until their deaths, the Arnetts were theological education strategists for Africa. They were responsible for networking with seminaries worldwide and assisting national theological institutions in improving their effectiveness. They also taught at the Institute Baptiste pour la Formation Pastorale et Missionnaire in Côte d’Ivoire, in subjects such as evangelism, missiology, cultural anthropology and Baptist history.
Colleagues of the Arnetts have noted how their lives impacted the work of theological education strategy in Africa and around the world.
“Randy and Kathy were long-term missionaries who epitomized what being a missionary is,” said Chuck Lawless, who serves as team leader for theological education strategists for the IMB. “They were no longer North Americans taking the gospel to Africans. In some ways, they had become Africans taking the gospel to other Africans.”
“The Arnetts were theological trainers who knew well the importance of contextualizing our training approaches,” Lawless said. “We will miss them greatly, but their influence will continue for generations.” (TAB, IMB)
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