God continues to call His people to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. During a Sending Celebration Nov. 9 at the Sugarcreek Campus of First Baptist Church Kettering, near Dayton, Ohio, 33 International Mission Board missionaries stood before family, friends and supporters, affirming their obedience to that call.
Trustees of the IMB appointed the fully supported missionaries who represent 10 states — including two candidates from Ohio — and many Southern Baptist churches committed to sending and sustaining those called by God to go to the mission field.
Senior pastor Chad Keck welcomed those in attendance, sharing his appreciation for the partnership with Southern Baptist churches to cooperatively send and support missionaries. The Sending Celebration is meeting in conjunction with the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio.
Among those who shared their stories include a couple who answered an unexpected call later in life, a couple who are returning to Albania and to people they could not forget; and a couple who moved from welcoming the nations in Canada to going to Fiji. All of them shared their stories before the Sending Celebration.
Unexpected invitation to go
On Dec. 5, 2025, what seemed like an ordinary FaceTime call became a turning point for Rob Boss.
As he spoke with his daughter, Hannah, during her IMB training, Rob sensed God speaking clearly to his heart: “You can do this too.” The impression was unexpected. After decades of writing, Christian education, seminary teaching and active support of missions, overseas service had never been part of Rob and Stephanie Boss’ plans.
“It wasn’t an audible voice, but it was so clear,” Rob said. “It was Him. It was so kind and so gentle and so encouraging.”
The moment drove him to his knees in surrender. When Stephanie came home later that day, he told her he believed God was calling them to the nations. Her response was immediate.
“Thrilled is the right answer,” she said.
The next day, the couple contacted the IMB and began the application process.
Looking back, the Bosses see the Lord’s hand preparing them long before they realized
where He was leading.
“God brought us together in the summer of 1990 at Glorieta, New Mexico, where we met and married,” Stephanie said during the Sending Celebration.
What followed was years of ministry, teaching, parenting and navigating life’s unexpected turns, which taught them to hold plans loosely and trust God completely.
“We did not have a clue about what life held in front of us,” Stephanie said. “We just knew we wanted to follow the Lord.”
Their calling also continues a family legacy. Rob’s mother served with the IMB in Africa after retirement, helping inspire Hannah’s service in South Korea. Now, three generations of the same family have answered God’s call to the nations.
Rob and Stephanie expressed deep gratitude for their sending church, Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, whose strong commitment to missions helped shape their worldview.
“We are excited to go to Colombia and work in theological education,” Rob said from the platform.
Continued support takes all Southern Baptists
IMB President Paul Chitwood challenged those attending the Sending Celebration to celebrate and support the missionaries. He praised Ohio Baptists for their faithful partnership in missions, noting their record Cooperative Program giving and emphasizing that such generosity directly supports missionaries around the world.
“The most important work in the universe is ensuring that lost people hear the gospel and have the opportunity to trust Christ,” Chitwood said. “While the world faces many problems, humanity’s greatest problem is separation from God because of sin, a problem that extends into eternity. The only solution is the gospel of Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection make salvation available to all who repent and believe.”
Tracing God’s “missionary heart” throughout Scripture, from Abraham to the Great Commission and Revelation’s vision of a multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language worshiping before the throne, Chitwood emphasized that God is gathering a “global bride for His Son.”
He urged believers to join this mission through praying, giving, going and sending. “The newly commissioned missionaries have answered God’s call to take the gospel to the nations, but they do not go alone,” he said.
At the close of the event, Chitwood led a prayer time for the missionaries, inviting friends and family to gather around the missionaries and ask God to lead them on their journeys.
The next Sending Celebration will be Jan. 27, 2027, at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by and originally published by the International Mission Board.
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