Ben Tobias Selected as Assistant Director

Pastor Paul Benjamin Tobias of Mount Pleasant, PA has been chosen to become the Associate Director for CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries. This is a new position created in response to the growth of the missions department. He will share some of the field administrative responsibilities currently carried by CCM Director Don Dennison as well as strengthen areas of missionary care and recruitment. The appointment was approved by the CGGC Administrative Council on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 and will begin on July 1.

Ben has served as Senior Pastor at the Mount Pleasant Church of God since August 2006. Prior to that, he was Associate Pastor at Indian Head Church of God in Indian Head, PA (2001-2006) and pastored the Shawnee First Church of God, Lima, OH (1994-1999).


He brings to the position a variety of field missions experiences. From 1999-2001, their family served as Churches of God missionaries in Indonesia with a national ministry organization. In 1990, Ben was a student intern at the Spanish-speaking Fallbrook, CA Church of God pastored by Fred Adams. He has participated in or led missions trips to Columbia, inner city New York, Croatia, Bosnia, South Africa, Mexico, Kenya, Bangladesh, India and numerous trips to Haiti.


A graduate of Houghton College (B.S. in Biblical Studies) and Winebrenner Theological Seminary (M.Div), Ben has also completed post-graduate studies in Missions and Intercultural Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He and Sherri also completed pre-field courses at the Center for Intercultural Training in North Carolina in preparation for their Indonesia assignment.


Sherri grew up in several countries since her parents were (and continue to be) career missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She is a graduate of Messiah College (B.A. in Communciations/Theatre Arts) and The University of Findlay (M.A. in T.E.S.O.L [Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages]). The Tobiases have two children:  Charis who is a student at Seattle Pacific University, and Jonathan who is in high school.
 
The Tobias family will be relocating from Mt.Pleasant to the Findlay, OH area this summer. Pray for them and the Mt.Pleasant Church during this transition time.