Missionary Support
Team Davis
http://gilesdavis.net/
In 2005, Rejoice began to support Giles and Debbie Davis as missionaries in Spain. Rejoice first met Giles while at the Matrix/Summit Winter Extreme retreat. At that time, Giles was still a youth pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel in the Chicago area and a popular speaker at Camp Timber-lee who always connected with teens, challenging them to greater devotion to Christ.
Giles graduated from Wheaton College with both a B.A. in Bible and Philosophy and a Masters in Educational Ministries. He is married to Debbie, and they have four children (oldest to youngest): Micah, Nathan, Rebekah and Jacob. All his life, Giles wondered if he might one day go into overseas missions for the Gospel. For 13 years, he ministered in the U.S. at various churches.
Finally in 2005, Giles began to sense a specific call on his life to leave the U.S. and develop a strong youth ministry presence in Spain. He references a quote from George Verwer that was instrumental in his decision to leave for Spain: "The need is so great around the world, you should go unless you are called to stay." Spain is a country in great need of the Gospel.
Here’s a quote from Giles’ Web site about the state of the Church in Spain:
“The whole country is technically Christian since over 80% are considered Catholic, but the Catholic church is more than dead there and Christ has been associated with deadness, not life. By some counts only 0.89% of the nation is even Protestant. Of that only 0.75% are Evangelical believers!” Youth ministry is almost non-existent in Spain. The Church does not focus on developing this vital branch of the Church. However, the young generation does not carry the same cynicism as their parents about the Catholic Church. And even though they are facing the same temptations of greed, materialism, and social status, they have open minds and are ready to hear the Gospel – if someone would only take the time to focus on them and tell it in a way that is authentic and personal!
Giles contacted Rejoice to see if we would be willing to support him financially every month as he began the process of building a vital youth ministry in Spain. With Giles’ natural spiritual gifts in the area of relating to youth, and his passion for God’s Word, it was an easy decision to say “yes.” Giles and Deb chose to work under the auspices of SEND, a respected missionary organization that supports and encourages missionaries around the world.
The first year, Giles spent his time exclusively in language training, preparing his Spanish skills so that he could preach and teach. Shortly after, he and Deb were formally asked by their local church to become the youth group leaders, and for the past few years, they have been busy developing a new model for how to do youth ministry in that congregation. Deb grew up in Spain and is a native speaker. Her connections to that country and her language abilities continue to be a huge help in making the key connections that allow them to grow their influence.
Giles and Deb also take part in youth rallies and regional youth events, trying to grow a collaborative spirit among the local churches in the area. Already, they are becoming recognized as “experts” in their field and are being asked to speak at workshops and continuing education events for youth workers. They see a big part of their ministry as equipping the leaders of the Spanish Church.
Every year, Giles and Deb fly home to the U.S. to visit their family and sponsors and to report on their progress. Rejoice has been blessed to hear their stories of how God can work in challenging circumstances to build his kingdom. Deb and Giles give us regular updates on how they are doing, and what they are doing with their ministry. Click on the "Updates from Giles & Deb" to hear about what they are doing and any prayer requests they may have.
Anyone can become a prayer partner with Team Davis. You will receive monthly e-mail updates of their ministry progress and prayer requests. You can also choose to financially support them with monthly or one-time donations by visiting them on their website.