Dr. Gordon Fort serves as Vice President of the Office of Global Strategy with the IMB. He was born in Zimbabwe, where his parents served as missionaries. Fort received a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and the M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He has served as a summer staff worker at Glorieta in New Mexico and as pastor of Macedonia-Hix Baptist Church in Caldwell, Texas. Fort was appointed as a missionary in Feb. 1985, and served as a general evangelist in Botswana. While on the mission field, he served in such leadership positions as Associate to Area Director for Southern Africa and Regional Leader for Southern Africa. In 2004, Fort resigned from missionary service to join the IMB home office staff. Fort and his wife, Leigh Ann, have five children, Sarah, Giles Harrison, Kathryn, Elizabeth, and Ann.
Dr. Jerry Rankin’s...[Read more]
Cindy Winters was married to Pastor Fred Winters for 22 years. On March 8, 2009, Fred was fatally shot while delivering his Sunday sermon at the First Baptist Church of Maryville, Ill., where he served as senior pastor for almost 23 years. Despite the shock and grief this has brought to the Winters family, they have seen the faithfulness of God and desire to share the goodness and peace that they have found in the midst of their tragedy. Prior to March 8, Cindy served for 10 years as the Director of Pathways, an outpatient counseling ministry of the Baptist Children’s Home & Family Services. In July, Cindy founded Grace and Hope Ministries, an outreach which she hopes will encourage others to find God’s purpose and strength in the midst of life’s harsh circumstances. She resides in Edwardsville, Ill., with her two daughters, Alysia and Cassidy.
The Midwestern Family welcomes our guests as we break ground on a 1,000-seat chapel complex...[Read more]