Biography - Carlin Weinhauer Print E-mail
I was born in Wellsville, a town in Western New York about 90 miles southeast of Buffalo. My wife Marcia of 42 years was born in Cooperstown, North Dakota. My father was a machinist in a factory that fabricated large air-pre-heaters destined for ships and large buildings. Both my parents are now deceased. My one and only sibling Carolyn lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. As children we attended church regularly with our parents but when I was 11 our parents marriage dissolved and we were raised by our mother. We continued attending our church where at age 17 I made my personal commitment to Christ. My sister was younger when she committed her life to Christ.

Marcia and I met in Montana one summer where we were summer missionaries working with the American Sunday School Union, now American Mission Fellowship. We then attended Briercrest together and were married after our studies there. We moved to Columbia, South Carolina where I attend Columbia Bible College, now Columbia International University and Marcia helped "put hubby through." Upon graduation we served as pastor couple at a church in Camden, South Carolina for three years. Two of our three daughters Cheri and Lynda were born while serving this church.

We then moved to Great Falls, Montana where we served three rural mission churches before moving to the Chicago area to attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. While studying at TEDS I was contacted by the leadership at Briercrest in Saskatchewan inviting me to join the faculty at the school. Marcia and I moved to Briercrest where we served for 15 years. Our third daughter Rebecca was born during the second year of our ministry. While at Briercrest I completed a MA at TEDS, another MA at Chicago Graduate School of Theology and a Ph D. at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

In 1984 Marcia and I were invited to join Herb Neufeld and the ministry team at Willingdon Church in Burnaby, British Columbia a suburb of Vancouver. Pastor Herb and Adeline moved to another ministry in 1986 and the Elders invited Marcia and me to serve in their place. During the ensuing years the church became increasingly international in ministry and attendance. Currently the weekend services with attendance around 4000 are simultaneously translated into 9 languages during one or more of the four services.

In August 1999 John Neufeld joined the Willingdon ministry team. John and Kathy were the church planting couple who developed a ministry at Peace Arch Fellowship MB in White Rock, BC. John then taught at Columbia Bible College for several years and then served as pastor at Bakerview MB in Abbotsford before coming to Willingdon. In January 2003 we transitioned with John and Kathy Neufeld. Pastor John and the Elders asked us to continue at Willingdon serving as Missions Pastor couple. This provided opportunity to further develop Willingdon's Short-Term, Long Term mission ministries. We also provided ongoing oversight of Willingdon's church plant among Chechens an unreached people group in the Caucasus Mountains. Approximately 50 former Muslims are now part of this Chechen church led by a Chechen pastor.

Our 20 years at Willingdon were an amazing and fulfilling experience. Our three daughters married men from the church and are now active in their careers serving the Lord through their local churches. They have given us 8 grandchildren, 6 boys and 2 girls. Our youngest daughter Becky and her husband Brian Wiebe are MB church planters in Promontory a bedroom community near Chilliwack, BC. They have two boys, 8 and 6.

In October 2004 Randy Friesen contacted us and invited me to consider serving with MBMSI. After meeting with the Executive of the MBMSI Board and further discernment by the Board and ourselves, we knew the Lord was leading us to join MBMSI. We concluded our ministry at Willingdon January 2, 2005 and started with MBMSI January 4th.

During our early years in Bible College Marcia and I were influenced by a number of visiting missionaries from various mission fields. The mission interest kindled in those years has continued to grow through the years and impacted our college teaching and pastoral work. Marcia and I have also served on short-term missions in several countries in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe and Eastern Europe. We are grateful for this opportunity to continue serving the Lord's call to missions at MBMSI.
 
[ Back ]