RICHARD AND CHERYL MOELLER

Richard (Rick) and Cheryl (Cheri) Moeller were approved as the first Baptist Bible Fellowship missionaries to South Africa in May 1980. They began their first ministry among the white South African community in Johannesburg. At the same time, they established a church in the black ghetto area of Alexandra township. During a wave of political violence, they moved the focus of their ministry to Northern Zululand in April 1985. For the following 12 years, they planted churches among the Zulu people. They were used of the Lord to organize five churches during their 17-year ministry in South Africa. In June of 1997, they began serving the missionaries and pastors of the Baptist Bible Fellowship through the Mission Office in Springfield, Missouri. After September of 2000, Rick and Cheri, will continue their ministry to the Zulu people of South Africa.

Family Background

--Rick is the grandson of Dr. Loys Vess, one of the BBFI founders
--Cheri is the daughter of Dr. Phil Hurlbut, BBFI pastor (30+ years)
--Marriage - May 1978
--Two sons - Rich (21) and Matt (17)

Internship

--Bethlehem Baptist Church
Fairfax, VA 1978-1979
--Calvary Baptist Church
Odessa, TX 1979-1980

Academic Experience

Rick
--Baptist Bible College Graduated May 1978
--Grace Theological Seminary MA studies in Summer 1987
--Liberty University (SLLL) MRE studies by video

Cheri
--Baptist Bible College
Springfield, MO
Graduated May 1977

--Van Riebeeck Park Baptist Church
Kempton Park (Johannesburg) 1982
--Calvary Baptist Church
Randburg (Johannesburg) 1982-1985
--Calvary Baptist Church
Alexandra (Johannesburg) 1983-1985
--Madadeni Baptist Church
Madadeni (N. Zululand) 1985-1987
--Clones Baptist Church
Clones (N. Zululand) 1985-1987

--Matiwane Bible Baptist Church
Matiwane (N. Zululand) 1988-1990
--Osizweni Bible Baptist Church
Osizweni (N. Zululand) 1989-1997
--Baptist Bible Fellowship Mission Office 1997-Sept 2000
--Deputation to return to South Africa
Oct 2000 - present

Call to the Ministry -- In 1980, two independent Baptist pastors (Dr. Loys Vess and Dr. Philip Hurlbut) and the churches that they pastored (Calvary Baptist Church of Odessa, TX and First Baptist Church or Brookville, IN) acknowledged that the Holy Spirit of God had chosen Rick and Cheri Moeller to serve as His missionaries to the Republic of South Africa. Upon recognizing our call they sent us out as their missionary family and recommended us to the pastors of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International. The BBFI pastors meeting together in Springfield, Missouri in May of that year approved us as the first missionary family associated with the BBFI to go to South Africa.

Deputation -- During the following eighteen months, we traveled over 120,000 miles visiting 130 Baptist churches in sixteen States in order to raise the necessary funds to begin our ministry to South Africa. The Lord honored our efforts by blessing us with over 70% of the churches which we visited supporting us financially. Due to these supporters, we were able to leave for South Africa in January of 1982.

Van Riebeeck Park Baptist Church -- For our first six months in South Africa, we ministered with Missionary David Isbell and the church that had sponsored us into the country, the Van Riebeeck Park Baptist Church of Kempton Park in Johannesburg. This was a beneficial and productive time for us as we became accustomed to the way of life in our new country of service.

Calvary Baptist Church -- Randburg -- In July of 1982, a small group of White South Africans who were losing their missionary asked us to take over the leadership of their baby church in Northern Johannesburg. After much prayer, we felt that it was the Lord's will to assist these people to organize and build the Calvary Baptist Church of Randburg. The Lord began to bless as the people were encouraged to give of themselves to establish a church in Northern Johannesburg for the glory of God. During our time in Randburg, the attendance quadrupled and the offerings increased by over 300%. By the end of 1984, the church had progressed to the point that they were able to purchase and renovate an old Dutch Reformed church building and to call their own national pastor.

Calvary Baptist Church -- Alexandra -- Also during this time period, several Black South Africans accepted Christ as Savior through the ministry of Calvary Baptist Church in Randburg. The political climate and the attitude of the people at the time was not conducive to our assimilating these Black converts into the White church. So with the help of an American engineer (Rick Marenda) who had been transferred to South Africa, we started an independent Baptist church in the densely populated Black ghetto where the new converts lived. The Calvary Baptist Church of Alexandra township began to grow rapidly as we visited door-to-door and invited people to come to the new church which had been started. Many souls were saved and baptized, as people from many South African tribes showed their hunger for the gospel.

Political Violence -- In the hot summer of 1984, a serious wave of unrest and violence began to sweep into all of the African townships of Johannesburg. On several occasions we were caught in the middle of violent protests against the political conditions in South Africa. One Sunday morning, I arrived early to begin the services at the church only to find that the police had erected barricades in front of all the entrances to Alexandra and prohibited anyone from entering without a military escort. Later that week the people of the church phoned and said that it was too dangerous for us to continue with the services and that we should not even consider entering the township again until they contacted us. For almost six months we received no word from them. By the time that we were permitted to regularly go back into the area, almost all of our converts had scattered because of the violence. Those that remained were afraid to reopen the church. With heavy hearts it was necessary for us to close the doors of the Calvary Baptist Church of Alexandra.

Search for New Area -- Through this experience, the Lord taught us that the only way that we would be able to have a lasting ministry among the Black people of South Africa would be through finding an area where there was not a history of violence in which to establish a base for the training of African pastors who could then go into the areas where it is unsafe for White missionaries to go.

Move to Newcastle -- Through the lessons which we learned in Alexandra, the Lord led us to the community of Newcastle in April of 1985. Newcastle was a community of 30,000 Whites and Indians nestled in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains in the northern part of the Natal province. About half a million African people live in this area of whom about 80% belong to the Zulu tribe.

Zulu Outreach -- Even though a high percentage of Zulu people are attempting to learn English, we felt that a way to show our concern for them and to better understand their culture would be to learn their language. I started visiting the Zulu government schools in our area and found a teacher who was willing to help me learn the Zulu language. About a year after we began those lessons together, Mr. Fortune Mazibuko, my teacher made a profession of faith in Christ. Through his influence, we were able to meet many of the other school teachers in our district and began to develop friendships with them.

Madadeni Baptist Church -- Also during this time period I met a Zulu Baptist pastor who had obtained some written materials from the United States which explained what an independent Baptist church believed. He invited me to come to a meeting and help him convince his deacons that they needed to become an independent Baptist church. After meeting with me, the deacons and pastor were in agreement that they wanted me to come and teach them more about what independent Baptists' believe. For about a year I had the opportunity to teach the people and they began to respond. Many souls were saved as the church doubled in size and established two missions in other districts. Unfortunately the pastor turned out to be a hireling whose only desire was to fleece the congregation and the missionary. He was brought before the church on moral charges. Even though he had proven to be untrustworthy, he convinced a group of people to follow him and he split the church.The remaining group of people were discouraged by the whole affair and returned to their old associations. Once again we had learned a valuable lesson. Now we knew that it was absolutely essential that we win people ourselves to Christ and then intensively train and disciple them in true Bible teaching.

Team Ministry -- After we returned from furlough in July 1988, Missionary Don Mingo (who serves the Lord in Ladysmith, a community about an hour's drive from us) and I felt the Lord leading us to assist each other in our efforts to reach the Zulu people in our areas.

Evangelistic Outreach -- In the following months, we organized tent meetings and special services which were greatly used of God to reach many Zulu souls for Jesus Christ. Several new areas opened up to us for the spread of the gospel.

Matiwane Bible Baptist Church -- Brother Mingo was busy attempting to establish a new church in the township of Ezakheni and the baby church in Matiwane (a rural village about an hours drive from Newcastle). Prayerfully, we determined that the Lord would be pleased if I would take the main responsibility for Bible Baptist Church in Matiwane while we were waiting for the Lord's direction concerning the districts surrounding Newcastle. The Lord began to really bless our efforts there and soon the building was packed almost every Sunday with Zulu worshippers. Many Zulu people received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

Discipleship Materials -- It became apparent to us that our new converts were stunted in their spiritual growth. This showed us the great need for written materials translated into their own language. There were no suitable materials available, so we began to write and adapt discipleship material and had one of our young men to translate them into the Zulu language. About 80 booklets have now be translated. These materials have been instrumental in aiding our young converts to rapid growth to spiritual maturity.

Osizweni Bible Baptist Church -- A few months after we started working in Matiwane, I met one of my teacher friends (Sibusiso Makhanya) whom I had not seen in almost two years. He invited me to come to visit him at his home and meet his new wife. The next day I arranged a time to visit him. He told me that night that he was searching for spiritual peace. I had the great pleasure that evening of leading this intelligent young man and his wife to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This young family dedicated their lives to the Lord and began witnessing to their friends. Soon a growing group of believers began to travel with me each week to the church in Matiwane. After a few months the group had grown to the point that they saw the need to establish their own church in their own community.

Church Organization -- In July of 1992, the Bible Baptist Church met together to organize themselves into an independent Baptist Church with 25 charter members. Of this number, 14 are school teachers and other influential leaders of the community.

Property for Building -- In October of 1992, the government of KwaZulu gave Bible Baptist Church two pieces of property to be used to build a new building for this church. The people of the church have got a vision of having their own building and gave about $1,000 towards this project. They began to see that they would not be able to erect a building themselves due to a lack of funds, so they asked me inquire from their "brothers and sisters in America" about the possibility of a loan. Through the generosity of our supporters and the projects offering of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International, arrangements were made for the erection of their church building.

Political Changes -- During this time period, South Africa changed forever with the release of Black resistance leader, Mr. Nelson Mandela, and the "unbanning" of his political party, the African National Congress, in February 1990. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly in the "new South Africa" when a White extremist assassinated one of leaders of the African National Congress, Mr. Chris Hani in April 1993. This ushered in one of most dangerous times in the history of South Africa as political violence swept the country as a reaction to this assassination. It appeared that civil war was inevitable. By the grace of God, war was averted and on May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa.

Church building -- When the political climate in South Africa had improved, construction began on the church building. Through the generosity of a South African Christian builder of Greek descent, our church building was built at a 50% savings in building costs. In October 1994, our beautiful red brick building was dedicated to the Lord and officially opened in February 1995.

Zulu Pastor -- Bible Baptist Church in Osizweni now follows the leadership of their own Zulu pastor, Mr. Sibusiso Makhanya. For over four years they have functioned under his leadership with minimal missionary help.

Future Ministry - For the past four years (1997-2001) we have worked with the Missions Office in Springfield, MO to help set up the short term missions program. Now after getting this program started, the Lord has given us the pleasure of returning home to South Africa to continue to plant new churches and to help our Zulu converts to grow to maturity and to train future pastors and missionaries for the African continent.