60 Years of Discipleship: Dick ’57 and Gerry Walton ’56

60 Years of Discipleship: Dick ’57 and Gerry Walton ’56

Dick ’57 and Gerry Walton ’56 are nearing six decades of ministry in missions. In 1962, SEND International took them to the Philippines to work in church planting, camping, and evangelism. They returned to the US nearly 30 years later in 1990 when Dick was elected to serve as SEND’s US Director in Farmington, MI. Soon after, the Waltons received another international call to Sofia, Bulgaria, where Dick assisted the Alliance of Bulgarian Churches and taught church planting at Saint Trivelius Christian Institute. Though they officially retired from SEND in 2000, Dick continued to travel to Bulgaria to teach until 2018. In addition, the couple assisted SEND in missions mobilization in the Northeast US.

Dick and Gerry recently made a new move, selling their home in Newtown, PA, and heading to Lynchburg, VA, to be closer to family. Their mindset for ministry has not changed, however, as they look forward to connecting with the community and continuing to disciple believers. They credit this passion for discipleship in part to their time at Cairn: “We learned . . . the content of Scripture and its value of not only leading people to Christ but also in discipling them to live for Christ and become servants of the Lord.”