Answering the Call. Carrying the Light

The missionaries below have responded to God’s call with wholehearted devotion, choosing to make the mission field their life’s work. They’ve surrendered comfort and convenience to bring the Good News of Jesus to some of the hardest and darkest places on earth. Your support helps send and sustain them—so that hope reaches where it’s needed most. Will you stand with them?

Miles Phelps and Family

Miles Phelps leads City for the Nations, a ministry empowering cities around the world to bring the Gospel to unreached and unengaged people groups. Together with his wife, Melanie, and their daughter, Penielle, Miles lives in Lexington, Kentucky, where their family continues to walk out a bold life of faith.

Believing in a limitless God, the Phelps family has seen His faithfulness time and time again. Known for their passionate teaching and deep love for Jesus, Miles and Melanie are trusted voices in missions, spiritual warfare, church planting, city transformation, leadership, and intimacy with Christ. Their heart is simple—equip the Church to reach the unreached and see cities awakened for His glory.

Victor & Kathie Barousse

Victor Barousse carries a burning vision to see the city-wide Church walk in supernatural unity—just as Jesus prayed in John 17:21. But this unity has a mission: to reach the many nationalities living among us and to bring the hope of Christ to every corner of Thailand.

Together with his anointed wife, Kathie, Victor has served faithfully as a field missionary with Go To Nations. With years of experience in church planting, leadership development, and humanitarian outreach—especially among Slavic communities—their ministry has produced lasting fruit. Their most recent church plant, New Testament Church, now stands as a model for reaching Buddhist and Animist peoples across Siberia.

Victor and Kathie live as spiritual parents to many, with a deep desire to raise up and release a generation of spiritual sons and daughters who will carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

David and Laura Harmon

David serves as the New Nations Coordinator at City for the Nations, where he plays a vital role in forging new connections and expanding the reach of the gospel into unreached regions. With a deep passion for media and technology, he leads a range of creative projects—from livestream events to digital storytelling— each one crafted to reflect the heart of God’s mission and the voices of those we serve.

Originally from the hills of Eastern Kentucky, David met his wife, Laura—who grew up in Strunk, Kentucky—while both were living in Somerset. Married for over 20 years, they’ve walked together in ministry nearly every step of the way. United by a shared love for Jesus and a burning desire to see the lost come to know Him, David and Laura have built a life anchored in faith, purpose, and obedience. Their partnership is a testament to God’s grace, and their hearts beat together for the Great Commission.

Now, through his role at City for the Nations, David uses his gifts to support disciple-making movements across the globe. Whether behind a camera, building new partnerships, or capturing the stories of what God is doing in the nations, his mission is clear: to help finish the task by making Jesus known—everywhere.

James Atherton and Family

James’ passion is to see the Great Commission fulfilled through global missional partnerships and disciple-making movements among the unreached. He serves as Vice President of Global Ministries for City for the Nations, where he leads the implementation of its international efforts to mobilize the Body of Christ toward every people and place.

With over 30 years of ministry and church leadership experience, James has served in pastoral roles in Kentucky and helped plant churches in both Kazakhstan and San Francisco, California. He holds degrees from Georgetown College and Golden Gate (now Gateway) Baptist Theological Seminary, and was a founding board member of City for the Nations.

James and his wife Michele met in 1992 while serving on church planting teams in Kazakhstan with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. They’ve been married for over 30 years and have four children: Joshua (married to Cara), Faith, Victoria, and Jonathan. Michele currently serves as Nurse Manager at Assurance Care for Women, a pro-life pregnancy clinic in Lexington, Kentucky.

When he’s not working on missions strategy or connecting with global leaders, James enjoys playing guitar, worship, prayer, and a really good cup of coffee—preferably all at the same time.