Missionaries - Retired
Harold & Ruth Green
Retired | Served in:
Fortaleza, CE - Brazil
Harold and Ruth met at a Bible Camp near Corning, New York and married a year later in 1960. Harold’s interest in agriculture took them to the dairy belt of NY where they spent the next four years in the delightful enterprise of dairying. However, there was one desire of their hearts that superseded agriculture…serving the Lord. Their local church provided opportunities of ministry in leadership rolls. Near the end of their fourth year on the farm, Harold began to realize that his real interest culminated in serving the body of Christ. Spurred on through a very poignant portion of Scripture in I Corinthians 15:34, which reads, “Awake to righteousness and sin not for some have not the knowledge of God, I speak this to your shame”, they pursued further studies in preparation for the gospel ministry at the Elohim Bible Institute in Castile, NY.
Following graduation from Elohim Bible Institute in 1967, Harold & Ruth accepted a staff position with the Washington Street Mission in Springfield, IL. It was during this ministry that personnel from the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission came into their lives, sharing the church-planting ministry in Brazil. Within a year they made application to the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission and were accepted as appointees in June, 1968. A year of deputation culminated in their arrival in Brazil on September 2, 1969 with their family, Timothy (8), Nathan (6), and Jonathan (4). Their daughter, Heather Joy joined the family in 1971.
During their twenty four years in Brazil, their primary ministry was church planting both in the interior regions of the state of Ceara and later in the capital city of Fortaleza. Harold and Ruth were also involved as host and hostess in the mission guest home, dorm parents for the missionary children, and served in various ways in youth camps and evangelistic campaigns. For several years, Harold served as field treasurer.
During their fifth term in Brazil, Harold was invited by the Home Board to consider permanent staff as Finance Director at the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission office in Springfield, Illinois. After much prayer and thoughtful consideration they accepted the Board’s invitation.
In August 1993, their location of ministry changed from Northeast Brazil to the Home Office where Harold served as Finance Director, and Ruth was the general office assistant.
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Harold and Ruth retired in 2015, but they continue to volunteer at the Home Office and have many ministries in their local church body and community.
Pray that God would grant them wisdom day by day to serve Him faithfully…
“Not with eye service as men pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service, as to the Lord and not to men..."
Ephesians 6:6-7
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