Celestine( Reta) Hawkins began serving at OMS on July 1, 1966, after reading in( now
) about a need for secretaries in South America. Reta shared her desire to help missionaries and sent a letter of interest to OMS in 1962, but doors didn’ t open for her until 1966. She accepted a position as a secretary in OMS’ northeast regional office in Allentown,
Pennsylvania, where she served until the summer of 1977.
Rudolph( Rudy) Heintzelman joined the OMS Board of Trustees in 1991 and served faithfully for 33 years on several committees, including the executive, networking, operations, and trustee committees. He also spent a year as a Church Partners regional director, connecting southeastern churches with OMS. Rudy described his ministry passion:“ To reach the world for Christ,” he said.“ There is nothing more fulfilling than watching a church develop from an inward to an external focus. My second passion is to see individuals find fulfillment in discovering their call to serve
Christ and be totally sold out to him.”
J. Roy McCook felt called to missions after an OMS Men for
Missions short-term mission trip to Haiti. Commissioned with his wife, Carolyn, in 1972, they attended language school in Costa Rica before serving nearly two decades in Colombia and Mexico in administration, teaching, and church planting. They later served in South Florida with Hispanic Ethnic Ministries and OMS’ National Ministries( now International Support Ministries), supporting seminary scholarships. After retiring in 1999, Roy served on extended missionary service, working in Africa and assisting church planters until 2020. His OMS service spanned nearly 48 years.
Carol Rickards began serving with OMS in 1964 at age 21 when the OMS World Headquarters was in Los Angeles, California. She and her husband, Don, helped relocate the headquarters to Greenwood. Over her 36 years at OMS, Carol served in general administration and accounting, purchasing, shipping / central supply, church relations, and support ministries, as well as with the World Intercessors team. A lifelong learner, she continued to take classes throughout her life. Carol retired in December 2000.
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