• About Matt and Marla ►
• Matt’s Testimony of Conversion and Call to Missionary Service ►
• Marla’s Testimony ►

• Our Message: The Gospel ►
• Our Doctrinal Statement: We heartily endorse the Articles of Faith of Baptist Mid-Missions. ►
• Our Philosophy of Ministry: Read “A Morton Salt Ministry: When It Rains, It Pours” (a philosophy of ministry article, originally posted on March 20, 2010). ►

Taiwan

• Land Area: 13,972 sq mi (36,188 sq km). Taiwan is about 290 miles long (North to South) and 90 miles wide at its widest point.
• Land Features: Taiwan is an island located 90 miles east of the Chinese Mainland. 2/3 of Taiwan’s land area is taken up with the Central Mountain range which runs the whole length of Taiwan from North to South. More than 60 of these mountain peaks are 10,000 feet or higher. Most of Taiwan’s cities are located on the western plains.
• Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August)
• Population: 23 million.
• Population Density: Taiwan is the second-most-densely populated country in the world with 632 people per square kilometer (after Bangladesh with 985 p/sq km).
• Language: Mandarin Chinese is the official language, but Taiwanese and Hakka are also spoken.
• Ethnic Makeup and Culture: Taiwan is populated by ethnic Chinese who share language and culture with the people of Mainland China.
  

  

• Government: Constitutional Democracy with 5 branches of government.
• Major Cities:
  The capital city of Taiwan is Taipei, located in Northern Taiwan (population 2.6 million). Other major cities include Kaohsiung (1.5 million), Tainan (750,000), Taichung (1 million).
• Currency: New Taiwan Dollar (about 28 NT$ to $1.00 usd)
• Language: Mandarin Chinese (official language of government and education); Taiwanese, Hakka, and aboriginal languages are also spoken.
• Culture: Traditional Chinese
  
• Religion: Read “Taiwan and the Gospel” (a brief article)
• Taiwan Video: Preaching the True God in a Land of Many Gods

Our ministry in Taiwan was focused on

• Church Planting
  • Cornerstone Baptist Church, Kaohsiung
    • See Our Cornerstone Page (current information)
    • A History of Cornerstone BC (April 23, 2015 article)
• Evangelism and Discipleship
• Training National Workers and Leaders

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Church Revitalization
Our new ministry is focused on revitalizing Good News Baptist Church of Katy Texas.

Good News Baptist Church

• Good News Baptist Church was planted by BMM missionaries in the 1980s; several other BMM missionaries followed them through the years.
• Gerald and Julie Hawk came to GNBC in 2014 to pastor the church.
• Setbacks in the last 5 years have impacted the congregation. Current attendance is low and the church lacks deacons.
• We are entering into a partnership with Gerald and Julie Hawk at GNBC to revitalize the work and help it move forward to complete self-supporting status.
• Matt and Marla are currently traveling in deputation to raise the additional support that they need for this new ministry. For more information about this transition, see our Transition of Ministry page.

Katy, Texas

• Katy, Texas is a suburban community about 45 minutes west of Houston.
• Katy is a small town, but the greater Katy area falls within parts of three separate counties and contains twenty different zip codes.
• The population of this area is about 390,000 people and is growing at about 5% annually.
• Demographically, Katy is a multi-cultural community. According to 2023 figures, the greater Katy area is …
  • 35.3% Hispanic, with people from many different South American and Central American nations;
  • 25.6% White;
  • 17.7% Asian, with people from numerous Far East and South-East Asian nations;
  • 15.3% African American or African Immigrant;
  • 0.3% Native American or Pacific Islanders;
  • 4.7% Two or more races.
• The religious backgrounds represented in Katy include Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, Hinduism, and nominal Christianity. Katy is a mission field in our own backyard!

Our Ministry Focus and Timeline

• We are aiming to see GNBC reach self-supporting status with its own pastor within 8 years (by 2032).
• Our ministry will focus on …
  • Evangelism
  • Discipleship
  • Biblical Preaching
  • Bible Teaching and Training
  • Developing Church Leadership