Rounded Rectangle:

Friendship Baptist Church

2008 Missions Conference

Tim and Ruth Bixby

France

 

Children: Micaiah, Miriam
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Tim’s interest in foreign missions has been life-long. He was born to missionary parents in Bangui, Central African Republic. When he was five, his family moved to France where his parents Bob and Bonnie Bixby still serve with Baptist Mid Missions. God in His grace saved Tim when he was only five and at the age of 16, God gave Tim both a burden and desire to labor in the Gospel ministry. In addition to the preparation he received in the French language and culture during his growing up years, he then went on to pursue ministerial training by completing a B.A. and an M.A. in Bible from Bob Jones University and Seminary, plus a total of 60 hours toward an ongoing pursuit of a Master of Divinity.

 

Ruth (Pahnke), a native of the Raleigh area and daughter to Rick & Judie Pahnke, was privileged to be born into a Christian home where she was taught the Gospel from her earliest days. The Lord saved Ruth when she was only four years old, and He has been deepening her appreciation for God’s grace towards her ever since. Even as a young person, Ruth experienced a burden for missions which only intensified during her college years at Bob Jones University. Ruth completed both a B.A. in print journalism, and then an M.M. in church music from BJU.

 

Tim and Ruth got to know one another over the course of two summers of traveling with Bob Jones University’s Musical Mission Team to Europe. Those summers were influential in burdening both of them for the mission field of Europe. Tim and Ruth were married at Friendship Baptist Church on September 23, 2000, and spent the next three months as short-term missionaries in France. The Lord used that time to seal their desire to return long term.

 

The Bixbys returned to the States in early 2001 for Tim to study in seminary.  Though they had originally planned to head directly to France after completing seminary training, God had other plans. In 2003 Tim accepted the call to pastor Cleveland Park Bible Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a church in which Ruth had ministered during her college years and in which Tim had been serving as regular pulpit supply for more than a year. When he became pastor, the Bixbys promised the church only one year, since they still felt very strongly that God would lead them ultimately to serve in France. That one year turned into nearly five, and now Cleveland Park Bible Church is serving as their sending church. The Lord has also used this time at CPBC to provide the Bixbys with coworkers for ministry in France. Michael and Liz Cole labored with the Bixbys for nearly four years at CPBC. Both couples are excited about importing this already tested partnership to the field of France.

 

The Lord has blessed the Bixby home with two children, Micaiah (a son, born June 5, 2003--he is named after the prophet in 2 Chronicles 18) and Miriam (a daughter, born February 20, 2005).