Leadership

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Lyle Mullins – President and Founder

Lyle was a pastor for eighteen years. During that time, he was invited to travel to Guatemala as part of a mission team. The result was life changing for him. Sensing a call to become more involved in missions, he and his close friend, Pete Espeseth, formed HSM in the fall of 1997 to help people travel on short-term mission trips. As Lyle traveled with the ministry to different countries, he saw the urgent need of starving children. It was then that he realized HSM also needed to take on the work of hunger relief.

Lyle has traveled extensively in his work with Heaven Sent Ministries, and he continues to provide vision and encouragement to the staff and the board of Heaven Sent Ministries.

Lyle and his wife, Carolyn, live in West Virginia. Both of their sons also work with HSM.

Get in touch with Lyle

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Scott Mullins – Executive Director

Scott was involved in the ministry of HSM long before he officially began to work here. After a career in commercial auto parts management, Scott came to HSM as our executive director in 2003 and now oversees the day-to-day operations of the ministry. He is particularly involved in managing the details of our International Missions ministry as well as coordinating many of the logistical aspects of our Hunger Relief ministry.

Scott is a gifted encourager and finds many opportunities to fully utilize that gift in his work with HSM. He spends an incredible amount of time on the phone with our missionary partners in other parts of the world, learning about their needs, praying with them, and finding practical ways that HSM can assist them. Scott and his wife, Metty, live in Princeton, West Virginia. Scott enjoys a good cup of coffee. His interests also include classic cars, real estate, and travel.

Get in touch with Scott

Meet our Staff and Key Volunteers

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Anne Amuthavalli – Board Secretary, Office Assistance

Anne worked alongside Lyle to start Heaven Sent Ministries and has been involved as a volunteer ever since. Mailings, regular post office runs, bank deposits, board minutes, assisting at Hunger Challenge events – the list of the ways Anne contributes to the ministry is long and varied.

Anne works full-time as an Occupational Therapist and lives in West Virginia. She enjoys flower gardening, baking, and reading.

Get in touch with Anne

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Steve Brooks – Board member, Hospitality

Steve has been connected with the ministry nearly forever. He serves as a board member and also does all sorts of behind the scenes volunteer work for the ministry.

A retired court reporter, Steve spends portions of many days at the HSM office, doing whatever needs to be done. He runs errands, cooks meals, and provides encouragement to the staff. Steve also coordinates the food for nearly every HSM function.

Steve enjoys going to our Hunger Challenge events and meeting new people and spreading the Good News. He especially enjoys seeing the results of our mission here at Heaven Sent Ministries.

Get in touch with Steve

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David Griffis – Hunger Relief

David came to HSM in 2014 to help expand the huger relief portion of our ministry. With a broad background in both ministry and business, David is uniquely positioned to tap into a network of people who love Jesus, have some resources, and want to get personally involved in feeding starving children. David worked with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) for 15 years, and has also served as a pastor and as a hospice chaplain. David founded and continues to lead Heartland Ministry Network based in Wichita, KS.

David travels all over the country sharing his passion for feeding starving children and encouraging people to get involved in hands-on hunger relief. David and his wife, Lana, live in Wichita, Kansas. They have nine grown children and eight grandchildren. David enjoys fishing, fried okra, and chocolate milk. And he especially enjoys Sunday family lunches, where he gets to see most of his children and grandchildren nearly every week.

Get in touch with David

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Jeff Mullins – Building and Warehouse Logistics, Vehicle Management, Video Production

Jeff began working for HSM in 2004, managing our warehouse and all of the items that come and go, especially related to our hunger relief work. He has become very familiar with truckloads of rice and soy, vitamins and vegetables – and he drives a mean forklift. Jeff coordinates the care of our vehicles, equipment, and building. He also maintains our insurance records. In addition, Jeff puts together video productions to share information about the ministry.

Jeff and his wife, Kathy, live in West Virginia and are the parents of a young daughter and son. Jeff enjoys time with his family, just about any kind of vehicle, working on models, taking his four-wheeler out for a ride, and camping in the sticks.

Get in touch with Jeff

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Metilda "Metty" Mullins – Accounting

Metty has been connected with Heaven Sent Ministries since its very earliest days. She opened the ministry’s first checking account and helped file for non-profit status with the IRS. Metty is a full-time Occupational Therapist, and she regularly volunteers her time at HSM.

Metty coordinates our accounts payable and payroll functions, as well as other pieces of the accounting system. She often travels to our Hunger Challenge events, providing a truly valuable set of extra hands. She is a terrific listener and encourager. Metty lives with her husband, Scott, near our headquarters in West Virginia. Metty enjoys the time she spends with her clients as an OT, as well as reading and traveling.

Get in touch with Metty

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James Sekyere – Ghana Discipleship Center

James manages Heaven Sent Ministries’ NGO (non-governmental organization) in Ghana. He trains men and women as pastors and Christian leaders and also facilitates outreach work in the greater Accra community – including work with other Christian ministries and distribution of food.

James has a long track record in Christian ministry – more than 30 years, in fact. He has been a prominent Christian voice in West Africa. Working in nine different countries, he has trained more than four thousand men and women as pastors, missionaries, evangelists and Christian leaders during his career.

James is married to Lydia. In addition to her work as an attorney, Lydia assists from time to time in the ministry, doing counseling and addressing legal issues as needed. James and Lydia have three children. The family lives near Accra in Ghana.

Get in touch with James

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Nancy Shrewsbury – International Missions

Nancy and her husband, Rondel, live on a small farm in southern West Virginia where they raise a few cattle and grow a lot of their own food. They have six children and three grandchildren, and some much-loved foster kids, too.

For twenty-two years she has worked for the Bible in the Schools Program in Mercer County Schools as a Bible teacher. She earned a B.A. in Bible with a minor in Missions at Columbia International University and has her M.Ed. in Administration from Reformed Theological Seminary.

Nancy’s heart is in missions, both locally and overseas. She wants to partner with others as they dream with God about His calling on their life, and help them fulfill their desire to serve and use the gifts God has given them.

She enjoys all her children, her chickens, her milk cow, Tess, and working alongside Rondel.

Get in touch with Nancy

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Jane Stout – Administrative Systems, Communication, Donor Care

Jane joined our staff in 2015 to take on the task of sorting out exactly who does what and how we can do everything better as we continue to grow, tracking all of our policies and procedures. Jane also coordinates our social media presence and assists with ministry communication.

Jane has a background in psychology, education, and human resources. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, she has lived in many parts of the world and held a wide variety of jobs as a military spouse. She enjoys reading, landscaping, and gardening. Jane and her husband, Craig, live in West Virginia. Together, they serve as Chaplains for the Princeton Rays minor league baseball team and are active in the local Rotary Club. They have three adult children.

Get in touch with Jane

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Tim Swingle – Discipleship, Database Management

Tim joined our missionary staff in 2011, along with his wife Michele and boys Ben and Aaron. His focus is on discipleship and mentoring, and he has worked extensively with people recovering from addiction. He also keeps up with a number of administrative duties in the office, among them database management and DOT compliance.

Michele leads a weekly ladies' Bible study and is a mentor to a number of young ladies in our community. She also works as a youth leader at church. Both Tim and Michele provide hands-on assistance with planning and facilitating our Hunger Challenge events.

Ben has a pre-counseling degree from Moody Bible Institute. He lives in a rural farming community in Indiana where he is active in his church and enjoys serving others in his community. Aaron has a biology/chemistry degree from Bluefield College and is now enrolled in the two-year Bible and Missions Program at the Ethnos360 Bible Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Get in touch with Tim

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Andrew Tattersall – International Missions

Andrew is a British financial consultant by day and an international missions coordinator by night. Since 2007, Andrew has worked with HSM to match the skills and gifts of short-term volunteer mission travelers with the needs of dozens of missionaries and small mission agencies around the globe. Andrew now works fulltime in the financial services industry, but he continues to spend evenings and weekends connecting volunteers with meaningful ministry opportunities.

Andrew enjoys playing music, traveling, and gardening, as well as doing recreational activities with his family. Soccer, golf, swimming, and cricket are particular favourites. Andrew and his wife, Laura, live near Grantham, England with their three nearly-grown children. Laura and Andrew have been personally involved in international mission efforts for all of their married life – and for many years before they were married. Laura often jumps in to assist mission travelers as well.

Get in touch with Andrew

Cunningham Family 2019

Nick Cunningham - Hunger Relief

Nick joined on with HSM in 2019. Since moving to West Virginia in 2016, Nick and family have volunteered with the ministry in various ways, and in 2019 listened to God's leading to join the ministry full-time. Bringing over 13 years of experience in operating his own business, he is excited to utilize his skills in assisting with current hunger relief programs and also with helping assist in future endeavors within the ministry.

Nick and April have been married since 2002. They have one daughter, Stacy, and two sons, Caleb and Will. When not helping out at the ministry or homeschooling their children, April enjoys reading a good book and fellow-shipping with friends. In his spare time, Nick enjoys spending time outdoors backpacking, fly fishing, or taking photographs.

Get in touch with Nick

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Matt Thomison - Hunger Relief

Matt recently joined HSM in the summer of 2021 after God led him to quit his
job of 22 years in the Aerospace industry. He lives in Andover, KS and assists
David Griffis coordinating hunger relief events in Wichita and surrounding
areas. He has felt God’s call to serve and minister to others ever since giving
his life to Jesus when he was 20 years old. In 2003, Matt went on a short term
mission trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia. This was a very eye-opening experience
for him to see how well off we are in America compared to many parts of the
world.

Matt is married to Trisha and they have 6 children (Annie, David, Rebekah,
Joshua, Ivy, and Jeanette). They have faced many challenges over the years,
the hardest being in 2014, when the Lord led them to adopt Matt’s
two-year-old sister, Ivy. She had experienced a lot of trauma and neglect and
was diagnosed with failure to thrive. Though life is not perfect, God has
worked much healing in Ivy’s life and taught Matt and Trisha to lean on Him as
their source of strength and wisdom.

The Thomison family loves getting outdoors and experiencing God’s creation.
They enjoy gardening, bike riding, camping, hiking and canoeing! Also, the
kids love having friends over, so they are surrounded by lots of activity, chaos,
and fun! They are excited to join HSM and look forward to seeing God work as
they continue to walk by faith, trusting Him.

Get in touch with Matt

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Our History

Heaven Sent Ministries began in September of 1997. The seed was planted during a mission trip to Guatemala, a life-changing experience for me. After returning home, I met with two friends to pray together and seek direction for the next step. It wasn’t long before we sensed that God was leading us to form what would soon become an international missions agency. In just a few months the fledgling ministry began its first mission endeavor directed toward Central America, with a focus on short-term mission trips.

As HSM has grown over the years, so has its vision. God has directed us to help the most vulnerable. With the addition of key staff and volunteers, we are assisting with hunger relief by providing highly nutritious food packets for crisis situations around the globe. In addition, medical missions also enable us to effectively help others who suffer from chronic illnesses, due mostly from hunger related diseases.

Discipleship training has also become a part of our mission strategy. HSM is strategically located in Ghana, West Africa for the purpose of training church leaders through our facility in Afienya. Consequently, pastors and leaders from several countries in West Africa, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, and Togo have also benefited from the discipleship training provided at our location.
HSM’s driving principle is to assist the church in reaching the world for Christ. Therefore, we believe that partnerships with local churches and other faith-based organizations are essential in carrying out the great commission of Christ.

Realizing that God may direct us in new and different areas of ministry, our philosophy is simple: We look to see where He is working and join Him there. We’d love to have you join us on this journey.

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Lyle Mullins - President

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FAQs

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You might have some questions about us. We’ll get you started with this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section.

How can we find you?

Most of our team works from our office/headquarters in Princeton, WV. We’re not far from I-77, just north of the Virginia – West Virginia border. You’re welcome to visit. Here’s a map.

We also have team members who work remotely – from Indiana, Kansas, and the United Kingdom. You can find everyone’s contact info on our Staff Bios page.

If I make a donation to you, can I deduct it on my taxes?

We’re going to decline giving you any personal advice on preparing your taxes, but we can assure you that Heaven Sent Ministries is an Exempt Organization, as defined by IRS code section 501(c)(3). We are eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. You can search the IRS database of Exempt Organizations for Heaven Sent Ministries, Inc to confirm this. Our EIN is 55-0755905.

What is your mission statement?

Our official mission statement is Assisting the church in reaching the world for Christ. That mission statement finds its feet in two more specific statements:
Helping YOU feed starving children relates specifically to our hunger relief efforts.
Helping YOU help others reflects a number of other efforts that we coordinate.

Are you connected with a particular denomination?

Nope. We are unashamedly Christian, but not connected with any particular denomination. Our staff and board members participate in a variety of Christian churches. Our financial support comes from a wide variety of people, churches, businesses, and civic organizations.

What motivates you?

• We believe that all people are created in the image of God.
• We believe Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 22 where he summarized the law of God: ‘Love the Lord your God’ and ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’
• We believe that our actions ought to match our words – so if people matter to God, it’s our job to act in a way that furthers his Kingdom here on earth.

Since you’re a Christian organization, do you only work with other Christians?

In the Hunger Relief aspect of our work, we distribute our food, without prejudice of race,creed, or nationality, primarily through connections with other Christian organizations. Take a look here to see some of those organizations. However, we welcome the help of all people in our work of feeding starving children around the world. If you’re interested in feeding starving children, you’re welcome to work alongside us. The job is big, and we’ll take all the hands we can get! (For more FAQs specifically about our Hunger Relief work, take a look here.

When it comes to connecting people with short-term mission experiences, our intention is to connect people who profess a Christian faith with our Christian missionary partners around the world. Our mission trip application explains this more specifically. Contact Andrew Tattersall, our International Missions Coordinator at missiontrips@hsminc.org to get one.

What do you believe?

Along with most other Christian ministries and Christian churches, we affirm the truths of the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

Here’s a simple summary:

We believe Jesus, the Son of God, entered our broken world and lived a life that reveals God to us and tells us who we are: beings created by God in God’s image who, because of sin are separated from Him and, as a consequence, suffer in a broken world.

Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to God and suffered and died on a cross to create the way for people to be reconnected to God, as we were created to be. After three days in the grave, Jesus rose again – defeating death – and returned to the Father in heaven.

Because Jesus died and rose again, we can live in hope for a new life in this world and in eternity with God.

To connect with this new life and hope, we need to recognize that we have big issues inherent in our nature that we can’t fix ourselves, accept Christ’s claim that he is the Son of God and the way to new life, and allow Him to lead us in the way to new life here and eternal life with him.

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, authoritative word of God.

Do you have a Privacy Policy?

We do! You can read it here.

I’d like to know more about your finances.

We’re glad you asked. We like our donors and partners to be well informed. Our financial records are audited every year by a CPA firm. We also file an annual IRS Form 990, as required by law. You can find our most recent audited financial statements, copies of our 990, and a financial summary here. If you have more questions about our finances, we will do our best to answer them. Just get in touch here.

What do you accomplish in a typical year?

Each December, we publish a Year-In-Review Newsletter summarizing the activity of the ministry for that calendar year. We’d love for you to take a look. Here are the last couple editions of that publication.

If you have a question we haven’t answered here, feel free to send us an email and we’ll do our best to answer quickly.

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Our Financials

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