Who Are We?

Family Connections Ministries is the product of a vision given by God in 1995 to Australians Ron & Kathy Aubrey after serving as short term missionaries in the United States of America, Spain and Guatemala. In this vision God revealed the needs that exist and opportunities for ministry to street children in Guatemala, and many countries in the Central and South American region. Since that time the ministry has been established in Australia and the U.S.A. and Europe, appointed representatives in Mexico and India is working with pastors in Haiti, Chili and Honduras, and proceeding with plans to appoint representatives in these and other countries as and when possible.

Initially Ron & Kathy organised and worked with a team of dedicated, loving Christians from the congregation of one of the local churches in Guatemala City, taking food, clothing and the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the very dangerous streets of this Spanish language city at night, to reach the children who live in a sub-culture of violence, exploitation and degradation. On any given night, according to the most recent U.N. estimates for this city alone, there are in excess of 5,000 homeless children who face life under conditions of almost unbelievable hardship.

Family Connections Ministries regularly assists and works alongside other very small ministries to access their particular expertise in the field of drug and medical rehabilitation. The object of this ministry is to save children from the evil of the streets, and to place them in homes or refuge/orphanages, so that they may begin a new life with hope for the future, secure in the knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ. In this endeavour Family Connections Ministries has itself established, or assisted others to establish, a number of refuges and orphanages throughout the Latin America region. This program is known as “The House That Love Built” and Family Connections Ministries desires to continue this work alongside existing churches/ministries in many countries around the world.

In Australia, Family Connections Ministries operates the “Tranquillity House Program” with a lovely home at Tewatin, just west of Noosa, in Queensland’s beautiful and popular Sunshine Coast region. This facility caters to the needs of tired pastors, returning missionaries, respite care workers and others in need of getting away for a few days of rest and recuperation. The aim is to provide an extremely low cost, worry free, all inclusive rest environment for such people. The facility also welcomes overseas Christian visitors who might wish to spend a few days in that part of the country with a typical Australian Christian couple, as part of their Australian tour. This ministry plans to expand the program to other parts of Australia and indeed other countries.

Family Connections Ministries has also been active where other needs have become apparent. Financial help has been given to meet specific needs, such as providing urgent optical treatment for a lady in Guatemala City suffering with Myopia. Individual missionaries and other small ministries have also received supplementary help when a very specific need has been brought to our attention. From all this it can be seen that the work of Family Connections Ministries grows from a foundation of love and compassion.

Our Vision Statement

To reach out with love in obedience to God, to rescue abandoned, unloved and abused street children around the world, provide for them an environment of safety and security, and then through programs of education and encouragement, develop in them hope for the future, a feeling of self worth and a passion for Jesus Christ.

Our Mission Statement

To make known the Word of God in the World at large.
To foster peace, love and understanding within God’s family around the world.
To generate financial and other resources to support the various programs of FCM International in Christian Outreach and Humanitarian Aid.
To expand and maintain the Tranquillity House Program wherever needed.

The Beliefs That Guide Us

We Believe:

In the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
That the Holy Bible is the Inspired Word of God, and that by following the examples contained in this book for every aspect of our lives, we will glorify God through Jesus Christ.
That salvation is by the Grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
That the greatest gift of all is Love, and that we are to love our God with all our hearts, and to love our neighbours as ourselves.
That every child has the God given right to an innocent childhood, and that we as committed Christians must do everything possible to return this right to the children of the world’s streets.

Our Structure

his ministry operates under the banner of FCM International, but the daily operational title in each country in which the ministry is established is Family Connections Ministries. Overall control of the ministry is by an International Board of Directors. There is also a local Board of Directors appointed in Australia and the United States of America, with Ministry Representatives appointed in other countries in which the ministry operates. The ministry has also appointed a Spiritual Oversight Committee of accredited pastors from different denominations, which is responsible for all questions of theology and spiritual guidance within the operations of the ministry. Family Connections Ministries also has Prayer Support Teams in different locations who meet regularly and pray for the ministry, its people and its work.

Our International Board of Directors

Members of the International Board of Directors are:Pastor Ron and Kathy Aubrey (Ministry Founders), Australia.Joan Melville, Australia.Linda Dwyer, U.S.A.George Schultz, U.S.A.Angela Ruskauff, Europe.

Our Spiritual Oversight Committee

Rev. Alan Fulker, Deception Bay Baptist Church, Queensland, Australia.Pastor George Schultz, Kingsbury Baptist Church, Texas, U.S.A.Associate: Pastor Bart Lindeman, Veenendaal, The Netherlands.

Mentor

Samuel (Dick) Gates, Seguin, Texas, U.S.A.

Newsletter Editor

Kathy Aubry, Yandina, Queensland Australia.

Our Finance

The FCM group of ministries is a non-profit organization, and recieves donations and/or regular subscriptions from churches, businesses and individuals to finance all of its operations. All Board members, Spiritual Oversight Committee members and ministry staff, self funded volunteers. No person connected with Family Connections Ministries in any way, receives a remuneration or financial advantage of any kind.

There are two ways you can financially support Family Connections Ministries:

Join our “Target 1000” Program and make a commitment to support the ministry at the rate of $104 per year, which is only $2 per week.
Make a donation to our “House That Love Built” Program.