Pioneer to Partner

Charlie McCordic

Charlie McCordic grew up as a TEAM missionary kid in Chad, then served along with his wife Cindy (a Brazil MK), under TEAM of Canada as missionaries for 15 years in pastoral training and missionary leadership in Chad.  Since their return back to Canada in 2002 due to health concerns, Charlie has continued to serve under TEAM as a missions professor, missionary trainer, conference speaker and mobilizer for missions.

Charlie has a BRS from Central Baptist Seminary (now Heritage College in Cambridge), and an MA in cross-cultural leadership training from Wheaton Graduate School.  Charlie taught in and directed Bible college missions programmes from 2003 until 2024, first at Heritage College in Cambridge, Ontario, and then at Emmanuel Bible College in Kitchener.  Recently retired from TEAM after 40 years of service, Charlie continues to teach at pastoral training conferences in Chad and other parts of francophone Africa, as well as working with new missionaries and missionary kids here in Canada. He also teaches missions-related courses with Perspectives Canada and MissionPrep, and with Parole de Vie in Quebec. Charlie has served for many years on numerous missions-related boards, and is currently also working with Northwest Baptist Seminary on the development of a competency and mentorship-based online masters-level church leadership programme for francophone Africa.  

The McCordics have three sons, all still connected to Africa – Chad, working in Kenya, Colin serving with his wife Rachel in Chad with AIM, and Cameron, professor and African food-security specialist at the University of Waterloo.  Cameron and Alicia are parents of the McCordics’ four little granddaughters – Skylar, Teia, Evie and Esmae.

Don Kowalenko

Don was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Calgary.  He first trusted the Lord as his personal Savior as a child and was baptized in 1976 at the First Alliance Church in Calgary.  He is married to Lynne and they have three adult daughters:  Alison, Jaimie and Megan.  They are active members of Southview Alliance Church in Calgary, where Don was an elder for 8 years and has been teaching Adult Christian Education classes for the past 20 years.

Don is a senior partner with the global business law firm Dentons LLP and often visits TEAM missionaries, staff and retirees during his business travel.

Don has served on the Team of Canada Board of Trustees since 1998 (except a mandatory rotation off in 2007) and as Board Chair for most of the past 10 years. Don was elected to serve on TEAM’s International Board of Directors in 2001 and re-elected in 2012 after rotating off in 2010.

John Tompkins

John is a retired Christian business executive, having retired from the Canadian employee benefits consulting industry five years ago after a 39-year career. John also has extensive experience serving on charity and Elder Boards.

Being retired provides John with additional time to spend in Kingdom service. John has served his local church as an elder (where he helped lead a church merger) and has served his local community on the Toronto Youth for Christ Board for the past 20 years, including 14 as Board Secretary. John joined the TEAM of Canada Board in 2017 and serves as Board Secretary. John then joined the TEAM Board in 2018 where he also serves as Board Secretary. Internationally, John and his family have a passion for serving in rural Uganda and John has travelled there four times in the past ten years.

John has been married to his wife, Anne, for 41 years and lives in Newmarket, Ontario. John and Anne have 2 grandsons: one from their daughter Jennifer and husband Adam, the other from their son Dave and wife Kait. They all currently attend The Well Community Church in Maple, Ontario (just north of Toronto).

Judy Friesen

Judy Friesen is a wife, mother and retired missionary who loves the Lord and is motivated to glorify Him by serving others. She has been married to Arnie for 41 years and together they have 2 grown sons and one grandson, who all live in British Columbia, Canada.

In the early days, Judy was a piano teacher and had a successful home studio for 27 years. During that time, she started a part-time health consulting practice alongside her part-time piano teaching. Leaving behind her teaching, Judy responded to God’s nudging to become a full-time missionary so that her leadership skills could contribute more directly to the body of Christ. For 20 years Judy served as a fundraiser and then Director and ultimately Vice President of Development for a number of charitable organizations – World Vision, Power to Change (formally Campus Crusade for Christ), Canada Institute of Linguistics (CanIL), OneBook and Wycliffe Bible Translators, Canada.

During those years, Judy renamed her consulting company to Consulting Plus One where she provided training and coaching to various senior level staff of various mission organizations in the area of resource development and strategic planning. She also served on her church Board and spoke at numerous conferences, the most recent being the Canadian Council of Christian Charities on the topic of “Growing Generous Donors”.

At the end of July 2017, Judy retired but serves on the Board of TEAM Canada and on the Executive Committee of Ministry Fundraising Network (MFN) while part-time in her consulting company. Judy is also regularly involved in her community as a volunteer driver for cancer patients.

Rita Schellenberg

Rita was born into a Christian family and was led to Jesus as Saviour by her mother at the age of 8.  She was challenged to continue walking with the Lord while going to University of Calgary for a degree in Education and drew closer to Him while attending church regularly and being a leader in the girl’s program and choir member. She started teaching in Alberta in 1974 and then attended Moody Bible Institute 1978-1979 while searching out where the Lord would lead her next. She spent 1979-1980 at the University of British Columbia studying Japanese as well as other classes that would help in her future and raising support to go to Japan to teach MKs.

In 1980, Rita started teaching at Christian Academy in Japan (a school for missionary children – MKs) under the sponsorship of Japan Evangelical Mission (JEM) which merged with TEAM in 1983.  She taught in elementary school for 19 years and then moved into the registrar’s office for the next 19 years. Her next year (plus) was one of transitioning into retiring by assisting the new registrar at CAJ, helping in the TEAM office in Japan and also being the hostess of TEAM Center (like a bed and breakfast).

Rita left Japan in October 2019, officially retired in February of 2020, and is now making a home in a condo in north-central Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Vonna Laue

Vonna has served ministries and churches in financial and operational capacities for more than 25 years. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and an MBA in Leadership and Human Resource Management. She is the author of Glad I Didn’t Know and previously co-authored three ministry financial books. Vonna serves on three national or international boards of directors and is a frequent conference speaker. She and her husband Bryan have two grown daughters, a son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. 

Canadian Director

Tim Wong

Tim Wong currently serves as the Director for TEAM of Canada. With decades of experience in mobilization and church engagement, Tim has dedicated his life to helping individuals and churches participate in God’s global mission.

Before stepping into his current role, Tim served with TEAM in a variety of ministry capacities for over 30 years, including 13 years in Southeast Asia where he worked as a teacher and principal. His deep commitment to education and discipleship is grounded in both his professional and theological training. Tim holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and received his biblical training from Tyndale University & Seminary.

Tim and his wife, Connie, make their home in Toronto, Canada and are proud parents of two grown children, Kayla and Joseph.

International Director

Justin Burkholder

Prior to his appointment as International Director in July 2024, Justin served in a variety of leadership roles within TEAM, including the position of Executive Director of Global Ministry. Justin and his wife Jenny served alongside the Guatemalan Church in Guatemala City and were involved in planting and leading two churches. Justin was profoundly influenced at a young age by multi-cultural relationships and experiences having grown up as a missionary kid in Mexico City. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a B.A. in Theology and later received his M.Div. Justin and Jenny have three daughters: Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey.