Our Story
THE MATTHEW MINISTRIES STORY
The Lord led Matthew Ministries on an amazing spiritual adventure beginning twenty-four years ago in a booth inside a San Diego Boston Market restaurant. Based on their personal ministries and calling, Pastor John and Susan Townsend mapped out their vision for Matthew 25:34-40 Ministries. Over the years, the Lord used John and Susan in prison and convalescent home ministries, Rescue Mission chapel services, short-term missionary trips to Ukraine, China, and India, local ministries in San Diego, and teaching/prayer ministries. Inspired by God, John established the Church@Work ministry where employees can practice corporate worship and Church on the Streets which ministers to homeless people on the street. Church@Work has congregations on every continent on the planet and Church on the Streets operates nationwide east of the Rockies. Currently these ministries are independent and dynamic, having a life their own.
In 1994, the Townsends met Danny and Pat Shaw at church. The Shaws were called to be missionaries to Ukraine. The Townsends signed up to be part of their communications support team as the Lord led them to their final destination, Dniprodzerzhynsk. (currently Kamianske). When the Shaw’s sponsoring church could not provide the needed support, they asked John and Susan to place them under the Matthew 25:34-40 Ministries umbrella. The Lord led the Shaws to engage in outreach ministry to Pastor David Wilson, in India. Their small financial donation to Pastor David’s ministry enabled him to retire from his teaching job and minister full-time.
In 2002, while in Ukraine, John learned about a disastrous fire in a village in India which completely destroyed all their homes and church. Pastor David’s church rebuilt all their homes and provided essential foods/home goods to the people. Because there were no resources left to rebuild their thatch church building, Pastor David requested help from the Ukrainian church. In January 2003, Matthew 25:34-40 Ministries provided funds for a brick church which could also serve as an orphanage. God used this incident to begin a relationship which, in time, became MATTHEW 25:34-40 Mission India.
On February 26, 2023, Pastor John went home to be with the Lord. The ministries in Ukraine, India, and some ministries in San Diego remain under Susan’s direction. The ministry name was shortened from Matthew 25:34-40 Ministries to Matthew Ministries. Please read on to see what exciting things the Lord is doing in India and Ukraine as this ministry continues.