The People Behind Global Action

Cara Buyse serves as the Communications Manager for Global Action. Cara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a concentration in Strategic Communication. Throughout her career, she has worked in mission-driven and nonprofit environments, helping organizations communicate their mission through strategic messaging, storytelling, and digital outreach.

Cara is passionate about the work Global Action is doing to equip leaders and share the Gospel around the world. She enjoys using her gifts in communication and marketing to help communicate the message of the Gospel in clear and accessible ways.

Cara resides in Florida with her husband, David, and their two dogs.

Zuvarashe (Zuva) serves as the Global Ministry Coordinator for Global Action. Zuva holds an honors degree in Psychology and is pursuing an MSc Degree in Human Resource Management where her research is focusing on the importance of the Human Resources Function in organizational success and growth.

With over 5 years of experience in Human Resources Consultancy, Zuva has a passion for policy making and implementation. She is using her skills to shape growing organizations by implementing strategies to help facilitate organizational growth and success.

She also serves in the Celebration Church Music Ministry in her hometown, with the belief that we were created to praise. Zuva resides in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Yuniel Cruz serves as Director of South America for Global Action. Yuniel is an ordained minister with a degree in Sacred Theology from the Evangelical Methodist Seminary. He served as a pastor in the Caribbean for 10 years, during which time he also planted a church in Pinar del Río.

With a vision to equip church leaders, Yuniel and his wife Susel also started a seminary for missionaries and pastors, and they teach some of the courses. The couple has lived in Foley, Alabama for 6 years, where they planted a vibrant Hispanic church. They are passionate about serving the people and have been instrumental in facilitating the expansion of Global Action in Latin America.

Igor Gryshayev serves as the Director of Eastern Europe for Global Action. Igor came to faith as an adult and experienced radical life change. He began working as a Bible school interpreter and church worship leader for ten years as he grew in his faith.

In 2004 he was invited to serve as an interpreter for Global Action’s summer camps in Ukraine, and since that time he has been faithfully serving Global Action in a variety of capacities. His experience spans project coordination, translation, accounting, LifeChangers, church networking, Foundations development, and much more.

With a natural gift for building relationships and working with leaders from different denominations, Igor has been instrumental in developing our programs in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Igor and his wife Tetiana reside in Uzhgorod, Ukraine. They have 3 grown children and one granddaughter.

Buhe Mativenga serves as Director of Africa with Global Action. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Theology, as well as diplomas in Business Skills, Marketing, and Public Relations. She is currently working towards an MA in Leadership in Education.

Buhe lives in Harare, Zimbabwe with her husband, Tafadzwa where they actively serve in their local church and community. Buhe lived in the United Kingdom for 5 years, where she studied and served in the church and community in York as well as other churches around the United Kingdom.

She is passionate about Global Missions and has used her gifts to serve churches and pastors in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Botswana, and South Africa over the last 10 years.

Ian Amess has been involved in the training of church leaders since 2008. Whilst his initial ministry was lecturing Greek and New Testament to students at Harare Theological College in Zimbabwe, he became actively engaged in finding ways to reach and train the majority of rural and under-privileged church leaders who could not receive formal seminary training.

In 2019, he started to manufacture and program portable community hotspots which are able to transmit a local wi-fi signal containing theological training and Christian resources along with community and educational materials. It was at this time that he first partnered with Global Action to provide the curriculum for training rural pastors.

It is Ian’s goal and passion to assist pastors who receive non-formal training to gain formal recognition for their training and experience. Ian moved to Cape Town, South Africa with his wife, Ros, in 2023 and presently lives on the same property as his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

Megan Doddridge serves as Communication Specialist with Global Action. Receiving and relaying stories of God’s global redemption plan is a joy. She first began working cross culturally living in Utsunomiya, Japan, sharing the gospel and making disciples among college students.

In addition to her work with Global Action, she currently works with international college and postgraduate students in central Indiana and loves building community with her local multiethnic church. She cares deeply for wholistic missiology and spending her words to edify the body of Christ.

Dr. Dennis Ruano was born and raised in Guatemala, where today he runs a successful dental practice. The son of a pastor, he has followed in his father’s footsteps by serving as pastor at a church in Guatemala City for nearly ten years.

This church has flourished under his leadership, with growth resulting in ten church plants in Guatemala and Colombia to date. Dennis also uses dentistry as a platform for ministry and serves thousands of people through evangelistic dental clinics in remote locations lacking in access to health services.

He resides in Guatemala City with his wife of 25 years, Roxana (Chochy), and their four grown children. Dennis and Chochy also share a passion for music and serve together by doing evangelistic concert tours for children.

Barry graduated with a B.A. from the University of Sioux Falls and has a Master’s degree from St. Cloud State University. After teaching math and coaching football and basketball in Minnesota for 15 years, he entered the business world and opened a retail furniture store.

Eighteen years later, after leaving the furniture business and developing and owning commercial real estate, he went on a mission trip with Global Action that set the course of the rest of his life. The Lord directed him and several others to buy a former communist youth camp and donate it to Global Action to become the Ukrainian Hope Center.

Since then, he has made 15 trips with Global Action to renovate, develop, and assist the work there with orphans, street kids, and local churches. Barry has served in his local church as Sunday School superintendent, high school and adult teacher, deacon, elder, construction supervisor, and various other posts.

Connie grew up in a Christian family with a strong history of interest and support of missionaries. She attended Taylor University and got her degree in physical education and health. She also met her husband Terry and they have been married 53 years. They have 4 children and 8 grandchildren.

She served as a trustee on the board of Cornerstone Trust for 25 years. The key areas of focus of Cornerstone Trust are leadership development, evangelism/church planting and redemption. She believes that this is a great match with Global Action’s emphasis on training pastors which is essential to having a thriving church.

Dan Thiessen is an international businessman and philanthropist who, alongside his sons, has built several large and successful enterprises. A seasoned leader, Dan has served on numerous corporate and industry boards, offering insight drawn from decades of entrepreneurial experience.

A committed Christian, Dan is passionate about helping others and has supported a wide range of Christian and community charities. He believes strongly in the importance of training and equipping leaders within their own cultures as a powerful way to live out the Great Commission.

Known for his ability to listen well and offer practical, innovative solutions to complex operational challenges, Dan combines business acumen with a heart for service.

Originally from Canada, Dan now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife, Virginia. They are proud parents of four married children and grandparents to sixteen grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Colorado Springs, CO

Tom MacAdam is an accomplished fundraising professional with two decades of experience leading development efforts in non-profits focused on missions, higher education and publishing. His past roles include VP of Advancement for Slavic Gospel Association, VP of Stewardship for Moody Bible Institute, Executive Director for Ministry Advancement at Crossway, and Executive Director of Russian Leadership Ministries.

A graduate of Purdue University with a B.A. in Psychology, he earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois, College of Law. Tom is a licensed attorney, having practiced 14 years including roles as a senior executive and corporate general counsel for two technology and digital marketing services businesses. Tom lives with his wife Amy and five children in Colorado Springs, CO.

Big Lake, Minnesota

Paul currently serves as mayor of Big Lake, Minnesota, where he resides with his wife Julie and five children. Growing up on a farm in nearby Clear Lake, Paul learned a strong work ethic that he applies to all facets of his life.

He graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. In addition to serving as mayor, Paul is an active member of his church and owns his own financial advising company. Paul brings to the board a desire to listen to needs and propose solutions, as well as experience in financial stewardship, guidance, and administration.

Oklahoma City

Court Diffee is a lifelong resident of Oklahoma City. He currently serves as President and Dealer Principal of Diffee Ford Lincoln in El Reno Oklahoma, a family business started in Oklahoma City in 1954. He has served on the board of Waters Edge Ministry Services, formerly the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma, for the last six years. He is a current board member of OADA (Oklahoma Automobile Dealer’s Association). Court has been involved in CBMC (Christian Businessmen’s Connection) for the last 40 years and is a current Connect 3 group leader. He graduated from Southern Nazarene University in 1983 with a business management major.

Court is married to Melanie and will celebrate their 44th anniversary this year. They have four children and six grandchildren. When not working, he enjoys spending time with family, golfing, exercise, and traveling.

Crown Point, Indiana

Steve DeWitt (DMin, Wheaton College) has served as the senior pastor of Bethel Church in NW Indiana/Chicagoland since 1997. His passions include expository preaching, the doctrines of grace, and the beauty of God.

In addition to weekends at Bethel, Steve’s teaching ministry, The Journey with Pastor Steve, is on radio stations across the U.S. Steve is the author of Eyes Wide Open (2012), Enjoying God in Everything (2022), and his most recent book, Loneliness: Don’t Hate it or Waste it. Redeem it (2024). Steve and his wife Jennifer have two daughters and live in NW Indiana.

Over the years, Vic has served on and chaired numerous nonprofit boards. In 2000, he co-founded sixteen:fifteen, a ministry that coaches churches to discover their unique role in the Great Commission and to develop strategic, partnership-driven global missions initiatives. Vic is also a Gideon and has had the privilege of delivering Bibles in countries where they are not welcomed. Vic formed 2Cor9:13, a Supporting Organization under the National Christian Foundation, in early 2025.

Together with his wife, Mary, Vic serves as a facilitator for Generous Giving’s Journey of Generosity retreats. The couple has also been members of World Vision U.S.’s National Leadership Council for the past 10 years.

Vic sold his business, a regional distributor of electrical construction and maintenance materials that he co-founded in 1977, in September 2024. He is now focused on stewarding the resources generated by the sale and overseeing the construction of a new home in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Vic and Mary currently reside in Scottsdale, Arizona. They are blessed to be the parents of four grown children and grandparents to four beloved grandchildren who live in New Mexico, Texas, and Florida.

Gulf Shores, Alabama

J.P. is a pastor in Alabama and holds a degree in Theology. He has taught at Word of Faith Bible College and has pastored youth and young adults. His experience also includes leading worship, launching several college campus ministries, leading mission trips into 21 different countries, establishing Baltimore County’s first permanent men’s shelter, and serving as chaplain at one of the largest juvenile detention facilities on the east coast.

After planting and pastoring his first church in Missouri for ten years where he also launched a TV ministry, he later moved to Salem, Massachusetts to plant another church and establish a prayer ministry. In 2019, JP launched his third church in Foley, Alabama, where he serves as founding pastor. Additionally, he serves within the community as chaplain of the police and fire departments. The church has become instrumental in community transformation through its many missional outreaches, the latest of which was the founding of two successful faith-based recovery facilities for men and women.

Chicago, Illinois

Carey Casey is the founder and CEO of Championship Fathering. He is known as a compassionate ambassador and speaker, particularly within the American sports community. As the former CEO of the National Center for Fathering, Casey has earned a reputation as a dynamic communicator, especially on the topic of fatherhood.

He is a published author, and from 2009 to 2016 Carey served on the White House Task Force for Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Marriage. Carey also serves as a pastor at Lawndale Christian Community Church, an inner-city church on Chicago’s west-side, recognized by the George H. W. Bush Points of Light Foundation. Carey and his wife Melanie live in Chicago, IL. They are parents of four children and have nine grandchildren.

Skokie, Illinois

Before retiring, Philip Ephraim served as vice-president of Modern Process Equipment, which he and his brother purchased in 1981 and have since grown into the largest manufacturer of coffee grinders in the world. Prior to this, Phil worked for 17 years at Solo Cup Co. as a mechanical engineer, working his way up to Director of Engineering for the Plastics Division.

With a vision to help the underprivileged people of Guatemala, Phil and his wife Nikki bought 65 acres of undeveloped property on the east coast of Guatemala, on the Caribbean Ocean. In 2002, they started building El Faro, a beacon of ministry in one of the most impoverished corners of Guatemala.

In 2013, Phil learned about Global Action’s vital training courses for pastors. Global Action has trained hundreds of Guatemalan pastors and leaders at El Faro since that time. Phil has also served on the local boards of Youth for Christ, Teen Challenge, Young Life, Chaplains for Christ, and Chicago City Church, among others.

Asheville, North Carolina

Prior to joining Global Action, Rev. Phil Long served as an associate pastor of Church of the Highlands, one of the fastest growing churches in the US. Since 1988, his passion has been to develop leaders and help plant churches around the world.

Since entering full-time ministry in 1989, he has served the local church as missionary, living and working for 6 years in Nigeria, Guatemala, Mexico, Kenya, and Uganda. Additionally, he has been a pastor for youth, college, small groups, and adults. He has also served in administration and as a church consultant.

Upon completion of his MBA graduate school work from Indiana University in 2003, Phil entered the international business world and has worked in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa doing both ministry and business, which has given him the experience, diversity, and influence to train leaders in an even greater capacity. Phil served Global Action as International President from 2012 to 2016.