Gerry & Diane Baughman

Gerry was saved in 1958 and went to Tennessee Temple University. He and his first wife, Carolyn, were called to Canada in 1966. Canton Baptist Temple, Canton, Ohio, was and is his home church and sending church. Gerry helped Brother Garland Cofield begin Camp of the Woods in Dinorwic, Ontario, that flourishes to this day and Emmanuel Baptist Church in Dryden, Ontario, whose pastor is the husband of a CAMP BIMI (CB) alumnus! In 1968 the Lord moved them to Saskatchewan, where he started one church and pastored two other small churches in grain pool towns, driving 180 miles every Sunday to preach in each one. Prayer meetings were held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. In October of that year, Carolyn was killed instantly in an automobile accident while returning from a Children's Bible Club they had started. Gerry returned to the States for a time with his 16-month-old son, where Gerry worked in four different churches but continued to take laymen and young people to mission fields so they could see the need. Several of these people are missionaries today because of those trips. In January 1970, Gerry and Diane were married at her home church and had their second son near the end of that year.

The Lord called Gerry back to Canada to plant a church in St. Catharines, Ontario. He began knocking on doors and leading people to Christ in March 1978. Over the almost 15 years there, they saw the Lord provide a Christian school, a church building, and two houses. The Faith Promise mission’s giving of $60,000 a year (a lot at that time) supported over 50 missionaries. Many lives were changed and many souls were saved over the years.

During their years in St. Catharines, it came to light that due to government regulations, churches across Canada were not permitted to send financial contributions to any organization or missionary in another country, including the United States, unless they had a registered office in Canada. Thus, in 1989, Gerry founded and developed BIMI Canada, operating the office until 1992. From its beginning to now, Canadian people and churches have sent millions of dollars for missions through BIMI Canada around the world. He has served on the BIMI Canada Board since its inception and with honor continues to do so.

In 1992 the Lord called Gerry to begin a Missionary Boot Camp/Institute where students age 16 and up, college and career age, adult singles, and married couples could come if they had been called to missions, full-time service, or if they just had a serious interest in missionary life and service—CAMP BIMI l. Here they could learn the “behind the scenes” daily mundane and nitty-gritty details of a missionary's life and all that it requires, where no hidden surprises would cause the missionary to quit or fail on the field. They would be trained and taught by BIMI missionaries over 7 days, which would include many hours of classes, workshops, evening sessions, and time with the missionary staff. They could ask questions and find the answers that always seemed evasive. The next year, students could go to 2 different countries for a month to experience what it is like—firsthand. This phase was called SMART, Student Missionary Apprentice Reality Training. Following that, they could return for 7 days of advanced classes and practical workshops—CAMP BIMI ll and lll. Some Christian colleges decided to give 2 credit hours for each one—CAMP BIMI I, II, and III and 3 credit hours for a SMART Trip—as mission electives. There were missions training teams in 54 countries.

After Gerry took work teams to numerous countries over many years to help missionaries with building churches, repairing hurricane damage, etc., the Lord gave him the vision to consistently get more Christian laymen on the mission field and to capture a burden for missions while there. Thus, Christian Laymen Assisting International Missionaries (CLAIM) was born. CLAIM has continued since 1992 and many missionaries have received invaluable help. Many skilled laymen and their wives have gone to various countries not only once but also several times where their lives have been changed.

CAMP BIMI is a ministry of faith, funded solely by churches and individuals. In the first 25 years, CAMP BIMI had 1,027 first-time students and it continues to grow! There are CB alumni serving as Christian laymen/women in full-time service and as missionaries in over 90 countries and on every continent except Antarctica. To God be the Glory, great things He hath done!

COVID certainly put a kink in the norm of ministry all over the world. However, most everyone— including Gerry and Diane—found different ways to navigate around the roadblocks and to NOT BE STOPPED! In fact, some of those different ways ended up to be very fruitful

Gerry and Diane have been busier in ministry than even before COVID changed the world. Many were sequestered, especially at the outset, and that incredibly opened the floodgates for CAMP BIMI alumni serving all over the world and those in their home countries who were going through horrendous things, needing advice, encouragement, prayer, ideas, etc., the opportunity to call, text, or e-mail the Baughmans 24/7. And that they did and do! Gerry and Diane had all of the time necessary to assist so many of them, more than if they had been on their regular schedule pre-COVID. That assistance will never stop and they are thankful they will always be available for each one, even with their other ministries.

When possible, as the Lord allows, Gerry plans to preach and teach missions. As always, they will continue to encourage and challenge people of all ages to FIND WHERE THEY FIT IN MISSIONS and where they can get answers at CAMP BIMI. That is their heartbeat and will never cease.

The BIMI Canada Board meetings, due to COVID restrictions, only had to cancel one and have successfully continued on Zoom since. Brother Baughman continues to serve on the Board with exemplary men who have a heart for missions.

After years of taking CLAIM teams to various countries, Gerry and Diane look forward to being involved in occasional CLAIM trips/projects when and where they can be of help. Three of the CLAIM missionary couples are CAMP BIMI alumni! What a blessing to see CLAIM come full circle and multiply!

Gerry and Diane continue to witness to those the Lord puts in their paths.

They remain … Committed to Finding Where They Fit in Missions,
Dr. Gerry and Diane Baughman
Founder CAMP BIMI * SMART * CLAIM
423-322-3790

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered (Psalm 40:5).

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