ARM Missionaries Wayne & Barbara Voss

Wayne and Barbara grew up within 60 miles of each other, and they met in high school. After Wayne graduated from high school, he joined the U.S. Navy. They were married after he was in the Navy for just over a year and lived in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was stationed.

At the time of their marriage, Barbara thought she was a Christian and had attended church as a child and teenager. As a child, Wayne had attended a Baptist church but quit when his parents let him quit going to church at the age of about twelve. In 1971 a friend began to talk to Wayne about the Lord. While Wayne’s Navy squadron was serving on a deployment in Rota, Spain, his friend invited him to attend a revival meeting with him. Wayne attended the revival and in that meeting he heard the Gospel and received the Lord Jesus as his Savior. When the squadron returned to the United States, Wayne and Barbara attended Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, where Wayne went forward during an invitation to make his salvation decision known and to be baptized. Barbara also went forward during the invitation to move her church letter, but she learned she was not saved. She too received the Lord Jesus and was baptized.

Two years later back in Rota, Spain, Wayne accepted God’s call to preach while reading in 2 Timothy chapter four. Before being discharged from the Navy in 1973, he saw a presentation by a missionary to the Indian people in Canada; it was then that he felt God wanted him to reach the Indian people.

After being discharged from the Navy, Wayne started Bible college at Tennessee Temple College in the spring semester and then transferred to Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. He and Barbara joined Trinity Baptist Church (TBC) in 1974. During his years of training at TBC, Wayne was a bus captain, a Sunday school teacher, and a security guard for the college and church. He was faithfully involved with the soul winning ministry of the church. A good friend taught him many things about soul winning and living the Christian life. Barbara learned sign language and was used of the Lord to teach a deaf children’s Sunday school class.

In 1977 Wayne surrendered his life to work with Indian people beginning in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. While still attending college, Wayne and Barbara were accepted to serve under the auspices of Baptist International Missions in April 1978. In 1979 Wayne graduated from Trinity Baptist College and they began deputation full-time to raise support to begin their mission ministry. After 14 months of deputation, the Vosses became landed immigrants of Canada and began their mission of reaching Indian people. Their ministry started in Ontario, Canada, in December 1979 at the Camp of the Woods.

Over the years, Wayne and Barbara have labored to preach and teach the Gospel in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Canada; and in the state of Montana. Wayne has planted one Native American church in Montana and reestablished a church in Great Falls, Montana, which is now under the leadership of a good pastor. Their ministry experience has included organizing and directing Bible camps and Vacation Bible Schools. They discipled and trained individuals in vocational fields as well.

Presently, the Vosses live in Saint Ignatius, Montana, in the Mission Valley north of Missoula, Montana. Their house is situated on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Over the last 20 years, there have been four missionary couples who have made an attempt to establish Baptist churches among the Indian people on the Flathead Reservation and all four families did not succeed. Wayne and Barbara have a burden to see Bible-believing churches established on this reservation.

The Vosses are actively pursuing a Video Bus Ministry to continue reaching the Native American people. The bus would be used as a portable chapel to set up in a village or community, and the children, youth, and adults would be invited to view a short Gospel video. After the video, further explanation would be given and an invitation for people to accept the Lord Jesus as Savior would be given. Follow-up of the new Christians would be done by the hosting pastor and church. Currently, the Vosses have purchased the bus and are preparing it for this ministry. They are attending the Lighthouse Baptist Church of Missoula, Montana, where Wayne has preached and has helped on occasion as a substitute driver in the bus ministry.

Their desire is to continue to help Native American churches across the Northwest and relieve missionaries in those churches who need a furlough or a break for other reasons.

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