Dave Thomas '69

Home: I live outside Nogales, AZ, about three miles from the U.S./Mexico border.  In early 2007, I will be moving to the interior of Mexico to begin a new assignment.

Occupation: Regional Liaison for Mexico - Presbyterian Church (USA)

Hometown: I was born and raised in Circleville, OH, but lived most of my life in Estes Park, CO.

Major at Otterbein: Sociology

What have you been doing since your graduation from Otterbein?
In my present position as Regional Liaison for Mexico I am serving as a Mission Co-Worker with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in the state of Sonora, Mexico.  My wife, Susan, and I work together with our Mexican counterpart, Rev. Dr. Jorge Pazos, who is the Mexican Coordinator of the program.  The program, Compañeros en Misión (Partners in Mission) is one of seven bi-national programs of Presbyterian Border Ministry along the 2,000-mile U.S./Mexico.

We coordinate short-term mission trips for groups from churches in the U.S., visiting six small mission churches in Sonora, the second-largest state in Mexico.  We host an average of 18 mission delegations each year, a total of about 250 persons (most groups range from 8-20 persons each.)  In addition to managing the logistics of the trips, which usually last about a week, we also accompany the delegations and travel with them to the specific sites.  Our role is to coordinate visits with the Mexican mission churches, to serve as a host, a resource and intermediary, educator and interpreter of our mission, and to help with language translation when needed.  Another important aspect of our work is "mission interpretation," as we share stories of our work in U.S. churches.  Part of this relates to fund-raising and to developing partnerships between churches and the program.

We are nearing the end of our second 3-year term here.  In early 2007 we will move to the interior of Mexico (near Mexico City) to begin another 3-year term.  We will continue working closely with the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, facilitating partnerships between U.S. and Mexican churches.

What interest and/or hobbies do you have?
I enjoy traveling, hiking, rollerblading and skiing.

What is your most memorable moment at Otterbein?
I remember getting called into Dean Taylor's office and told that if my GPA didn't get better I was going to flunk out.  Luckily that didn’t happen!