The Pastors You Don’t Know

Hopefully, by now, you’re somewhat familiar with the “resident” pastors of WRPC: Pastor Anderson, Pastor Dodds and Pastor Robbins. They’re fairly accessible and you see them (and their families) weekly in worship, classes, prayer meetings, meals, fellowship settings, and in the community.

But, you may not know that WRPC has not one, but TWO MORE ordained pastors on staff: Assistant Pastor Albert “Berti” Kona and Assistant Pastor Francisco Cardoso.

Both of these men have the exact same education and credentials as our resident pastors. Because of our deep commitment to missions and international church planting, we’ve sent these pastors out to plant churches and form presbyteries in their home regions.

cardosofamilyPastor Cardoso labors in Recife, Brazil, a modern city of almost 4 million people (i.e. larger than Chicago or Houston). Recife is on the beautiful beaches of northeast Brazil. The need is great in Recife, since much of the population is trapped in the ignorance and superstition of Roman Catholicism. Others are devotee’s of voodoo. Many more are enmeshed in the prosperity gospel taught by Pentecostalism.

Pastor Cardoso faithfully preaches the Scriptures and evangelizes in this context. He is also a husband to Soraia & dad to Bernardo and Clara (10 year old twins), Catharina (7) and Aurora (4).

konafamily

Pastor Kona works in Durres, Albania, a port city on the Adriatic Sea. Durres is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world having been populated for almost 3,000 years! The Apostle Paul refers to it (in Romans 15:19) as “Illyricum”. It is the second largest city in the nation. Albania is dominated by Muslims, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox.

Berti is not only planting a church (they hope to particularize next year), he is also busy translating Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion into Albanian and teaching at a local Bible institute. He is joined in these labors by Jenny and Annabella (7), Miriam (4) and John “Hansee” Calvin (2).

If you have not yet done so you can catch up with the Kona’s and Cardoso’s THIS Sunday (Nov. 6). They will both be around.

Carl Robbins
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Carl Robbins
Carl is a native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a graduate of Crichton College and Covenant Theological Seminary. Pastor Robbins has served churches in South Carolina, Oklahoma and Nevada. In addition Carl has served on the board of crisis pregnancy centers, Christian schools and seminaries. He has spoken to college groups, medical school forums, state legislative groups, seminary chapels and church conferences. His special passion is training pastors in developing countries. Carl and wife Sandy have been married for 37 years(!) and are the parents of three believing, adult children: John and his wife DeAnna and their children (Bray, Emmie Ruth, and Maggie Grace), James and his wife Megen and their children (Jack and Lainey Janice), and Sarah and her husband Andrew Holmes. Carl and Sandy love OU football, big dogs, good Mexican food, and the beach—any beach, any time.