BIO:
After thirty years of pastoral ministry, Tim & Cheri are delighted to join the African Bible Colleges, serving at the Uganda campus. They served there while on sabbatical during the 2008 spring semester and plan to return full-time in January 2009. Cheri has taught elementary school for over twenty-five years, and Tim has pastored three churches since 1979, serving Faith Presbyterian Church for the past nineteen years. Tim & Cheri have been married for 31 years and have two grown children, Andrea and James, as well as a five-year-old granddaughter. The Hokes are avid dog lovers and hope to bring with them their canine friends, Pal and Buddy.

As Tim looks back over his life, there are three things he never wanted to do. The first was to be a preacher. As a boy, Tim thought ministers were sissies and he couldn't imagine anything worse! However, the Lord brought him to faith in Christ while in graduate school at age twenty-four. Within a few months, he knew God had called him to pastoral ministry! Because the Word of God had so changed his life, he wanted to train others in the Scriptures. The second thing Tim had no desire for was life as a missionary. Many of his seminary classmates were headed for the mission field, but he had no intention of ever leaving the good old USA. However, after three short-term mission trips and a sabbatical at ABU/Uganda, both Tim and Cheri know God has called them to be missionaries! They are drawn to ABU with its strong emphasis on servant leadership and sound biblical training to equip Africans to reach other Africans with the gospel. The third thing Tim never wanted to do was to raise financial support for ministry. But the Lord is showing him that God raises the support. We simply raise interest by sharing the exciting opportunities for service the Lord is giving us and trust God to move on the hearts of His people to participate in this ministry.

Cheri always wanted to be a teacher and, during her college years, determined she wanted to be a pastor's wife as well. But she, too, had no interest in serving the Lord in a foreign country. God has now given her heart-felt desire to serve him at ABU/Uganda where she will teach education. She also hopes to minister to the student wives and single female students, especially by leading Bible studies.

In addition to their love of the Bible, good theology, and Christian ministry, Tim and Cheri have several interests. They both love to read and enjoy writing. Cheri enjoys making their home hospitable, and the Hokes look forward to welcoming guests. Tim loves gardening and, for some years, has roasted his own coffee beans (African, of course). In addition, they both love travel, which is good since Uganda is 8,000 miles from home!

Prayer Needs
1. Financial support
2. Disposing of worldly goods for the move to Uganda
3. Cheri's mother's health
4. New pastor for Faith Presbyterian Church

"Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem..."
~ Matthew Parris in As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God