Leadership | Christians Teaching Christians - CTC • Christians Teaching Christians

Founders of Christians Teaching Christians

Bob was not a follower of Jesus in 1981 when at the age of 37 he fell in love with MaryLee. She was a Christian who said she was forbidden by the Bible from developing a relationship with Bob. This caused Bob to desire to become a Christian and after about six months investigating Christianity the Lord called Bob to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Bob and MaryLee first felt the call to become foreign missionaries in 1986. They applied to serve in the country of Columbia, but they were turned down by the mission agency. In 1988 God sent them three children to adopt and raise in addition to the three of their own. As time went by, they still desired to become foreign missionaries but they were getting too old.

In 2005, after the children were raised and they were too old to serve as missionaries, God called them to serve in Biloxi helping to rebuild houses after hurricane Katrina. This experience was God’s way of preparing them to go to Uganda in 2008 as missionaries.

Two months before Bob turned 65, they first arrived in Uganda. The Bolithos served in Uganda for eleven years. During this time, they started CTC which God grew until it became too large to be managed from Uganda. In 2019 they returned to live in the USA where Bob and MaryLee continue to serve CTC.

Executive Director

Todd Buchner

For 20 years, I, along with my wife Shannon, have served within the local church. As a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in the Bible from Lancaster Bible College, a Master of Divinity from Knox Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Christian Ministry specializing in Biblical Counseling from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh Pa.

In 2021 God began to call me out of the pulpit ministry with little understanding of what would come next. After taking my first trip to Africa in 2022 my life and call have changed forever. My heart was moved by the sovereignty of God and for the first time, in a long time, I again tasted the sweetness of being wholly dependent upon our God. CTC has reenergized my call to share the full counsel of God's Word to a lost and dying world. I am currently actively engaged in writing "Advanced Cirriculum" for Christians Teaching Christians as well as seeking to establish a Biblical Counseling Course of study. I also teach local pastors and any other would be learners of God's Word weekly on-line in Africa and Pakistan.

Shannon and I have two grown daughters and three beautiful granddaughters. We reside in the up-state of South Carolina. I enjoy sports, motorcycle riding, and reading the Puritans. Above all I enjoy spending time with my family.

My earnest prayer is that CTC would be mightily used to bring glory to God and that we might see many captives set free.

Board of Directors

Duane Bonnema

Chairman of the Board

Duane has been married to Nancy for 48 years. The Lord has blessed them with 4 children and 18 grandchildren. Their quiver is full of arrows!

Duane graduated from Ferris University in 1974 with a BS in Land Surveying. Nancy is a Registered Nurse.

Duane has a long history of doing volunteer work. He has lived in MN since 1978 and has served on the volunteer fire department and as a first responder for many years. He has also served on the City Council, the Central Minnesota Christian School board, the Church Council and has taught youth group at his church for many years. Duane was elected as the County Surveyor of Kandiyohi County in 2002.

One of Duane’s biggest passions is doing disaster relief work. He led at least 4 different groups of volunteers to help repair the extensive damage incurred when hurricane Katrina ravaged Mississippi’s Gulf coast. When tornadoes hit Granite Falls, MN, he brought volunteers to the area. He led 2 groups of volunteers on separate trips to help remediate the flooding damage in both Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa and to Parkersburg, Iowa with volunteers to help with cleanup after their devastating tornado.

Duane has led over 18 groups of volunteers to Cary, Mississippi over the last 25 years to do relief work at the Cary Christian Center which is located in one of the poorest counties in the US. Duane has organized these trips every 2 years for High School junior and senior students from his area during spring break, the latest trip in March 2021 with a group of 23 young people and leaders.

Currently, Duane is president of a drug and alcohol treatment facility called New Life Treatment Center located in Woodstock, MN where he has served for about 5 years. He is also president of the James House which was located in Willmar, MN. The James House building burned down a couple years ago at which point, Duane got involved. New board members are being enlisted and Duane and the board are excited to be planning to reopen the ministry facility again soon.

If the Lord has chosen to use me, may all the Glory be to HIM! Hallelujah.

David Hopper

I, David Hopper MD, am from Greensboro, NC. Having been raised in Korea as the child of missionaries, after high school I returned to the US to attend King College in Bristol, TN, then med school at UNC and Family Medicine Residency in Greensboro, NC. I married Liza, then moved on to family practice in Princeton, WV. We have 4 children and 10 grandchildren. In 2007, we moved back to Greensboro where I practiced urgent care medicine until full retirement in 2022. However, I have since begun working part time at a small Hospice in Rockingham County NC.
We are active at Friendly Hills PCA Church where I serve as an elder and missions chairman. Short-term missions have been my other calling, and my wife has been with me a number of times. Countries served in for 1 week to 1 month trips include Ecuador, China, North and South Korea, Sudan/South Sudan, Indonesia (Banda Aceh after the tsunami), Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Haiti (after the quake), Bangladesh, and Jordan, a total of almost 50 trips.
Most have been medical teams, but others have been church planting and development. My heart for caring for the most-needy people goes along with my desire to see the gospel spread to all people and the church built around the world. Meeting with the Uganda leadership of Christians Teaching Christians has grown my commitment to the work of this organization, and I anticipate this becoming a primary mission commitment as long as the Lord allows.
I enjoy time with my wife, family and grandchildren. I also like gardening, golf, photography, walking in the outdoors, reading and many other things.

Cheryl Thacker

I am the Executive Director of New Life Treatment Center, a small Christian substance use disorder
treatment facility in Woodstock, MN where I have been privileged to see miracles for the past six years. I have worked as both a radio producer and on-air personality, and as a television news producer.

I served eight years as the Public Relations and Development Director for Georgia Baptist Children’s
Homes and Family Ministries in Georgia. I, then served as the Development/Alumni Director for the
University of Sioux Falls, a Baptist university in Sioux Falls, SD and my alma mater.

After leaving the University, I worked as a development consultant for faith-based non-profits, as a
Clinical Pastoral Education co-facilitator and as interim education director at our church, American
Reformed in Luverne, MN. She co-authored a Sunday School curriculum for K-5 children.

I served as a CoffeeBreak Bible study director for twenty years and led a Moms In Prayer group in the
Luverne community for 15 years. I also worked as a volunteer advocate with the family court system
with parents who are involved in the Child Protection System.

I am a passionate follower of Jesus and seeks to serve Him in everything she does. I believe that with
God ALL things are possible, and that true transformation comes only through the power of the Holy
Spirit.

I and my husband, Jeff reside in Luverne, MN and are parents of four grown children, three sons and a
daughter, as well as the proud grandparents of nine precious grandchildren.

Jeff is an EMT in his civilian life. He also drives school bus for the local school district. He served eight
years in the Marine Corps, and now serves as a network engineer with the MN National Guard. Jeff has
has been deployed overseas multiple times, including two tour in Iraq and two in Kuwait.

Grover Timms

I was born into a Christian home where I was taught the gospel and a love for Christ’s church. At the age of 17, I came to faith in Jesus Christ and felt an immediate call to the gospel ministry. I pursued this call by attending Columbia International University, Columbia, SC where I graduated in 1982 with a B.A. in Bible. I did my seminary studies at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO where I received a Master of Divinity in 1985.

While in seminary, I met my future wife, Lisa. We were married in June, 1986. We have been blessed with three sons. After graduating from Covenant Theological Seminary in 1985, I served as a pastoral intern and then as youth pastor at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Clover, SC. I was ordained by Palmetto Presbytery in 1986 and in that same year was called as pastor to Longtown Presbyterian Church, Ridgeway, SC.

In 1989, I accepted a pastoral call to Fulton Presbyterian Church in Greer, SC where I have continued to serve for over 30 years.

Over the years I have pursued additional training and certifications in the following areas: Certified Trainer, Evangelism Explosion; Certified Trainer, Walk Thru the Bible (Old Testament); Counseling, Living Hope Counseling Center, Spartanburg, SC; and Church Revitalization, Barnabas Institute and Fanning the Flame, Birmingham, AL. In addition to my local church ministry, I have served the larger church through the following denominational committees: Chairman and Secretary, Presbytery Mission Committee; Chairman, Presbytery Nominations Committee; Chairman, Presbytery Administration Committee; Chairman and Secretary, Presbytery Candidates Committee; and Moderator of Calvary Presbytery.

Beyond my church work, I have sought to help the broader community through a variety of activities and ministries. I have had the privilege of assisting in the formation of a Released Time Christian Education program for the state as well as for Spartanburg District 5 school district. I have also been very supportive of Child Evangelism Fellowship and their Good News Club ministry. Our congregation was instrumental in starting an after school Good News Club at our local public elementary school. I also served on the School Improvement Committee for the same school.

As a further expression of my call to ministry, I have had the privilege of serving as the Bible and Theology teacher at Greenville Classical Academy from 2011 to 2019. In addition, I served as a part-time chaplain at Bailey Manor Senior Assisted Living from 2010 to 2020. I am currently a part-time chaplain at Restoration Senior Living in Spartanburg, SC.

While I have not had the opportunity to go to the foreign mission field, I have over the years been involved in many state-side mission trips to needy areas in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Mississippi. Furthermore, our congregation has supported Bob and Marylee and the ministry of Christians Teaching Christians.