Jonathan and Maria were appointed to Greece in 1999 as intermediate missionaries. They served in Greece until 2012. They were privileged to pastor the incredible people of the Crossroads Church in Athens for the duration of their time in Greece. They also administrated the Crossroads Bible School, which not only prepared many incredible lay ministers within the Crossroads Church, but also developed evangelistic and pastoral gifts within others that propelled them into church plants within Greece, across Europe, and around the world. At their departure from Greece, there were twenty church plants that were direct results of Crossroads leadership and Crossroads Bible School graduates. They also were honored during their time in Greece to pioneer the national youth ministry. They were able to sponsor some incredible youth conferences where for the first five years, everyone who came without the Holy Spirit received it. From those first youth conferences were born ministries that are today vital to the churches of Greece. During these years, they were asked to serve as secretary of the initial Europe/Middle East regional youth commission, where they participated in the foundational processes that are today reaping such bountiful harvest within the EME youth.
In 2012 God asked the Strickland family to accept a new challenge in Ireland. They arrived in Ireland in December 2014. It was initially their distinct privilege to replace missionaries Terry & Cindy McFarland until their return in August 2015. They truly enjoyed their time pastoring the Pentecostals of Dublin and will always have a fondness in their hearts for the great people which make the POD a special place. Since the McFarland’s return, they felt the call to plant two churches, simultaneously! They have seen in two years over fifty baptized with the Holy Spirit. They also have been able, through the North Dublin and West Dublin campuses, to start two other preaching points in Mullingar and Cork.
They are honored to serve the pastors of Ireland as their presbyter to the UPCGB&I Northern District Board. The work in Ireland, though in its infancy, is full of promise. Their cry is, “Lord bless us with the ‘Unity of the Spirit,’ that we may accomplish what God has sent us all to this great land for.”