With a vision to grow and mentor spiritual leaders in the Global South, Peter Tarantal has mobilised people into missions with OM for 25 years.
Peter first joined OM in 1987, and since then, he's served as the OM South Africa field leader and on the OM International Executive Committee. He also led OM's Emerging Mission Movements initiative, with the goal to raise up Christian workers from Africa, Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe, a work he now continues as one of the Associate International Directors.
Outside of OM, Peter is the leader of the World Evangelisation Network of South Africa and was formerly the Southern Africa coordinator of the Movement for African National Initiatives, both organisations that seek to coordinate and mobilise missions in and from Africa. He also serves as chairman of the Global Leadership Council of the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission.
Peter met his American wife, Kathi, in 1991, and they have two children, Alex and Megan (both studying at universities in Cape Town), and live in Pretoria, South Africa.
With OM's new focus on globalised leadership and expanding ministries in Asia and the Global South, Peter provides a global perspective, and his background and passions serve as a link between OM and the broader missions movement around the world.
"I am passionate about seeing a greater focus on the least-reached in OM and believe that we need to find creative, financially sustainable ways of doing so. I appreciate the talent that we have in OM to accomplish the vision that the Lord has given us." - Peter Tarantal
Like many OM workers, Canadian Sue Priestley began her career in OM with a single-year commitment that grew to become a fruitful career in missions. Sue combines her skills in administration with her love of serving the personnel of OM, and she daily seeks to become a woman of the Word with a passion for the world.
Sue spent her first summer with OM doing outreach in Ireland in 1980, then served on George Verwer's team in London. In 1989, Sue joined the Europe Coordinating Team in Vienna, where she found her passion for supporting field teams through her coordinating and organisational skills.
After a few years in Austria and Hungary, Sue heard God calling her to OM Canada, where she worked for 10 years in personnel. During this time, she served as both the North American Personnel Officer and Short-Term Officer, positions she felt reflected the interest she's had in the larger picture of OM.
This desire to serve on a global scale led Sue to accept the invitation to become OM's International Personnel Officer, based in the UK, in 2008, where she worked until her appointment as Associate International Director in Singapore in 2013. Sue brings knowledge, experience and a love for people to the position.
Her knowledge and deep relationships within OM provide Lawrence Tong's leadership team with an integral understanding of OM's personnel needs and the inner workings of internal structures.
"I want to love people as God has loved me and share the things that God has taught me. Sometimes this works out in practical ministry with a field or a leader, and sometimes it is through prayer or listening. I am passionate about OMers having a deep and abiding walk with God that sustains them through the many great challenges and ministries they are involved with." - Sue Priestley
Despite his new role as Associate International Director, Englishman Viv Thomas describes himself simply as a shepherd. This desire to lead others deeper into God's Word and communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit fuels his work of teaching, preaching and writing. He is also passionate about developing leaders and growing healthy organisations.
Along with being an ordained Anglican minister and teaching pastor at St. Paul's, Hammersmith, Viv earned a master's degree in human resource development from South Bank University and another in Christian spirituality from Regent College. He also holds a Ph.D. from King's College, London. He married his Canadian wife, Sheila, in 1978, after two years with OM in India. Together, they pastored a church in London until re-joining OM five years later.
While Viv serves with OM as an Associate International Director based in London, Sheila works and volunteers in a number of positions, including as a spiritual mentor, literacy teacher and debt counsellor. Both she and Viv maintain a strong focus on keeping their ministries biblically rooted, and their emphasis on spirituality complements OM International Director Lawrence Tong's leadership style and vision.
"We both have the deep conviction that in the company of Father, Son and Spirit, we are offered the biggest and richest life possible. If we are able to rest in the wonder of this relationship and grasp His love for us, there is no limit to where the Church can go or what God can do." - Viv Thomas