The Church and TeachBeyond: Sending Missionary Teachers

Bruce McEvoy beams with pride when he talks about his daughter, Sarah. In July of 2025, she left Illinois and moved thousands of miles away to Chiang Mai, Thailand. There, she serves as a special education teacher at Grace International School, a K-12 school that serves over 500 students, including many children of missionaries.

“She was always looking to get out of the United States to make an impact and to make Jesus famous by loving kids with disabilities,” Bruce said.

Sent with the support of both TeachBeyond and her home church, Sarah is providing a safe space for her students to learn. And, because of the special education program, families can stay on mission, knowing their children are being well cared for in the classroom.

Chapelstreet’s Missional Legacy

Bruce is the pastor of local and global outreach at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva, Illinois. His job is to send and support missionaries as they minister around the world. Sarah was in the most recent group of global workers to be sent out from the church.

Chapelstreet has been sending missionaries around the world since the 1950s. Bruce says that some of its earliest missionaries were sent to Ecuador in the same era as Jim Elliott and Nate Saint, 2 of 5 missionaries who were killed while trying to make contact with a remote tribe in 1956.

Chapelstreet currently supports around 30 missionaries serving with various organizations. As TeachBeyond worked with the church to equip and send Sarah, Bruce said he became “a fanatic” for the organization.

The relationship formed between TeachBeyond and Chapelstreet has been so impactful that the church has supported 2 additional TeachBeyond projects through financial gifts.

What’s Needed to Support a Missionary

Bruce uses the illustration of a 3-legged stool to explain the supports needed to effectively send a missionary.

“You need a called worker that is excited about being obedient to God's call to the nations, you need a sending church that is going to support and pray and encourage like the dickens, and then finally, you need a sending organization that is at the level of excellence that TeachBeyond is that can equip and empower and be accountable to supporting that worker in collaboration with the worker and the sending church.”

Equipping the Called Worker

Sarah was certainly excited about the opportunity to serve in Thailand, and her church community was eager to support her through prayer and financial partnership. Within 6 weeks of graduating college, Sarah was fully funded for her mission.

She attended TeachBeyond’s orientation in Wheaton, Illinois in June of 2025. Bruce attended the dedication service at the end of the week.

“I heard my daughter say, ‘that was an incredible 5 days of preparation, and I will tell everybody to jump onto the TeachBeyond team.’ She was saying that before she even got to Thailand after just 5 days of sending preparation. And that gave me as a dad and missions pastor a lot of confidence.”

He was filled with even more confidence when he visited Thailand himself and witnessed Sarah in action, teaching in her classroom. He saw a young woman thriving in her new community, serving her students with compassion that reflects the heart of Christ.

Help Send Christian Teachers to the Nations

Sarah’s story is possible because churches, mission organizations, and individual supporters work together to send teachers where they're needed most. Through SEND 2026, more teachers like Sarah can reach the nations through education.

Through the month of June, TeachBeyond is raising $120,000 for the recruitment, training and sending of Christian teachers. This year, generous donors have pledged $60,000 in matching funds, meaning your donation will go twice as far. Would you prayerfully consider supporting the SEND 2026 campaign and becoming a part of the sending team?