Missionary Aviation Support Association
Missionary Aviation Support Association
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  • More
    • Home
    • News & Prayer
    • THANK YOU FOR SUPPORT
    • Registration Page
    • About Us
    • Photos - History / Events
    • Organizations Served
    • Volunteer Descriptions
    • Air Venture Information
    • Donations & Budget
    • Speaker Bios A-M
    • Speaker Bios M-S
    • Speaker Bios S-Z
    • MASA WELCOME
    • GENERATOR FUEL FUND
    • Coming Soon
    • ED Updates

  • Home
  • News & Prayer
  • THANK YOU FOR SUPPORT
  • Registration Page
  • About Us
  • Photos - History / Events
  • Organizations Served
  • Volunteer Descriptions
  • Air Venture Information
  • Donations & Budget
  • Speaker Bios A-M
  • Speaker Bios M-S
  • Speaker Bios S-Z
  • MASA WELCOME
  • GENERATOR FUEL FUND
  • Coming Soon
  • ED Updates

About Us

MASA GOVERNING BOARD

Larry Creamer - Chair

John Moe - Vice Chair

Lee Smoll

Les Ison

Bob Badeau

Bernie Koszewa


MASA Leadership Team:


Nevin Webster, Executive Director

POSITION  OPEN, Vice Director

POSITION  OPEN, Youth Coordinator

Bob Ronk, Grounds Director

Bob Badeau, MIS Director

Les Ison, Treasurer

Elissa Webster, Volunteer Coordinator

------, Bookeep

MASA GOVERNING BOARD

Larry Creamer - Chair

John Moe - Vice Chair

Lee Smoll

Les Ison

Bob Badeau

Bernie Koszewa


MASA Leadership Team:


Nevin Webster, Executive Director

POSITION  OPEN, Vice Director

POSITION  OPEN, Youth Coordinator

Bob Ronk, Grounds Director

Bob Badeau, MIS Director

Les Ison, Treasurer

Elissa Webster, Volunteer Coordinator

------, Bookeeper

Terry Montambo, MASA/EAA Liaison

Carla Terpstra, Kitchen Supervisor

Mike Croninger, Church Relations

Debbie Montambo, Activities Oversight

Connie Long, Meal Provider Coordinator

Kathie Steward, Housing Coordinator

Nancy Clark, Dining Room Supervisor

Virgil Dudgeon, Vehicles Coordinator

Rita Damon,  Chauffeur Transportation

Joyce Ison,  Meal Registration/Check In

Bonnie Hegner, Baggage Security


In addition to those named above, we have many faithful who serve as a team to make this ministry possible. Everyone plays a vital part in serving our aviation missionaries. If you would like to be involved, please contact:

 Nevin Webster, Executive Director

920-344-7512 

 nevinwebster.masa@gmail.com

Mission Statement

The Mission Aviation Support Association (MASA) exists to support JAARS, MAF and other IAMA organizations at the EAA AirVenture by providing:

  • On-grounds hospitality tent/meals
  • Housing in area homes
  • Transportation
  • Speaking opportunities

To provide meals, we coordinate with area churches, Bible study groups and interested indivi

Mission Statement

The Mission Aviation Support Association (MASA) exists to support JAARS, MAF and other IAMA organizations at the EAA AirVenture by providing:

  • On-grounds hospitality tent/meals
  • Housing in area homes
  • Transportation
  • Speaking opportunities

To provide meals, we coordinate with area churches, Bible study groups and interested individuals to prepare and serve well-balanced meals at our on-grounds hospitality tent. To provide housing, we personally visit homes prior to sending our guests. To provide transportation, we coordinate with individuals for loan of personal vehicles and arrange for drivers to pick up passengers at local airports. To provide speaking opportunities, we contact area churches and community groups interested in learning about the organizations we serve. 

 

 Reasons Mission Aviators Come to EAA Air Venture

  • Learn about new technology
  • Present their work and ideas to the aviation world
  • Recruit pilots, mechanics, teachers, translators, and others
  • Fellowship in local churches


 Local evangelical churches and their members are involved in the following ways

  • Scheduling missionary speakers for Sunday Church Services or 
  • other events such as youth groups during the week of EAA AirVenture.
  • Hosting pot luck dinners or barbecues for the missionaries and allowing them to speak afterward
  • Bringing a morning, noon or evening meal onto the EAA "MASA" campground site
  • Contributing financially to the effort and specifically to Mission Aviation Agencies for campground and exhibitor space.
  • Housing missionary pilots/families or representatives.
  • Providing a loaner vehicle for our missionary guests to use for the week.
  • Using your own vehicle to provide chauffeur services to various area destinations.

 MASA Statement of Faith

We adhere to the following truths of the Christian faith:

  • The divine inspiration of the canonical Scripture in its entirety; that the Bible is inerrant in its original writings and is of supreme authority in human faith and practice.
  • One God eternally co-existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • The dei

 MASA Statement of Faith

We adhere to the following truths of the Christian faith:

  • The divine inspiration of the canonical Scripture in its entirety; that the Bible is inerrant in its original writings and is of supreme authority in human faith and practice.
  • One God eternally co-existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • The deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, who is both Savior and Lord; in His incarnate birth of a virgin, perfect human life, redeeming death, bodily resurrection, on-going heavenly intercession, and pending personal return.
  • The personality of the Holy Spirit by whose regenerative work sinful humans are “born again” (as explained by Christ and as recorded in the 3rd chapter of John’s Gospel) and by whose indwelling regenerated humans are enabled to live Godly, Christ-like lives.
  • The creation of man and woman in God’s image.
  • Man’s subsequent fall through rebellious sin, resulting in universal guilt and total depravity and the necessity, therefore, of redemption and restoration.
  • The substitutionary death of Christ working atonement for human sins.
  • Justification of humans by God’s grace through faith (obedient trust) in the person and work of Christ.
  • The future bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessed life of the saved and the eternal punishment of the lost.
  • The spiritual unity of all believers composing the true Church, which has the duty to preach the Gospel of Christ among all ethnic groups.

The masa story

.

Lee & Debbie Smoll (Founder and Co Founder)

  It all began in the late seventies with a request that Lee pick up Bob Griffin, a JAARS pilot, at the Appleton Airport and deliver him to UWO. Bob was an exhibitor at the EAA and was staying in the dorms at the university. He was representing the work of JAARS, the missionary aviation and logistical/technical support arm of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Looking back… Lee had long wanted to be a missionary pilot. An MAF pilot from his home town had inspired him to follow that path. The 1956 incident with the Waodani (Auca) Indians and the five martyred missionaries in Ecuador had spread across the globe. Lee and many others were challenged to fly for missions. Lee graduated from college with a teaching degree. This was followed by Military Service during the Vietnam Era. While in the Air Force he learned to fly as a private pilot, but the dream to become a missionary pilot was put on the back burner when the door closed to attend Moody following his tour of duty in the Air Force. Lee settled into life as a teacher, computer programmer, business manager and eventually started his own business as a fresh and waste-water systems inspector for the Real Estate industry. Because of the growing friendship with Bob Griffin, Lee, and his 3 sons, attended the EAA and camped for the week, next to the small group from JAARS, early in the 80’s. Lee observed Bob’s wife, Louise, cooking all their food over a camp stove and it occurred to him that local churches could help with meals. At the time he was working at Rawhide Boys ranch and living in New London, Wisconsin. But he knew that co-workers, Randy & Marlene McMullin, lived in Oshkosh. He asked Marlene if she would be interested in providing some meals for the group from JAARS. Marlene was delighted to do so and served the missionaries for several years in the eighties, with the help of several people from her church in Oshkosh. In the mid-eighties, MAF learned about the service that Marlene and friends were providing for JAARS and asked if they could become part of the group as well. Thus began the JAARS/MAF Support Team. The ministry was growing. In 1990 Lee visited area churches to see if they would be interested in providing a meal during the week. Folks agreed, and thus began the MASA ministry as we know it today. Lee met Debbie at Oshkosh in 1990 when her church provided one of those meals. They have served together in the ministry ever since. In 1999 there was a change in leadership for the JAARS team and they began wondering about the value of coming to the EAA. It was decided that in addition to exhibiting their work on the EAA grounds and exploring the new technology in the aviation field, the missionaries should reach into the community more, and share their stories with the local residents instead of just the EAA audience. Now, the JAARS/MAF Support Team, was not only providing housing, vehicles, and meals - we were also arranging speaking engagements within the communities. Lee’s job increased greatly! But the reward for getting the missionaries in the churches was great. Also in the mid 90’s we invited other organizations, all members of the trade-association IAMA (International Association of Missionary Aviation), to be a part of the EAA AirVenture participants. In contrast to the meager beginnings of just Bob Griffin in the early 70’s, our attendance in 2009 topped out with over 400 missionary aviation guests. That year the EAA invited missionary aviation, and humanitarian aviation, to be one of the main features. The event was called “Fly 4 Life.” The missionary aviation organizations, unified under IAMA (International Association of Mission Aviation), manned several display areas across the convention grounds – including over 30 mission aircraft, staggered as points of light, throughout the EAA AirVenture. The scope of that year was a huge stretch for our guest missionary aviation agencies and our MASA Team, providing meals, homes and transportation. BUT WE DID IT!! God is good! Since 2009 our new normal is about 225 missionaries. With the volunteer hospitality workers and mission guests, our meal counts range between 200 - 300; still a huge undertaking for our faithful meal providers. MASA was established as a 501 (c) (3) organization in 2001. A governing board was established in 2010. We also have a great Leadership Team of about a dozen individuals. With each of our team members and volunteers doing their job, the huge task is accomplished every summer. Each spring we have an Appreciation Dinner for our wonderful volunteers. We have a tasty meal, blessed fellowship, music and ministry updates. We also have a featured guest speaker, from one of our supported organizations, who shares encouraging results of their ministry. Each summer, in preparation for the EAA AirVenture, we rent approximately 14 sites in the EAA Campground. A 40X60 hospitality tent and a smaller “Baggage/Security” tent are erected. Then the supplies come in - much of which is located in a rented unit near Oshkosh. Other items of equipment are borrowed and gathered at the Campground. From our EAA camping site with limited water and generator electricity, we build our attractive and inviting Hospitality Center. Several camper trailers (3 or 4) are also moved onto the site for some of our on-grounds staff.   

Current Executive Director

  

Nevin and Elissa Webster

We were both blessed with a godly heritage and came to know Jesus as our Savior and Lord in our youth. Elissa spent her early years living in eastern Nebraska, where her parents served as missionaries, and later in western Michigan. Nevin grew up in upstate New York, New Jersey, and Denver, where his father served as pastor.

We were brought together while at Hope College during a spring choir tour. We have enjoyed being married 40+ years, and have been blessed with four sons and four daughters. We are so grateful for them, the spouses of the four that are married and the children with which the Lord has blessed them.

We came to Wisconsin 40 years ago with Elissa’s youth and education work at First Reformed Church in Waupun. Shortly thereafter, Nevin began work as librarian at Waupun Correctional Institution where he continues to serve. Elissa was promoted to full time motherhood in 1985. Since 2012 we have been a part of Grace and Truth Christian Fellowship (GTCF), which meets in Fond du Lac, where Nevin serves as a preaching elder.

Our first contact with MASA came with a phone call Nevin received in the early 2000’s asking if our Waupun church would be interested in having an aviation missionary speak, to which the church agreed. Thus began our annual Sunday morning MASA speaking visits during AirVenture.

Over the next few years, we attended a MASA AirVenture follow up meeting, a planning meeting, a Sunday evening missionary potluck, hosted a MASA midweek speaker session in our home, enjoyed attending midweek speaker potlucks at our friends’ home, and contributed food for a meal at the MASA tent.

In 2009 we got to see the tent in action when we helped GTCF serve a meal during mission aviation’s Fly4Life feature year at AirVenture. Since then, we have enjoyed serving at the tent each year, with some of our sons and daughters helping throughout the entire week.

It has been our joy to work with and get to know many of the devoted MASA volunteer servants. In March 2020, it was Nevin’s privilege to begin serving on the MASA board. We look forward to continuing to serve the Lord Jesus Christ alongside His faithful team known as MASA as together we support His mission aviation community!


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