Our Team
The Harris family
The Harris’ moved to South Africa in January 2004 when they joined AOM. Then four years later followed God’s call into Mozambique to launch a new work. They moved their family to the city of Inhambane where they are currently targeting the unreached Tonga of Inhambane Province. In November of 2009, after the death of Allen Avery, Scott was installed as the President of AOM.
Scott’s mission experiences before AOM include a 2-year internship through the Master’s Apprentice Program (MAP) in Lyon, France where he learned French. Scott has a Bachelors of Arts in Bible and a Bachelors of Arts in French from Harding University. He also has graduate hours in missions from Harding and Abilene Christian University. Scott completed a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2003. Soon after Scott and Lisa were married in 1990, they joined a team of other students from Harding University to begin church planting among the Watchi people in southern Togo in West Africa. Scott and Lisa spent 2.5 years planting churches among the Watchi.
Lisa holds a Bachelors of Arts in Bible as well as a Bachelors of Science in Consumer and Home Sciences. Lisa is an award-winning author and has sold over 30 books to the Christian market. To learn more about her books you can visit Lisa’s Website at www.lisaharriswrites.com. They have three children, Gabriel, Mariah, and Jayden.
AOM Founders
Allen and Janelle Avery were missionaries to southern Africa from 1969-2010. They served the first 10 years in a rural setting in Zambia planting churches among the Tonga people. The focus of their work was church planting in villages throughout southwestern Zambia. During their time in Zambia, both their daughter, Krista, and their son, Allen Wade, were born.
After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, the Avery’s moved their family to Bulawayo, the country’s second largest city. They spent the next 24 years initiating a non-denominational church planting ministry where the primary focus of their work shifted from rural church planting to the planting of a network of both rural and urban churches. The result of this vision is Followers of Christ Fellowship, a fellowship of over 30 churches spread throughout western Zimbabwe in both rural and urban settings.
In 2004, when the Harris family was unable to obtain working permits to enter Zimbabwe to join AOM, the Avery’s made the major choice to relocated again, this time to South Africa which would become the new African base for AOM. The Avery’s eventually settled in Tzaneen, South Africa, where they reached the 40 years mark of service in Africa.
Allen and Janelle Avery have assisted in planting over 80 churches and training thousands of Christians and church leaders. Allen received a Masters of Arts in Missions from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministries degree in Missions from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Janelle has a Masters of Arts in Educational Ministries from Wheaton College.
In June of 2010, Allen passed away after struggling with a brain tumor. While we miss him and his leadership, AOM is committed to carrying out Allen’s dream of spreading the gospel. Janelle continues to be active in leading our Zimbabwean orphan ministry.
Contact Janelle at Janelle’s Email and Hope4TheOrphan.org.
