Their Ministry Focus
In June 2021, after eleven years as regional coordinators for Europe and the Middle East, Patrick and Jamie stepped out of that role to return as missionaries in the Europe and the Middle East region. They have been invited to work with the Church of God congregation in Arco, Italy, walking alongside the local leaders, encouraging and mentoring them.
The entire team, commonly known as the Three Worlds team, focuses ministry through a prism of three points: They work to engage young people in cross-cultural ministry; support empowered and accountable leaders, especially under the age of 45; and create interconnectivity within churches, countries, and the entire region.
Their Story
While most recently having served as regional coordinators from 2010 to 2021, the Nachtigalls have extensive experience as missionaries and a deep understanding of missions and of global culture. Previously, they served for nine years as missionaries in Hong Kong, with outreach into mainland China as well. And both Patrick and Jamie grew up on the mission field, though on opposite sides of the world. Patrick is a third-generation missionary, the son of Church of God missionaries Harry and Jene Nachtigall. Costa Rican by birth, he grew up in Coast Rica and later returned to the States in middle school, living in Portland, Oregon. Jamie, also a third-generation missionary, grew up in Cairo, Egypt, the daughter of missionaries Russ and Sharon Skaggs, returning to the U.S. during her high school years.
Both graduated from Anderson University. Patrick also holds a master’s degree from Yale University, where he studied the role of Christianity during the process of modernization in the People’s Republic of China. During this time, Jamie worked for the Yale University Art Museums as the membership coordinator.
From early childhood, Patrick has been obsessed with airplanes and flying, an obsession which continues. From childhood, he also experienced a strong call to missions in China. Between the two of them, the Nachtigalls have traveled to more than seventy countries and lived in six different regions of the world. Patrick is also the author of five books, used in colleges and seminaries in various countries, dealing with the interaction of globalization and religion, particularly Christianity. They are the parents of an engaging college-age son.
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