John and Jacqueline Lambert
Sons: Brayden (7) and Aslan (4)
John and Jacqueline Lambert have been a part of Freedom House Church since 2004 and have served in many different roles. Our first long-term missionaries, the Lamberts have been sent to preach the Gospel to Thailand, a nation of over 65 million people with less than 1% evangelical Christians. The majority of its people are Theravada Buddhists by culture, with a strong mix of animism. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with freedom of religion, but it's surrounded by communist, military, and Islamic-influenced nations where active persecution of Christians takes place and many of the world’s poorest live.
The Lamberts' initial entry into Thailand was in March 2009, working in the Northeast under veteran missionaries Bill and Julie Hughes. During their first year and a half in country, they served in many areas of local ministry, studied the Thai language, made important observations and connections, and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in nations such as India and Laos. They now reside in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand. Because of its location and influence, Chiang Mai is a strategic base for missions in Thailand and all of Southeast Asia.
The Lamberts are partnered with and serving a multi-national team called Christian Outreach Centre Foundation (COC), a strong network of churches and training centers whose mission is to equip and empower national leaders to bring salvation, mercy, and justice to their cities, regions, and nations. Through COC's The Haven Foundation (“Hope, Aid, Vision, Education, and New Life), the Lamberts head up new evangelism and discipleship initiatives to bring the Gospel to the Thai people through the Thai people. Together with Haven, they bring a fresh awareness of opportunities to care for orphans, prostitution/human trafficking victims, and victims of natural disaster in Southeast Asia. The Lamberts will also itinerate to various other regions to bring the Gospel to the unreached while strengthening local churches and leadership through teaching and training seminars. While in Chiang Mai, the Lamberts will work with a local team to strengthen and bring momentum to local international and Thai churches through strategic planning, administration, and goal implementation.
The Lamberts will also host short term teams and interns from America. They've made connections with other local ministries in an effort to provide a wide variety of options for those wanting to visit and serve that region. In all of these endeavors, their ultimate goal is to be trained in the process of raising a up new “strategic base” in Thailand. Once their training is complete and a team is built, they'll have the option to reproduce what they've been taught with the purpose of raising up a missional-focused work in a new city somewhere in Thailand.