Valeene Hayes is a retired missionary that GBF continues to support. Valeene’s history with GBF began when her father Albert V. Hayes was the first pastor of Peoria Bible Church, which later was renamed Grace Bible Fellowship, when the church moved to Tangent.

Valeene Hayes was a missionary musician at Radio 4VEH in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. She began her ministry with One Mission Society in 1962. Although Valeene left active service in Haiti in 1997, she remains in touch and continues to minister through prayer, and Operation Saturation through the Men for Missions International office. She also continues to represent OMS whenever the opportunity arises.

For six years she was the music director for the OMS radio station and music instructor at the Vocational Bible School. Several Haitian musical groups that she inspired and trained were selected to portray missions in drama and song across Haiti, Canada, the British Isles, and the United States. Valeene then served from 1970-1976 at OMS World Headquarters in World Intercessors, the OMS prayer fellowship, challenging others in new dimensions of prayer. After a two-year leave of absence, during which she was employed as dean of women at Vennard College, she returned to Haiti in 1978 as dorm mother to missionaries' teenagers attending high school in Port-au-Prince.

In 1982 when Radio 4VEH added FM Stereo broadcasting to reach the business and professional community in northern Haiti, Valeenebecame the FM program director. She fulfilled her role in the Great Commission through a format of easy listening and inspirational music to catch the ear and nuggets from God’s Word to capture the heart. Valeene also conducted Bible studies for women and girls. Radio 4VEH, beams its message in different languages throughout Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Valeene had musical training at Manchester College and Cascade College. For years she enjoyed a music ministry alongside her pastor father and directed choirs and various music programs in Haiti and the United States.

Valeene currently lives in Anderson, Indiana, and continues to communicate with Grace Bible Fellowship.  She continues to bless GBF by sending yearly scripture calendar cards.

Dick and Dee served with African Inland Mission (AIM) for 40 years in ministry. They were married for nearly 60 years and had 2 daughters.

They spent 15 years in the Congo, teaching at an international high school. They also spent several years in the Comoro Islands, four small islands in the Indian Ocean, and 15 years in France.

In Comoros, they began their work among Muslims as teachers on the island of Moheli. Political upheaval forced them to evacuate to Kenya. Before long they returned to the island of Mayotte, which remained more stable as a French protectorate. This allowed them to establish a church in their home, where Dick ministered to a congregation of primarily Malagasy immigrants. In 1987, they established an AIM office in France, serving in an administrative role and recruiting native French speakers to serve in Africa. They lived in a suburb of Paris for the next 15 years, providing hospitality to all, supporting missionaries in various countries, and developing friendships with neighbors and churches.

In 2002, Dick and Dee “retired” and settled in Tacoma, Washington close to their daughters and grandchildren. Active in their church community, they helped prepare prospective missionaries, provided premarital counseling and helped develop men’s and women’s ministries. They traveled the US representing AIM and led several prayer teams to the Muslim country of Morocco.

In 2016, Dick and Dee moved to Grangeville, Idaho, to be with their family. They quickly developed a network of relationships in the community. In March 2023 Dick passed peacefully with his wife and family by his side.

Dee continues in ministry opening her cottage to a weekly bible study which continues to grow and flourish. Dee continues to mentor women and disciple them, and the ministry has grown to the point that they now have to meet in different homes.