The Gospel Goes Where Roads Cannot
Preach. Disciple. Send. Repeat.
Reaching remote rainforest villages in Panama with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, equipping indigenous pastors, and serving the Wounaan people since 1995.
0+
Years of Ministry
Since 2007
Bible Institute Operating
0.0 yrs
Pastoral Diploma Program
0
Indigenous People Groups Served
Our Mission
Reaching the Unreached
PMF missionaries are going where there are no roads, traveling in dugout canoes on the rivers and tributaries of the Darien province of Panama.
Vince and Gretta Payne began ministering in Panama in 1995 and, since its founding in 2007, PMF missionaries have traveled deep into the rainforests of the Darien and Panama provinces to preach the Gospel, disciple new believers, and train Christian leaders.
Panama Mission Foundation is a 501(c)(3) approved Christian ministry.
Give to the Mission
The Big Picture
From American Supporters to Panamanian Villages
The Gospel and the funding that carries it begin with supporters across the United States. Every gift lands in Panama, then moves outward, village by village, planting churches and training pastors among the Wounaan people.
Given in the US
Supporters and churches send help
Lands in Panama
Missionaries receive every gift
Sent to the villages
Churches planted, pastors trained
What We Do
Three Pillars of Ministry
Preach, disciple, send. The pattern Jesus gave His church, carried out village by village across the Darien Province.
Preach
PMF missionaries travel by boat to the remote rainforest villages of the Darien Province, home to the Wounaan, Emberá, and Guna peoples, carrying one message: salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Romans 10:15 | John 14:6
Disciple
New believers are discipled at every level, from the first steps of faith to full leadership training at the PMF Bible Institute, so that indigenous churches are shepherded and led by their own people.
Matthew 28:19,20 | 2 Timothy 2:2
Send
Trained leaders are sent out to plant new churches, preach the Gospel, and raise up the next generation of workers for the harvest. How are they to preach unless they are sent?
Romans 10:15 | Luke 10:2
And then we repeat, village by village, until our Lord Jesus returns.
How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!Romans 10:15
PMF Bible Institute
Training Leaders Who Will Train Others
The PMF Bible Institute equips indigenous pastors to plant churches and multiply disciples across Panama.
Established in 2014 in the District of Chiman, Panama, the PMF Bible Institute provides a 2.5-year diploma program in Pastoral Ministry. Students are faithful, reliable men selected from local communities to become the next generation of indigenous church leaders.
Graduates leave equipped to preach the Gospel, plant new churches, disciple believers, shepherd congregations, and train other men, ensuring the mission continues long after any single missionary departs.
Support the InstituteOur Story
Three indigenous peoples make their home in the rainforests of the Darien: the Wounaan, the Emberá, and the Guna. Their villages are reachable only by boat. PMF goes to them, village by village, one boat ride at a time.
1995
The Work Begins
Vince & Gretta and their two young boys make their first trip to Panama. They experience firsthand how difficult it is to live and to work in the rainforest. Vince continued to make annual trips to Panama, learning Spanish, teaching God's Word, building relationships. Through this, God was laying the foundation for something more.
2007
Founded
Vince & Gretta Payne establish Panama Mission Foundation, launching boat-based Gospel outreach to remote jungle villages.
2014
Bible Institute Opens
The PMF Bible Institute launches in Chiman with a 2.5-year pastoral diploma program.
Today
A Multiplying Movement
31+ years in. Trained men are planting churches and training the next generation to continue the work. The translation of the Old Testament into Woun Meo is more than 50% complete and, Lord willing, the Wounaan will soon have a complete Bible in their native language.
1995
The Work Begins
Vince & Gretta and their two young boys make their first trip to Panama. They experience firsthand how difficult it is to live and to work in the rainforest. Vince continued to make annual trips to Panama, learning Spanish, teaching God's Word, building relationships. Through this, God was laying the foundation for something more.
2007
Founded
Vince & Gretta Payne establish Panama Mission Foundation, launching boat-based Gospel outreach to remote jungle villages.
2014
Bible Institute Opens
The PMF Bible Institute launches in Chiman with a 2.5-year pastoral diploma program.
Today
A Multiplying Movement
31+ years in. Trained men are planting churches and training the next generation to continue the work. The translation of the Old Testament into Woun Meo is more than 50% complete and, Lord willing, the Wounaan will soon have a complete Bible in their native language.
Darien Fluvial Outreach
There are an estimated 5,000+ miles of rivers and tributaries in the Darien province. PMF has begun a large-scale, multi-year campaign targeting every community situated along their banks. Sending out teams in rotation, communities along all waterways will be visited. Even small tributaries will be traveled to the point they are no longer navigable or until resistance makes further progress impossible.
Teams will be equipped with Starlink satellite equipment, mapping and demographic software, allowing them to document their travels, record the geocoordinates of each community and input pertinent information about each. We will prioritize villages that have never been evangelized. Where we are welcomed, evangelization will begin immediately.
Over time, the place markers added to the master map will show us clearly where we have been and where we have yet to travel. With God's help, we will take the Gospel to every man, woman, and child in Darien, Panama.
The Model
Preach. Disciple. Send. Repeat.
Every dollar given, every prayer offered, and every church partnered with PMF fuels this five-step cycle that multiplies disciples and plants lasting churches.
Give
Partner with PMF through secure online giving, ACH bank transfers, or mailed checks. Contact us if you'd like to give by ACH.
Preach
Missionaries travel by boat to remote villages with the Gospel.
Disciple
New believers are welcomed into local church communities.
Train
Men enroll in the PMF Bible Institute for full pastoral training.
Send
Graduates plant churches, train others, and multiply the work.
Give
Partner with PMF through secure online giving, ACH bank transfers, or mailed checks. Contact us if you'd like to give by ACH.
Preach
Missionaries travel by boat to remote villages with the Gospel.
Disciple
New believers are welcomed into local church communities.
Train
Men enroll in the PMF Bible Institute for full pastoral training.
Send
Graduates plant churches, train others, and multiply the work.
From the Field
The Villages Your Gift Reaches
Every donation sends a missionary by boat to communities no road will ever reach.
Common Questions
Your Questions, Answered
Everything you need to know about Panama Mission Foundation and how your gift reaches the field.
Translation Underway
Scripture in Their Own Tongue
PMF is partnering in the translation of the Old Testament into Woun Meo, the native language of the Wounaan people. The work is more than 50% complete and, Lord willing, the Wounaan will soon have a complete Bible in their native language, so that indigenous believers in eastern Panama and Colombia can read and hear God's Word in the language of their hearts.
Over 50%
Of the Old Testament translated into Woun Meo, the Wounaan native language
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne.”
Revelation 7:9
Leadership
Vince Payne, Chairman and Director
Founding Director of PMF, ministering in Panama since 1995.
The primary work of the church is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ so that more will be saved. Everything else should facilitate that objective. When the body of Christ works together, more people will be saved from their sins and receive eternal life. Jesus has promised to return at an unknown hour. When he returns, I pray that He find us busy at His work, taking the good news of God's great love to all creation. Thank you for partnering with PMF. May our efforts result in a great harvest of souls for God's Eternal Kingdom.
Vince Payne
Chairman and Director, Panama Mission Foundation
Board of Directors
Vince Payne
Chairman
Gretta Payne
Treasurer
Jane Wiebe
Secretary
Tim Peffly
Board Member
Chris Tatham
Board Member
Bryanna Payne
Board Member
All board members serve without compensation.
Founding Directors Remembered
We gratefully remember the founding board members who helped establish Panama Mission Foundation and have since gone to be with the Lord. Their faithful service helped lay the foundation for the ministry we continue today.
View In MemoriamOn the Ground
Field Missionaries
The men traveling by boat to reach Panama's rainforest villages.
Tarquino Membache
Pastor / Missionary
Abraham Cabezon
Pastor / Missionary
Clemente Dobisave
Pastor / Missionary
Angelmiro Asmaca
Pastor / Missionary
Eladio Negria
Pastor / Missionary
Adonis Guacoriso
Pastor / Missionary
Natanael Cheucarama
Pastor / Missionary
Ameth Guainora
Pastor / Missionary
Wilder Membache
Pastor / Missionary
Milciades Escudero
Pastor / Missionary
Make It Count
Your Gift In Action
Every dollar goes directly to field operations and pastoral training. Here is what your partnership makes possible.
Starting At
$30
per month
Fuel for the River
Covers the boat fuel for one round-trip journey to a remote village, carrying the Gospel to communities no road will ever reach.
Give $30/MonthStarting At
$75
per month
Weekly Field Ministry
Funds a full week of field missionary expenses, including travel, Bibles, and outreach materials, putting the Word in the hands of Wounaan believers.
Give $75/MonthStarting At
$200
per month
Pastor in Training
Helps sponsor one student's enrollment in the PMF Bible Institute, equipping an indigenous leader with a full 2.5-year diploma in Pastoral Ministry.
Give $200/Month501(c)(3) Approved
Tax-deductible giving
Serving Since 1995
31+ years in Panama
Volunteer Board
No paid board members
100% Donor Funded
Contributions and grants
EIN 87-0810061. All donations are tax-deductible.
Sponsor the Work
Support a Pastor or a Missionary
Partner with PMF at the level that fits you. Give a full share, half, or a quarter each month, and share directly in raising up and sending indigenous leaders in Panama.
Pastor Training
A full share is $400 per month
Sponsors a student in the PMF Bible Institute, a 2.5-year diploma program equipping an indigenous man to preach, plant churches, and disciple believers.
Missionary Funding
A full share is $500 per month
Helps support a field missionary serving remote rainforest communities by boat, taking the Gospel to remote villages, discipling believers, and strengthening local churches.
Choose your share, then give securely by PayPal or Venmo, or mail a check. Add a note with the program you are supporting so your gift is directed where you intend.
Pray for Panama
Join Us in Prayer
Your prayers go where every dollar goes. Partnering with PMF in prayer is one of the most powerful things you can do for the mission.
The Wounaan People
Romans 10:14
Pray for open hearts in the remote rainforest villages of the Darien Province, that the Wounaan people will hear and receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Bible Institute Students
2 Timothy 2:2
Pray for the men enrolled in the PMF Bible Institute in Chiman, that they grow in faith and wisdom, and graduate ready to plant churches and train the next generation.
The Field Missionaries
Matthew 28:20
Pray for Vince and the pastors and missionaries serving in the field, for safety traveling by boat through Panama's rainforest rivers, and for strength to persevere in remote ministry.
Want to receive monthly prayer updates from the field?
Email PMF for Prayer UpdatesPartner With PMF
Send the Gospel Where You Cannot Go
Your gift goes directly to field operations and pastoral training. PMF is 501(c)(3) approved, all donations are tax-deductible, and every board member serves without compensation.