Board of Directors

Jim Millard
President, Sunrise International Ministries
Yokosuka, Japan

Jim is the founder and president of Sunrise International Ministries, and has been serving in Japan for over 40 years. Jim and Masako have four adult children and 13 grandchildren. Jim attended the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary where he studied theology of missions, history of missions, anthropology, leadership, church growth and multiplication. This has been foundational over the years of seeking to advance the Kingdom in Japan and doing leadership development and discipleship training across Asia and Europe.

Ron Sauer
The Fellowship
Springfield, OR

Ron and his wife Cheryl have four children and eight grandchildren. With over five decades of experience in Youth Ministry and Leadership Development, Ron holds a B.S. and M.A. in Education from the University of Oregon, as well as a Certificate in Transformational Coaching from Western Seminary. He is also accredited as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coaching Federation. His career includes roles as a Middle School teacher, High School coach, and a 35-year tenure with Young Life. Currently, Ron serves as Vice President of Sunrise International Ministries and Board Chair for the Thurston Life Foundation. For the past 15 years, he has been coaching ministry leaders both locally and internationally. His vision statement is “I cast vision, building individuals, developing teams to impact a new generation for Jesus.”  It is his firm conviction that healthy leaders build healthy ministry. All of this flows out of his simple love relationship with Jesus.

John Alban
Pastor, Life Church at Wayside
Eugene, OR

John and Karen both grew up in the Eugene/Springfield area of Oregon where they met and were married. They have two sons, Ed, and Tim, and two grandchildren Jax, and Lilietta. They have been Pastors of Life Church at Wayside in Springfield Oregon for the past 11 years. Their heart is to equip and train the body of Christ to become kingdom men and women, who have true fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The goal is to make disciples who advance God’s kingdom. John is a long-standing member of the Sunrise Board of Directors and has been a close friend of Jim and Masako Millard for over 40 years.

Paul Dow
Retired
Gig Harbor, WA

Paul and his wife Jane, currently residing in Gig Harbor, Washington, are originally from Springfield, Oregon, where Paul grew up. Paul is a retired Registered Nurse with 42 years of service. Now in retirement, he enjoys gardening, raising chickens, and beekeeping. He is passionate about encouraging men to follow Jesus. Jane, a flight attendant with Alaska Airlines for 19 years, uses her gift of hospitality to minister to women and families in their community. Married for 46 years, they have three married sons and six grandchildren. Paul and Jane have been long-time supporters of Sunrise International Ministries and have participated in missions to Central and South America. As a board member, Paul is dedicated to encouraging those in the mission field and praying for grace and transformation through God’s Word and Spirit.

Felicity Dale
House2House Ministries
Texas, USA

Felicity Dale, a trained physician from Barts Hospital in London, worked as a family doctor in one of London’s poorest areas. She and her husband, Tony, were pioneers in the British House Church Movement, planting churches in their medical school and East London community. In 1987, they moved to the United States, enduring several challenging years before establishing businesses to support themselves and continuing their passion for church planting. This led to the founding of House2House Ministries, a platform for resourcing the growing house church movement. Felicity has co-authored several books on house churches and women in ministry. She and Tony have ministered globally and have a special connection with Jim and Masako Millard of Sunrise International Ministries. They are blessed with four children and eleven grandchildren.

Chris Cobb
Founder / Pres / CTO – Pragma Platform
Los Angeles, CA

Chris and his wife have four children and are located in the Los Angeles area. Chris graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Computer Science. He has a 15+ year tenure in the video game industry, and is the founder, president, and CTO of Pragma, an extensible backend game engine. Chris has had a long-standing relationship with the Millard family and Sunrise International Ministries and has been serving on the Board of Directors since 2018.