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Mrs. Nancy Donnan

RCM Secretary, Bookkeeper &
General Incredible Helper

Mrs. Nancy Donnan, along with her husband, Rev. Geoffrey Donnan, are the longest members of Reformation Christian Ministries (RCM).  She went with him down to the mission field of Suriname in 1978 and helped work to establish what is now First Presbyterian Church in Paramaribo, Suriname.  She and her husband in 1979 opened up the Christian Liberty Academy (CLA) of Paramaribo (Christian elementary and secondary school).  She drew on her background of having been educated in a one room elementary school, and also overseeing the homeschooling of their two children for many years. 

She gradually moved into teaching at the high school level and for several years taught seventeen students in five grades with twenty-six courses.  Many of the students went on to gain scholarships at U.S. universities and most have confessed faith in Christ and been baptized.

Along with her husband she lived through the February 25, 1980 revolution in Suriname and the succeeding six years of coups and counter-coups.  She helped build the school from a two room school with sixteen children to a multi-building school at its maximum of 300+ students in the subsequent seven years that the Donnans remained in Suriname (till 1986).  She helped train most of the teachers and assisted with the administration.

Upon the return of the Donnans to the U.S. in August 1986, she took over the bookkeeping and operated as the secretary for the ministry, and then took upon that function in 1996 when it was officially incorporated.   Some of her responsibilities were transferred to David Card when he joined RCM in 1996.  She has faithfully overseen the entire bookkeeping and financial statements for RCM in conjunction with its various auditors and accountants.  In March 2008, when David Card took another job after twelve years with RCM, she  assumed many of his responsibilities and will continue doing so until a replacement can be found.

Nancy was born in 1947 in Osceola (now Calumet), Michigan (the Upper Penninsula).  She was the second generation from Finland born in the U.S.  Both of her grandparents were from Finland and only spoke Finnish in the home.  Her father was a copper-miner for many years, but later became a carpenter.  Her mother was a housewife caring for three children.  They were all faithful members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Laurium, Michigan.   After graduating from high school, she began working as an executive secretary for a large local company as well as for a local U.S. Congressman.  Later, she worked for the owners of a bank corporation and managed payroll.  Upon her marriage to Geoffrey in 1968, she relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was living and worked for Control Data Corporation. 

In 1972, they relocated to the Chicago area where Geoffrey became an entrepreneur in the executive recruiting business.  She was his secretary at Donnan-Hart, International for several years.   In 1974, after the Lord converted her husband to Christ (having been an atheist for about ten years), she was also brought by the Lord to make a confession of faith in Christ and followed him through the journey that led both to the mission field and to their affiliation with the Reformed Presbyterian church.

Their life after conversion meant upheaval after upheaval for a woman whose primary desire was to be a good housewife and mother settled in one place.  Nevertheless, as she was forced to move some seven times in eleven years, and two times since, God has taught her how to adapt.  Truly she has been a testimony to her dedication to the Lord in following her husband's calling and has been a tremendous helpmate to him and blessing both to her children and grandchildren and all who have gotten to know her.

Aside from her "volunteer" work for RCM all these years, she teaches six of her ten grandchildren piano, assisted for a number of years in their homeschooling and also helps to maintain part of RCM's property where they live.   She likes flower gardening, designing and was responsible for designing the office and house which have been built on the RCM property.   She has made it clear that there are no more moves.

So, while the moving has settled down, there is yet quite a bit of work ahead as both she and her husband believe that God will bring another generation of leaders to RCM to carry on what has turned out to be their life's work under the Lord's guidance.