International Ministries (IM) announces the retirement of Global Servant Susan Hegarty. Her 34 years of ministry have left a lasting impact across Latin America. As she steps into retirement on August 31, 2025, we honor her journey—from her early work and call to mission to her multifaceted work teaching students and adults, serving vulnerable women and strengthening communities of faith.

Growing up, Sue’s father was an American Baptist minister in Pennsylvania. Hosting missionaries was common for her family, and the possibility of overseas mission work was not foreign to her. Although her father would have loved to have a missionary doctor in the family, she was drawn to learning languages and delving deeply into the biblical text.

Sue attended Eastern University, majoring in French with a minor in Spanish. In seminary, she focused on the interpretation of the Bible, graduating in 1982 from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) with a Master of Arts in Religion.

As the chair of her church’s mission board, she organized a trip to Nicaragua. The group worked alongside missionaries, Steve and Sheila Heneise. They became important mentors to Sue in her mission work. Seeing the Nicaraguan people’s generosity, even with their limited resources, deeply affected her. This experience became the beginning of Sue’s call to cross-cultural mission.

Sue returned to Nicaragua in September 1989 for a nine-month, short-term volunteer mission through International Ministries. With her background in educational ministry, she worked to create Sunday School curriculum and materials for Baptist churches. After her return, she served as IM’s interim short-term mission director.

In 1991, Sue became a special service worker with IM, serving again in Nicaragua through 1995. God had been weaving a story of service throughout Sue’s life, and in 1996, she was officially commissioned as an IM global servant. She continued writing curriculum and held Christian education workshops throughout the region. She also trained a curriculum writing group for the Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention, intentionally creating content for teens and young adults who had previously been overlooked.

From 1998 to 2010, Sue served in Cuba, teaching Greek and Christian education at the Eastern Cuba Baptist Seminary (STBCO). She also continued to work with the curriculum writing group. Although there were many hardships, Sue shared that the church’s vibrancy was amazing: “You see how God answers prayers pretty dramatically because they don’t have any other options!”

Sue’s work in Nicaragua and Cuba laid a strong foundation for the next chapter of her ministry. In 2012, she was invited to Costa Rica, where she continued to pursue God’s call in new and expansive ways.

Her ministry in Costa Rica was deeply relational. It grew out of the grace and mercy she experienced during her own personal struggles. Partnering with the Baptist Federation of Costa Rica, she provided classes to women and cared for and supported Nicaraguan immigrant women and their children coming out of domestic violence situations.

In 2021, when the two-year mentoring program, Talita Cumi Girls’ Club, expanded into Costa Rica, Sue began training leaders. These women provided safe, spiritually nurturing spaces for young girls to grow in self-worth, faith, and leadership each week. As part of the coordinating team, she also helped create additional curriculum to provide leaders and girls with a follow-up year.

Early on in her time in Latin America, Sue learned an important lesson that she carries with her: “I came from working in an office where you needed to get things done quickly, to a place that has more to do with relationships than with the project. It finally clicked that, without building the relationships along the way, no one would show up [to the event or training]. That revolutionized my thinking more than anything—ministry is relational.”

In retirement, Sue plans to continue relational ministry, engaging others in Bible studies, spending time with family and volunteering with the Talita Cumi Girls’ Club in Costa Rica.

International Ministries is grateful for Sue’s faithful service and lasting impact. We invite you to celebrate her service and join us in prayer as she takes her next steps into retirement.

For further information, to send messages of appreciation or to redirect your giving, please contact International Ministries at imdonorservices@internationalministries.org