Dave and Patti Schatzmann’s call to missions began with a moment neither of them could ignore. During a Sunday morning missions service at Christian Chapel, missionary Bryan Webb gave an altar call, saying he believed God was calling someone who was “very well connected” and had “done well” in life to commit to missions in the Pacific. Patti immediately felt like God was speaking directly to her. At the same time, Dave was sensing the Holy Spirit prompting him, but neither knew the other was feeling the same thing. Dave quietly told God he couldn’t move forward unless He was also calling Patti. Later, when they talked, they discovered they had both wanted to respond to the altar call. That moment began a journey that would eventually take them to the mission field after more than 30 years in their professions.
They contacted Bryan and were invited to a Missions and Me conference in July 2022, where they applied and were accepted as missionaries. By March 2024, they were serving as missionaries in Micronesia.
Micronesia is a vast region of the Pacific made up of more than 2,000 islands and atolls scattered across an enormous area of ocean. The Federated States of Micronesia alone includes 607 islands stretching roughly 1,800 miles from east to west. It is a place where distance can make ministry difficult. Communities are scattered across tiny islands, many far from major population centers, and reaching remote communities can require long boat trips or flights in small aircraft. For Dave and Patti, that isolation is part of what makes Micronesia so important. They often refer to these communities as “the forgotten people”, places that can be easy to overlook simply because they are so difficult to reach.
Their original assignment was to serve in Kiribati, and they had even begun learning the language. But God redirected their plans, and they found themselves serving on the island of Pohnpei. For their first term, much of their time was spent learning the language and culture, building relationships, and discovering where God was opening doors for ministry.
During those first two years, Dave and Patti became involved in a variety of ministries, including women’s ministry, prison ministry, children’s ministry, sports camps, college ministry through Chi Alpha, and outreach through the local church. They also participated in the Pacific Mini Games, where they passed out thousands of water bottles and connected with people through sports and prayer.
One of the most significant opportunities came through clean water ministry. After connecting with Sawyer Water Filters, Dave and Patti began learning how to provide clean drinking water to communities while also sharing the message of Jesus. They distributed approximately 90 household water filters in a community that had no church. As they went house to house teaching families how to use and maintain the filters, they also shared about Jesus, and 21 people gave their lives to Christ or recommitted their lives to Him. What began as a clean water project has continued to grow into something much bigger. By July 2026, five house churches were meeting weekly in that community. There are now hopes of establishing the first church there.
Dave and Patti are currently back in the United States sharing about what God has done and raising the support needed to return. Their desire is to go back to Pohnpei and continue serving through clean water ministry, discipleship, church development, and reaching remote communities. They would love to return as soon as possible, and currently have a little over half of the financial support they need. Their hope is to return by early 2027, but plan to go as soon as the necessary funds are in place.
Would you join us in praying for Dave and Patti as they raise the remaining support and prepare to return to Micronesia?
To support their ministry, visit christianchapel.com/give and write “Schatzmann” in the giving notes section.
