Richard Bruce Cunningham, Jr.

Rev. Richard Bruce Cunningham, Jr., died Tuesday, September 12, 2023, in Springfield, Missouri. Rick was born March 27, 1951, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Rev. Dr. Richard B. and Alice Juanita (Gosnell) Cunningham.

Rick graduated from Hillcrest High School in Jos, Nigeria, in 1970. He received his B.S. in Secondary Education from Evangel University, Springfield, Missouri, in 1974. In 1990 he earned his M.A. in Cross-cultural Missions from Wheaton Theological Seminary, in Chicago, Il.

While at Evangel he met his wife, Janet Elaine Pugh. They have been married for 49 years. Rick and Jan served as pastors in Kansas for 5 years. In 1983 they were appointed as Assemblies of God missionaries. They first served for 12 years in Spain, where he opened multiple extensions of the national Bible school. Many of his students still serve as pastors and as national church leaders. In 1995 their family moved to Romania, where they lived for 27 years. During his ministry as a missionary, Rick was responsible for the translation of 140 theological and ministerial training books into Romanian. He was foundational in the growth of Peniel, a nation wide youth movement which helped send out Romania's first Pentecostal missionaries. Later, as one of the founders of the Pentecostal missions sending agency (APME) and Vice President of a school of missions in Romania, he mentored more than 75 Romanian missionaries now serving in 27 countries around the world.

Rick is survived by his wife, Janet, and three sons: Richie, with his wife Maya and daughters May Elise, Rebecca, Eliana, and Chiara; Bobby, with his wife Jonae, and children Micah, Lilli, Selah, and Adelyn; and Jonathan, with his wife Stephanie and children Brantley, Makenzie, and Braelyn. He is also survived by one sister, Cynthia, with her husband, Joel Shigo.

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 at the Adams Funeral Home in Nixa. A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 16, 2023, at the Grace Romanian Pentecostal Church on Highway WW, at 1:00. Burial will follow at Richwood Cemetery, Nixa.

Rick’s passion was for training students for ministry around the world. The influence of his life and work spreads around the globe. The family legacy of his life as a missionary, that began with his parents, missionaries to Togo, West Africa, and Janet’s parents, missionaries to Brazil, continued in Rick and Jan’s work in Europe. His commitment to the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ endures in the lives and work of his children and grandchildren. All his family, friends, and students will miss him dearly.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Cunningham Ministries in Romania.

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