Masyawong joins AMBS as Development Associate for Canada
Published: February 4, 2026
By Annette Brill Bergstresser
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — Yoel Trakoon Masyawong, MA, of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, began Feb. 1, 2026, as half-time Development Associate for Canada for Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana.
In his new role, Masyawong will focus on deepening relationships with current and prospective donors across Canada, as well as with pastors, congregations and leaders in Mennonite Church Canada’s five regional churches. He will also contribute to broader development efforts, including growing and diversifying the seminary’s donor base and strengthening its endowment. He is working remotely from Kitchener, where he will also continue his half-time role as Regional Minister for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC).
“I’m excited to have Yoel join our team,” said Bob Yoder, DMin, CFRM, CFRL, CPGM, Director of Development. “Throughout the search process, Yoel’s references consistently highlighted his strong interpersonal and relational skills, exceptional networking ability, collaborative spirit, high level of organization, attention to detail, humility and intercultural competence. I believe he will help keep AMBS employees well informed about current developments in Canada and will serve as an important bridge to our Canadian friends, pastors, alumni and supporters.”
A 2025 AMBS graduate, Masyawong brings more than 20 years of experience in ministerial leadership to his new position, having worked in intercultural ministry, preaching, teaching, leadership development, conflict mediation and community building. He also brings a wide range of connections across the church — especially within Mennonite Church Canada (MC Canada).
From 2004 to 2026, he served as part-time Pastor of Grace Lao Mennonite Church in Kitchener, a multicultural congregation of MCEC. From 2016 to 2024, he was a Mission Associate for MCEC, working alongside mission leaders to support new Canadian congregations, particularly first-generation immigrant churches in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. In this role, he also facilitated collaboration among cultural communities and provided mentoring and leadership training to pastors and lay leaders. In January 2025, he was promoted to the role of Regional Minister.
Masyawong also served as a member of the MCEC Leadership Council (2008–14), Chair of the MCEC Mission Council (2018–21) and MCEC Representative to the Joint Council of MC Canada (2021–24).
Yoder affirmed the cross-cultural experiences and perspectives that Masyawong, who is originally from Thailand, brings to his work. He lived in several cultural contexts during his childhood and has continued to navigate cultural diversity since moving to Canada in 2001. In addition to English and Thai, he speaks Mandarin, Laotian and Lisu.
Masyawong holds a Master of Arts: Theology and Global Anabaptism from AMBS (2025) and a Bachelor of Theology from Bangkok Bible Seminary in Thailand (2001).
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs — all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God’s reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu
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