Portrait of LaVerne Tope. IMB Photo
LaVerne Tope, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, died March 11, 2025. She was 96.
LaVerne was born Dec. 26, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, to the late Les C. and Arlene Bryant Warnecke. She graduated from Sikeston (Missouri) High School and attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and Mary Hardin-Baylor College (now University of Mary Hardin-Baylor), Belton, Texas.
When she was 9 years old, LaVerne gave her heart to Jesus during a revival meeting. While seeking missionary appointment she recalled falling away from God as she grew up. After graduation from high school, while working to save money for college, she met Christian friends and began to attend church again. During this time, she also met Charles Tope, who told her he felt a calling to preach. They were married on Aug. 7, 1949. In 1952, after Charles graduated from college, they accepted a call to a church near Dekalb, Texas. Over the next few years, they served in several different churches across Texas.
While seeking missionary appointment she wrote, “In 1957, First Baptist Church, Belton, Texas, called us to lead them. … Soon after coming, we began to feel God speaking to us about missions but struggled with the decision until we went to the Convention in May of 1958. As Dr. Cauthen spoke, we looked at each other and said almost as one voice, ‘We must offer ourselves.’”
She explained further, “When we first knew God wanted us as missionaries, we had no idea where we wanted to go. … Finally, we came to say, ‘Lord, please lead us anywhere except Africa.’ Africa seemed to be the only place we didn’t want to go. Isn’t it often true that God won’t lead you until you are ready to give in completely? When we came to say, ‘Lord, even if it is Africa we’ll go,’ then it was that He said, ‘I want you in Africa.’ Now we feel such an urgency – we have much to do here and yet we see the need so clearly in Africa.”
In 1959, the International Mission Board appointed Charles and LaVerne missionaries to East Africa. They served in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
LaVerne was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Rev. Charles Alvin Tope Sr., and her sons, Joseph Howard Tope and Charles (Chuck) Alvin Tope Jr.
She is survived by her two daughters, Cynthia LaVerne Tope Jensen (Dr. Jim Jensen), and Carrie Noelle Tope Merritt (Mark Merritt); three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.