Outreach

Arizona/New Mexico Trip 2024 Recap

The 2024 Arizona/New Mexico mission trip was a one-week trip to serve with the Across Nations ministry in Tse Bonito, New Mexico. Across Nations' mission is to equip Native Americans to exalt Jesus, encounter His goodness, and extend His kingdom. At the heart of Across Nations' ministry is their radio station, which reaches the entire Navajo reservation with Christian teaching and music, as well as coordinates ministry events.  

During this week, some of our technically skilled members installed audio and IT equipment to help get the new radio station operational. Many of our teens and adults also worked on cleanup in and around the radio station and throughout the rest of the Across Nations campus.  

Another key part of Across Nations' ministry is Hilltop Christian School for Navajo children. Our teens and adults volunteered at the school throughout the week, tutoring and teaching the children. Some of the youngest kids on our trip joined them daily for recess. Our goal was not only to minister to these children but also to bless the Hilltop staff by serving and assisting however we could. Our team loved serving there and building relationships with the children! A highlight of the week was when our children led the school chapel with skits and worship music.  

Throughout the week, we also participated in a pastors' prayer breakfast with pastors from across the reservation—some attending in person and others joining over Zoom. Some of our women attended a powerful Navajo women’s Bible study, while others took part in a teen outreach night of Ultimate Frisbee.  

Toward the end of the week, our entire team shifted focus to help Across Nations prepare for their big fundraiser and annual celebration. Several of our teens and younger children spoke on the radio about our work there and even sang worship songs live! Praise the Lord—by the end of the fundraiser, they had raised 140% of their goal! 

It is so encouraging to see the influence of God’s kingdom expand over time! That was certainly the case throughout our third trip to Scotland.

We partner with Young Life in an area of Scotland known as NE Fife. St Andrews is the most well-known city in that area, but there are several smaller communities containing thousands of middle school and high school students, many of whom have very little to no knowledge of Jesus, nor his invitation to live in relationship with him.

Young Life reaches these kids during the school year through weekly contact during school lunches, after school gatherings, and a weekly meeting known as “Club.” Their approach is relational, intentionally seeking out kids who could easily be missed. We made it our aim throughout camp to look for “the kid in the corner.” Our aim was to invite local students into the fun, into the community, into life-changing relationships of camp. All in all, 66 kids attended!

The five-day camp we served is known as “Summer Slam.” Each day consisted of several outdoor activities (sports, games, crafts), and a couple of indoor sessions involving music, skits, games and a message about Jesus from the gospels. After the indoor sessions, campers met in “knee-to-knee” time to discuss the brief story about Jesus.

By the end of the week, campers were invited to consider receiving the gift of forgiveness from Jesus and beginning a relationship with Him. Four students indicated they took that step of faith during camp. Fifteen others shared some insightful questions they wanted to discuss with a local leader in the days ahead. It was so encouraging to see response! It was also inspiring to see our team engaging with students … serving, cheering, listening, and befriending those whom God loves so passionately!

Here are a few statements made by campers on feedback cards at the end of the week …

“Thank you for these wonderful couple of days. I have had great fun and even though I'm not "in" yet, it has really opened my mind and made me reflect on myself and life.” - L.P.C.

“I am in. I want God to fight for me.” - R.

“I want to have God as a supporting figure in my life … Could I possibly get help finding a branch of Christianity for me?” D.J.

God is steadily raising up a new generation of believers in Scotland. We are grateful beyond words to play a small part in partnership with the Church in that country to reach precious people Jesus came to save.

At the end of June, sixteen people from our church went to Koper, Slovenia to help a small group of believers run a five-day English camp for middle schoolers.  Our hope was that, somehow, in the midst of English lessons, camp songs, 9-square, skits, and relay races we would be able to show these kids that Jesus' kindness and love has changed us forever.  But how to do it?  Slovenia is < 1% Christian and the soil is very hard. People there are generally intelligent, skeptical, self-sufficient, and wary of people who "ain't from around here."  How would we be able to establish a relationship with middle school kids in five days that was deep enough to talk about Jesus?


The Slovene believers behind the English camp also run a church youth group with about 10 kids, currently.  They attract Slovenian kids into an English camp by inviting crazy Americans to lead it in hopes that some of the kids will spot the light of Jesus inside us and be intrigued enough to respond to their invitation to come and see - to go to the youth group to find out what makes these Jesus followers so different. There, they will establish a relationship with these kids and start teaching about Jesus. 


So, our job, for 5 days, was to pour out the love God has lavished on us on the middle school kids. It was a beautiful thing!  In sharp contrast to Slovene teachers (who typically point out mistakes to motivate students to work harder), we took every opportunity to point out students' successes. We ate lunch with them and asked them about their families, friends, culture, and hobbies.  We played games that gave us opportunities to share things we found admirable about them. When they treated someone unkindly, as middle schoolers tend to do, we corrected them with kindness and patience.  It really was beautiful to see the kids slowly let down their guards as they began to feel safe and loved.  The change in their demeanor throughout the week was dramatic. You couldn't help but see yourself from God's perspective. We love Him because He first loved us.


At the end of camp, six kids said they would want to get more information about the youth group.  Pray for them!  Ask God to give them ears to hear and to draw them to himself.  Six kids would more than double the size of the youth group!  And please pray for the small team of believers in Koper as well.  The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Fellowship Bible Church was transformed into "Breaker Rock Beach," a beach in the Pacific Northwest, for this year's VBS!  Over 185 kids and 88 volunteers showed up to learn about God's unchanging truth in a world of shifting sands. Our key points for the week were, "Truth Comes from God" (the story of Adam and Eve), "God's Plan is Best" (Daniel chose God's way from Daniel 1), "Everyone Needs Jesus" (the story of the rich young ruler from Mark 10:17-27), "Jesus is the Only Way" (various passages that John wrote about Jesus), and "Speak the Truth in Love" (stories of how Paul encouraged the Ephesians).

The kids at VBS completed rotation areas each day including music, Bible, crafts, rec, snack, and missions, and in their missions rotation, our own Elizabeth Shrum taught the kids about the work that Family Life Missions is doing in Honduras. Throughout the week, kids brought in money to help purchase a new playset for their school in Honduras. By the end of the week, the kids had raised $2,400 for this playset!

The volunteers for this year's VBS were incredible, showing up each day with a smile and a willing attitude, available to serve God by serving kids. Several were serving at our church for the first time and commented how amazing it felt to be a part of such a servant-hearted, unified team.

Of greatest importance, there were many Gospel conversations at VBS, and 10 children prayed with an adult to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Two of these children were added to our VBS roster at the last moment when an additional volunteer stepped up, making another group possible. God was involved in every detail and pursued these kids' hearts in a tangible way.

Whether you had a child at VBS, served during the week, prayed for a child whose name was on your bracelet, or simply gave to the general fund at the church, you were an important part of a large team effort that reached kids for Jesus this summer. Thank you, Fellowship Bible Church!

 

3rd annual Liberty Heights Neighborhood: Backyard Bible Club

June 12-14th 

We had a wonderful 3 day experience with beautiful weather at our 3rd annual backyard bible club. Right in our backyard, we were able to welcome and serve 31 kids coming from 20 different families! We were able to sing, dance, laugh, and play together all while learning about who Jesus is and how following him changes everything! Our theme, Twist and Turns, gave encouraging insight into Christ’s character and the way he calls us to follow him through all the twists and turns of life. 

All of our kids who participated, from pre-k through 5th grade memorized the scripture for the week: “Make your ways known to me,Lord; teach me your paths.”

Psalm 25:4 CSB 

For those of you who prayed and came along side our small team, THANK YOU!! It was a beautiful week, and we are praying seeds were planted, watered, and the relationships formed in our neighborhood from this week will continue to grow! 

Honduras Trip 2024 Recap

I don’t remember much from my high school English class but every time I go on a mission trip the words from Harper Lee’s book To Kill A Mockingbird come to my mind. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb in his skin and walk around in it.” That’s exactly what our team of 14 people did in Honduras for a week partnering with Family Life Missions. We were given the honor to see life through their perspective. We did construction work alongside of them, we ate meals alongside of them, we worshipped alongside of them, we played games alongside of them, we stumbled our way speaking the language alongside of them, and we spent an entire week alongside of them. What an incredible blessing!

Our team consisted of 14 people ranging from teenagers to middle age, married to single, women to men. Over half of our team had never been on a mission trip before and they handled all the unexpected things, which happen on a trip with a flexible and graceful disposition. Here are some highlights of the week. 

• We worked on two homes in the community - the Hernandez-Johnson family and the Velasquez-Padilla family. The work at the homes consisted of painting the doors, windows, and a screened-in porch, putting in toilets, hanging sheet metal for a roof, mixing concrete, hanging the screen for the screened-in porch and mudding walls with concrete. After the work was finished for both homes, we celebrated with one team member giving a devotion and a meal with each family.
• We lead VBS in the community twice during the week. Our team sang songs, did arts and crafts, played games and led a devotional for the children. The women in our group had the opportunity to help on two occasions equipping the women in the community about being a godly wife and mother.
• We had a church-wide health fair at a local park. The fair was divided into different stations such as spiritual, emotional, educational, social, and physical where we were able to assist the local pastors to educate their congregation on the importance taking care of yourself. We were able to distribute around 200 care packages (a bible, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, washcloth, a towel, etc).
• Lastly, each morning two members of our group were able to give a devotional to the elementary children and the middle and high school group at the Family Life Mission School.

Thank you church family for your prayers and support. Thank you to each member who went on this trip. You made my job easy! We now know five minutes doesn’t mean five minutes: ). Thank you to the people of Honduras. You taught us all through your actions and words, “The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). We are better for having walked in your shoes for a week. You showed us Jesus. Until next time!  - Chad Vinson