Archive for March, 2009

Our community is on the Colville Confederated Indian Reservation in the mountains of beautiful northeast WA. Inchelium is just up the hill from Lake Roosevelt (the lake behind Grand Coulee Dam) which we cross on a 15-car ferry. Our community is a favorite recreation area. The church is made up of a mixed congregation (natives, whites who’ve lived here all their lives, and whites who have vacation homes in the area). Our community faces the usual challenges of communities near reservations – poverty, alcohol/drug abuse, dysfunctional families – but we continue to see God open doors of opportunity for the Gospel. And lives are being changed by His grace.

The church is just outside of Cable (downtown population: 93), about an hour’s drive NW of Columbus. The main sanctuary was built in 1863. Farms growing mostly feed corn & soybeans surround the area, though many residents work at the nearby Honda plant. Prayers: (1) We hold a weekly Children’s Bible Club at the elementary school along with another VM church. Pray for more children – we’ve seen as many as 49 attend – and that many would receive Christ as their Savior. (2) Pray for spiritual and numerical growth in the church, for the Lord to send us ten new families, and for continuing opportunities to impact lives in our community with the Gospel. (3) Pray that the church would be able to take on more of our financial support. (4) We have a weekly outreach at a nearby nursing home; we hold a Bible study for the residents and reach out to the staff as well. The Lord is opening doors.

On the side of a beautiful valley in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, we’re 30 miles from Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Long a farming community, now only a few continue farming as an occupation; most work in neighboring communities. When we came here 3 years ago, there were 8 members left at our church – most Sundays now average 25-30.  Our congregation is largely Sr. Citizens; we need young families with children if the church is to grow.  Now in our second year of AWANA as an outreach to local children, adequate staffing is a need.  We’d also appreciate prayers for one of our married daughters, who has an ongoing battle with an auto-immune disease.  The doctors are struggling to find the correct treatment at this time.

This is a rural area in northeast PA, in what’s considered the “Endless Mountains.” Farming, logging, meat packing, and manufacturing are the main occupations. Pray as we get into our new church building, that we will be a real outreach and impact in the community. Also, pray that through our leadership, Awana, and other activities, many would come to Christ and mature in Him.