Archive for July, 2007

Scottsburg is located 1½ hours southwest of Eugene and 17 miles from the coast. We are in a beautiful valley beside the Umpqua River. The community here is generally a retirement community. Our second field of Ash Valley is 17 miles up in the hills, around a beautiful lake. Pray for a maturing in the congregations, and that the Spirit would draw the unchurched in seeking Him.

We are in a largely agricultural area.  Some of the crops grown are tobacco, ginseng, asparagus, corn, beans, high bush blueberries, strawberries, cauliflower, and broccoli, just to name a few. Most people who are not involved in farming commute 30 minutes to an hour to work. We are located about 1½ hours west of Toronto, 2½ hours east of Windsor, just ½ hour south of the 401.Most of our clubs are shut down for the summer, but do pray for their startup in the fall, that children and youth avail themselves of the activities and teaching of God’s Word. Pray for our VBS, which usually has upwards of 50 children registered. Pray for “Spiritual Partners,” a discipleship program that we are starting.

Wetmore is in the northeast corner of Kansas where we have rolling hills and lots of trees. It is a beautiful area with many farms. The farms are a mixture of dairy, beef, and various grains. Our community is only about 350 people but we have a school, library, and even a public pool. Our town is very community-oriented and is a great place for families and children. We are also only about 15 miles from Holton, a town with a Wal-Mart, and only about 40 minutes from Topeka, the capital. Our biggest ministry for the last two years has been our weekly after-school program. This year we averaged about 35 children a week ranging from 3 years old to 6^th grade. Our program has taken many volunteers and a lot of money. We will be changing to a new program next year.  Please pray that the children and teachers will enjoy the new program and that the children will truly learn about the Lord and be changed by our efforts. Please pray also that we will be able to reach the parents of the children involved in our program as many of them are otherwise completely unchurched. In addition to our after school program, please also pray for our high school youth group. It is very small and struggles at times. Please pray for the salvation and spiritual growth of those involved in it. Also, please pray for the unity and growth of our church body as a whole. 

Galena is in the middle of Alaska, about 250 air miles west of Fairbanks. It is a town of about 750 people that is only accessible by plane or boat. The people are a mixture of Athabasca Indians, Eskimos, and Caucasians. Hunting and fishing aren’t just sports here – they are a way of life. There are two different schools in town – the city school, which goes from K-12, and the Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA), which is a boarding school for grades 9-12 held in the abandoned Air Force Base. We are very excited about all the opportunities for ministry. Praise God for the large number of men already involved in the church, and the ministries that are already taking place. Pray that God will provide the additional support that we need. Pray that God will open doors for us into the community, and that we will bond with those in the church quickly.

We are located approximately 45 miles west of Portland, OR, and about that far east of the coast. The beauty of several filbert orchards surrounds our picturesque little white county church. We are very thankful for the several projects that have recently been completed around the church. The wheelchair access is in place for downstairs, and we pray the necessary work to arrange an access for upstairs will soon be in progress. We are praying for the Word of Life youth camp that a number of our church will be a part of this summer. This is a great opportunity for several young people to not only be introduced to their Savior, but also understand a little of what it means to dedicate their lives to pleasing Him.  Vacation Bible School follows camp.  Here, the prayer is similar: clear Gospel presentations to community children who come, and spiritual growth.  There is also the hope of new children who attend VBS to continue learning about their God by joining our Word of Life, Olympian youth group.