UPCOMING MISSIONS TRIPS
PARAGUAY IN 2025
The dates for the trip are Thursday, January 17 – Sunday, January 26, 2025.
Click on the link below for more information.
The basic cost for the trip will be approximately $3,000 which will include your flights, ground transportation, lodging, meals, etc.
A deposit of $300 is due by Sunday, July 30th to secure your spot on the trip. We have two spots remaining. You will also need to register below.
If you have any questions, please contact Bob Confer 269-470-9877.
TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN OF PROMISE
GLOBAL MISSIONS
CHILDREN OF PROMISE
Children of Promise provides a future for children, offering education, nutrition, health, and spiritual nurture. CofP kids are able to better their lives, enjoy health and vitality, and establish an eternal relationship with God. They become contributors in their community, and country, and for the Kingdom of God.
First Church has the highest number of CofP child sponsorships in the world! Wow! That is something to celebrate!
To know more about sponsoring a child through Children of Promise, contact our church office or click here to find out how to sponsor a child.
AFRICA
John and Gwen Johnson are Regional Connectors in Africa helping the Church of God in Africa to thrive! They work with 8 missionaries, pastors, and church leaders in the region. To receive their newsletter, and more information about the Johnsons, click here https://chogglobal.org/team/
We are heavily invested in the work being done in Malawi where Emmanuel Msamba is the key leader. Our team built the Ministry Center in 2016, and the dormitories in 2022. This has become a vital meeting place for ministerial student training, pastor conferences, as well as conventions for women and youth.
INDIA
The ministry happening in India right now is not unlike the early church that spread from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Millions across South Asia still need to hear the Good News about Jesus, and millions more need practical blessings like education, medical care, and economic opportunity.
Through the ministry we support in India, hope is shining out to a world darkened by desperate poverty and ancient idolatry. Our giving offers hope and compassionate care to millions!
EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Our Regional Connectors for all of Europe and the Middle East are Nate and Stacy Tatman. They are based in Madrid, Spain, but they work with a dynamic team of missionaries and pastors that keep them on the road and in the air traveling often. They oversee and influence all the Church of God leadership within these large diverse regions.
We are excited to extend our reach of impact on so many through our support of the Tatmans. This is such a vital ministry, especially with all that is happening right now in Ukraine.
To discover more about the ministry the Tatmans are doing, please click here… https://chogglobal.org/team/
LEBANON
Heart for Lebanon is a faith-based holistic ministry bringing dignity to the marginalized and rejected communities in Lebanon, including Syrian and Iraqi refugees living in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and Southern Lebanon, as well as the Bedouin, Gypsy, Turkmen and the poorer Lebanese communities residing throughout the country.
Visit the Heart for Lebanon website at… https://heartforlebanon.org/
LATIN AMERICA
Our regional coordinators for Central and South America are Jason and Abby Torgeson. They live in Costa Rica, but the impact of their work is felt all through the region. Through Jason and Abby, our reach is extended to hundreds of missionaries and ministries throughout all of Central and South America.
PARAGUAY
Since 2002, First Church has built 7 church buildings to support the local churches in Paraguay, allowing them to increase their reach for Christ. We also invest in the radio station and Timothy’s School. Our work projects often include children’s VBS programs. We have impacted 100’s of children in this way!
First Church’s investment in Paraguay also involves teacher training, leadership training, and seminary training for pastors and church leaders.
HAITI
House of Blessings Orphanage: We helped double the size of the orphanage in 2018, so that 40 children are now served. The kids are either orphaned with no family or they are children whose families are so destitute that they cannot care for them. Loving house parents provide care, love, and a warm Christian family environment. Through a partnership with Children of Promise, the costs of housing, clothing, nutrition, education, and Christian nurture are covered.
We have taken three trips to the orphanage, where we connected with these precious children. We hope to go again in the future when safety issues in this country settle.
PASS CREEK MISSION, ALLEN, SOUTH DAKOTA
Kim and Tim Wardell are our missionary partners with the Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. This area of our country struggles desperately with poverty, suicide, and substance abuse. At the same time, there is so much rich beauty in the people and the culture.
Our primary goal when we do work projects is sharing the love of Jesus and building our friendship with Tim and Kim and the people. A secondary goal is helping out in practical ways with building projects. If you are interested in knowing more about our next work project trip, please CLICK HERE to email Rachel.
To read the Pass Creek Mission blog, click here… http://passcreekmission.
RECEIVE MONTHLY GLOBAL MISSIONS PRAYER UPDATES
If you would like to receive our monthly global missions prayer update, please email chris.s@myfirstchurch.com, afpark@hotmail,com to be added to the list.