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Hello, my friends, As I write this, we are preparing to leave on our church’s fourth mission trip. Let me start with a huge thank you to all those who have provided support both financially and spiritually. This year, thirteen people will travel to Hazlet, New Jersey, bringing their hearts and hands to serve those in need. It is an opportunity not only to complete important work, but also to build relationships, offer encouragement, worship together, and share God’s love through our presence and service. In total there will be over 400 participants between the teenagers and the adults coming from all over the country to support this community.

Mission trips remind us that faith is about more than what we believe. It is also about how we live. Each person traveling brings different gifts and abilities, but everyone shares a willingness to serve. Together, we will work, learn, laugh, and perhaps even discover something new about ourselves, one another, and the ways God is at work in the world.

When we return, we will move right into Vacation Bible Camp (formerly Vacation Bible School). Once again, our church will open its doors to the wider community, inviting children to come together for a week of learning, creativity, friendship, and fun. Through stories, songs, games, crafts, and the care shown by our volunteers, we hope each child will experience a place where they learn about and get a little closer to God.

At first glance, a mission trip and Vacation Bible Camp may seem like two very different ministries. One takes us beyond the walls of our church to serve others, while the other invites our neighbors inside. Yet both share the same ultimate purpose: helping to build a foundation of faith for everyone involved.

That foundation is built not only in those we serve or the children who attend. It is also strengthened in every volunteer, participant, family member, and congregation member who supports these ministries. Faith grows when we step forward, work together, welcome others, and allow God to use what we have to make a difference.

Please keep our mission team, the people we will serve in Hazlet, our Vacation Bible Camp children and families, and all our volunteers in your prayers. May these weeks remind us that wherever we go—and whoever walks through our doors—we have an opportunity to plant seeds of faith, share God’s love, and help build a foundation that can last a lifetime.

With much love,

-Pastor Brian