Interested in participating in a Short Term Mission Project?  The following links provide information about a variety of projects for people of all ages.  Your Missions Support Team has application forms available that partial support for anyone who desires to participate.  Please contact the church office by email or call 616-949-4342 for more information.

Mobile Food Pantry

We've started a partnership with Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank to provide free, perishable food to those in need once a month in our parking lot.
Volunteers are needed once each month from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on these dates in 2010:

Monday, January 4
Monday, February 1
Monday, March 1
Monday, April 5
Monday, May 3
Monday, June 7
Wednesday, July 7
Monday, August 2
Wednesday, September 8
Monday, October 4
Monday, November 1
Monday, December 6

Please contact the church office by email or call 616-949-4342 for more information or to sign up for a date.

New Opportunities for Adventurous Volunteers
The program is called ServiceLink and it is the Volunteer Program of the CRC.  It started in Canada in 1995, but this summer also set up an office here in the US. If you're interested in finding out more about ServiceLink and how it works with the CRC agencies, then visit the website at www.crcservicelink.org The latest opportunities for Summer of 2010 can be seen here.

Christian Reformed World Relief has a service link. Internships and volunteer positions available, and are suited mainly for adults. Find out more at www.crwrc.org. Get Involved!

Facing Your Future Program. This is a program that works with Encounters (part of Youth Unlimited) and is for high school juniors or seniors. Program attendees must be nominated. See www.calvinseminary.edu for more information.

Educational Resources and Referrals - CHINA (ERRC) For college students and retiree-teachers with doctorates; summer and year long experiences are available. Find out more at www.errchina.com.

For those who wish a more extensive experience and would like to teach English in China and other Asian countries for one or two years, look at the English Language Institute of China at www.elic.org. We have supported several people to teach at this Institute, and are currently supporting:

Tim and Renee
China

Arab-American Friendship Center in Dearborn, MI
E-mail: aafctr@aol.com
The Friday Fellowship is building bridges of friendship and fellowship with the Arab people through a gathering designed to reach out through songs, skits, and friendship. Dr. Basem started this Center in 2003 and has seen tremendous growth in attendance and services. They provide classes in English as a Second Language, as well as classes in American culture, Citizenship, and computers to the local Arab community. They provide transportation and child care on a daily basis.

IDEA Ministries (International Discipleship and Evangelization Associates) offers opportunities for involvement in missions and service that includes cross-cultural orientation, practical ministry, solid study, and personal discipleship. See www.ideaministries.org for more information.

Medical Ministry International - Go to www.mmint.org to learn about opportunities for medical personnel and support personnel to go on short term mission experiences.

Partners Worldwide: Christian Businesspeople Transforming Lives
This group offers business leaders and professionals the opportunity to be challenged, encouraged, and equipped by other dynamic business people who are agents of transformation around the world. Learn more at www.partnersworldwide.org.

Summer Mission Program (SMP) for senior High School students and college students. Calvin College offers a tuition grant program for students going on a 7 week or more training program in cross-cultural ministry - $1200 per year - contact slc@calvin.edu for more information about the tuition grant. For more information about the SMP go to www.crwm.org/wmop/wmop_smp.htm.

Worldwide Christian Schools has openings for teams of people, age 16 and older, who want to make a difference in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. HANDS teams (Helping Another Nation Develop Schools) build Christian schools in developing nations. Visit www.wwcs.org and go to the HANDS link.

Wycliffe Bible Translators offers opportunities for short term mission trips; they also have opportunities for Youth Groups to go to a camp and experience a simulated jungle experience. See www.wycliffe.org/short-term for more information.

Intervarsity's Urbana Missions Conference for college students is held every other year right after Christmas. The next conference is December 27-31, 2006 in St. Louis, MO. www.urbana.org

Our missionaries

Rev. George and Ruth Young
young@sta.att.ne.jp
Download a PowerPoint presentation about the Youngs
Serving as missionaries to Japan since 1982.

Paul and Nydia Johnson
Coordinating Spearhead Ministries, a mission program in Latin America for college students which provides opportunities for short term (6-8 weeks) and long term missions (1-2 years) in Latin America.
PaulNydia@lam.org
Web information at www.lam.org or at www.spearhead.org
Download a PowerPoint presentation about the Johnsons

Dave and Blanca Gifford
Working with Christian Reformed World Missions in Mexico City to help train pastors at the Reformed Theological Seminary of Mexico and help new churches get started.
giff@giffmex.org
Phone: 011-52-55-5544-6773
Web information about CRWM's Mexico ministry
More information about Dave and Blanca's ministry

Josiah Walcott
E-mail: jrw0609@gmail.com or look on Facebook.
Serving with Young Life and Youth for Christ with youth in military families in Germany.

Phil and Christa Grabowski
Malawi, East Africa
Phil's e-mail and Christa's e-mail
Phil and Christa work as Malawi-Mozambique Program Consultants under the auspices of Christian Reformed World Relief. They partner with Nkhoma Relief and Development and the HIV-AIDS prevention program through the Reformed Church of Mozambique.
To find out more about the Grabowskis, their work, and to read their newsletter, go to www.crwrc.org/development/esamt/malawi.html.

Carol Bremer-Bennett in Rehoboth, NM
E-mail: cbremerbennett@rcsnm.org
She is Mid-school Principal of Rehoboth Christian School and has taught at Rehoboth since 1991.
Pray for families who struggle with poverty, unemployment, single parent issues, alcoholism and an unhealthy life style. There are 425 students in Grades K-12 at Rehoboth with 68% of the student body being Native American.
Please pray for Carol as she works with high-school girls in a shepherding group.

Nelly in France
Nelly works with a small church in southern France, helping to bring in seekers, especially focusing on women.

Curt Kuiper
E-mail: curtkuiper@gmail.com
Serving as the Area Director for Intervarsity in West Michigan.

Jared and Mel Currie
E-mail: jared_currie@ntm.org
Website: ntm.org/jared_currie
Serving with New Tribes Mission in Indonesia.

Christie Van Kuiken
Serving in Liberia

Kim Hekman
Serving in Guatemala

Karl House
Serving in Florida

To learn more about our missionaries, click here to download a Powerpoint file.