Connecting to Others
What does Faith Church mean by “connecting” and who are these “others”?
This is simply who we get to be in community with directly or indirectly whether that is for a short or for a long period of time.
For most of us, this will be people in our neighborhoods, at work or places we go like the gym or grocery store in our day-to-day activities. On occasion it will be people we meet on a trip – whether that trip is a vacation or for a specific purpose like work or assisting others through a non-profit. At other times it will be through supporting others in their connecting – locally and beyond like the organizations and people we support as a church.
Regardless, it is all about helping people get to know Jesus by connecting with them. This is something that we all desire to do. This is something we want to help you purposefully do.
The following missionaries and organizations are supported and prayed for by Faith Church:
Missionaries
Peter and Diane Bakelaar
For a number of years the Bakelaars have served with Mission to the World in Nagoya, Japan. There they have been involved with church planting, discipling and pastoral training.
Reconcile the City is the ministry vision that the Lord has given to Curt Snead and his wife Lanaea to bring Gospel ministry to police officers, their families and the communities they serve. Curt served as a police officer with the Columbia Police Department for 19 years. He left that position in 2012 to pursue ministry training. Upon Curt’s graduation from seminary, Curt and Lanaea felt led to pursue a focused ministry that seeks to address the needs and brokenness that uniquely affects the police community. Learn more about Reconcile the City here!
Tom and Lucy Wright
For a number of years Tom and Lucy were involved with MTW (Mission to the World) in church planting in various areas of Africa. Now Tom is teaching pastors in French speaking African areas as well as in Haiti. Lucy is involved in her local area teaching English as a second language.
Organizations
Building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. A national character development organization for girls ages 5-18 embracing Christian values and encouraging family involvement.
CEF is a local ministry involved in reaching children with the Gospel. Good News Club is a weekly club held during the school year where children have the opportunity to learn about Jesus. The summer 5-Day Club outreach offers a unique opportunity for children to be introduced to the Gospel. Christian Youth in Action is a program to train youth to minister the gospel to others.
Christ Central was born in a June 1994 downtown prayer meeting when a man came asking for food. His request was met, more came, a great need was recognized, and the challenge was met. Twenty one years later, numerous locations are meeting basic needs and offering education, community development, medical care, recovery, and volunteer opportunities. Projects under way include CCM’s first free mental health clinic, additional free medical clinics, a comprehensive youth program that meets youth at school, at home, and in their neighborhoods, a national pilot project to address persistent homelessness, and Mission Lake, a 1200 acre wilderness camp and research campus in southern Lexington County.
Our Mission: Rescue a Child. Transform a Family. Do it again tomorrow.With high poverty and unemployment rates, natives of the Dominican are often lured into a life of human trafficking and exploitation with promises of money, security, and a better life. The Crossover Cups Mission comes alongside young people and families in the Dominican Republic to disciple them, provide for them, give them education, serve them, and empower them.
The Gideons are a body of believers dedicated to making the Word of God available to everyone and, together with the local church, reaching souls for Christ. Today, we have taken more than 2 billion Scriptures in more than 95 languages to 200 countries, territories, and possessions across the globe.
GOOD Works strives to improve the living conditions of the people in the community in which we serve. GOOD Works procures labor, material and equipment, when repairs or improvements are needed to homes, but cannot be made by the homeowner due to financial or physical difficulties. GOOD Works mission is based on unconditional love towards everyone. GOOD Works is located in Chapin, SC.
Hope Haven of SC, formed by Eddie and Kelly Wiggs in 2022, seeks to fulfill the need for safe places of shelter for women leaving traumatic situations. Inspired by several storylines in and around their personal lives, the couple hopes to create a community of transitional housing to serve as a foothold for those in need.
Human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world today, with more than 40,000,000 victims – a number that's growing by the second. Lighthouse for Life exists to EDUCATE people about the realities of human sex trafficking in the United States. Through awareness, we can EMPOWER those not only how to recognize the signs of human trafficking within their own communities, but also how best to respond when they encounter it. We strive to arm individuals, families and organizations with the necessary knowledge and tools to detect, prevent and protect their communities from human trafficking.
Faith Church is partnering with Living Oaks, a biblical support group for parents of children who identify as LGBTQ. It is a safe place where parents can be encouraged in the context of a supportive community that shares their experience. This support group meets in a confidential space where parents can come to share their stories, wrestle with difficult questions, have their faith nurtured, and pray for one another. Through the “Shattered Dreams, New Hope” curriculum, participants will receive biblical encouragement concerning sexual and gender struggles and suffering. They will also discover new ways of moving toward their child in love and compassion.
The ministry of Mission India is to transform communities in India by planting churches through three proven strategies. Children’s Bible Clubs help kids discover Jesus, learn how to pray to Him, sing songs and have fun. When they bring what they learn home with them, whole families come to know Christ. Adult Literacy Classes teach students to read and write at a 5th grade level, do 3-digit math, save money and increase income. The students are gently introduced to the Gospel through the wisdom of God’s Word and the story of Jesus. Church Planter Training is a year of in-depth training done on location, in teams of 10, with a mix of classroom instruction and supervised fieldwork. The goal is to establish strong communities of faith that continue to grow and multiply.
