2024 GIC Mission Event
The annual trip to the land of Sunshine and Palm Trees took place at the beginning of this month! Of course, this is for the annual mission celebration our camp participates in each year.
McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Myers, Florida is the sending church of Marty and Patti and supporters of our ministry. They gather all their supported missionaries for a weekend of pouring into and exposing them to the congregation so the church can rise up and stand with the work God is doing all across the globe! This is a weekend of reconnecting and updating crowds of people, which is always a good thing!
This year, the guys and Patti went down to participate. They set up the booth and then went to join the other missionaries for some dinner and sharing with each other what their ministries were about. One of the pastors shared a challenge and encouragement with everyone.
The rest of the weekend was spent with events the people of the church could come and join to connect with the missionaries. Meals were shared, messages were given to inspire the congregation and encourage the missionaries. The Blessing Mart was opened to the missionaries - a place for all the missionaries to come shop for their needs. The Blessing Mart is filled with tables of canned and boxed food goods, paper products, school and office supplies, hygiene products, etc. the church has been gathering for months. Each set of missionaries walks away with boxes of supplies to help lessen their financial load and provide for practical needs. Life Groups sponsor each missionary so to finish the weekend the missionaries join their Life Group sponsor to share about their ministry and ways those people can participate in the work of the gospel with them.
For missionaries, this is a very full but encouraging time. To have a church care so much for its missionaries is a blessing! And to keep the congregation aware of their missionaries and challenge them to get in on the action is inspiring! Truly the Body of Christ coming to life!
We are always grateful for the time we get with people who have been part of our lives for decades, and for the support we feel from them and many others who have since become part of the WM Family.
McGregor Baptist Church, you are a blessing to us and so many others. May you continue to faithfully serve the Church and may God continue to bless those efforts. For His glory!
(NOTE: for those who don't see us as missionaries: we sometimes struggle with this term also because we are not in a foreign field [though Applachian ways could be debated😂], but we are in camp ministry working on mission full time to share the gospel so we are categorized in this way.)
Photography from our staff phones at the event!
