Each year we challenge our congregation to spend less on Black Friday and holiday shopping, and give sacrificially to support Kingdom-building efforts.
**Please note that all gifts are applied equally to both projects. We cannot designate gifts to one project or the other.
The deadline to give to this year’s projects is December 31. Any gifts received in January will be set aside for next year’s projects.
First Free Church has had a long history of working with Jubilee Community Church, an EFCA church in North St. Louis. This church serves one of the poorest areas of the city, where addiction and joblessness often leads people to despair. Through various employment development and recovery programs, Jubilee is making a difference for Christ.
Jubilee Community Church is in need of a pavilion next to its large community garden which is immediately behind its church building. The pavilion would provide a place for the community to gather when they come from time to time to tend to the garden. In addition, men and women involved in recovery programs at Jubilee would use the pavilion when they tend to the garden or have meetings.
Also, Jubilee would use the pavilion to support several different ministries, community services, and meetings such as food distribution from the garden.
Several members of First Free are connected with Jubilee through volunteer opportunities and/or building relationships based on a shared commitment to the gospel. There are ongoing opportunities for individuals and groups to serve the people of North St. Louis through Jubilee.
Lifeway Mission International (LMI) is focused on taking the gospel to unreached people groups which often includes long journeys to tribes in Kenya with oral cultures.
LMI is committed to making disciples among both literate and oral communities. Their goal is to reach 300 people groups in East Africa and beyond. One of the ever-present challenges is a lack of audio/printed bibles for the new disciples. For these unreached communities to continue with Discovery Bible Study and to see disciples multiply, they need bibles, which they cannot afford. This project includes the purchasing of print Bibles and the production and distribution of audio Bibles in various languages.
Additionally, because of the vast area of fieldwork and long distances between villages, Lifeway Mission International distributes motorcycles and bicycles to help area teams, leaders, and church planters working in remote areas. This transportation helps the teams to engage with unreached people groups in new areas as well as encourage disciples of existing areas. Over the years this has been effective in catalyzing a disciple-making movement, as teams have been able to reach into areas that would be almost impossible to reach on foot. With our support, new areas in East Africa can be accessed for planting churches and making disciples.
Lifeway Mission International is a well-established organization with a leadership board and sound financial practices. First Free will have the opportunity to continue the partnership with LMI through short-term teams, online prayer meetings, shared discipleship training, and more.
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