Missions & Outreach
Fulfilling the Biblical Mandate
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
The RRC Missions Team seeks to support the congregation in keeping this biblical mandate by supporting and encouraging participation in Kingdom-building outreach, supporting and encouraging communication between members of our congregation and the missionaries our church supports, and providing opportunities for members to spread the gospel.
The Missions Team checks in on our missionaries and tries to keep the congregation up-to-date on how we can serve and support them. Our goal is to build relationships with the missionaries that we partner with, and not just be a name on a check. We strive to be intentional with our giving, to be a source of comfort and strength to ministries both locally and abroad. We annually send a team to Haiti to work alongside the Haiti Foundation Against Poverty, sharing the gospel with His unreached people. We invite people to come speak about their missions, and we regularly participate in food or supply drives with local organizations such as North Kent Connect and Assure Women's Center of Cedar Springs.
If there is anything you think the Missions Team should know about or be involved in, you are welcome to contact us.
Missionaries Supported by RRC
Adrian & Bernardeth Bobb-Kelly
RCA: Serving in Nicaragua
website • email • prayer card
A line of laughing students streams into the meal center at 11:30 a.m., eagerly inhaling the scents of fresh bread and steaming pots of rice and beans. The chatter from children, pastors, midwives, and volunteers dwindles as they offer a song of praise. The kids are heading to school after this lunch, and their seats will be filled by a second wave of students arriving after their morning class before going home.
Tabitha’s House provides medical training and healthcare, academic scholarships, shelter, nutrition, and spiritual nourishment to people who are impoverished, orphaned, or vulnerable in the coastal town of Bluefields, Nicaragua, and adjacent villages. In partnership with the Central Moravian Church, the Bobb-Kellys support families in two neighborhoods and offer medical clinics in remote areas accessible only by boat, meeting practical needs with the good news of Jesus.
Pray:
Mark & Deb Wilson
RCA: Serving in Cambodia
website • email • prayer card
The Christian church in Cambodia was nearly wiped out in the late 1970s under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. Since the return of peace in the 1990s, the church has been steadily growing. In a country where there were once killing fields, new churches are springing up as graduates go into every part of Cambodia to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Mark and Deb help prepare new leaders for ministry. Mark teaches seminary classes and helps Cambodian churches and leaders discover, understand, and live into God’s intentions for them, and help others to do the same. The Wilsons work with Phnom Penh Bible School, Garden of Life, and the Theological Education by Extension Association of Cambodia.
Pray:
Doug & Dianne McClintic
RCA: Serving in Europe
Old cathedrals, beautiful yet empty, are scattered throughout European cities and landscapes. Today, with the days of the historic European church in the past, young people are expressing an openness to the gospel message through the presence of church planting movements.
Doug and Dianne McClintic help North American congregations partner with the next generation of European churches as they develop a strategy of local empowerment, collaboration, and evaluation. The McClintics provide support, strategic coordination, and expertise to congregations, classes, regional synods, and other agencies in their European church planting efforts.
Pray:
Mike & Sheryl Knox
CRU International
Cru Website: cru.org
Mike & Sheryl's page: give.cru.org/0389498
Address: 12624 Moss Park Ridge Drive, Orlando, FL 32832
MIKE: Special Projects, Office of the President, Campus Crusade for Christ International/Cru. Mike provides personal assistance to Steve Douglass the president of Campus Crusade for Christ International, and Cru, as the ministry is known in the United States, and serves in local outreach to international students studying here in the United States and also to those in inner-city Orlando through Toolbox4Life-Construction.
Email Mike: mike.knox@cru.org
SHERYL: Coordinator, Cru Global High School Sending. Sheryl serves on the International Missions team with Cru's outreach to teenagers. The team's mission is to send high school and college students on short term missions trips and one to two year internships to launch spiritual movements internationally so that every high school student on every campus will have the chance to know and follow Jesus!
Email Sheryl: sheryl.knox@cru.org
Greg & Laura Yoder
President, Christian World Outreach
Address: PO Box 2716, Littleton, CO 80161-2716
CWO was founded in 1977 after a visit to Haiti brought the devastating poverty and immense need to the attention of a group of individuals who wanted to do something to improve the conditions for the people of Haiti. Leaving Haiti with a desire to make a difference, CWO was formed. For the first several years we focused our work on conducting evangelistic youth camps for young people (ages 13 to 30 years). In the years since CWO has grown to provide vocational training, leadership development, children’s feeding programs, medical clinics, HIV/AIDS prevention education, orphan assistance, youth camps, libraries, opportunities for discipleship, evangelistic outreach and more. In 1999, CWO began to expand its programs to also include work in Burkina Faso, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Haiti Foundation Against Poverty
Address: 7700 West Wackerly St, Midland, MI 48642
The Haiti Foundation Against Poverty was founded by Mallery (Thurlow) Neptune in 2007 to empower poor, widowed, and orphaned Haitians and to spread the message of the Gospel. HFAP works in the area of Port-au-Prince, providing impoverished Haitians with education, child care, small business opportunities, and medical assistance.
HFAP projects include
Gary & Rachel de León
CRC: Serving in Spain
Mission work: Disciple refugee and immigrant families and help them discover their abilities and life purpose in Christ. Create a safe place where refugees and immigrants can receive spiritual, emotional and intellectual support. We will work together with a community center in the city of Malaga to offer social, emotional and spiritual support to refugees and immigrants who have recently arrived in Spain and are looking for a better life. Some of the programs we will be providing support in are: vocational school, computer lab and language courses. In addition, the we hope to connect families to local churches and help with discipleship and Bible studies in the community center.
LOCAL partnerships
North Kent Connect
Neighbors helping neighbors. North Kent Connect (formerly North Kent Community Services) was organized as a non-profit agency in 1973 by a contingent of Rockford area churches seeking to help families in need of food and clothing. Visit their website to learn about the services they offer and how you can help.
10075 Northland Drive NE, Rockford, Michigan 49341
nkconnect.org • 616-866-3478
Assure Women's Center
Assure is a not-for-profit pregnancy care center located in downtown Cedar Springs. Their mission is to help pregnant mothers and their families and promote the sanctity of life. They offer free, non-judgmental, confidential assistance to all who come to them for help.
6 North First Street, Cedar Springs, MI 49319
assurewomen.org • 616-696-2616
The Other Way Ministries
The Other Way Ministries is a Christian community development organization walking alongside Westown urban families, guiding them toward Christ-centered growth. Families discover spiritual direction, relationship growth, and economic stability through a diverse range of services, programs and classes. Visit their website to learn more about their ministries and volunteer opportunities.
710 West Fulton Street, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
theotherway.org • 616-454-4011
Words of Hope
Good news. No boundaries. Over 60 years ago, a Kalamazoo, Michigan pastor scanned his radio dial in vain for a solid, biblical Christian broadcast. His decision to create such a radio program launched what would become Words of Hope. Their primary focus is gospel by radio in over 30 languages worldwide, but they also seek to help build the Church worldwide through other media, including the pocket-size devotional book you can pick up for free right here at RRC. If you would like to receive the devotional by mail, just let the RRC front office know!
700 Ball Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
woh.org • 616-459-6181
