What does it mean to be a mission-focused church?

Matthew 28:16-20 calls us to the Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

As part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, one of our denominational core values involves completing the Great Commission, which calls us to be missionaries to the world in which we live.

“Engaging the Word…Impacting the World”

Our mission theme is “Engaging the Word…Impacting the World.” As the pastors and elders have talked and prayed about our vision for ministry, there have been two clear emphases that have emerged.

The first is the need to go deeper into the study of the Bible. For any Christian, engagement in the Word of God is essential to spiritual growth. It is within the pages of the Scripture that we come to understand God’s love and grace that we learn of God’s truth, and we find the guidance we need for our daily lives.

Second, we believe the Lord is calling us to further develop our missional engagement. In particular, we want to solidify and expand our partnership ministries. First, we want to provide prayer, financial, and physical support to our brothers and sisters in Gabon. Through the E-4 Project, we want to assist the Gabonese C&MA in developing the ministries of what they call COSAC: the Center of Social Outreach of the Alliance Church in Gabon.

We will also continue to develop our partnership with the “Tea House” team of central Asia. The tangible needs of this ministry are not yet as great as in Gabon. However, we fully expect that as this ministry grows, we will become more and more engaged in partnering with them.

Along with this international emphasis, we are also working diligently to develop local outreach ministries to those in need in our own community. We have partnered with Agape Ministries, the Lima Rescue Mission, the Sidney Women’s Center, and the Auglaize County Family Life Center, and we continually seek to be responsive to other local needs as they arise.

Great Commission Women’s Missionary Group

Great Commission Women is our ladies’ missionary group. They meet on the second Tuesday of each month for mission studies and prayer. They also meet twice a month for work projects. Currently the women are supporting the work of Bongolo Hospital in Gabon by providing bandages and pill bottles to the hospital. The Great Commission Women are particularly active in supporting the ministry needs of missionaries from the Ohio Valley District.

Faith Alliance Church maintains partnerships with the following local organizations:

• Agape Ministries Inc.
  Agape Ministries Inc. provides charitable assistance to those in need. We assist with donations and volunteering with assistance programs that include apparel, backpacks, disaster relief, gardening, senior boxes, school supplies, a thrift store, and winter supplies.
• Lima Rescue Mission
  We assist with donations and volunteering at Lima Rescue Mission that helps men with both physical and spiritual needs by providing food, clothing, and shelter as well as Bible studies, chapel services, classes, one-on-one spiritual counseling, and a summer day camp at the Mission’s campgrounds, Camp Roberts.
• Sidney Women’s Center
  Sidney Women’s Center helps women through pregnancy decisions. We provide support to their programs that provide consulting, emergency formula and diaper distribution, free pregnancy tests, material assistance, ultrasounds, and training for pregnancy and parenting.
• Auglaize County Family Life Center
  The Family Life Center of Auglaize County is a pro-life and confidential ministry to women and men regarding pregnancy decisions. We assist with donations and volunteering with programs that include a maternity and baby boutique, ultrasounds, education, counseling, and pregnancy tests.

In our affiliation with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Faith Alliance Church supports missionaries in over 70 countries around the world. In addition, we have developed partnerships with several specific missionaries:

• Pastor Jacob Mouele, Gabon, Africa. Pastor Jacob is the head of COSAC, a multi-dimensional ministry in Libreville, Gabon. This ministry includes a medical clinic, an eye clinic, an orphanage, and a ministry to widows.
• Eric Schmidt, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Eric is the director of the E-4 Project, which provides support from the states to the ministries of COSAC. Eric acts as our liaison with our partners in Gabon.
• Michelle, central Asia. Michelle serves in a creative access country that we refer to as the “Tea House.” She is originally from the Dayton area.
• Paul and Meladee Davis, Gabon, Africa. Paul and Meladee serve at the Bongolo Hospital in maintenance and other support roles.
• Harry and Kathy Walker, France. Harry and Kathy serve with CrossWorld. They have recently completed the African Pastors’ Book Project, which distributed hundreds of books to pastors in central Africa. Kathy is originally from Faith Alliance Church.