Outreach at Believers Fellowship

Shouldn’t the church be leading the way in making the world a better place? We think so.

Early in His ministry, Jesus entered a synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18–19 NIV)

Jesus was about reaching out to others, and so are we.

We believe Christian outreach is very important, and Believers Fellowship participates wholeheartedly in a number of outreach endeavors. We encourage everyone to get involved with a ministry, non-profit, or charity outside of the walls of the church. From alleviating poverty on the Key Peninsula to mentoring at-risk teens in Tacoma, the people of Believers Fellowship support a spectrum of causes in Pierce County and around the world.

Because not everyone can devote time every week to a non-profit, our church sponsors regular outreach events. Once per quarter, the church gets together to do something big so that everyone has the opportunity to make a difference. Here are some of the major outreach events we have hosted recently:

Believers Fellowship Braves the Rain for Care Net

(by Matt Edwards)

Over 70 people from Believers Fellowship rode, walked, or ran through the rain at Point Defiance Park last Saturday to raise money for the unborn and moms in crisis. The activity was all a part of 4US—an annual benefit race raising money for Care Net. Care Net is a Christian pregnancy center that ministers to women in crisis and encourages them to choose life. Money raised by 4US is used to purchase ultrasound machines for this great ministry.

About 97% of women who see an ultrasound of their baby at Care Net choose life. These tools are invaluable to their ministry, but the cost ($40,000 retail) prevents many clinics from owning one. The folks at 4US have arranged a deal with Sonosite (an ultrasound machine manufacturer) to purchase machines at the discount price of $24,000 to be donated to Care Net. This year, over 1,000 people participated in the event and raised over $90,000 (enough for three machines).

We love the work that Care Net is doing for the unborn and for moms in crisis. 4US is always a lot of fun (even in the rain!), and we delight in the opportunity to partner with them to help Care Net. This year’s event was perfect—a great course, delightful fellowship, a worthy cause, and lot’s for the kids to do. We hope you join us next year!

To find out more about 4US, go to www.4us.org. To find out more about Care Net, go to www.care-net.org.

Sound Youth Counseling/Northwest Leadership Foundation (Spring 2008)

In June 2008, Believers Fellowship went “out there” to NLF to learn more about how we can be present for the people around us both in Gig Harbor and in Tacoma. We loaded into a bus and toured East Tacoma, learning about the lives of the people who inhabit the most uninhabitable places in our city. We learned some of their stories and talked about the difference between caring for people and merely serving them. Then, we returned to NLF headquarters where we discussed how we can develop a healthy relationship with the city.

By Matt Edwards

Gig Harbor FISH Food Bank makeover (Winter 2007)

In January 2007, we went to the Gig Harbor FISH Food Bank to make it over. The food bank serves our community by offering food, clothing, financial assistance, counseling, and transportation to people in need. The food bank’s new look was a major encouragement to the volunteers there, and the space-saving improvements were a tremendous help.

Tacoma Rescue Mission family shelter makeover (Spring 2007)

In April 2007, we went to Tacoma to serve the homeless. First, we took over 500 lunches to the Friday Night Feed, a grass-roots soup kitchen ministry under I-705. Then, we went to the Tacoma Rescue Mission to work at their family shelter, a 71 bed transition house for women and children in need. The residents seemed touched by our work and the staff was greatly encouraged.

Paint Tacoma Beautiful (Summer 2007)

In the summer of 2007, we painted two houses for Paint Tacoma/Pierce County Beautiful—a non-profit program offering free house painting to the elderly on a fixed income. We adopted one house in Tacoma and one on the peninsula, donating over 200 volunteer hours from over 60 volunteers. Both houses underwent spectacular transformations, providing an appreciated service for those of limited means and mobility.

Ride4US (Fall 2007)

In September 2007, we biked, ran, and walked with Ride4US—a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money to purchase ultrasound machines for pregnancy centers. Ultrasounds go a long way in encouraging women to choose life, but the cost prohibits many centers from owning one. In 2007, Ride4Us had more than 800 volunteers and raised over $90,000—enough to purchase three machines. Believers Fellowship was able to raise $24,000 from our congregation alone! The event was a huge success.

Love INC (Winter 2008)

Over three weekends in February of 2008, Believers Fellowship transformed a barn at Love INC into a place to store furniture to be donated to people in need. First, we hauled away nearly 5 tons of junk that was in the barn and then pressure washed the inside. Second, we put up a wall to seal off an exposed side of the barn and constructed some racks on which to store mattresses. Finally, we held a used furniture drive in which we filled a 26 foot moving truck with couches, desks, tables, and chairs. Love INC was overwhelmed with the generosity of our church and the encouragement we gave. Great job, guys!

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