KALAMAZOO
THE NEED
As a child the burden for foreign missions was ever present. My adolescent mentality immaturely equated missionaries with strong, prayerful men that traveled to only far and dark lands. I remember the burden clearly. It's only grown in the last 25 years, but along with it grew my definition. I now conclude: Dark lands do not necessitate distance. Just down the road from us is a ready field that is full and ripe. And this truth remains: The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time, and that's truth from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo.It was late one night/early one morning when God showed me with clarity His plan for my life. To be a light... a light where darkness was prevelant. In Kalamazoo, there are over 300,000 souls and as of January 2016, only two functioning independent Baptist churches exist with a combined attendance of less than 200.In October of 2014, a church on the east of the city closed down.In June of 2015, a church on....
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...on the west side closed it's doors for the final time. Five church buildings are currently for sale. Kalamazoo Metro area has...has 326,589 souls according to the 2010 US Census. Of that number less than 200 souls can be found in a Bible preaching church. That’s less than 7/100ths of 1%. By all accounts an unchurched people group and, unbelievably, not overseas! So many unreached within the borders of a Midwest US state.
I have had the privilege to survey in Kalamazoo. In an August 2015 survey of a Northwest Kalamazoo subdivision it was discovered:
8% attended church often.
8% attended occasionally.
17% did not attend and were indifferent to church.
67% did not attend and were open to the idea of attending.
Wow! That’s almost 7 out of 10 that are unchurched & open-hearted.
THE GOAL
When God first moved my heart toward a new work He motivated with me with the following burdens.
A healthy New Testament church is in a constant cycle of life.
First, a dead soul is birthed into new life.
Then, that new babe in Christ grows into maturity.
Finally, a mature Christian can be called to serve, to fund, to pastor, to go, to plant all over again.
An investment in a local New Testament plant will reap returns long after the initial gift. Imagine...a wise businessman buys chairs and songbooks for a church plant. Every soul blessed by song or moved by sermon in that building abounds to his account.
Perhaps a church mission's program supports a new plant monthly. When that plant supports a host of missionaries in the future, that initial dollar was invested in multitudes of foreign fields. In March of 2016 a survey of a church planted in 1990 with 150 current attendees had returned $24 to foreign missions for every $1 initially invested for startup.
God has already moved in spectacular fashion. An aging church in Kalamazoo has DONATED their building for the new work. Isn't God an amazing God?! No store fronts and no rent payments. In the first 8 months of 2016 it is my prayer that God will supply for three specific needs: The remodel of the old building, basic startup costs, and financial support for my family. It is going to take someone like you to band with us to accomplish this task!
For more information about donating.
For more information about the "how" to reach this forgotten city.
