MISSIONS
Churches of Christ Disaster Relief | Mt. Dora Children's Home | Cumbernauld, Scotland |
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EBNESR Minister Training School, Brazil | Tipton Children's Home, Oklahoma | World Christian Broadcasting, Madagascar Station |
mission Works
Our desire at the Winchester Church of Christ is to seek and save the lost by reaching out to the surrounding area and abroad. Our missions aspire to guide others to hear the Word, to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, to repent of one's sin, to confess that Jesus is one's personal Lord and Savior and to be baptized by immersion for the remission of sins.
Listed below are some families, churches, and organizations we partner with, to support them in sharing the gospel in different locations around the world.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of ages."
Matthew 28: 19-20
Randy Short - Recife Brazil, Ebnesr School
Randy and Kathy currently focus their mission efforts to the EBNESR Ministry Training School. They are working on school accreditation by the Brazilian government. They are active members of the church in Boa Viagem, Recife, and also work with a number of church plantings in northeast Brazil. Randy and Kathy have a goal of seeing a church planted in each of the 1,795 municipalities in the northeast region of Brazil. They believe this will only be possible through the training and joint efforts of national brethren who are willing and able to move and work as “tent makers” into these un-evangelized areas. They see the training school as a tool for equipping men and women to do this.
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Randy and Kathy are invited to speak at couples events and do marriage counseling in their ministry as well. Randy is from Winchester, TN and Kathy grew up at the Macon Rd. church of Christ in Memphis. They met at Freed-Hardeman College.
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The first time Randy and Kathy moved to Brazil they went with a team of 6 families. They went for a 5 year commitment and stayed 10 years. On their return for the second time they also went with a 5 year commitment and have been back for 18 years, making their commitment to the work in Brazil a life long one.
Adam Barr - Cumbernauld, Scotland
Adam and Melanie have served the Lord faithfully in Cumbernauld since 1987 as part of the evangelistic teams that have been there over the years. Adam is one of the gospel preachers at his congregation and has spoken at meetings throughout Italy, America, Malawi, and England. He has also been the director of Camp Heatherbell since 1996. Melanie organizes and maintains the Bible class curriculum as well as being an active leader among the women in the congregation.
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Adam and Melanie have known each other since they were children, growing up together in the same school and in the Lord’s church. Adam studied at Lipscomb, graduating in 1987. He and Melanie married that same year. Melanie’s dad, Jack, was the preacher at East Kilbride where they grew up together.
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Their daughter, Nicole, graduated from Harding University a few years ago.
Keith Parker - Continental United States
Keith Parker has been married to Sandra Daniel Parker for 47 years and has three children: Jeremy (Pete), Ashley, and Jessica. Keith is a native of Huntsvillle, AL where he began preaching at the age of 17. He attended Freed-Hardeman University where he received a B.A. in Bible and Lipscomb University where he received a Masters in Religion. Keith began his ministry at the Green Forest Church of Christ in Poplar Bluff, Missouri where he preached for 5 years. He then preached at the Maple Hill Church of Christ in Lebanon, Tennessee for the next 8.5 years. Most recently, Keith served as the pulpit minister for the Hendersonville Church of Christ in Hendersonville, Tennessee for 16.5 years.
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He still makes his home in Hendersonville and for the last 11 years has been in a full-time meeting work, preaching for about 50 congregations each year. He also is a repeat speaker at the Great Smoky Mountains Marriage Retreat.
Brad Harrub - Focus Press
Brad Harrub holds an earned B.S. degree in biology from Kentucky Wesleyan College, and an earned doctorate degree in anatomy and neurobiology from the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. He was listed in Who’s Who Among Scientists and Researchers. He is the author of Convicted: A Scientist Examines the Evidence for Christianity, Heart of the Matter, Dissecting the Truth, and the coauthor of the books, The Truth About Human Origins, Investigating Christian Evidences, Matters of Life and Death, Diamonds in the Rough: Nuggets of Truth from God’s Word and has written many tracts and articles for brotherhood journals. He is a popular speaker on Christian evidences at lectureships, youth rallies, etc. and has spoken in over 47 states and on five different continents. He conducts over 40 “Truth About Origins” weekend seminars each year. In addition, he was an invited speaker to the International conference on Creationism, and he has appeared on the television show “Origins” along with hosting the show “Think About It.”
Dr. Harrub has authored or co-authored numerous scientific publications in science journals and has done mission work in Russia, Ukraine, New Zealand, Ireland, Jamaica, and Nicaragua. Currently, Dr. Harrub serves as the Executive Director and co-founder of Focus Press and as co-editor of Think magazine, a monthly magazine on Christian evidences. He and his wife Melinda attend the Southern Hills Church of Christ in Franklin, TN. They have four children: Will, Reese, Claire, and Luke.
Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort
Incorporated in 1994, Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort immediately responds to any major disaster in the continental United States by sending truckloads of emergency food, water, cleaning, and other supplies to disaster victims. The organization has distributed more than $106 million in emergency food and supplies in response to 301 disasters in 42 states. Churches of Christ Disaster Relief only works through the local Church of Christ in the community or town, where the disaster has occurred. If there is no Church of Christ in the town, Disaster Relief will contact the nearest town that has a Church of Christ and ask for help. Supplies will be distributed by this congregation in the name of the Lord to anyone who has been affected by the disaster regardless of race, color, creed, or religion.
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Potter Children's Home & Family Ministry - Bowling Green, Kentucky
For over 100 years, Potter Children’s Home and Family Ministries has been committed to bringing Christian-based solutions and strength to those in need to end the generational cycle of child abuse and neglect. With the growth of our residential and community programs, we continue to find new and better ways to serve those in our care and reach more souls within our community and beyond.
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They specialize in Foster Care and Single Parent Ministries. Their staff is also active in several community organizations that serve children and families in need, such as a local network of non-profit agencies, the Coalition to Prevent Child Abuse and the Community Collaboration for Children. They also help to organize an annual Special Needs Expo for area families.
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Mt. Dora Children's Home - Mt. Dora, Florida
Mount Dora Children's Home provides a safe, Christ-centered haven for hurting and needy children and for single parents needing a fresh start.
The mission of Mt. Dora Children's Home is to provide children and families an opportunity to achieve wholeness (mind, body, soul, and spirit) and stability through a combination of education, counseling, life resources, coaching, Biblical teaching, and mentoring so families become healthier and economically self-supporting.
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Mt. Dora Children's Home supports children and families through two distinct programs: Residential Services for Children, and the Single Parent Program.
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Isaiah 117 House
When children are removed from their homes out of concern for their welfare, they are usually brought to the Department of Children’s Services Offices to await placement with a foster family. This wait can be several hours to nearly a full day. These children often have nothing with them and are scared, lonely, hungry, and in dirty clothing.
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Isaiah 117 provides a comforting home where these children instead can be brought to wait – a place that is safe with friendly and loving volunteers who provide clean clothes, smiles, toys, and snuggly blankets. This space allows children to receive the comfort and care they need while DCS staff can do the necessary paperwork and identify a good foster placement.
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Coffee-Franklin-Grundy County have combined to formed their expansion committee and is fundraising to bring a house to their community. Please follow Coffee-Franklin-Grundy County updates on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Isaiah117CoffeeFranklinGrundy/
Tipton Children's Home - Tipton, Oklahoma
The Tipton Children’s Home offers focused, long-term residential care with an emphasis on education, community activity and church life. They are a traditional group home in a rural setting for children 5-18 in need of a safe, nurturing place to live. Tipton kids have access to licensed counselors, medical services and caring house parents. Along with attending the Tipton Church of Christ the youth participate in school sports, 4-H and on-campus FFA program.
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There are no fees to the families or legal guardians for children place at Tipton Children's Home. They are totally supported by donations from community organizations, churches, and individuals. It is an alternative to the state-run foster program. Parents or legal guardians maintain their legal rights and give written consent for the child to be placed.
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Rainbow Omega Inc. - Eastaboga, Alabama
Rainbow Omega's name means "hope in the end" and is derived from the Biblical references to the rainbow (which stands for hope) and Omega (the last letter of the Greek alphabet). The vision of the founders was to provide a sheltered community for adults with developmental disabilities and to provide parents an answer to the question "What will happen to my child when I can no longer provide care in my home?" One of their parents put it best when she said, “Rainbow Omega is an answer to a prayer that I didn’t know how to pray.”
The vision of Rainbow Omega is to be a non-institutional environment that instills both a family and a community atmosphere where residents experience quality standards of care while enabling them to grow spiritually and to have productive, joy-filled and independent lives. Today, they are serving 88 individuals and an operational budget of $6.2 million.
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World Christian Broadcasting
God wants people—all people—to enjoy a personal relationship with him. Many in our world have little or no opportunity to hear about God’s loving invitation.
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World Christian Broadcasting is a non-profit organization supported by concerned Christians whose purpose is to take God’s Word—through mass media—to people who may have no other means of hearing the Good News.
Their official Mission Statement: “World Christian Broadcasting exists so that people in places best served by broadcast media become aware of the Good News of Jesus Christ and want to know more.”
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The message of God is relevant to all time, yet the ways that message is delivered must stay current. World Christian Broadcasting’s international shortwave broadcasting communicates the Good News to millions every day. KNLS, located at the top of the world in Anchor Point, Alaska, has been on the air since 1983. A new station, located on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, began operating on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016. In addition, each of the seven languages offers its own website, so that people out of broadcast range can still read important, life-giving messages.
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Through these shortwave transmissions, World Christian Broadcasting can blanket virtually the entire inhabited world. By speaking in people’s own language, forming friendships, and creating bonds of trust, World Christian Broadcasting sparks hope, interest, and curiosity among listeners. Programming encourages a search for meaning in life, spiritual reflection, and personal study of the message of Jesus. By the grace of God and the technology He provides, many will hear the Good News, perhaps for the first time, and respond to the life-changing invitation of God.
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Languages provided:
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African
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Arabic
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Chinese
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English
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Portuguese
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Spanish
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Russian
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They have five antennas and four transmitters reaching out to every shortwave receiver on earth. The plan is to add two more languages immediately – Korean and French – with even more to come in the future.
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