Mission Trips: 2006

“All who take upon themselves the name of Christ are called into ministries of love and service by the example of Christ.  As these members of our community begin their work in other communities, we pray the blessings of God upon their endeavors.

“We recognize them as ambassadors of this congregation in ministry with the people of these communities and dedicate them to service in the name of Jesus Christ. Through our prayers we will be united with them in their work. May God richly bless their labors.

“We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts. We commit ourselves to the rights and dignity of all persons and to the improvement of the quality of life. We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world and to the rule of justice and law among all nations. We believe in the present and final triumphs of God’s Word in human affairs, and gladly accept our commission to manifest the life of the gospel in the world.”

Hinton All Ages in Mission for Youth

June 11-17

On June 11, Saint Mark commissioned a team of Saint Mark youth and leaders for a mission trip to the Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, North Carolina.

Hinton’s All Ages in Missions program is specifically designed for youth groups seeking a mission experience, similar to the Appalachian Service Project, which includes much hands-on work ... supervised by a Hinton staffer.  The program emphasizes education and involvement, equipping the youth with both knowledge and confidence to do construction or repair work they might have thought too difficult.

Our team worked at the home of Ms. Maxine, whose late husband served as the local doctor for the mountain town, charging discount rates and bartering his medical services for chickens and eggs.  they built two new railings, secured an old one, and repainted the trim around her roof.  Our most rewarding “work,” though, was the time we spent talking and breaking bread with Ms. Maxine.

Team members were:

Honduras Mission Trip

July 8-16

Many thanks to our Saint Mark family for all the support given to our Honduras Mission Team program. So many blessings have been received from our church family! Some of the gifts include: cash donations of more than $16,420 from the “Brick” and “Hammer & Pen” fundraising campaigns, Sunday School Classes, First Monday Groups, support of individual Team Member Scholarships, funds from Mission offerings and a special Honduras Communion offering; gifts of dental supplies, flip flops, items used in hygiene kits, crayons, notebooks, soccer balls, small toys, VBS crafts - the list goes on and on... plus an individual gift of $7,000 to buy kitchen equipment to start a “Feed the Children” program in the village of el Piño. We also send a special thanks to our prayer partners and to O.B. Smith, Steve Brooks, Charles Carson, Dr. Richard Kauffman, and dentists Chip Reed, Guy McMaster and Laura Mills. Please keep our team and God’s work in Honduras in your prayers. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you during a Wednesday Night Program this fall.

The Honduras Mission Team's efforts were towards organizing and opening a dental clinic as well as providing dental and medical services. The Dental Clinic was staffed by Dentist Jay Davis, Dental Assistant Greg Brown, and Translator Bill Rencher. We hope to make the Dental portion of this ministry a “Saint Mark” specialty.

Some data from the dental clinic during their week:

• patients seen: 224
• age range of patients: 4-71 years old
• teeth extracted: 224
• maximum teeth extracted from one person: 7

The teams distributed to the villagers hundreds of pairs of flip-flops collected by our Saint Mark children. Our team also provided Vacation Bible School for over 200 children.

Team members were:

Appalachia Service Project

July 16-22

Appalachian Service Project (ASP) is a Christian ministry, open to all people, that fosters human development by addressing the housing needs of Central Appalachia.

The 2006 Saint Mark ASP team went to Hallie, Kentucky - to the Letcher County Center, an elementary school transformed into a center for groups serving the community. Tasks during the week varied depending on the skills of the team and the needs of the community - from re-siding trailers, to re-roofing houses, to digging ditches, and sometimes all of the above and more.

Commissioning of the team was during the morning worship services on July 9.

The 2006 team was made up of many ASP veterans: