Missions

About:

At First Friends we directly support career missionaries locally, nationally, stateside support for international organizations, and internationally through our tithes and offerings. We support missionaries through our denomination alongside other churches in the Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region through our giving to the Great Commission Budget.

We pray for the missionaries and organizations we support.

We go on mission trips to serve and spread the gospel in person.

FMFeatured Missionary:

Medical Mission Trip to the DR

News from Jacob and Jaya Beera

Last December, Dharshan Raju went to preach in a sister church in a jungle village. He preached in two churches that day. He stayed at a believer’s house that night so he could attend a pastors’ meeting the next morning. He got up, took a shower, and was getting dressed to leave. Then he felt some pain in his chest and told the family members about it. Before they could do anything, he collapsed and passed. He turned 50 years old a few days before he passed. We lost a good man of God. While in his early 20s God called Raju to preach to tribal people. God used him to touch many people and bring them to Christ in the remote jungle villages. He started several churches with new believers and was instrumental in drilling bore-wells in remote villages. Raju left behind his wife, two teenage daughters, and a son. Please pray for his family.

Hope Ministries sponsors about 300 such pastors/evangelists who go out into the cities and jungles to bring the Gospel to the people. They ride bicycles when traveling from place to place. Some of their bicycles are getting old, falling apart, and needing to be replaced. It costs $100 to provide a bicycle for a pastor. Please contact Jacob at PO Box 20456 Canton OH 44701 if you have an interest in providing a bicycle for a pastor.

 

Dominican Republic – FFC Promo from First Friends Church on Vimeo.

Get Involved:

Barahona, Dominican Republic

September 22-29, 2018 ( medical and prayer teams)
OR
November 3-10, 2018 (construction, discipleship, evangelism, and possibly medical teams)

Team sizes for these two trips are limited and applications will be accepted only until April 15. Informational packets and applications will be distributed at the informational meeting on April 8th or you can pick one up at either Welcome Center.

For questions, contact Lois Ferrel, Team Leader (330-280-2502) or Roger Foote at FFC (330-966-2800).

Holy Land 2019

March 22-31, 2019

Are you interested in traveling to the Holy Land? Pricing starting at $3496, with discounts for early registration. Brochures available at both Welcome Centers.

For more information or questions, contact Paul Johnston, at FFC (330-966-2800).

Youth Mission Trips

Our Middle School students and High School students have the opportunity to participate in local service and ministry days at Refuge of Hope and to travel nationally and internationally on summer mission trips. For more information on their trips please see:

High School Youth

Middle School Youth

Locally, we support the following organizations and people. If you are looking for a place to serve within our community we encourage you to look into the following options:

CSRM (Church Sports and Recreation Ministers)

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Stark and Carroll Counties

Lighthouse Ministries

Pregnancy Choices

Refuge of Hope

Young Life of Stark County

Cindy Mandrell, Director of C.O.O.L.

Chad Frank, of H2O church in Kent

In order for international mission organizations to be able to function effectively, the international missionaries need support staff in the U.S. who will oversee recruiting, administrative needs, logistics, and the pre-field and ongoing training.

M. & S. A. work to recruit, train, and support missionaries in closed countries for People International

Glen Osborne is the director of China Outreach Ministries

Lynda Gravier works for Heaven Sent Ministries coordinating their emergency food packaging projects, and overseeing their volunteers

Dave and Susan living in Orlando and serving on the Global Strategy Team with The Jesus Film Project.

Ming and Mako Nagasawa – Intervarsity Christian Fellowship

Tom Young – Campus Crusade For Christ

 

Africa and the Middle East
David and Debby Thomas
GLLT (Great Lakes Leadership Training)
H. & W. B.

India
Jacob and Jaya Beera – Hope Ministries, International

Asia  – All these missionaries work in hostile, closed countries, and for their safety and the safety of local believers we cannot identify them online. For more information please see the mission books in the Coffee Commons at First Friends.
J. & A. J.
K. & K. K.
M. & V. K.
S. K.
S.A.L.T.  (Systematic Asian Leadership Training) and C.C.

Mexico, Central, and South America
Nishe Rothschild – Guatemala

Caribbean – The Dominican Republic
Grace and Peace Missionary Fellowship 

Russia and Ukraine
Abe and Diane Bible

We participate in the sharing the truth of the Gospel and the completion of the Great Commission through the work of our denominational missionaries:

Evangelical Friends Eastern Region

Evangelical Friends Missions

Staff

Gail Wallace

Administrative Assistant for Children's Ministry and Missions

gwallace@firstfriends.org

Ext. 229

Scott Calhoun

Pastor of High School Youth and Missions

scalhoun@firstfriends.org

Ext. 223