January/February Update

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…” – Ephesians 3:20

It’s time to catch up on all of the amazing stories your giving has inspired! Below are the updates and prayer requests from just a few of our partners. As always, we are deeply grateful for your participation in the Motion Campaign!A

Compassion

F.I.R.S.T.

Project Updates

F – FIGHT

Fight Sex Trafficking and Poverty

Spotlight on Project #7: World Concern

Founded in 1955, World Concern serves about 6 million people annually—and is built on a model of holistic, transformational, sustainable community development.

World Concern’s efforts reach deep into the most remote corners of the planet, where climate and geography, societal instability and scarce infrastructure create incredible challenges for the people living there. We seek to fully immerse ourselves in the interests of the people we serve, enabling us to plan, scale, and develop programs tailored to each particular project’s circumstance. We know that offering people short-term handouts is necessary at times, but that it doesn’t solve the reoccurring problems associated with extreme poverty.  We ask the people we help to serve with us—building the programs they need—enabling them to realize their God-given potential.

The problems associated with extreme poverty can seem overwhelming.  By partnering with World Concern’s “One Village Transformed”, Bayside Church walks alongside families in poor communities in Haiti – partnering with the local church to bring long-term change to desperate situations. These are not short-term answers. This is lasting change – empowering people to lift themselves out of material poverty, and alleviating spiritual poverty through reconciliation to God in Jesus Christ.

Photo by Taylor Jashinsky Saint Jean Siliane has three children and lives in Bernard village in Haiti. Her husband is a carpenter and her two older children go to school, but she says one of their main concerns is the water. “The water is not very good, we get infections and skin disease. We go to the hospital so often because we are sick,” she said. “I feel sick when my baby is sick because I am so sad.”

Prayer Requests:

The staff is very enthusiastic and shows a really appreciable motivation. We can see their spiritual growth during devotions. 

  • Please pray for continued spiritual growth for our staff.
  • Pray for a successful launch of deworming activities.
  • Pray the nursery is established.
  • Pray for the Fleurantin & Massillon Families really need our prayers. They are going through a difficult period, pray that God may sow joy in the hearts of each member.
  • Pray for the World Concern team who are extending Jesus’ love to those who are displaced and hurting.

A Bayside short-term trip is planned for Fall 2019!

I – INVEST

Invest in High-Impact Ministries

Spotlight on Project #23: Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. Pastor Ray Johnston knows how vital reaching our youth is, so he tasked his youth pastors with partnering with FCA to impact students with the gospel. Bayside is a huge reason why FCA has continued to rapidly expand in the greater Sacramento area.

3,000 local students placed their faith in Jesus Christ last school year through FCA! In just three short years, FCA has rapidly exploded onto over 50 campuses. They have strategically partnered with Bayside to get youth pastors on campuses to interact with lost and broken students. Take a quick look at one example of how FCA is having a major impact, and why NEWS10 decided to cover the story!

During lunchtime Huddles (monthly outreach events) students hear the testimonies of former and current pro athletes and even pastors. At the end, they’re given an opportunity to place their faith in Christ. Students are immediately connected to youth pastors. The intent is to get them plugged into a local church and discipled.

Your prayers and generous donations are the reason FCA has been able to continuously take territory for the kingdom and see the lives of many of our youth transformed by the gospel! 

Prayer Requests:

  • More open doors on local campuses
  • That we find a Placer County Director called to FCA
  • Lives truly transformed by the gospel at every Huddle
  • Faithful student leaders, advisors and coaches
  • A supernatural abundance of funding to continue expanding 

R – REACH

Reach At-Risk Kids

Spotlight on Project #26: Alaska Christian College

Alaska Christian College, in its 18th year, experienced its largest growth this year with an incoming class of 94 students! This is up by 10 students from the prior year, and 10 the year before that. The four AA degree programs continue to thrive with the AA in Behavioral Health being the largest degree. Alaska Christian College added a new degree this year, General Education, as a way for each student to get ready to move on to a four-year program with their general education basics completed.

Alaska is also celebrating 580 students who have walked through their doors and are alumni. For Alaska, this is huge considering 90% of them are Alaska Native from third world villages. Over 85 (of approx. 250) villages in Alaska now have students coming from there to Soldotna to receive what they hope is life-changing education. Each student is prepared to move either back to work and serve in their village, in one of our urban centers, or continue their education elsewhere in a trade school or attend an academic institution.

Finally, ACC is embarking in 2019 on its most aggressive campaign ever called VISION 2020. Their vision is to make this ministry sustainable through a three-year campaign to include the final campus build-out of an athletic center (gym) and enlarge classroom space, additional funding of the Legacy Endowment, and paying off the minimal debt remaining on the long term original loan. The total VISION 2020 goal is 4.5M with already over 1.6M committed during the leadership fundraising phase. They will go public in January of 2020 to hopefully raise the remainder and begin construction of the athletic center, with the classroom addition being first completed in 2019. We ask for your prayers and support in this enormous endeavor to make this ministry more sustainable than ever in our history.

Prayer requests:

  • Students to be healed from tremendous abuse and pain in their past- this is the majority of our students
  • The new $1,000,000 matching gift towards our capital campaign- we have until April 30 to match it towards our new gymnasium!
  • The addition of a faculty department chair for our Behavioral Health degree, know anyone?
  • Mission trips we are ramping up for spring break- for our Eskimo students to have life-changing experiences

S – SERVE

Serve Our Community

Spotlight on Project #37: Serve Day

Bayside is passionate about meeting the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of the community. For a Serve Day 2017, we shut down all of our campuses and pulled together to complete over 290 projects, at 113 locations across the greater Sacramento region. More than 8,000 volunteers became the hands and feet of Jesus, which resulted in $950,000 in labor and improvements in our community!

We came alongside schools, local non-profits addressing the needs of the poor, city and county officials, homeless, senior adults and other groups where we could help make a difference. There was painting, landscaping, debris clean-up, window washing, gutter cleaning, power washing, smoke alarms inspections, free carnivals in underserved communities, and much more. 

Together we created a movement, encouraging our neighbors and physically displaying the love of Jesus!

In 2019, we are reaching wider with our Santa Rosa Campus. We plan to serve at 170 Locations, completing 350+ projects, and unleashing over 11,000 people into the community to serve.

SAVE THE DATE: September 27 & 28 for SERVE DAY 2019!

T – TRAIN

Train the Next Generation of Christian Leaders

Spotlight on Project #51: China Global Mission

(Due to the sensitive work of our partners in China, the ministry will remain unnamed)

The work of God’s spirit among our partners working in China has nurtured a new ministry model. Going forward, the strategic goal is to multiply many mission entities in the same way we have multiplied spiritual growth among our members and are reproducing disciples on foreign fields. The ministry will become a “missions incubator,” starting by establishing four entities within the current ministry. In doing so, leadership responsibilities will be immediately given to proven staff, all of whom have completed 4-7 years of full-time missionary service and is based upon four primary objectives in an effort to pursue dynamic mission growth for the single-minded purpose of boldly participating in finishing the task (Matthew 24:14).

1. Leadership Development. We will focus on giving opportunity to promising young men and women who have successfully completed their term of foreign service and are eager to lead others in ministry.  

2. Security. With the change in religious regulations and increased oppressive activity on the part of the Chinese government, we value the wisdom of multiple missions with a hundred members each rather than an effort to develop a single society with a thousand. 

3. The “Multiplication Principle.” We will apply the same principle used in making reproducing disciples by developing multiple mission-sending agencies. 

4. Simplification. The ministry will simplify its structure; yet remain governed by one board. 

Prayer requests:

  • Security issues: The government’s crackdown on religion in general and certainly in many cases, on Christianity.
  • Leadership: The building of strong leaders, especially as we launch a new model for the ministry.
  • Recruitment: Recruiting new members has become even more challenging. As security issues have arisen, prospective members are more cautious and less apt to apply.
  • Courage: Many of our staff in China are battling discouragement and even fear in the midst of ever-changing government security dynamics and oppression.
  • Gospel Advancement: That the life and love of Christ will be received and embraced in and amongst the most unreached people groups, resulting in the transformation of many lives, communities, cities and even countries.

In 2019, we plan to send teams from Bayside to the following locations to serve – Mexico, Japan, Haiti, Kenya, Czech Republic, Jordan, Cambodia, El Salvador, and India.

Interested in volunteering locally or participating on a global outreach trip, please contact globaloutreach@baysideonline.com for more information.

Follow Bayside Church:

Bayside Church exists to reach people far from God and show them how to follow Jesus step by step.

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