“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Mark 16:15
The goal of Life Church of Athens Missions is to GO & TELL the gospel in the local community and world, to identify physical and spiritual needs, and discern how Life Church can help meet those needs, working independently as a church OR in conjunction with missionaries and ministry partners.
Life Church of Athens believes that all that is given to the church belongs to the Lord and has committed to consistently and faithfully give 10% of all tithes and offerings back out to support our own missional efforts as well as those of missionaries and ministry partners, both locally and world wide. Life Church seeks to identify Missionaries and Ministry Partners that serve and proclaim the Gospel within our local community as well those that serve in countries on every continent in the world by following the charge in Acts 1:8 “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem [Athens] and in all Judea and Samaria [United States], and to the end of the earth [every continent].” We choose to take part in missional efforts and to support missionaries and ministry partners that help meet the needs of our neighbors in the following areas:
- Physical Needs (food, clothing, shelter, medical care, etc)
- Emotional Needs (mental health care, support for at risk families, etc)
- Spiritual Needs (Discipleship, Bible Distribution, etc)
Please read below for ways that you have allowed us to bless those around us and serve the Lord in our community through our annual missions giving.
Our community partners are organizations that serve specific populations in our direct community and around the world. In 2022, we were able to partner with the following organizations in their efforts.
– The Sparrow’s Nest
– Mercy Health Center
– Athens Pregnancy Center
– Chosen For Life Ministries
– A Child’s Hope: a Life Church of Athens ministry that supports Adoptive and Foster Families through Foster Family Care Teams and Adoption Grants
– The Georgia Baptist Mission Board
– The Ark
– Bethel Haven
– Wiphan
Our Missionary Partners are individuals who depend on giving and contributions to support their work and their families while on the mission field. In 2022, we were able to provide monthly support to the following families:
– Jay and Betsy Bosley with Cru at Georgia Southern University
– The “B” Family in the Levant Region of the Middle East
– Chris and Carrie Davis with Athletes in Action at the University of Georgia
– Jonathan Chancey with The Church at Sewee Bay
Throughout the year there are special times of need that we have been able to contribute to because of your faithful giving. This past year we:
– Sent 10 Downtown Academy students to Camp Grace for a week of faith based summer camp
– Supported the teachers of Downtown Academy through Christmas Teacher Appreciation gifts
– Mercy for Mamas Mother’s Day Offering
– Athens Pregnancy Center Brave Dad|Strong Dad Father’s Day Offering
– Hope 139 House Fundraising Banquet
In 2022, missions giving allowed our staff to be a consistent presence in our local schools, to partner with FCA to bring discipleship programming into the school building, and to provide support to our local teams and educators through variety of ways.
For Cedar Shoals Athletic Teams, Life Church:
– Hosted the football team at a church service and provided them with lunch
– Provided and served a pre-game meal for the football team
– Led pre-game football devotions
– Provided meals for coaches during coaches meetings
– Led Bible studies for students and teachers in conjunction with FCA
– Hosted the baseball team for their end-of-year banquet
– Led post-practice devotions for the baseball team
– Provided dugout snacks for the baseball team
For Clarke Central Athletic Teams, Life Church:
– Provided and served a pre-game meal for the football team
– Provided a a pre-game meal for the FCA All-Star Football teams (consisting of seniors from numerous schools in our area)
Throughout the year, Life Church has built partnerships and relationships within our community and because of your generous giving, the church as been able to impact those around us by:
– Donating blankets and gift cards given to 80 local foster families for Christmas in conjunction with Chosen For Life Ministries
– Provide Hygiene Bags to Downtown Ministries every other month
– Provide monthly meals to the volunteers and staff at Mercy Health Clinic
– Providing and serving a quarterly lunch at Our Daily Bread to the Athens Area homeless community
– Providing fidgets, children’s books, and letters of hope to Bethel Haven as needed
– Hosted Restoration Women’s weekly Bible study and mentorship program as well as providing dinner and letters of encouragement
– Donated blankets to Sparrow’s Nest for their Christmas party gifts
– Collected diapers and wipes for the Chosen for Life Foster Family Clothes Closet and the Athens Pregnancy Center supply closet
– Blessed our families and neighbors with Back to School Blessing Bags
– Participated in the Oconee County Parks and Recreation Trick or Treat Trail
– Blessed our ministry partners with Christmas gifts for their staff
….and many other small ways that allowed us to impact our community.
Please contact Erin Murray, Director of Missions, if you have any questions or would like more information on how you and your family can be more involved with any of our missions programs