STEADFAST CHURCH
MISSIONS
MISSIONS OF STEADFAST CHURCH
Mission isn’t a special assignment God gives to a few “special” Christians - it’s the calling of every disciple.
Being a disciple means that you evaluate your gifts, skills, and resources in light of how they can best be used to advance God’s mission. Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20), meaning mission is not EITHER local OR global, but BOTH local AND global. Mission begins right here in Asheville, but it extends to the ends of the earth.
There are 3 primary ways in which every Christian who calls Steadfast Church home can be involved in global mission.
PRAY:
Without God going before us, we won’t succeed. When we pray, we are believing God is faithful to his promises. One of the things God has promised is to build his church (Matt 16:18; Acts 1:8). By praying for our missionaries around the world, we unlock the power of God for his mission.
GIVE:
We want to invite you to invest in what God is doing around the world. Steadfast Church is committed to seeing the gospel proclaimed, Jesus made famous, and Christ’s church planted. Over 12% of our annual operating budget is focused on supporting the missionaries and church planters, and investing in partnerships that expand the mission. So, when you give your offering here at Steadfast, you give to the mission of God.
GO:
We’ve challenged every member of Steadfast Church to take at least 2% (1 week) of our lives per year to go to a different context for the sake of the gospel. We are working to provide short-term, mid-term, and long-term opportunities for men & women to participate in the mission of God around the world.
LOCAL MISSIONS
Our desire is to see people and communities in the city of Asheville experience hope, change, and renewal through the demonstration of the love of Jesus Christ.
Like Jesus, we desire to proclaim the kingdom and to heal. Helping set people free spiritually is just the beginning of the glorious Gospel message; serving others though acts of mercy and compassion is the rest of the message. When we look around our city, we see a lot of assets. But when we slow down long enough to take a really good look, we discover a world of unmet needs and a people who hunger for change and renewal.
On one hand, Local Mission is about loving our neighbors and loving them holistically – meeting them where they are spiritually and physically. On the other, Local Mission is about exposing the church to ministry and is calling you to invest your time, talents, and resources into ministries that are slowly changing the city.
We are partnering with existing organizations who are already serving the least of these, and helping strengthen them by mobilizing the time, talents, and treasures of volunteers.
We are actively supporting these local ministry partners this year.
ABCCM
Website — Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry coordinates the efforts of thousands of volunteers from hundreds of churches to do together what individual congregations and individuals cannot do separately. While responding to meet emergency needs, we develop strategic plans to address root causes of poverty, helping people take steps to achieve independent living skills, and restoring lives in the community. We accomplish this through these ministries: Crisis Ministry, Jail Ministry, Medical Ministry, Transformation Village, Veterans Restoration Quarters, Veteran Services of the Carolinas, and Recovery Living Center.
Asheville’s PEAK Academy
Website — Asheville PEAK Academy is a tuition-free public charter school. At PEAK, we strive to close the achievement gap through personalized instruction and character education to ensure youth from all demographics and backgrounds receive a quality educational experience that will allow them to achieve success in their academics and in life.
Fostering Hopes
Website — Fostering Hopes is focused on shining a light upon the hidden reality of Foster Care, bringing much needed education to the community and creating opportunity for everyone to become engaged in the world of Foster Care, to improve the quality of life for children in the system and the families who care for them.
Mountain Area Pregnancy Services
Website — The mission of MAPS is to be a relevant Christ-centered outreach ministry partnering with the churches of WNC by caring for, counseling and educating women and men regarding, or impacted by, an at-risk pregnancy.
Western Carolina Rescue Ministries
Website — WCRM exists to serve the homeless, poor, and addicted populations of Western North Carolina. As a non-denominational ministry, we meet people in crisis, focus on helping them at the point of their need, invest in their future, and help them until they can move forward.
STEADFAST CHURCH
GLOBAL MISSIONS
Our desire is to see people and communities experience hope, change, and renewal through the demonstration of the love of Jesus Christ, in Asheville, Western North Carolina and to the ends of the earth.
We are actively supporting these global ministry partners this year:
Ebenezer Gospel Mission
Website — Ebenezer Gospel Mission is a unique ministry focusing on the evangelization of the native people in India. The twenty nine Indian states differ in languages, religions and culture. The ministry of EGM is specifically designed to reach the impoverished people groups living in the remote villages. Since its founding in 1966, EGM has grown to extend its ministry to several states. However, the gospel of Jesus has yet to reach many other Indian villages.
Flint Global
Website — Our vision is to see great humans break cycles of extreme poverty and dependence, creating flourishing families and communities that make the world a brighter place. Like a flint ignites a fire, we ignite change by training, mentoring, and providing critical connections related to business, entrepreneurship, and skills for vibrant living. (Keeping Christ as their foundation is what makes the curriculum and services provided by Flint so powerful. Not mentioning this on their website enables them to serve in places that would otherwise be unreachable.)
Gerard and Anne Chalvet
Website — Gerard and Anne Chalvet assist a growing assembly in the Grenoble area through preaching, teaching, pastoral ministries and discipleship.
After more than 33 years in the ministry we are convinced that it is urgent and vital to promote prayer and to foster intimacy with God in our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ, because we see that so much is done in the flesh and without discernment: proximity with God to better serve Him. The ministry of intercession naturally leads us to help Christians to live a victorious life in Jesus Christ and to be free from the power of sin and of the Devil: a higher life because and for a higher calling…
Steve and Rita Williams
Website — Steve is the MTW team leader for New Zealand/Pacific Islands. Rita serves on the national Women in the Church committee. The Williams are particularly involved in an initiative called the Island-to-Island Partnership in an interdenominational effort to bring gospel revitalization to Oceania. All these various ministries operate under the MTW partnership project called the New Zealand Grace Care Community.
Tanzanian Projects
We have partnered with several groups in Tanzania, primarily in the Mtwara region including two churches hosting compassion centers, each with over 100 children, a nationwide disciple making movement, and in providing seminary training for church planters working in unreached areas. To learn more about the people and communities we are partnered with, you can read our Tanzania blog.
Medical? Many members of Steadfast Church are health care professionals and are uniquely equipped to minister in developing nations. If you'd like to be involved in an upcoming trip, please contact David Lindrum by email missions@steadfastavl.org.
Vision Nicaragua
Website — Vision Nicaragua is a small non-profit based out of Asheville, NC. As an organization, we originally connected with the people in the village of Bethel (near Chinandega) after Hurricane Mitch hit around 15 years ago. Upon arrival, we realized that there was much more going on in the lives of our friends down there that extended far beyond the hurricane devastation.