SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023

 

 

Category: Local NJ

Hello Everyone!

We are only months away from our two mission trips this summer… Atlantic City and Albania!

This will be our 11th team going back to serve along side (now) Pastor Pete and New City Fellowship in Atlantic City and our 2nd team going back to Albania to serve with Pastor Plator and his growing ministry in and around the area of Korce.

The AC Team will be serving from August 5-11 and the Albania Team will be serving from August 25-Sept 4. Both teams have been diligently preparing  and raising funds for many months.

The AC Team is made up of 11 team members from 5 different churches. Each morning we will be engaged in discipleship teaching on cross-cultural ministry learning about how we can be more aware of the people around us, sharing the Word of God and being a bridge from the community to the church.  During the day we will be involved with a variety of service projects that the team from AC prepares for us. This time will give us opportunity to share Jesus and help meet some tangible needs in the community. And three of the nights we will be sharing Jesus with the children of Carver Hall through our Bible Club. 

 

The Albania Team is made up of 10 team members from 4 different churches, including our friends Ted & Katie Kenney from Plays on Word Ministry. While in Albania we will be sharing our Bible theme of “Creation” with over 200 children and also a group of youth during a one day discipleship workshop. We will travel to the different church plants that Pastor Plator currently has, including going far up the mountains to one of the remote villages (as we did last year). Our time will be blessed as we get to act out, sing and share the love of Jesus with this predominately Muslim / atheist country that has less than 2% Christians.

 

We are asking for your prayers for the remaining preparations, financial responsibilities and the travel to and from for our teams. We are excited to see how God is going to use all of us and truly appreciate your prayers for all of it!

Hello Everyone!

Here is a brief update on 4 of our main ministries… Brick, NJ ~ Atlantic City, NJ ~ Haiti ~ Albania

Maple Leaf Tutoring Program ~ Brick, NJ

Over the past 10 years, many volunteers have come and served the community of Maple Leaf. Some stayed and a few new volunteers have started which makes up our current volunteer base. Through all of them, a weekly program continues to run strong for the 10-12 students who have been asked to join us again this year. The weekly Bible time continues to reach their hearts. When we once had to “beg” the students to pray before the meal, now sometimes we have 6-7 raising their hands to pray on a weekly basis! The homework side of the program has changed as the volunteers are now focusing on more of an individual basis to help each student with their reading and comprehension. Each week brings its own set of challenges and blessings, with the blessings leading the way!

 

Atlantic City, NJ

After returning from last summer’s mission trip, some of us have returned twice to help New City Fellowship bring a 1-day Bible program to both Carver Hall Apartments and Stanley Home Apartments. In the fall we were able to be outside at Carver Hall and had a beautiful afternoon bringing songs, games, craft and a short Bible teaching. Last weekend a small group returned, but this time we were inside at Stanley Homes [where New City has their Sunday morning service]. The day was very cold and most were not outside. However, the team walked around the neighborhood looking to see who they can invite. They stopped and prayed for the neighboring apartments on one of the corners and then returned to Stanley Homes. When no one came, the team, along with Pastor Pete and his family, had lunch and talked a while. We played some of the worship songs that we brought to teach the neighborhood children and spent time encouraging each other. As we were preparing to leave, a brother and sister showed up. We invited them in, went through the worship songs, handed them snacks and the craft that was brought down and invited them to come back the next day for the children’s program at church. Then we left. We found out from Pastor Pete that these children returned the next morning and Katie (Pete’s wife) was able to share Jesus with them. God always knows why He sends us out and where, we just need to say “YES”! This year’s mission trip will be August 5 – 11th.

Lac’ajue, Haiti

Since returning from Haiti last May, the country has continued to go through much hardships. Today, there is no government in place, with the cost of food extremely high and the ability to get fuel almost impossible. With this in mind we have decided not to take a team down this July. We do not want to put Joseph, the Aslan Director, in a difficult position trying to prepare and oversee a team. Instead we will look to raise funds to help some of the summer programs continue, like taking the students who have graduated to the next grade level, to the beach. A cost of about $950.00. While a team will not be going this year, Pam will be going down in March, along with Craig from Aslan, to do some much needed administrated work. We hope to have more updates on the state of how things look after that trip.

Albania

The team that returned from Albania last September brought back a lot of excitement and stories about what is going on through Pastor Plator’s ministry in and around the town of Korca. Then in November and December the Libonik worship team, along with Pastor Plator and Pastor Geno came to Chicago and then here to NJ and spent 2 1/2 weeks with us. During their stay, more excitement was building throughout the churches that they visited as to how we can help come along side them even more to help with the ministry. Supporters began giving to help support some of the children at the Day Center and Residential Home, as well as an increase of support for some of the staff who work so diligently to spread the Gospel. As the team returned to Albania, they distributed 5000 Christmas Shoeboxes to the 98 villages. With the winter months upon them, we were able to collect 55 winter coats  from Living Faith Bible Church and as many knit hats from St. Paul’s Methodist Church, which will be taken back to Albania next week by Pastor Plator and distributed to the children in the tiny town of Moglica. And most recently a large amount of money was raised for a family who suffered greatly when their roof collapsed on their home, paralyzing their son. We will be returning this August with a team to continue helping bring the Gospel message to the villages that surround Korca along with Plator and his staff and volunteers.

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/L7ovbRBhGa4

For 2 1/2 weeks our friends from Albania both received and gave an abundance of blessings throughout NJ! Aside from Pastor Plator, the rest of this 9 person team [Geno, Denis, Ani, Mario, Leo, Davey, Jana and Abi] had never been to the US. From the first night at their “Jersey home” on Green Island to the last good-byes at the airport, the love that they had to share was so evident.

SOFM was simply blessed to be a part of coordinating their time here and can’t wait to do it again. We can not thank all who were a part of this beautiful time together. From the many individuals who provided delicious meals, to the fun events that they got to experience, to the churches who hosted them for a night of worship and testimony, and everyone in-between, this could never had happened without all of you! Thank you! Falaminderit!

While hundreds of pictures were taken, along with hours of videos, we hope that this consolidated video [above] of their trip sums up the experience that many had as we shared, laughed, cried and worshiped together during this Christmas season. God was glorified and many were encouraged! Thank you so much and have a very Merry Christmas!!

 


Contact Step of Faith

    Step of Faith Ministry, Inc.
    PO Box 805
    Brick, NJ 08723
    United States of America