Our End of the Year Celebration - 12.03.23
It was a great way to end the year for Mission Journeys! On Sunday afternoon, December 03, a crowd of just over 60 people gathered in the fellowship hall of First Christian Church (Lexington, KY) for a special Mission Journeys program.
The folks were treated to some coffee, desserts, and some great music by Pat Geary of First Christian Church/Lexington. Wayne King (Executive Director) gave an update on what and where all Mission Journeys has been involved with over the previous year. It was also the unofficial “kick off” for one of our outreach ministries as several churches brought Christmas Shoeboxes to be used in this year’s Appalachian Christmas Project.
The program ended with two special announcements. Both of the announcements concerned honoring some of our most dedicated volunteers as well as addressing our need for future leaders in the mission work.
Announcement #1: In 2024, we are reaching out to Bill Teegarden and JT Ministries for help in staffing and operating some short-term mission trips. Bill has a long history with Mission Journeys having led numerous trips since 1995 as well as serving on the Board of Directors. On July 27, 2004, Joshua Teegarden (23 years of age) was killed on one of our short-term mission trips near Mount Vernon, KY. He was helping his father, Bill, in leading the team. As a result of this, the Teegarden family established a ministry (JT Ministries) and a scholarship at Johnson University in Tennessee in Josh’s memory. We are also looking into the possibility of using some of the Joshua Teegarden scholarship recipients to help us as well.
Announcement #2: With all the health issues he’s dealt with this year, the Mission Journeys leadership wanted to honor Chuck Perry for his 37 years of volunteer service to the mission. It was announced that a “missions” scholarship at Kentucky Christian University (Chuck’s alma mater) was being established in Chuck’s name and honor. Doug Martin, Director of Alumni and Church Relations at KCU was on hand to help make the exciting announcement.
Martin said "We are excited to partner with Mission Journeys to provide the Chuck Perry Missions Scholarship at KCU. I can't think of anyone more appropriate to name a scholarship for Missions after than Chuck Perry."
We at Mission Journeys feel that both of these developments are the right thing to do as Romans 13:7 implores us to “give honor to whom honor is due.”
However, we also believe that it will help us further invest in the lives of young people who want to serve the Lord through mission work. Our prayer is that God may use both of these scholarship programs to help develop future leaders for Mission Journeys.
Interested in Helping?
We collected nearly $5,000 on 12.03.23 for the general fund of Mission Journeys and the Chuck Perry Scholarship Fund.
There's still time to give. If you mail a check, please send a note with your gift so we'll know what you are giving to - The General Fund, the Teegarden Scholarship, or the Chuck Perry Scholarship.
Appalachian Christmas Project Underway!
Our 19th annual Appalachian Christmas Project is officially underway. Through the support of churches and individuals, this project helps provide Christmas presents to several needy children in Eastern Kentucky.
Several churches have been collecting things over the past few weeks. We are looking at having somewhere over 400 shoebox gifts this year to distribute!
Here are the distribution dates and destinations:
December 14 - Salyersville, KY, Christian Church (Magoffin County)
December 15 - Stone Missions (Letcher County, KY)
December 19 - Bethany Christian Mission (Wolfe County, KY)
December 20 - Irvine, KY (Estill County)
THANKS again for ALL of your prayers, support, and encouragement!
In Him,
Greg Herriford
Development Director
Phone = 859/312-7622
Email = gherriford@gmail.com
