A decade of growth in the missions field

In December 2006, a team of 6 men from Clay Center Christian Church -- Kevin Whitmore, Donnie Batterman, Rod Dow, Clay Fisher, Merle VonSpreckelsen, and Scot VonSpreckelsen -- headed south.

While it's not uncommon for some to retreat south for the winter, these guys were not snow-birding. They joined up with IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) on a mission trip to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. They spent a week doing construction projects in a devastated part of rural Mississippi.

Some of the guys were not so sure about the idea at first but they all got a taste of serving the Lord in this way and came home excited for the next time they could leave their comfort zones and go where God leads.

A decade later, many more from Clay Center Christian Church have likewise caught the vision and answered the call to reach out -- in our backyards, to different parts of the country, and overseas. At least a dozen groups have gone on short-term mission trips to places like innercity Omaha and Houston, the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Lakota reservations in South Dakota, and overseas to Kenya.

More than 85 people, total, from Clay Center Christian Church have gone on these trips -- not to mention the countless number of people who supported these teams from home with preparations, supply donations, and prayer. 

Truly, Clay Center Christian Church lives out its mission to "help people know and love Jesus!" How will He use us as His hands and feet in the next decade?