Missions
Missions have always been at the heart of Exeter Pentecostal Tabernacle.
Financial giving, short term mission trips and encouragement and blessing of visiting missionaries are a great blessing to our assembly.
At the beginning of Acts the Lord’s promise is that, when the Spirit is come, they shall witness “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (1.8).
We were mandated by Christ to preach:
… IN JERUSALEM(our town and area)
NOAH’S ARK
Noah’s Ark, in Exeter, was started due to the vision of Liz Davis and volunteers who realized the need for inexpensive and available “gently used” clothing and household goods for the people of this area.
Now the Ark, under the management of Norm Tait, has a staff of four employees and many volunteers – people from the community and Exeter Pentecostal Tabernacle, students from high school who are fulfilling their hours of volunteer commitment and from the Salvation Army.
FOOD BANK
Exeter Food Bank centered in Exeter, and behind the building of Noah’s Ark, assists those in the area who temporarily need help to have nutritional food for their families. Singles are our fastest growing group needing assistance in this area due to the economic downturn. The food bank is open Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, but can rise to an emergency whenever it arises. Food is donated by the community during several food drives during the year, and the food bank is staffed by church members and volunteers.
KEY BIBLE CLUBS
Key Bible Clubs Children in area schools hear the Gospel message from volunteers who go into schools to teach children, who have received parental permission, the Gospel and how to implement that teaching in their daily lives.
… IN SAMARIA(outside our immediate area)
ARK AID (LONDON)
Church members go to London once a month to help with the feeding and socialization of those with great needs. This past year the profits from a book sale in Exeter provided this ministry with a commercial can opener.
FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN FARMERS
Fellowship of Christian Farmers, Canada, has farmers reaching out to their communities. With the help of one of our church members, Bert Visscher, the gospel of Christ is presented at venues such as the Farm Show and Zurich Bean Festival and the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. Walking sticks and bracelets with colored beads are used to present simply the salvation message.
… AND TO THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE EARTH
ELIAS PINA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The Thompson Family in Elias Pina, Dominican Republic, right on the Haiti border, works with the branch of YWAM known as Planting For Harvest. They are raising up the church in the DR to enable them to bless their nation in areas such as working with the government to drill wells and teaching new farming methods and crops. Our church has done outreach in their area and helped to build their present mission center.
MINSK, BELARUS
Alexander and Svetlana in Minsk, Belarus and their large family are pastors of a small church (around twenty). Our most recent trip there was in 2007. Alexander’s son, Andre, has visited EPT.
Belarus Mission Trip 2007
COLUMBIA
Enith Diaz, Medellin, Colombia- Enith has worked under the auspices of Youth with a Mission with orphans and street kids here for 34 years. Her dream is to buy a self-sufficient farm so that she can provide for the many more children that need a safe haven in this country.
VARIOUS OTHER MINISTRIES
Our senior Womens’ Ministries ladies have faithfully supported missions for years.
They support missionary Marilyn Bush on the east coast of Kenya. Marilyn teaches Bible education and does theological training, changing lives in that nation.
Doris Sauder, another Canadian, conducts adult literacy programmes in venacular languages in Kisoro, Uganda.
The Cooledge Family (now home on furlough) has been blessed by their efforts.
Frank Juelich, in India, simply set up a tent in a field in India and now feeds many children with the help of our WM ladies.
The Village of Hope, where assistance is given to children with AIDS in Zimbabwe, medical needs in Mozabique, and the Strongs in Brazil are all areas truly blessed by this faithful group of ladies.
Themocracy