International Missions

The Goldie Frances Campbell Trust--In 1987, a quiet, unassuming member of our church passed away. Though she had no children of her own, she had been deeply touched by the plight of children in other countries. The 1980's marked a period where the famines in Africa and the plight of refugees became more visible through video images being streamed into our living rooms from oversees. Unbeknownst to anyone in the congregation, Mrs. Campbell quietly made out her will to leave her simple estate to the church for the purpose of funding a missionary to share the gospel somewhere beyond our borders. Though Mrs. Campbell was not wealthy, she had been careful with her resources. The trust fund established in her name has grown over the years while also giving a total equivalent to the initial corpus in funding for international missions. The Campbell Trust anchors and inspires our efforts in international missions. With each of the missions we fund oversees, there are opportunities for individuals to also give.

Egypt
We are assisting the Coptic Evangelical Church of El Kom El Akhdar which is the same as saying Egyptian Presbyterian Church of EKEA.  Coptic means Egyptian and evangelical is the word used in Egypt for Presbyterians.  There are no officially published figures of the number of Christians in Egypt, but the unofficial figure generally used is 10-12% of the population.  The vast majority of Christians are Coptic Orthodox; Presbyterians are the largest Protestant denomination in the Middle East.   We are assisting with the construction of a new 3 story building: 1st floor daycare center, 2nd floor fellowship hall, 3rd floor pastor's apartment and guest rooms.  The first floor is now complete- Pastor Amgad and his wife are temporarily living there until the 3rd floor can be constructed.  In early 2008, we sent money to begin the 3rd floor so the pastor can move upstairs and the daycare for 60 children can move in on the ground floor.   El Kom El Akhdar is a rural town that is historically predominantly Christian. In this country (and region) where conversion to Christianity from Islam is prohibited, Christian ministry is quite challenging. The Church is permitted to evangelize people of Christian descent, and has a vital ministry of evangelism to bring this population back into the life and ministry of Christ. It also has a myriad of social action ministries that are carried out for the benefit of Christian and Muslim alike. While the Church prays for the day when Christians may invite all people into a life-transforming relationship with Christ, it bears witness to Christ through word and deed in many ways, including agricultural projects, water projects, and the care of young children.	Pastor Amgad and Wife Above Day Care Children below