A Season of Thanksgiving
As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, we have so much to give thanks and praise to God for. Sometimes it's easy to think of global outreach in terms of the things we give, the trips we take, or the needs we help meet. But when we look at what God is doing through our four global partnerships, we are reminded that this is about so much more. It's about lives being changed, churches being strengthened, and the Gospel reaching people around the world.
We give thanks for provision.
This year, through our partnerships, 19,120 meals have been served! In Burenza, Burundi, 125 of the youngest and most vulnerable children receive nutritious meals twice a week. For some families, this support means the difference between fighting malnutrition and facing the unimaginable loss of a child to starvation.
In Honduras, approximately 35 children, widows, and widowers receive consistent, nutritious meals three times a week through the local church. And in Bulgaria, more than 8,000 meals have been served, particularly through the harshest winter months, in some of the country's poorest communities. Many Roma families face deep poverty, discrimination, food insecurity, and limited access to heat. The feeding program kicks off in December in Bulgaria. This outreach is vital to this neighborhood within Pastor Lubucho’s church. This very small act helps families stay safe by having their 8, 10, 12 year olds seek employment to make winter livable but mistakenly, allowing them to be trafficked right out of their homes. Because of this very outreach, we are seeing more families in church, more men in bible studies, and more children free to be children of God.
If you would like to give to the Bulgaria Winter Feeding Program, please select Bulgaria on the JFM Giving portion in the app or designate Bulgaria on your check, payable to Jackson Free Methodist.
We give thanks for the body of Christ.
Did you know that six churches across our global partnerships actively pray for us here in tiny Jackson, Michigan? Two churches in Hungary, two in Honduras, one in Burundi, and one in Bulgaria. What a beautiful reminder that the family of God has no borders!
We also celebrate the dozens of Bible studies and small groups happening every week. In places where Bibles and Scripture resources are limited, materials are shared so believers can grow together in God's Word.
We give thanks for healing and hope.
Through our medical ministry in Burundi, more than 2,500 people on a monthly average have received potentially life-saving medical treatment. But the care doesn't stop with physical healing. Through chaplain visits, prayer, and the local church, people are also being introduced to the hope of eternal life through Jesus. Multiplication is happening across our partnerships-we are in Phase 2 of a second clinic being constructed in Cibitoke, Burundi. A clinic that will help the Burundi Free Methodist Church be the Lighthouse in their city, providing much needed medical care with a facility right on their church campus-bridging the gap in healing bodies to healing souls.
In Hungary, ongoing visits and Gospel-centered activities continue in three children's shelters. These are children who are often forgotten, many of whom may never be reunited with their biological families.Through ongoing JFM donations, they can provide toiletries, vitamins and medicine–items that the country of Hungary does not provide to children in state care. Our partners show up, build relationships, and become a tangible expression of the love of Jesus.
We give thanks for opportunities to GO.
This year, we had the privilege of sending teams to two very different parts of the world. In Honduras, our JFM teens experienced love in action by entering homes, hanging mosquito nets, and helping equip families with tools for safe drinking water.
In Hungary, our team came alongside the local church for a week of Vacation Bible School, loving on orphans in state care and children who are living in temporary housing alongside their mothers, engaging with 13 mums and a combination of almost 30 children that week-forgetting about their worries for the moment, yet reminding them that their hope lies in Jesus.
And perhaps most importantly, 18 people have given their lives to Christ this year!
As we gather around our tables this Thanksgiving, may we remember that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We have brothers and sisters in Christ praying for us, serving their communities, sharing the Gospel, and faithfully loving their neighbors on the other side of the world.
To our congregation: thank you for praying, giving, going, and being part of these partnerships. We have so much to be thankful for!
And as we look at all that has happened this year, we are reminded of Ephesians 3:20:
"Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine."
May we never underestimate what God can accomplish through willing hearts, faithful prayer, and a church family committed to saying YES to Him.
To God be the Glory!
Annie Creech-Global Outreach Coordinator
As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, we have so much to give thanks and praise to God for. Sometimes it's easy to think of global outreach in terms of the things we give, the trips we take, or the needs we help meet. But when we look at what God is doing through our four global partnerships, we are reminded that this is about so much more. It's about lives being changed, churches being strengthened, and the Gospel reaching people around the world.
We give thanks for provision.
This year, through our partnerships, 19,120 meals have been served! In Burenza, Burundi, 125 of the youngest and most vulnerable children receive nutritious meals twice a week. For some families, this support means the difference between fighting malnutrition and facing the unimaginable loss of a child to starvation.
In Honduras, approximately 35 children, widows, and widowers receive consistent, nutritious meals three times a week through the local church. And in Bulgaria, more than 8,000 meals have been served, particularly through the harshest winter months, in some of the country's poorest communities. Many Roma families face deep poverty, discrimination, food insecurity, and limited access to heat. The feeding program kicks off in December in Bulgaria. This outreach is vital to this neighborhood within Pastor Lubucho’s church. This very small act helps families stay safe by having their 8, 10, 12 year olds seek employment to make winter livable but mistakenly, allowing them to be trafficked right out of their homes. Because of this very outreach, we are seeing more families in church, more men in bible studies, and more children free to be children of God.
If you would like to give to the Bulgaria Winter Feeding Program, please select Bulgaria on the JFM Giving portion in the app or designate Bulgaria on your check, payable to Jackson Free Methodist.
We give thanks for the body of Christ.
Did you know that six churches across our global partnerships actively pray for us here in tiny Jackson, Michigan? Two churches in Hungary, two in Honduras, one in Burundi, and one in Bulgaria. What a beautiful reminder that the family of God has no borders!
We also celebrate the dozens of Bible studies and small groups happening every week. In places where Bibles and Scripture resources are limited, materials are shared so believers can grow together in God's Word.
We give thanks for healing and hope.
Through our medical ministry in Burundi, more than 2,500 people on a monthly average have received potentially life-saving medical treatment. But the care doesn't stop with physical healing. Through chaplain visits, prayer, and the local church, people are also being introduced to the hope of eternal life through Jesus. Multiplication is happening across our partnerships-we are in Phase 2 of a second clinic being constructed in Cibitoke, Burundi. A clinic that will help the Burundi Free Methodist Church be the Lighthouse in their city, providing much needed medical care with a facility right on their church campus-bridging the gap in healing bodies to healing souls.
In Hungary, ongoing visits and Gospel-centered activities continue in three children's shelters. These are children who are often forgotten, many of whom may never be reunited with their biological families.Through ongoing JFM donations, they can provide toiletries, vitamins and medicine–items that the country of Hungary does not provide to children in state care. Our partners show up, build relationships, and become a tangible expression of the love of Jesus.
We give thanks for opportunities to GO.
This year, we had the privilege of sending teams to two very different parts of the world. In Honduras, our JFM teens experienced love in action by entering homes, hanging mosquito nets, and helping equip families with tools for safe drinking water.
In Hungary, our team came alongside the local church for a week of Vacation Bible School, loving on orphans in state care and children who are living in temporary housing alongside their mothers, engaging with 13 mums and a combination of almost 30 children that week-forgetting about their worries for the moment, yet reminding them that their hope lies in Jesus.
And perhaps most importantly, 18 people have given their lives to Christ this year!
As we gather around our tables this Thanksgiving, may we remember that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We have brothers and sisters in Christ praying for us, serving their communities, sharing the Gospel, and faithfully loving their neighbors on the other side of the world.
To our congregation: thank you for praying, giving, going, and being part of these partnerships. We have so much to be thankful for!
And as we look at all that has happened this year, we are reminded of Ephesians 3:20:
"Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine."
May we never underestimate what God can accomplish through willing hearts, faithful prayer, and a church family committed to saying YES to Him.
To God be the Glory!
Annie Creech-Global Outreach Coordinator