Newsletter January/February 2024
How We Began
Back in 2014, while still stationed in Tennessee, the Lord led our family to a small Spanish ministry in southern KY. Upon Jamie’s medical retirement, the pastor prayed that the Lord would give our family a ministry among Spanish speaking people in NE Wisconsin. We had no idea what God was planning, but after 6 years of involvement in teaching English through the local Literacy Council and counseling Spanish-speaking women through two different pregnancy centers, the need for Spiritual teaching became crystal clear. As we prayed for direction and shared the burden with others, the Lord brought about a monthly Spanish Bible study in January of 2023. It became a weekly bi-lingual Bible study in May with the Lord providing a regular meeting place by the end of July. We began to see the Lord bring together both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking people from all walks of life to form a Christ-focused, sbi-lingual, multi-cultural community.
Who We Are
Woods Outreach was officially born through the formation of a 501-(c3) during mid-Autumn, with a functioning Board of Directors and a local outreach into the community of Mishicot, Wisconsin (located about 20 minutes SE of Green Bay). We are an Outreach that has Christ Jesus as the Founder, while the Gospel is the message that compels us to reach out to those around us in both English and Spanish circles. We are a group of people who originate from 9 different countries and have been able to connect with over 165 people since that first Bible Study of January 20/21, 2023. A core group of bi-linguals has been established that meets on a regular basis with Sunday morning Bible study as the main focus. We also offer donations of food/clothing/household goods, connections to local resources, special events, and language class.
Where Are We Going
This year is our first official year of being an Outreach in a regular location. Our desire is to reach into the surrounding communities with the Gospel visible through both our teaching and our actions. We are currently renting the building that we are meeting in and would desire to purchase it if the Lord leads. There is also the vision of establishing a regular donation center, potential Coffee shop/Bakery, purchasing a vehicle to facilitate transportation for those without any, and the formation of an LLC that would come under the umbrella of Woods Outreach to help offer work for those in need.
HOW to BE A PART
The humble beginnings of this Outreach continually remind us just how great God is in bringing together total strangers with the same heartbeat - to share Christ’s love. What began with the simple desire of a monthly Bible study has blossomed into a community that cares one for another and lives out the Gospel of “bearing one another’s burdens”. Through prayer, financial giving, volunteering, and sharing of goods, there is a place, distant and local, for those who sense the prompting of the Holy Spirit to be a part of something that only the Lord could have begun. If the Lord puts it upon your heart to be a part of this Outreach in some way, please contact us so that we can share the opportunities that have been set before us. “Behold, an open door….”
Current & future events
Sunday mornings – Bi-lingual Bible study (10 a.m.)
Wednesday evenings – Language Classes (6 p.m.); Bible studies in English and in Spanish (7:30 p.m.)
March 31st – Easter Breakfast and Study
April 13th – Open House (2-4 p.m.)
May 5th – Cinco de Mayo BBQ and activities following the morning Bible Study
