The North Canton Chapel sees the personal involvement in missions as the reason for the existence of the church. We also believe that short-term mission teams can make an incredible impact on the mission field. We believe that God has specifically laid individuals, communities and countries we visit on our hearts. It is our desire to share the great Gospel to all God would place in our path in our county, the United States and Globally.
Local & National
Michael and Teresa Brown /Cru- BGSU, Ohio
Michael and Teresa minister at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) as a part of Cru (the campus ministry whose presence and proclamation connects with thousands of undergraduate and graduate students each year). They are also involved in Regional Foster Care Community, SEARCH Residential Community (spiritual residence hall at BGSU), Vanguard Men’s Organization, their Bowling Green Neighborhood Missional Community, the Campus Multifaith Alliance and BGSU Athletics.
Pray for:
- Wise time priorities with good balance for family and ministry
- Open doors for ministry on this state campus
- Believing students to be bold in their faith
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Mike Hepler / Christian Leadership Concepts (CLC), Ohio
Mike(from North Canton Chapel), travels to area churches in Ohio to help establish men’s ministries using the CLC material. He equips men to be leaders based on growing relationships with Christ developed through men studying God’s word together.
Pray for:
- Churches to be interested in discipling and deepening men’s spiritual growth
- Productive meetings and conversations that encourage
- Good health and safety in travel
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Richard and Sandy Lewis/
Lewis Cross Cultural Training, Inc., Arkansas & International
The Lewis’ lived in Kenya for 14 years, working among tribal groups. For the past 25 years, Richard has taken his wealth of pastoral and missions experience to teach and coach missionaries and spiritual leaders in over twenty countries. Although they live in the U.S., Richard is often in Kenya, India, Nepal, and many other parts of the world, teaching nationals to go cross culturally to share God’s word. He teaches sessions for Perspectives and an online course for a Bible College, and has a weekly podcast with interviews of missionaries around the world. He serves as a resource for churches, helping to establish mission focus.
Pray for:
- Opportunities and effectiveness as he teaches in person and through podcasts
- Safety in travel
- Wisdom and insight in cross-cultural teaching and application
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International
Christiana / One Collective – Undisclosed Country in Northern Africa
Works with an organization within the country to establish relationships with nationals in order to share God’s word. She has a heart and passion for relational ministry to those who have suffered great loss in their lives, such as widows, orphans, refugees, etc., She speaks several languages and seizes every opportunity to share the gospel and disciple new believers.
Pray for:
- Effective work with sharing the gospel
- Safety
- A needed team leader
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Sid and Stephanie – Undisclosed Country in West Asia
Stephanie (originally from North Canton Chapel) and her husband “Z” (native to the region) have been living and working among the people for six years. They both work in translation for un-written and un-translated dialects and language groups. Their work includes training nationals in oral and written translation of the Word. They use and teach “storying” in a local dialect and context to share with people in a community; these people can then share these stories with others—a form of teaching that reaches far and produces growth. They also work with locals to train and prepare written translation for un-written and un-translated dialects and languages.
Pray for:
- The Father’s protection against the enemy’s certain opposition as they bring Truth and Light into other languages and communities. This could be in the form of health struggles, other physical obstacles, mental issues, and other spiritual forces that could impede His word from moving forward into these dark communities. Pray, too, that hearts would be moved as they learn these stories!
- For their upcoming furlough (June 2021- early 2022) and all the pieces that need to come together for that.
- For the Oral Bible storying project beginning in two unengaged communities
- For the many translation, discipleship, and literacy projects that are ongoing in West Asia.
- For the 15+ unreached people groups in our area who continue to wait for His people to bring them the gospel.
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Mark and Gina Schmidt / Educate BV- Guatemala
The Schmidt Family family serves the people of Buena Vista, Guatemala. They host an educational center, Centro Educativo DeepStream, which currently works within the daily routines of the public middle school, a private advanced study program for additional students in BV (grades 1st-12th), preschool program, medical clinic, and other health initiatives. Their vision is to train the future men and women who will lead Buena Vista – spiritually, mentally, and physically. Mark and Gina minister as a family as they work daily in Buena Vista.
Pray for:
- Their adopted boys and their kids in the States – for spiritual formation, purpose and provision from the Lord.
- Balance of time and priorities as they work on completion of a master’s degree
- The many people who work with them in this ministry
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New Pines Seminary, Cuba
Bruce and Carol Bagley
New Pines is a Cuban denomination that is based solidly on God’s Word. The seminary campus in Oliver is used for both training young men and women, denominational meetings, summer camps, and celebrations. The focus of the seminary is to train, disciple, and send leaders and pastors throughout Cuba and as missionaries to other countries. Their goal is to enable the formation and multiplication of reproductive healthy churches that impact society with the gospel.
Bruce and Carol (from North Canton Chapel) serve twice a year from one to three months with New Pines Seminary. They have made home visits to the students and they spend time interacting with them while on campus. Bruce performs work and maintenance projects on campus and Carol teaches ESL classes. In addition, they minister to the youth of a local church and share their testimony in area churches.
Pray for:
- Effective training during this time of Covid when the island is in lock-down
- For encouragement for students and bi-vocational pastors
- Provision of necessities (food, hygiene items, etc.) for students and churches
- Wisdom and direction in distance education
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Brett / Operation Mobilization – Undisclosed Country in the Middle East
Brett (originally from North Canton Chapel) serves with Operation Mobilization and works with a people group who have been unreached for the last 1400 years. He and his team are very proactive in sharing the good news face-to-face, through discipleship, and through media. He also reaches out to a wider audience online through a media project and podcasts. In addition to sharing his faith with students and leading studies in God’s Word, Brett acts as a team leader for younger men of various nationalities.
Pray for:
- Men to come to know and follow the Savior
- Wisdom in leadership
- Effective outreach through media
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Dave and Anne / ABWE International – – Undisclosed Country in the Mediterranean
Dave and Anne are involved in discipleship and church planting through methods including weekly home group meetings with gospel presentations for national believers and those that are not-yet believers; one-on-one discipleship meetings; mentoring new families serving in career overseas work; working alongside congregations to train nationals in leadership (B. study, sermon preparation, and worship leadership) and helping to identify leaders for various roles within those congregations.
Pray for:
- Our teammates to receive visas to get back in the country now that the airport is starting to open up again.
- Our new church plant / home group will be meeting in person again soon after being only on Zoom for over a year.
- The “mother church” is purchasing one floor of a new building for the new church plant to meet in. Pray for needed funds for the purchase and furnishings.
- Relationships with neighbors in our new neighborhood have been difficult to establish because of the restrictions and fear from the pandemic. Pray for openness.
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Makayla Stone/ Students International – Dominican Republic
Makayla (originally from North Canton Chapel) serves at the El Callejon Social Work location in Jarabacoa with children of all ages teaching Bible lessons and crafts and activities. She also works with young women and meeting their needs.
Pray for:
- Continued work and progress with the kids and adolescent girls groups; for guidance and wisdom in how to best serve and love the girls and families in the community during harder times.
- Language learning and encouragement
- For effectiveness of visiting teams
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Nate and Rachel Stone / Love Restored – Dominican Republic
The Stones (originally from North Canton Chapel) created an organization named Love Restored which endeavors to create a bilingual rescue center for women caught in the sex trade. Their prayer is to build relationships with these women that display the gospel of Jesus Christ in everyday life. They seek to take an active role in their development as independent, self-supporting, Christ-following adults resulting in a Gospel movement throughout the Dominican Republic.
Pray for:
- Good outreach to girls in need of rescue
- Language acquisition and mastery
- Wise time and family priorities
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Tim Talley / Gospel Seed Network – Undisclosed Country in Southeast Asia
Tim Talley, originally from North Canton Chapel, has the goal to move people in Southeast Asia towards maturity in Christ, seeing the expanse of His name, and helping kingdom minded men and women respond to the dreams and visions God is calling them towards.
Gospel Seed Network has partners which include churches, orphanages and government schools, and helps meet tangible needs of the people in multiple communities in Southeast Asia. They have a Bible Institute, English class, life skills class, music class, offer scholarships to underprivileged children who are at risk of being trafficked, plant organic churches, and coach people to become leaders within their families/communities so they can begin and continue the mission of God among their own people.
Pray for:
- Continued freedom to reach out with the good news of the gospel
- Wisdom in relationships and partnerships
- Wise time priorities
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Organizations
Pregnancy Choices
Pregnancy Choices was founded in 1985 as The Crisis Pregnancy Support Center of Stark County. Since opening their doors, they have served over 30,000 women and men in Stark County and surrounding areas. They warmly welcome all who need their services and all services are free and confidential. They exist to educate, equip and empower moms and dads!
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RAHAB Ministries
RAHAB is God’s continuing story of setting people free physically and spiritually. With an 18-year history of providing cutting-edge trauma informed services to survivors of and those vulnerable to human sex-trafficking, RAHAB Ministries is dedicated to offering hope and healing for broken and exploited women and children and filling gaps in service for the most vulnerable.
Their adult Drop-In Centers, intentionally right in the middle of the drug activity and street level trafficking in Akron and Canton, provide space that offers respite from factors that enslave. Women stop in for family-style meals, Bible Studies, encouragement and friendship. They shop the free clothes closet and receive donated hygiene items.
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Refuge of Hope Canton
Refuge of Hope is a faith-based, non-profit, Christian rescue mission providing safe, sober, emergency transitional shelter for men and hot, nutritious meals for hungry men, women, and children in Stark County. Homeless men receive hot showers, clothing and access to counseling in a safe and clean dormitory-style shelter.