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Church thinks global with its mission
Last year, David VanDyke was among 24 people who traveled with Troutman Church of God to Uruguay to build a church.
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Published: April 23, 2009
A fun outing for the family could build a church for an entire community in Uruguay.
Troutman Church of God is holding their First Annual Mission Bike Run on Saturday, April 25, to benefit its yearly mission trip to the South American country.
"This is our eighth year making this trip and it's an amazing one," said Pastor Connor Lambert.
The trip was originally church member Warren Martel's idea.
"At the time, no one was evangelizing down there and I prayed about it and felt I should put a team together," Martel said. "We collected money and materials, and in addition to preaching, we built a church from scratch, from footings to roof."
"We have dramas in the street in the afternoon and we go door-to-door in addition to building the church," Lambert said. "The crowd grows throughout the week and at the end, we put the roof on the church and have a rally; the idea is we want to form it, then fill it."
Last year, 24 people went on the trip, which Lambert said is about average.
"We're absolutely looking for more to come right now, and maybe even other churches to partner with," he added.
"It's something our congregation has really bought into and we believe in it and want to see it happen. It's like Jesus says, do good unto others even when they can't repay you."
"Uruguay is one of the poorest countries and has one of the highest secular rates; about 30 percent of the people have no religion, so we want to turn them to Christ," Martel said.
Tamara Givens has taken the trip for five years and last year ran the evangelical side of the mission.
"I started going because I have a special place in my heart for the kids," she said. "If I can touch others, I want to and I want to give to children who otherwise can't afford the necessities."
Witnessing the reaction to even simple gestures was touching, Givens said.
"When I see how grateful they are to get things like shoes and crayons that we purchased at the dollar store, you just can't beat that," she said. "To them, it's like gold. So many of us take it for granted and they are truly thankful."
In the future, the church hopes to host doctors and give free medical care to Uruguay citizens.
"We're in this for the long haul and what we can do to help, we will do," said Lambert.
To afford the materials to build the church and to get it started, the Mission Bike Run will kick off at Troutman Church of God at 11 a.m., with registration from 9-10:30 a.m.
The cost is $20 for single riders and $30 for double there will be several stops throughout Iredell, Alexander and Wilkes counties, said Tina Bentley, who engineered the rally.
Bentley and her husband ride regularly and she has participated in other charity rides that have been successful.
"Hopefully, with the ride and the chicken dinner and bluegrass concert starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday, we'll raise thousands," she said. "Our goal is $10,000 to $15,000 and we typically do get that much even without the ride, so I think we'll do really well."
Lambert said the ride is a good opportunity for the community to give back.
"It's a chance to get involved with something greater than yourself," Lambert said. "It's amazing what a few people can raise and what a difference it makes. By participating in this fundraiser, you're touching a life and helping a child. We're going to produce a neighborhood of worship that will endure."
Tentatively, there will be another ride in July and perhaps a third if time permits. In Sep-tember, the church's Mission Fest will also raise additional funds for the trip.
No pre-registration is required for the ride, and the cost of the dinner and concert is $8.
For more information about the ride, contact Tina Bentley at (704) 657-4236. If you are interested in traveling with the church on their Uruguay mission, call the Troutman Church of God at (704) 528-5175 for their information packet.
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