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Local Reach
Duane and Debbie Stixrud serve in northwest Washington. Located fifty miles north of Seattle and continuing to the Canadian border, bounded by Puget Sound on the west and the Cascade Mountains on the east, the northwest Washington field consists of large rural and suburban areas, several small to medium-sized cities, and many islands with year-round residents.
Like much of western America, the population of northwest Washington is largely unconverted and unchurched, though the overwhelming majority of communities have at least some gospel presence. It is not unusual to find cultures within cultures in this area.
The needs in these communities are similar to those in most communities across the United States. Many residents profess a general “belief” in God, but distance themselves from local churches and the Christian community with the premise, “I know what I believe.” Life-giving, personal relationships with Christ are exchanged for individualized religious ideas and beliefs.
After seeing the need in their community, the Stixruds dedicated their time to evangelizing, discipling, and congregating the unreached people of northwest Washington for Jesus Christ through pastoral ministry, visitation, and community outreach. Their ministries focus on connecting people with local churches so they can continue to hear the gospel and grow as followers of Christ.
Duane and Debbie lead a number of ministries to accomplish these goals, including Bible studies and camp ministries through Camp Living Word. In what they call “ministry in the marketplace,” roughly following the pattern of Acts, Duane and Debbie get involved in existing activities in the communities around them in order to get to know people and invite them to study the Bible with them.
“We try to encourage people to recognize the value, importance, and priority of the Word of God,” Duane explains. “We want to challenge the people we meet to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.”
The Stixruds have served as InFaith field staff since 2003.
Duane and Debbie made the transition to vocational ministry in 1987. “If our Lord tarries, we’d love to have another 30+ years of serving Christ in North America!”
