Discover InFaith

InFaith—The American Missionary Fellowship is dedicated to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ across the United States. We empower devoted followers of Jesus to extend His love and message to everyone, especially those who are often overlooked or forgotten—the least, the last, and the lost.
My Grandfather
My grandfather was an Italian immigrant who came to Philadelphia at the turn of the 20th century. He worked in a slaughterhouse and later at a refinery. He loved chin-ups and bowling and could fix anything. On a wall in the workshop basement of his small South Philadelphia row home was a collection of the hard hats he would wear
13
April 2022
Circle: Autumn 2021

Hello, As you may already know, I am retiring at the end of this year from my leadership role at InFaith. I’ve had an amazing 14 years here; God has done some incredible things. You’ll hear more about His faithfulness in the issue that you’re about to read. I’m really thankful for the bedrock that this ministry is founded on
17
March 2022
Measuring with the Right Stick
About 18 months ago, InFaith Missionary Connie Lyn Ediger wrote that God’s holiness, sovereignty, love, and faithfulness are not measured by life’s ups and downs, but by His character.
25
September 2023
Servant-Leader?
Fellowship
On a recent visit to the Pacific Northwest, I enjoyed being part of an Area Fellowship under the leadership of field director, Nathan Bath, and area coordinator, Tom Hiscox.
While there, I had the privilege of participating in the presentation of a Certificate of Fellowship to the Little Church in the Valley in Stabler, WA. This church is led by Pastor John Vales and his wife
08
September 2022
Generational Impact
While visiting Camp Galilee in Tennessee this summer, I had the joy of spending some time with Mark & Mellissa Lay and witnessing the incredible ministry they are doing there. One afternoon while visiting Betty Glover (see last week's blog post), Mark shared a testimony that spoke to the generational impact of InFaith missionaries. I hope his story inspires you too:
18
August 2022
Partnership & Perseverance
What A Savior
Boxing gloves hung from the meat rack in the back of the butcher shop. They were there in case anyone wanted to stop by the shop and square off with the butcher for a round or two. My wife Sandi’s grandfather was the butcher, and he is remembered as a man who was always ready to throw down. Sometimes he
02
February 2023
True Ministry Stories
One of the most intriguing pages on our new website is the one dedicated to the stories of InFaith Missionaries (https://infaith.org/stories). Men and women of God called and committed to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ across America; these stories capture the ordinary and extraordinary moments of their service. An InFaith missionary couple shared one such story with my
25
January 2023
Our Present Sufferings...
Prayers for Damar Hamlin and Jeremy Renner.
I was late turning the game on and was surprised by the hushed tones and serious faces of the commentators. Everything about the broadcast communicated that something had gone wrong—very seriously wrong. What seemed like a typical NFL hit had stopped an athlete’s heart on live television. At some point after that, I
09
January 2023
Trusting the Goodness of God
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38
Mary the mother of Jesus so trusted the goodness of God that she submitted to a pregnancy that could crush her family, cancel her engagement, and consign her to the margins of society where she could never again hope for a
22
December 2022
Advent
Advent is a season of waiting. God’s people waited for the Messiah to be born and, today, we eagerly await his return. In modern America, we seem to have a very hard time waiting. As a result, Christmas decorations start appearing before Thanksgiving and one of our local radio stations in Philadelphia starts playing Christmas music in November. Admittedly, I
08
December 2022
Our Deepest Need, Part 1
Read Mark 2:1-12.
Can you imagine the scene? A tiny, first century stone house with a flat roof made of mud and straw... A crowd of people so large that it spilled out of the doorway and overflowed into the street… A mob so impenetrable that even a paralyzed man carried by his friends couldn’t get in. So, they take
02
June 2022
Distractions
“The jet turned at an impossible angle. It was going too fast to make a safe landing. It can’t be a passenger plane, or it would be in trouble.” Those were my thoughts standing by the gate at Sacramento airport. As it got closer, I could see it was a fighter jet and it very lightly touched down before rocketing
26
May 2022
God’s Plan for Your Life
It is true for missionaries and all the people we serve: “God has a plan for your new life in Christ.” That’s an idea that we’re all familiar with. A second, more advanced, idea is this: Our identity comes from God, not from the details of God’s plan. We need to make sure we understand the difference between getting our
05
May 2022
Never Beyond God's Grace
Labor in the Lord

What a great weekend I had with Shawn and Cheryl Ammons and their incredible team of leaders who will be serving camp this summer. My wife Sandi and I did the math and if the 30 leaders each have 40 years of ministry ahead of them that equals 1,200 ministry years represented in that group!
08
June 2023
God Can Do The Impossible
We love to hear of God’s faithfulness and grace being poured out on communities served by InFaith missionaries. One church in particular, Cornerstone Community Church in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, is seeing God work in one of the most troubled neighborhoods in the United States
01
June 2023
The Hope of Jesus Christ
My dad passed away this week.
I got the call from my sister on Monday morning, my dad died. He had been a lifelong smoker who developed lung cancer that had already progressed to stage four by the time it was diagnosed. The last week of his life, he was in hospice care and his deteriorating condition was my first
17
November 2022
When We Are Weak
2 Corinthians 12 must be one of the most powerful testimonies of God’s faithfulness in the whole of scripture. Paul, acknowledging the surpassing greatness of the revelations the Lord has shown him, goes on to say how a thorn in his flesh kept him from being conceited. He doesn’t say what the thorn is, only that he prayed for the
10
November 2022
Why Use Half a Barbecue?
One of our Field Directors, Keith, shared with me about an experience he had visiting with a prospective missionary who currently has a thriving street ministry among the homeless in San Diego, California. Twice a week, this evangelist invites the residents of a tent community to come by and enjoy some hot dogs, fellowship, receive care items (clothes, etc.), and
13
October 2022
InFaith Helps Church Planters
Church planting is deep in the heart of InFaith’s DNA. From our beginnings as the American Sunday School Union through our time as the American Missionary Fellowship, InFaith has always focused on creating Christ-following communities across the United States. This week, I had the opportunity to speak with some church planters, consultants, and denominational leaders about how InFaith helps serve and support
29
September 2022
Making a Difference
I love to hear the stories of InFaith missionaries making a difference in people’s lives. Bill and Patsy Curry serve in one of the most under resourced neighborhoods in the United States, and, by God’s immeasurable grace, they are faithful and fruitful, and they are reaping an amazing harvest. Some of those they’ve ministered to have reached out recently to thank
22
September 2022
God's Masterpiece
It is the end of the semester and final exams are coming up. You realize that you have an exam scheduled for a class that you never attended. You go to the registrar (who is the toughest administrator in the school) to see if they can withdraw you from the class or get you an extension.
11
April 2023
Resurrection and Reconciliation
“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned
06
April 2023
Get Started

Start your ministry to make a difference in your local community. Christian missions are needed to spread the love and hope of Jesus Christ. InFaith has been helping others start their own ministry from scratch in a Christian career where they can follow their calling.
Ministry Essentials
InFaith enables called and committed followers of Christ to serve with purpose and passion within our nation's borders.
About InFaith

We want to be a part of God's change in others even as God is constantly changing us. We try to find the dark places in our local communities and see where Jesus needs to shine by calling people to conversion and discipling them in their walk of faith.
Home Page
Start your ministry to make a difference in your local community. Christian missions are needed to spread the love and hope of Jesus Christ. InFaith has been helping others start their own ministry from scratch in a Christian career where they can follow their calling.
InFaith Heritage

InFaith is moved by the call to reach locally and spread God’s kingdom right here in the United states–something we’ve been doing for the last 200 years.
Circle: Spring 2022

The reason and the passion for why I want to serve refugees and immigrants here in South Philadelphia is that I was born here. The opportunity to serve your own neighborhood—there’s nothing more rewarding than that! As a child of South Korean immigrant parents, I was constantly caught in the divide between cultures. God planted a seed in me through
16
May 2022
Circle: Spring 2021

Camp Galilee, La Follette, TN
Mark & Mellissa Lay
“We have so many children that live for the camp experience,” says Mark Lay, who serves as camp director with his wife, Mellissa, at Camp Galilee in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Some of their campers come from homes without adequate water, heat, or indoor plumbing. “It’s so sad to see
02
March 2021
Circle: Autumn 2020

Never Stop Loving: All Kinds of Locals
We stand and wait in of one of the most challenging times in our recent history. After COVID-19 we all look at each other differently. Stimulus packages, ZOOM meetings, and grocery stores have tried to meet many of our needs in these past months. But who is standing in the gap for those
18
February 2021
March 2021
What’s InFaith All About?
We put on an event last month to help explain more about InFaith as a whole and share interviews with several field staffers about their ministries around the country. We also loved sharing in some laughs with Ridge Burns & Christian comedian Brad Stine.
If you weren’t able to join us that night, you can watch
10
March 2021
Rising to the Occasion
In these challenging and tumultuous times we are so blessed to share how our ministries have flexed and adapted to rise to the needs of the locals we serve. Below, see our latest stories and connect with our field staffers' pages where you can read more about the places they're called and support them in the work.
Circle: Spring 2020

Reach Local: Serving Those Who Serve
The Travis Dalsis Story: Fort Polk, Louisiana
In the pre-dawn darkness on the U.S. Army installation of Fort Polk, Louisiana, InFaith-endorsed Chaplain (Captain) Travis Dalsis leads a hundred or so soldiers in physical training (PT). He pauses between exercises to give words of encouragement and talk about resilience. Travis does the exercises with three groups
04
March 2020
September 2019
Our missionaries are at a crisis point: their funding is shrinking because of inflation. The average InFaith missionary has lost $4,979—in terms of buying power—to cover basic household and ministry expenses since 2010. Will you help our missionaries keep up with inflation by increasing your regular gift to them by at least 10%? Or if you don’t yet financially support any of our missionaries, would you start now? Go to infaith.org/give.
18
September 2019
Circle: Autumn 2019

Bridging the Gap: Hope in the Midst of Addiction
“Doris doesn’t judge anyone,” says Steven Roatch. “She’s always there to listen.”
For those, like Steven, who are coming out of drug addiction and jail, finding a place where they aren’t judged can be difficult, even in Barron County, Wisconsin, where—as in much of the nation—methamphetamine addiction has become a major
09
September 2019
January 2018

Local Reach: Greensboro, North Carolina
"When the real me meets the real you, change happens. We develop empathy for each other. We reflect Christ better and it's a more complete reflection of the kingdom of God."
InFaith's Dayna Carr has lived in the Glenwood neighborhood of Greensboro, NC for the last fourteen years. She seeks to reach out to her
24
January 2018
November 2017
Give Local on #GivingTuesday
Amy was a drug dealer in Iowa, her relationship with her husband and children crumbling. Peter came to Philadelphia as a refugee, having suffered trauma, and was alienated by language and culture. If you've followed us at all on Facebook this month, you've heard pieces of their stories.
InFaith is all about reaching local—giving Amy help
16
November 2017
September 2017
59 Years Reaching Local in the Mountains of TN
In 1958, InFaith's Betty Glover, armed with her nursing knowledge and the gospel of Christ, moved to the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee to minister to those living in poverty. Her nursing career could have taken her anywhere, but it beckoned her to the poorest areas of these mountains, caring for needs
21
September 2017
Circle: Autumn 2017

FOR US, THE GOSPEL IS STILL LOCAL.
In May 1958, Betty Glover - a single registered nurse in her thirties - moved to the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee to become a missionary to those living in extreme poverty deep in the mountains. The coal mines had recently shut down in this part of Tennessee. All of the men had started work
30
August 2017
July 2017
Seeds of Change
by Rich Cundall, InFaith Board of Trustees
One hundred years ago, the faithfulness of one man changed the trajectory of my family's lives. In 1911, InFaith missionary C.A. Fahlgren recognized that there had been no gospel presence in Saline County Kansas for several decades. So he knocked on the door of Charles Buck, the trustee of the
14
July 2017
May 2017
What It Means to Reach Local
by Dixie Massey, InFaith Board of Trustees
I grew up a part of the heritage work of InFaith. My dad was a missionary with InFaith and his work in Wyoming looked very much like the work of the early missionaries when our country was young. For him in rural Wyoming, reaching local meant driving
03
May 2017
September 2018
Video: Helping Homeless Youth in Oregon
There are 300 homeless children and youth — out of only 3,000 students—in The Dalles, Oregon, according to local educators. Enter the Youth Empowerment Shelter (Y.E.S.). Started in 2014 by InFaith’s Gary and Linda Casady, Y.E.S.’s mission is to provide a place of physical and emotional safety for youth in crisis.
“These kids
15
September 2018
FAQ
At InFaith, we call our long-term missionaries field staff. Our field staff work part-time and full-time, spreading the gospel and meeting practical needs in local communities all across the continental United States!
Circle: Spring 2018

REACH LOCAL: GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
Glenwood takes up about one square mile of the city of Greensboro, North Carolina. In that square mile over twenty languages are spoken, forty percent of the people live in poverty, and substance abuse is common, but rays of light in the kingdom of God are breaking in. InFaith's Dayna Carr is part of a
07
February 2018