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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

As the horror of the shooting at the Covenant Presbyterian Church School in Nashville set in, people immediately began drawing conclusions about what the shooting means, how it was handled, and what could be done to prevent such violence in the future.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just say Y.E.S. — A local called home 

Alone. Sixteen-year-old Zoey* stood on the side of the road as her dad drove out of view. He had just kicked her out of the car when they’d started fighting on their drive back to Portland after a visit to her uncle’s house. Her disagreements with her father had been getting more

Summer Staff Profile: Ashley Watkins

Meet Ashley Watkins, one of our 2018 InFaith summer staffers. Some of her favorite things are rømmegrøt (a Norwegian pudding), the color orange, and the movies Tangled and The Princess Bride. But her greatest passions are God and horses. This summer, she gets to work in a ministry that combines those passions in a

Hidden Locals

Our country has a hidden underbelly—sex trafficking, drug abuse, and homelessness. It’s here in our own country. But there are ministries that reach out to the people and systems that make up this evil, often-unseen part of our nation. However, these pockets of needs throughout the United States are so raw and InFaith’s work so sensitive that we

Video: Hope in the Midst of Addiction

Whatever the addiction – meth, alcohol, heroin, marijuana, opioids, gambling, or pornography – there is a person behind it with a story of pain, brokenness, and shame. Enter InFaith’s Doris and Dave Jasperson, who started The Gap—a refurbished old house where people in recovery can meet for support, accountability, mentoring, and counseling

To the Least, the Lost, the Lonely

"No one should be alone," InFaith's Ken Quintus says. "The church is called to go to the least, the lost, the lonely. The hope is that they will turn from darkness into the light of Jesus." Mason City, where Ken does much of his jail and reentry aftercare ministry, is a hub for

INFAITH: 200 YEARS OF REACHING LOCAL AND CHANGING LIVES

InFaith has been reaching locally—actively responding to needs around us—for 200 years. In 1817, Philadelphia was full of children who worked six days a week, with no chance to go to school or learn how to read. A group of local people got together and formed our mission to address the

2017 marks InFaith's 200th anniversary!

Our mission officially formed on May 13, 1817. From pioneering Sunday schools among poor children, to working with Native Americans, publishing books, sending missionary nurses to Appalachia, pioneering Christian camping, and meeting the needs of immigrants and refugees—our mission has been responding to local needs in the United States and teaching the unchanging truth

Reach Local: Hungry Horse, Montana

“Our ministry exists because there’s no other place like it in Hungry Horse; there’s no other place for these kids to go. And in a lot of these kids’ lives, this is the only place that shows them the love of Jesus.” Kevin and Gina Bickel reach their local community of Hungry Horse, Montana through

Reach Local. Kids’ Lives Change.

Children are often the ones forgotten and ignored in the face of poverty or addictions at home. Many who serve with InFaith love and care for the next generation in their communities by providing programs that share the amazing truths of God’s love and create consistent, safe environments.

Jim & Teri Wilson in Kearney, Nebraska

Reach Local. Change Lives.

An intricate golden temple sits on the street corner across from Mifflin Square Park, with whiffs of exotically flavored meat on a stick filling the air from street vendors’ stands. It feels like a scene out of an adventure movie set in Asia, instead of what it is – a city block in South Philadelphia, just

I Reach Local Because I Live Here.

“This is my valley,” Rick Ediger says, pointing across the central Colorado landscape, his rough hands hinting of car oil around his fingernails. “This is the place God has given me [for ministry]. Aren’t I lucky?” he adds as tears pool in the corners of his eyes.

Earlier that day, Rick had been

Reach Local in Southwest Washington

Lewis and Clark concluded their pioneering survey of the western United States in southwestern Washington. This beautiful area stretching along the Pacific coast with Portland to the south, Seattle to the north, and overlooked by Washington’s highest peak – Mt. Rainer – once again needs a pioneering survey, but this time of a spiritual nature