Appalachia
Although this area is known well for its vast natural beauty, it also carries with it a striking amount of poverty. Not often do we think of America as being a poor nation, but some areas such as this are in great need both physically and spiritually.
We currently serve in three different locations of Eastern KY; Campton, Artemis, and Harlan.
In Campton, Ky, we serve alongside Bethany Christian Mission and Campton Christian Church. Campton Christian Church has been serving this area since the early 2000s; reaching those in an area that is in need of help and hope. This congregation of 30 needs our help to reach out into the community and share Christ.
Established in 1926 as Bethany Orphanage, Bethany Christian Mission is a non-denominational mission organization with a primary focus on Christian Education. Bethany has been serving the needs of Wolfe County and beyond for many years; always relying on God to meet all of their needs. During a trip to Bethany, you will have the opportunity to both stay on the campus and help serve some of its physical needs.
In Artemis, KY, we serve alongside Artemis Christian Church in various outreach events around the area. We’ve helped in food pantries, hosted a community movie night, and in December we hosted the first Christmas for Kids event in this area. This is one of our most recent partnerships, however, we have hosted two different trips here and look forward to serving the community of Artemis more in the future.
In Harlan, KY we have had the privilege of serving alongside Christ’s Hands, Inc. Christ’s Hands has been in operation for about 15 years. Their mission is, “To present Christ by serving the underserved and disadvantaged in Harlan and surrounding counties.”.
Christ’s Hands has also been kind enough to allow us to stay at their facility during the week. We will also be able to eat at the soup kitchen and fellowship with the people there as well.
Intercity
We also have the capability of hosting an even more local trip to Louisville, Ky. Like most large cities, Louisville is filled with opportunities to witness to the lost and to show the love of Christ to those in need.
Commission Encounter is currently partnering with both South Louisville Christian Church and Louisville Bible College for ministry opportunities. We are very excited to serve with these groups!
Louisville Bible College was founded in 1948 with the mission of, “Educating preachers and other Christian leaders for Christ’s church.” Commission Encounter will be working with LBC by sending groups to aide in some of the physical up-keeping needs of the school.
South Louisville Christian Church will be another interesting partnership. This church will serve as both our living facility for the week as well as allow us to engage in many different outreach projects throughout the week. A trip here will have an amazing international feel to it as both an Ethiopian Church and a Congolese Church use the building for their worship services. SLCC advertises itself as, “The church where you can’t possibly not fit in!”
We will be partnering with SLCC to do some outreach events to the many different nationalities represented in Louisville; particularly in the Americana Complex located behind Churchill Downs. We will also be doing some other community events and cleanup projects around the downtown Louisville area.
What does a week with CE look like?
A “typical” mission week with Commission Encounter will consist of meeting both the spiritual and physical needs of the Community we are serving. We will usually have some sort of work project like repairs to a building, cleaning for the elderly, serving in the local food pantry, etc. However, we will also have an outreach event as well such as; a Vacation Bible School, a revival, a block party, evangelism outreach, etc.
What should you bring? Go to our Packing page to see our recommended list.