There are many creative ways to participate in international missions, even without leaving the country.  

Last spring, a church in Pennsylvania used their youth group’s annual “Rent-a-Youth Grouper” event to raise money to help build a girls’ dormitory at Reformed Heart Orphans Center in Kenya. People in the church donated money to rent groups of young people to complete specific jobs, and the kids got to enjoy hanging out with friends while they did yard work, washed pets, babysat, painted, etc. Watch a video about how the Lord used this event to provide for the girls at Reformed Heart Orphans Center.

This church also heard of a need for funds for a summer Bible camp for children in Uganda. During their annual Vacation Bible School, they challenged the kids to find jobs they could do to raise money to help these children in Uganda attend a similar Bible camp there. The kids came in each morning and placed their money in a jar. During their morning group session, they charted how much they had brought in by adding to the whale’s water spout (see the picture below). The kids were excited to see how much they had raised each day and to share what they had done to earn the money. Watch a video about how the Lord used the children at VBS to provide a Bible camp for kids with Jars of Oil Mission Africa in Uganda.

Additionally, this church hosts an annual fall Rummage Sale. Members collect donated items from the church and the community to sell, designating a chosen missions project as the recipient of the funds raised. In addition to raising funds for missions, this event brings visibility to missions and provides an opportunity to meet members of the community. In the past, they’ve been able to raise several thousands of dollars for disaster relief, specific Oakseed ministry partners, and other missions projects.

For the past couple of years, this church has also hosted an annual coffeehouse and bake sale. This provides a time of fellowship and fun for the church as they get together to enjoy one another’s talents, and the money they raise from the bake sale goes to support a special missions project.

What are some ways you or your church have found to participate in missions? If you’d like to share, please take a picture and send an email to mary@oakseed.org.

We’d love to hear your ideas!

*Contact info@oakseed.org for suggested needs for each ministry and information about the resources we are happy to provide, including brochures, catalogs, prayer guides, and children’s prayer guides. We can also provide short videos about a specific missions partner or goal for your VBS or other group fundraisers. We’re thrilled to be able to partner with you for the cause of missions and would love to work with you to help you reach your goals.