International Missions
Morris Community Church members have many opportunities to travel in ministry teams to Mexico, Central America, Siberia, Mongolia, the Ukraine, and many other locations. Teams that travel abroad are challenged to grow in their faith, in relationship with each other, and in their own personal relationship with God.
Kenyan Orphans
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.. James 1:27a
While Neil Thielke was in Kenya during the Spring of 2004, his heart was touched by the many orphans he encountered. Many children have been left without parents due to AIDS and other diseases. To follow the biblical mandate in James requires a response to this situation.
Outfitters for Adventure, an outreach arm from Morris Community Church, is initiating a pilot program to financially help families in Kenya open their homes to orphans in their area. The program is up to 40 orphans sponsored.
Sponsoring an orphan requires only $15 a month. All money is designated to go to the host families for the purpose of providing for the orphans in their care. Is God calling you to help with the venture? A monthly donation of $15, or an annual donation of $180 will provide support for one orphan. Please contact Jan Nieland at 320-239-2481 for more information or by email at sonshineacres@hcinet.net
Local Outreach
We take our name seriously. We are a church that strives to reach our community. Mission trips to exotic places are often impressive, but no more noble than working in your own neighborhood. Whether in the marketplace or across the backyard fence, you have a unique sphere of influence which is your mission field!
We also work hard to bless others locally by our corporate efforts, such as providing sound equipment and volunteers for community events, and participating in service projects.
Missionaries we support
Bethany Eastvold, Ireland
Bethany was actively involved and trained up for ministry at Morris Community Chuch during her undergraduate years at UMM. After graduating in 2001, she joined a team sent from MCC to plant a church in Fargo, ND, where she also pursued a master's degree in linguistics. Upon completion of her schooling in 2004, Bethany moved permanently to Ireland. Bethany currently resides in County Mayo, where she has gained much favor among local church leaders for her work with area youth.
Benjamin Goodman
Benjamin Goodman, a member of Grace Churches International,is a prophetic minister who serves locally on the leadership team of Bethel Church, Fuquay Varina NC. Ben ministers extensively to a wide variety of churches both nationally and internationally, strengthening and equipping them through a combination of teaching, prophetic ministry and demonstrations of God’s power (such as healing and deliverance).
David Garcia, Mexico
David Garcia and his wife Elsa who serve with World Indigenous Missions in the state of Chiapas in Mexico. David has been planting churches, training pastors and lay ministry staff for several years. Although the churches are self-supporting, David and his family rely on the contributions of friends in the United States for their personal financial support.
Jeff Steen, Spain
Jeff and Wendy Steen began in missions 25 years back in southern
Mexico. In 1991 the Lord moved them to Valencia, Spain where church planting
was very challenging for about 12 years. In the last four years, however, God
has brought much fruit. New people have been getting saved, new churches
started, and the church in Valencia has a unique blend of Spaniards and
Gypsies. Jeff and Wendy are with World Indiginous Missions.
James Berry, Costa Rica
James Berry is a missionary that Morris Community Church supports in Costa Rica. James and Carol Berry were sent out by City Hill Fellowship to support the churches in Costa Rica and to train leaders. James is a very practical minister who loves to host mission groups that come to visit and minister in that country. James has been directly and indirectly involved in Costa Rican missions for over 20 years.
Bob Lidfors
Bob moved to Germany with his wife and family in 1982 for the purpose of communicating the reality of a living relationship with Christ to apeople that has primarily known institutional Christianity. After getting acclimated to the culture and language by working in an independent church in Munich, Bob started a church in 1985 in the city of Firth. He was the pastor of that church until 1992 when he turned it over to his associate pastor and started an evening Bible school for those wishing to study the Bible while continuing their occupations.
Over the yearsof his ministry, Bob has developed relationships with native pastors and church planters in India, Uganda and countries of the former Soviet Union. He travels regularly to these countries to help train their coworkers for more effective ministry. Particularly in India and Uganda, Bob has also initiated social helps projects, such as building a maternity ward for a Christian medical clinic in Uganda and setting up sponsorship programs for two Christian orphanages in India.
Bob and Barbara have been friends of Morris Community Church for many years and have taught together with Neil Thielke in leaders' training seminars in India and Russia."
Church-Planting
Planting churches is an important part of our identity as a church. MCC believes strongly in making disciples and sending them out, and that the local church is the biblically-prescribed context for people to grow spiritually into a disciple who is able to make other disciples. This belief in the church's vital role in bringing about God's plan has motivated the start of several churches in other communities. In the last few years, MCC has planted new churches in Grafton and Fargo, ND, and Cokato, MN.