OUTREACH

Making disciples and loving our neighbors,
locally and globally.

RENEWING LAKE COUNTY

Here at Village Church, we believe that you are God’s primary strategy to reach Lake County
with the good news of Jesus. To this end, Village Church and its members support a number of local ministries
in hopes of seeing Lake County renewed by God through people transformed by the gospel. If you or your small group
want to get involved in serving with any of these various ministries, contact Pastor Brandon below.

Kindred Life provides life-changing help so that teen parents can thrive.

Devon Oasis Center is a Christian charity that serves refugees in the Little India neighborhood of northern Chicago through meeting physical needs, tutoring, teaching English, and youth events.

Love INC mobilizes churches to serve their communities in the name of Christ.

REACHING THE WORLD

Since God himself came all the way from heaven for us, there’s no place too far and no sacrifice too great that should keep us from sharing Christ with others.  For that reason, Village Church supports missionaries and missions organizations, and also sends out short-term missions teams and career missionaries from within our church family. Living on mission for Christ, we believe, is the joy and responsibility of every Christian.

Missions Organizations We Support

Hope Renewed International (HRI) serves, equips and empowers Guatemalans living in poverty with practical tools to discover
their God-given abilities and change their circumstances, becoming all that God intended them to be.

India Rural Evangelical Fellowship (IREF) works in regions devastated by violence and human trafficking to bring the love of God, the resilience of community care, and the hope of education to thousands in need.

Timothy Training International (TTI) works to bring a deep knowledge of the meaning
of God’s Word and the practicing of Christian ministry to church pastors in China.

Teen Mother Choices International (TMCI) is responsible for training, equipping, coaching, and supervising the implementation and ongoing delivery of its program to teen moms.

Meet our Long-Term Missionaries

  • AC & Theresa Acosta

    GLINTS

    As the Director of Mobilization & Equipping, AC’s passion is to train, empower, and mobilize indigenous leaders who will proclaim the gospel of Jesus among their own people groups. While based in the United States, AC’s ministry has taken him to western Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. AC and Theresa have one adult daughter. Village Church is pleased to have sent out AC from within our congregation to do mission work!

  • David & Masta Aryana

    Indonesia - Christ For The Island World (CFTIW)

    David is the Field Director for CFTIW in Kalimantan. He also lectures on evangelism and outeach at the Bali Bible College. CFTIW serves through partnerships with Indonesian Christians in evangelistic, church planting, and humanitarian efforts among unreached and under-reached people.

  • Stephen & Eglah Bahago

    Nigeria - Word of Life Ministries

    Stephen oversees a team of over 30 national ministry workers who, collectively, reach out with the gospel throughout Nigeria and beyond. Their ministry reaches children, youth, and adults, many of whom are living in extreme poverty - and some of whom follow Christ at great personal cost. The Bahagos have four children.

  • Charles & Amy Cross

    International Leadership Institute

    Charles and Amy have served in a wide range of ministry roles in France and throughout Western Europe, including church planting and mobilizing ministry workers. Recently, Charles began serving with International Leadership Institute. The Crosses have six children.

  • Joe & Kimi Emery

    Naval Station Great Lakes
    - Cru Military

    Joe and Kimi minister full time to the Naval Station Great Lakes to come alongside chaplains as they support marriages, wives, women in uniform, coordinate and lead Bible studies, provide individual discipleship, and provide weekend activities for those in training. Joe is a former Marine and Kimi works as a social worker. They reside in Gurnee and have five children.

  • Jeremiah & Jelly Equipado

    Philippines - Christar

    Jeremiah and Jelly are serving among the 13 tribes of Muslims and Maranao people groups in Mindanao, Philippines to teach and equip the Truth and grow them in the knowledge our Lord. Ministry includes community compassion projects, a learning center for children, youth discipleship training, and adult Bible classes. Jeremiah and Jelly have two children.

  • Carissa Erickson

    Lake County - Young Life Capernaum

    Carissa helps introduce individuals in Lake County with developmental/intellectual disabilities ages 14-22 to Jesus by creating spaces of belonging and community. Carissa’s role with Young Life Capernaum is a partnership with Village Church as she leads our Thrive adult disability ministry to create a space in our church for adults with developmental/intellectual disabilities who are over age 22. Carissa attends Village Church with her family.

  • Rick & Lucy Foster

    Vital Church Ministry

    Rick is an intentional interim pastor with Vital Church Ministry and partner along with Pastors Discipleship Network to train Ugandan pastors to be interim pastors along with Lucy who trains Ugandan women leaders in the topic of how the gospel frees us from shame. We partner with Rick and Lucy as they minister in Uganda.

  • John & Julie Gerig

    Russia - World Partners

    For many years, John taught youth ministry courses at a Bible college in St. Petersburg, and also partnered with Youth For Christ in their ministry throughout Russia. Today, John’s ministry is based out of the United States, where he creates resources which equip Russians to minister to students. The Gerigs have four adult children.

  • John & Clarissa Holtz

    Kenya - African Inland Mission Air

    John grew up at Village Church, and now serves as the Director of Maintenance for AIM Air, overseeing a team of workers which ensures that AIM’s fleet of six aircraft is able to provide support for ministry workers in harder-to-reach places throughout Africa. John and Clarissa have three younger children.

  • Tim & Ruth Stuck

    Spain - World Partners

    Tim and Ruth’s ministry has taken them from Ecuador, to Uruguay, and is now based out of Spain. They live lives which testify of God’s love and truth to the community, building relationships with others and investing in one-on-one discipleship. Tim and Ruth believe strongly that people are not projects!

  • Dave & Cherie

    Middle East - Key Concepts

    This couple serves in the Middle East, incorporating education, discipleship, leadership development, and mentoring into their ministry work within this restricted-access part of the world. Their lives are full of stories which testify to the goodness and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. They have three children.

  • Tom & Michele

    East Asia

    Tom and Michele are veteran ministry workers, having served the Lord faithfully for decades in countries throughout East Asia. Their work touches people of all ages, and of all stages of spiritual development. In recent years, their ministry has incorporated a greater use of technology which allows disciple-making resources to be shared throughout the Asian world.

  • C W

    Middle East

    This ministry partner came to faith in Christ as a high school student at Village Church! Today, they mentor a team of itinerant English language instructors who teach local university students.

STAFF LEADERS IN OUTREACH