Project Description:
Spend a week or more in the heart of Utah. Salt Lake Valley, situated  in the beautiful Wasatch Mountain Range, is home to Salt Lake City and the headquarters for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). "More than 1.5 million people live in the Salt Lake Valley, and we have found them to be very open to the gospel," says church planting strategist Stanton Felder.?"We were surprised at how eager many were to hear the true gospel."

The need to start new churches grows with the population in the Salt Lake Valley, and opportunities abound for volunteers to lay the ground work for new churches.

Stanton and his wife, Karen, have worked with the North American Mission Board for 21 years. New to the Salt Lake Valley, Stanton has spent the past several months developing relationships and helping build up the local church. "The Lord is doing wonderful things here. Though we've only been here since January, we've already experienced some exciting fruit." Volunteers will work alongside Stanton and local Southern Baptists as they strive to meet the spiritual needs of Utah.

Groups are needed to help conduct outdoor kids and teen events in city parks, as well as kids clubs, sports camps and Vacation Bible School. Mission teams need to be able to provide a fun activity in a public setting where kids and/or teens can come and participate. "We need good strong evangelistic teams to share the love of Christ with these kids," Stanton says.

In addition to the activities for children, there's a need for women's events. "We've found that many mothers who bring their kids will stay if we provide something for them to do, like making a craft, scrapbooking, a cooking/recipe class or another kind of event. It's extremely profitable when we can minister to the mother while we're also working with the kids."

The ministry team in Salt Lake City hopes to establish several new churches from these evangelistic outreaches.
If you're interested in a long-term opportunity, look no further. "We need retired pastors or laymen who can help lead some of our weaker churches.We also need strong Christian couples and families to encourage and help grow a struggling church. Each of these churches is surrounded by lots of people; they just need good strong leadership to help get them moving in the right direction."

Project Details:
Volunteers will partner with the Salt Lake Baptist Association and the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention. Most project locations have a church where groups can stay and make their own meals.

More Information:
Individuals and groups have an ongoing ministry opportunity in the Salt Lake Valley. To find out how you can participate, contact Stanton Felder at sfelder@slba.org or 830-486-9700. For information on other volunteer opportunities, visit www.thebridge.namb.net.