August/September 2026

Fall is upon us!  The weather has turned noticably cooler here in West Michigan since our last update.  Our last few months have been spent recouping from our busy summer and laying plans for our school year programs.  We have also been working hard to prepare our new office space to accommodate our growing staff (more on that below).  We trust this update is an encouragement to you, and gives you some things to pray for as we serve here in West Michigan.

Bible Clubs

October marks our transition from Released Time classes to after-school Bible Clubs.  We have two schools beginning in October and a third school is also in the works.  We are starting with just these few schools as we iron out details of the program and get things running smoothly.

Bible Clubs will meet weekly, in contrast to Released Time which met only twice a month.  This change will require a greater commitment level from our staff and volunteers.  We are excited to have enough help already to staff all three of these programs, but we may need more staff as the size of these classes increase and other schools come online.  Pray that we can connect with volunteers who would be willing to help staff this program!

Book Clubs

We kicked off both our Book Clubs in September.  If you remember from last school year, our Hudsonville location was down in numbers, so we combined both clubs into one location.  Having two locations again is a blessing to those attending book clubs, as there is less travel time for them.  We are welcoming some new families this year, and look forward once again to diving in to some great books and conversations.  Our first book this year is "Out of my Mind" by Sharon Draper.  The book follows the struggles of a young lady with Cerebral Palsy, and explores topics such as kindness, lonliness, friendship, and sacrifice.

Our youngest bookworm

Summer Ministry

Since we already reported on summer camp this year, we'd like to share with you our dates for our 2027 summer camps.  You will notice we are adding a fourth camp option by splitting our Adventure Camp into two age groups (and adding in 9th and 10th grade).  We are also reducing our elementary day camp to 4 days next year due to the July 4th weekend...

Day Camp

Jr. High  (6th-9th): June 21-25 (Mon-Fri)
Elementary (1st-5th): June 28 - July 1 (Mon-Thur)

Adventure Camp

Base Camp (3rd-6th): July 11-14  (Sun-Wed)
Summit Camp  (7th-10th) : July 18-21 (Sun-Wed)

It's official!!  Melinda Gomer has completed her training with CBM and is now an official missionary with us!  She has begun the process of raising her support and transitioning from her current job, with the goal of being fully engaged with us in January.

Melinda has been active as a volunteer with us for a few years now in our camp programs, as well as taking the lead in our mail clubs.  She will continue to serve in these capacities, as well as being more involved in the day-to-day needs of the ministry.  In addition, we are hoping to add some community events to our plans for next year, and Melinda will be a vital part of making those a reality.  

Office and Storage Expansion

With the addition of Melinda to our staff, and the accumulation of ministry supplies over the years, our existing office and storage space is expanding!  The church that hosts our office space (Nortonville Gospel Chapel) has graciously allowed us to use two additional rooms in the church for expanding.  One room will be a dedicated office, meeting and workspace, and the other will be used for storage.  We are working on some cosmetic changes to the new office area (paint and flooring) as well as our existing space (painting).  In addition, we are grateful to an addtional volunteer for helping us get some shelving installed in our storage room!  We are hoping to have these changes done by the end of the year.  Thank you Nortonville Gospel Chapel for your generosity while partnering with us to reach school age children in West Michigan with the gospel.

Community Outreach

A new initiative we are looking into this year is community outreach events.  These events would be designed to connect new families with us, or to provide a way for our summer campers to connect again with us between camp seasons.  Please pray as we explore some options!

Personal Updates

And here's a very quick update on the family...

Brandon and Nayab are now in Manistee, Michigan, where Brandon is working as the worship leader for the Manistee Campus of The Tabernacle church. Nayab is expecting their first child (our fifth grandchild) in January!  They are having a girl!

Tori and Cameron are living in Norton Shores where they are raising their three busy boys ages 6yrs, 4yrs and 5 months.  Cameron is working for EV Construction, and Tori is an at-home mama doing a fabulous job of homeschooling and bringing up the next generation!

Emily and William are also in Norton Shores.  Emily recently completed her national certification for interior design (NCIDQ), and William has been at the Muskegon Airport for almost 2 years, where he serves as an air-traffic controller.

Justin and Fallyn attended CBM's missionary training in September with the goal of begining full time missionary work with CBM Camp Cornerstone.  We can't wait to see where the Lord leads them in the coming years!  Their daughter is now walking, loves to "chatter", and will have SO MUCH to say once the words come!

In addition to her ministry role(s) with CBM, Carla has been helping a few churches and other CBM areas with her accounting skills, particularly her experience with non-profit organzations using QuickBook Online.  

I (Todd) have been "puttering" at various projects around the house, finally making some tangible progress on a basement remodel!  I can certainly feel my age catching up with me.

Carla's parents are now living in Spring Lake near us, and we are able to see them more often!  They continue to stay active and independent even into their 80s.

My Mom is also living close by in Grand Haven at an assisted living facility.  She loves the folks there and the beautiful view her room has!  She is receiving great care and continues to thrive there.

Prayer Requests

Would you take a few minutes right now to celebrate and intercede for us?

Praises

Melinda Gomer is now officialy on staff!

We are starting our first Bible Club in October.

We continue to see new families connecting with the ministry.

God continues to provide all our financial needs through faithful donors.

Requests

Pray for necessary staff and resources to start additional Bible Clubs.

Pray for kids to be excited and invite their friends to Bible Clubs.

Pray for wisdom as we evaluate options for additional community outreach events.

Pray for addtional funding that is needed for renting space in area schools to run after school Bible clubs.

Closing Thoughts

Another school year begins!  We rejoice in God's provision and for the new doors he is opening for after-school Bible programs.  Thanks for partnering with us through your prayers, encouragement and giving!

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