How you can help us today...

Quick testimony time: We found out yesterday, a woman struggling with addiction who attended our Unshamed Conference last month, was encouraged and inspired through her time there to check in to Teen Challenge. 

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, our furlough period is approaching this summer (July 2026). The great part of that is seeing as many of you as we can. The hard part is that our budget will increase. Our goal is to have 100% of our budget raise by July 1st. This will allow us time with you, time with family, and still return to Ireland early August to get the kids back to school and prepare for the fall season of Zoe Community. 

How you can help today?

1. If you already support us on a monthly basis, pray about increasing by $30/month. If every monthly supporter we have raised their commitment by that amount, we would be halfway to our goal.

2. If you do not support us monthly, prayerfully consider joining our team. Partnering together we can do much more than on our own. Your monthly support allows us to live and operate Zoe Community in Ireland year in and year out. We appreciate any amount you feel God leading you to give. Twenty-five people giving one hundred per month gets us half way there.

When you give, you are in the room when these ladies, like the one above, find hope and healing. If you would like to increase your giving or join our team for the first time, just click HERE. Also shoot us a quick message at blakedge@gmail.com, if you’re able, letting us know, so we can ensure it’s a smooth and simple process for you. 

Thank you so much! Our best days are still ahead of us!

44 Baptisms...One Sunday

We’re so blessed with our home church here in Ireland. Open Arms Church (OA) has two locations (Sandyford and Newbridge) with plenty more to come. Recently we held a special Baptism Sunday service and 44 people got baptized between both locations! Praise God!

While Zoe Community is our primary focus, serving in our local church is a necessity for us as a family. I (Blake) help lead the worship and production teams in the OA Sandyford location, and Katy serves frequently on the cafe team. This is such an important part of our lives. Being in a community of believers builds us up as individuals and as family. It keeps us connected to the body of Christ, serving towards something bigger than ourselves. And it helps Zoe Community to help healthy, long-lasting relationships, which enhance our capacity to do ministry in Ireland.

As we serve and invest into OA, YOU are taking part in that effort. You help to build OA when you give and pray. You participated in baptizing 44 people in this phenomenal church family called Open Arms Church. Thank you!

A Necessary Evi...A Necessity

Ok, the title is a little dramatic. Our season of “furlough” is coming. Essentially that means going to the US for fundraising. While the typical furlough can be over a year long, we feel God leading us to attempt raising our funds within six weeks. Believe it or not, we have never taken a true furlough. While we love seeing partners, friends, and family, we have always felt drawn to shorter trips in order to maintain focus on ministry and consistency in the kid’s schooling. Of course furlough isn’t evil, but it is incredibly tough on the entire family. And it is a necessity.

Thank God, through your faithful support, we have been sustained for over 13 years, only taking short trips to raise funds and see family. In all transparency, Katy and I have postponed some much-needed personal fundraising in order to launch Zoe Community. Such is the entrepreneurial missionary life. We’ve invested our entire lives into the work to which God has called us. 

During furlough, budgets are re-evaluated and always increase. These budgets cover one term (4 years) and are broken down into two categories.

1. Monthly budgets cover recurring expenses such as housing, utilities, insurance, etc.

2. Cash budgets cover ministry expenses, required AGWM events, travel expenses, etc.

We estimate needing to raise $3,000+ for our monthly budget and $40,000 for our cash budget. We are approved for a shortened itineration (6wks) in July to accomplish this task. To ensure an on-time return, we must raise 100% of our budget. To that end, we are beginning to raise those funds now. 

Your faithfulness to give and pray (through God’s provision) is what’s taken us this far. Thank you! In the coming weeks I’ll share how you can help ensure the work continues in Ireland through Zoe Community.