Pray for New Volunteers

We are coming to our biggest time of the year for recruiting volunteers. Our training for Zoe volunteers is quite extensive taking approximately 9 months. (That’s for volunteers who will be working directly with vulnerable women.) So our annual cycle has developed so that Autumn is our prime season for recruitment leading up to our zoom and in-person Info Days in November.

We have several pieces to our recruitment puzzle, but there is one in particular I would like to mention so you can be praying.

• Crisis Training - These are training events we hold at local churches around the country to equip church members on how to safely and effectively support someone in crisis who comes into their church. It’s a blessing for the church but also gives us a chance at our training event to share the heart of Zoe and connect with potential volunteers.

With these crisis training events, we believe we can simultaneously bless the church, grow Zoe’s volunteer force, and create greater awareness of Zoe Community. Our very first crisis training event will be on October 22nd. Please be praying for Katy and Avril as they facilitate the training and meeting new potential volunteers.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. We are working on something very big soon (still not charity status yet), but I cannot WAIT to announce it to you. Stay tuned!

Kiddo Updates

I thought you might enjoy hearing about the kiddos this week. They’re growing so fast its hard to keep up!

• Eden is in 3rd grade and is 9 years only now. He loves taking piano lessons and is part of a basketball club that meetings on Tuesday nights. He loves anything with legos (including reading the lego Bible), and is obsessed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I’m pretty sure he’s read them all.

• Eli is in kindergarten and is 6 years old. We’re still exploring what extracurricular activities he might like to start. He loves legos as well and anything to do with robots. He’s always ready for a trip to the playground or pool. There’s never a bad time for an ice lolly for Eli.

I want you to know that for all your prayers and support for Zoe Community, you are just as impactful to our family. They are our number one ministry. We couldn’t be more grateful for you and the tremendous blessing you are to us as well as Eden and Eli. THANK YOU!

Pennsylvania Trip

I (Blake) travelled to PA for a weekend of fundraising recently. In addition to raising funds for Katy and I, it is now part of my role to help raise funds for Zoe Community. Zoe Community has an annual operational budget of approx. $40,000. This includes rent on our three locations, marketing, volunteer training events, as well as web costs which includes our 24/7 live web text service.

This trip was extra special as I got to reconnect with longtime supporters and old friends, Pastors Mel and Kim Masengale and Missions/Outreach Pastor Stef Ackerman. These guys and Summit Church in Indiana, PA have been amazingly generous. They interviewed me during their three weekend services. I feel so filled up after spending time with this community of believers. And God arranged some crucial introductions that made a tremendous dent in our fundraising goals for this quarter.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this new season as lead fundraiser and chaplain for Zoe Community, it is that God is absolutely the one who provides. The ONLY one. I can (and have) tried to work my way into His favour and provision. Working late nights, endless phone calls, racking my brain for who to contact next. God continues to show me over and over that He will come through on time every time.

Thanks to all of you on our support team. Not only are you all blessings, but you are answers to tear-filled prayers. In moments of insecurity and doubt I look to you to remind myself of all God has done in our lives to get us here. And He will take us all even further.

Thank you!