“Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” These words, recorded in Matthew 9:38, have recently been answered at the La Follette, Tenn., Church. For several years, the church has been working on building a church. A portion of the building was completed and dedicated in September 2022, but the area designated for the sanctuary is still under construction. Church members recently started the renovation project to complete the sanctuary, and they prayed for the Lord of the harvest to send workers.
Spring Valley Academy in Centerville, Ohio, answered the call. On June 1, 2024, 32 students and adult missionaries descended in force upon the small community of believers. They opened their mission trip with worship services on Sabbath morning, filling the temporary sanctuary to near overflowing. On Sunday, they began the work of transforming the building into Thunder Island Vacation Bible School. For the next five night, the missionary-led Bible School welcomed children from the congregation and community.
Although the evenings were occupied by the Bible School, the mission team was not idle during the day. On the contrary, they took on a number of projects at the church and within the Campbell County community. Students spread more than 11 tons of gravel and landscaping stones to create an outdoor firepit area. They also planted a variety of shrubs and flowers, completely transforming the appearance of the church. Inside the church, they moved a wall between two classrooms, resulting in one larger classroom and a hallway. The community also benefitted from the Spring Valley Academy mission trip. Camp Galilei, a nearby Christian youth camp, was preparing for their annual summer camp events when a significant part of their volunteer group was unable to work. That same day, Joel Greve, pastor and the mission team leader, called the campground to ask if they could use help. The timely phone call and subsequent community outreach project was just one of many miracles during the week that demonstrated God’s hand in the mission trip.
East Tennessee experiences significant rain in June, but on a near daily basis the mission team and La Follette Church watched in awe as God brought the rain at the exact times needed, but did not fail to hold it off as necessary. Often, it would rain in the early morning before work started. By the time workers picked up shovels, the rain had stopped. One afternoon, as the firepit was nearing completion, the sounds of thunder broke the stillness of the air. As the final shovelful of gravel was put in place, the heavens opened and rain came down in torrents. An hour later the sun came out, allowing the ground to dry out by the time the children started to arrive for Thunder Island Bible School.
Community support, landscaping, firepits, construction projects, and Vacation Bible School are indeed labor intensive. The group praises God for His miracles and His provision; He supplied all the labor needed. With the help of Spring Valley Academy, the La Follette Church is ready for the harvest.
Georgia-Cumberland | September 2024
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