Countdown to Launch
Hello friends & family, brothers & sisters in Christ!
Most if not all of you know that just over a month ago, our family agreed to accept an invitation from Village Missions (https://villagemissions.org) to join them in their efforts to keep country churches alive in rural North America. Dave will serve as the pastor in a small church that could not afford one without the help of other Christians like you. One of the things we love most about Village Missions is that they only partner with churches that are clearly the last shining light of the true Gospel work in that particular town, providing a way for pastors & their families like us to come alongside to help & bless those struggling churches as they do what all churches were left here by Jesus to do--be His Acts 1:8 witnesses who please Him with their lives (2 Corinthians 5:9) & spread the Gospel as Paul described in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, so that it might be glorified everywhere it goes!
If you'd like to know more about Village Missions (we hope you do), the video on the VM website’s “About Us” page (https://villagemissions.org/about-us/) & the few paragraphs there are an especially good representation of their hearts, our hearts, & their work that we’re about to join.
The Village Missions leadership has now made our assignment official & we're moving to Audubon, Iowa, where Dave will serve as the pastor of Faith Community Church! There are a few other churches in this western Iowa town of about 2,000, but not one can be described as a Christ-centered, orthodox, evangelical church where the pastor preaches the Biblical Gospel. There are a few other towns within driving distance that Christians could travel to on Sundays, but what, then, of those in Audubon who do not know Christ? "...how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" (Romans 10:14-15).
In addition to serving with Faith Community Church, there are two schools in Audubon where Dave & Shannon will substitute teach & volunteer as a way to serve their neighbors, knowing & becoming known by the families who live there. In addition to the schools, Audubon has a nursing home, 2 funeral homes, a fire department, the local police department, 2 banks, & a library. All of these places are opportunities to help & bless the people the Lord is sending us to. Audubon is also the county seat, so it is home to the county hospital, as well as the county sheriff's department & jail. We're eager to begin visits & saturate that area around us with the message & the influence of the Gospel!
Now that we know WHERE we're going, the countdown to launch has begun! Our first Sunday with Faith Community Church will be May 26th, so in just 14 short days, we'll drive to Audubon, Iowa & move into the home that's waiting for us there. The church has a parsonage where we'll be staying, at 610 S. Chicago Street, that's less than half a mile away from the church. We'll have plenty of room for guests, so any of you are WELCOME to visit anytime. We hope you will!
The Lord's been so faithful in revealing those hearts He's been preparing to GO with us in a Matthew 28 Great Commission way & we are currently at 53% of the needed financial support to stay on the field long term. We have enough to go, but not enough to stay past the first season of ministry, & we are going believing the Lord will provide for our family's every need, just as He's always done.
There are two ways you can help us get to & remain on the mission field of Audubon, Iowa, where ours will be the only Gospel-preaching church in a town of 2,000 souls that are precious to the Lord—to GO with us to the community of souls the Lord is preparing for our arrival—
PRAY with us that the Lord will finish this good work He’s started by bringing those willing to give alongside of us with the financial support we need to launch us into the community of people whose hearts He’s preparing right now for our arrival, & that the Lord will go before us turning the hearts of those we’ll meet into the good soil Jesus describes in Mark 4, & that we’ll be His constant, faithful witnesses among those people, communicating to them His Gospel in our words & actions when we arrive.
GIVE the small amounts that are needed just like big ones, as they add up. Both recurring & one-time gifts are welcome, too. If the Lord's nudging you to GO with us in that way, the instructions are below. If you've never financially partnered with a missionary family before, send me a note & ask about it. It’s like joining a family, a mission, & a new community all at once! The benefits are amazing as it's one of the exciting ways you gain rewards in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20) the same way the supply line soldiers were rewarded alongside those who physically went to the battle in 1 Samuel 30:24. As an example of what our family needs to receive over the next month or so, going fully funded, able to focus entirely on the ministry of the Gospel in Audubon, Iowa, will require 92 supporters sacrificially & cheerfully giving $25 every month, or 46 supporters who are giving $50. Those who choose to give one time gifts will be helping us physically move to Audubon & provide for any ministry costs associated with spreading the Gospel in Audubon. This will be anything from building a website to purchasing donuts to take to the bank tellers or volunteer firefighters as a way to be kind, paving the way & building relationships so the Gospel can be shared & believed in Audubon, Iowa.
Go to https://give.villagemissions.org/
Click on “Find a Missionary.”
Enter “Dave and Shannon Scott.”
Then click “Search” & you’ll find the portal to give for both one time & recurring gifts in any amount.
Thank you for being our friends, for caring about us, for loving us, & most importantly—for pointing us to Jesus Christ with your words & actions, encouraging us so that we may do the same for others. Being a sign that points to Jesus Christ is the very best thing any of us can be every day of our lives!
Living for Jesus,
Dave & Shannon & John Scott
New home address:
610 Chicago Street
Audubon, Iowa 50025