Friends Church Needs $500 For Mission Trip

Although most of the funds have been raised, the Spokane Friends Church is still trying to come up with the final $500 needed to send a mission team to Tijuana, Mexico.

The church at 1612 W. Dalke is sending 14 members to Tijuana to build two houses for the poor.

The group will also perform maintenance work and hold Bible school classes at an orphanage.

Volunteers will be gone for 11 days beginning June 29.

“It’s a ‘getaway giveaway,”’ says Lorraine Watson, the church’s youth pastor. “It’s a chance to get away from our place here and give something else to other people.”

Watson says the trip won’t just help the people who are on the receiving end of the aid.

“I went before. I think I benefited more than the people I ministered to,” she says

Seven of her party are teenagers. They’ll spend time with the orphans, both teaching them and just hanging out.

“The high school kids will play soccer with them, just to have fun and build relationships,” Watson says.

Her group is going along with 30 people from the Friends Church in Hayden Lake, Idaho.

Because of large numbers and tight budgeting, the cost of the trip per person has remained small - just $295, including the cost of building materials.

Nonetheless, the project is still shy of its total.

Organizers want anyone who can help to call the church at 327-6928.

Summer services at St. Luke

If you’re driving north on Division Street and see a few hundred folks singing on a church lawn, chances are you’ve found St. Luke Lutheran Church.

Starting June 18, the church will have one Sunday service outside each month. This weekend’s service is the first of its kind for the church at 9704 N. Division.

“It’s kind of an experiment,” says church spokeswoman Sandy Randolph. “We’re right on Division, so the challenge is seeing if noise from Division outcompetes the worship service.”

The service starts at 10 a.m.

St. Luke is also putting its new schedule into effect. Sunday services now are scheduled for 8 and 10 a.m. instead of 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday school classes are canceled until the fall.

Now is also the time to register for the St. Luke Family Vacation Bible School. The school isn’t just for youngsters; it’s for adults, too.

This year’s theme is, “Awesome Adventures: God’s Amazing Deeds.”

The school runs from June 25-29. All sessions begin with a dinner at 6 p.m.

A donation of $5 per person is requested to cover the cost of the week’s meals, but the cost per family is not to exceed $20.

To register, call the church at 467-5256.