To share stories of God's faithfulness toward us in Christ and to remind one another of our partnership in the gospel. May we be mutually encouraged by God's work abroad, filled with faith by his Spirit to pray bold prayers for the sake of Christ's Kingdom, and spurred on to seek our Father's will to fulfill his plans and purposes among us here in Warrenville, DuPage County, and to the ends of the earth.
This season of the unknown, in different ways, is familiar to our Josiah Venture team here in Slovenia. In light of COVID-19, our short-term missions teams, interns, and camps have been canceled. This unique season and rare window of opportunity to partner with new churches and spread the seeds of the gospel among youth in Slovenia... and many other factors... have led us to try something new and step out into the unknown in faith.
Read MoreAs hard as it is to believe, Sunday April 19th was supposed to be our Slovenia Silent Auction. In the past, this event has always been fun, festive, and a testimony to God’s faithfulness as we see our Grace Church family generously provide for our yearly Global Outreach trip. There will be no fundraiser this year though, for, in His sovereignty, the Lord has led the Josiah Venture organization to cancel all North American teams for the summer of 2020.
Read MoreAs the new year approaches, we rejoice with our Global Partners in the work the Lord has done through their ministries and through His Church. We hope your heart is encouraged by looking back on some of these stories from 2019.
Read MoreLast Sunday, the 2019 Slovenia Team reported out on their Fusion Camp in Starše, Slovenia this summer. It was an encouraging time together, hearing the numerous ways the Lord used the team to bring the Good News to students and families in Slovenia. Below is a recap from one team member, Amy Lazar.
Read MoreThis Sunday we rejoiced as a body in sending off Heidi Ansiel to her new home in Slovenia with Josiah Venture. Heidi Ansiel has served on a number of short term JV mission trips over the years. She recently sensed the call from the Lord to make this a more permanent commitment. Our Grace Church family confirmed Heidi’s calling with joy.
Read MoreIt is difficult to believe that four years have passed since Karis arrived in Slovenia. The date was May 5, 2015, when she began her work as a missionary with Josiah Venture in the city of Maribor. However, the Lord had begun his work on her heart years before.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, we had our quarterly prayer meeting in the Fireside room. If you were unable to join us, please consider praying on your own time or inviting others to join you in lifting up these requests before the Lord.
Read MoreThe months are passing quickly and preparations are amping up for Heidi as she prepares to head back to Slovenia. The next few weeks will involve Josiah Venture orientation and a month long missions training in Denver. However, in the midst of all this, we have the opportunity to spend a night hearing about the call the Lord has placed on her heart.
Read MoreThere are many factors that can make it difficult for us to feel connected to our global partners overseas. It has been a goal of the Global Outreach Team to address some of those challenges through regular prayer updates, quarterly corporate prayer meetings, and opportunities to meet with our global partners when they are visiting.
Read MoreAs the new year approaches, we rejoice with our Global Partners in the work the Lord has done through their ministries and through His Church. We hope your heart is encouraged by looking back on some of these stories from 2018.
Read MoreTwo weeks ago, we had our quarterly prayer meeting in the Fireside room to seek the Lord's goodness on behalf of our global outreach ministries. If you were unable to join us, please consider praying on your own time or inviting others to join you in lifting up these requests before the Lord.
Read MoreIt was May 16th when Heidi Ansiel set out for her Josiah Venture Internship in Slovenia with the new communications team there. She served in the local church in the city of Celje to disciple youth and equip them to fulfill the great commission (especially through Fusion). Additionally, she served on the communications team to support their work of inviting students in the community to Fusion and English camps.
Read More2018 Slovenia Fusion Camp Recap from Kaci Stecker
Read MoreThe week of Heidi Ansiel’s departure for Slovenia has arrived after months of preparation and support raising. I was inclined to write this post from the perspective of a friend, but as I began I started realizing how many different roles she has played in our life as a church.
Read MoreThere are many voices and pulls competing to claim the identity and capture the love of these young people. In just 10 years, the percentage of Slovenes who professed to be Catholic dropped from 90% to 46%. This incredible fluctuation only points to the volatility of the overall conviction in the hearts of the people. This is where the Lord of the harvest steps in to make His move (Matthew 9:38)!
Read MoreYesterday, we had our quarterly prayer meeting in the Fireside room to seek the Lord's goodness on behalf of our global outreach ministries. If you were unable to join us, please consider praying on your own time or inviting others to join you in lifting up these requests before the Lord.
Read MoreIf you would like to get more involved in regular prayer and planning for our global partners, we would love to talk more with you about opportunities to serve on our team. Please feel free to reach out to Angel Connor, Emily Walker, or Natalie Worley for additional information.
Read MoreIt has been a long, busy, but rewarding summer in Slovenia. After the Fusion camps that our Grace Church team was apart of, Karis took a weekend trip to Croatia with some believing friends for a much needed time of fellowship and R&R. She is now in the throws of the start of the school year, Fusion and JV planning for the year, continued discipleship and mentoring relationships with students from camp, and a JV conference in the Czech Republic. Additionally, Karis received news last week that her grandfather had passed away. She flew home to Texas yesterday and will be there until the funeral on Saturday. You can also be praying for...
Read More
