Transitioning to Camp Hope
This past year, we have enrolled students from Jackson Public Schools in our afternoon Education program to assist with tutoring. We have seen students achieve and excel in their work and are excited to help them end the school year well. As their work comes to a close at the end of May, we are transitioning to our summer program, Camp Hope. The kids that will be coming will not only receive help with their summer reading, but will also have the opportunity to go on field trips, play games, learn to swim, and have a lunch meal provided that they would have received at school.
Mariah Pitre, the Director of Education, has helped facilitate this past year of tutoring and partnering with volunteers for Camp Hope. She has helped our students as their school year comes to a close and move into summer reading and fun activities. With our summer counselors coming in to start orientation and setting up for Camp Hope, we are looking forward to a summer with 56 children who will spend their weeks making friends and learning. Most of our campers were in our afternoon Education program and will continue in the fall semester. We also have a multitude of volunteers coming to lead out in making summer 2021 the best it can possibly be for the kids enrolled.
The Story of We Will Go Ministries
In 2000, David and Amy Lancaster were living in the suburbs and going to church every Sunday. They started to want more out of the Christian life. After going to their pastors and seeing just how they could get more involved, they were directed to short term international missions. Several mission trips later, David and Amy founded We Will Go Ministries. Considering moving overseas to do missions, they sold their home. After praying more about moving overseas, it became clear to both Amy and David that there was great need in Jackson, MS. Amy and David were clearly called by God in ways they did not expect. As Amy drove to downtown Jackson to go pass out canned goods and pray, the Lord showed her a future of her family living and ministering to the homeless and broken in Jackson. David had a similar experience with God giving him a vivid dream of driving through downtown and turning into his house. Coming home that night, she and David spoke and felt the same call to move into downtown Jackson which was severely underreached and neglected.
Driving down streets of condemned houses, businesses, and rooms for rent, David and Amy stopped at a little house on the corner of Congress and Barksdale that was leasing. The Lancasters moved to Jackson with no plan other than hearts to help those in their community. One of their first attempts at outreach was through a Bible study on Sunday nights hosted in their kitchen. The small Bible study quickly outgrew their kitchen and moved outside to their yard.
Needs began to multiply in their community, and Amy and David continued to meet those needs to the best of their abilities. From cold nights sleeping on the streets to the need for a meal, the doorbell continually rang with someone new hearing of what they were doing on Congress Street. The solution was to give away the clothing in their closets or to serve up the cans from their pantry. Soon, it also led to others wanting to help. Donations of food, clothes, and funds to fill the shelves and clothing racks began pouring in from churches and groups to the Lancasters. After a few years of growth, We Will Go grew to include a training program for people who also wanted to see change in Jackson and learn to impact their own communities.
Mixing Missions with Life
Every week, we have volunteers, long term staff, and neighbors walk through our doors, wanting to get involved with our programs. Some want a small commitment of a single donation or volunteer opportunity while others choose to engage on an everyday basis. What about those who want something in between? College students who are finishing their degree or families who have jobs but want to be more than a one time volunteer also want to join in despite their past commitments. Ruth Alexander, Director of Internships at We Will Go speaks about the Residency program. “The program is for everyone who has a job, school work, or other commitments who still want to serve their community weekly.” The Residency Program is a 6 month commitment that can start any time of the year. With times to serve across all three program areas, one serve Saturday a month, and every other serve Sunday, residency is a way to live in the community you are serving.
Ruth spoke more on the flexible schedule for those interested. “Residents will be plugged into a program area at We Will Go. Depending on your schedule and when you’re able, you’ll fit into one of our program times to help out!” From our Education, Employment, and Essential Food areas, there are many ways to get involved. Residency is for people who want to commit to having an even bigger impact on their city.
Residency brings missions and normal life together in a simple way. “It’s a program where people can continue to pursue their education, career opportunities, and life while learning to open your door and share with your neighbor. Residency gives the opportunity to see just how simple the Gospel is,” Ruth states. Figuring out how to love your neighbor through giving food, tutoring a child, or sharing with someone who might knock on your door doesn’t have to be complicated. Learning to do those things daily is something We Will Go’s Residency program offers.
Small Change Has a Large Impact
When the forecast called for small flurries and snow, our city was excited for a snow day. As it quickly turned into a week with no power, burst pipes, and the inability to leave home, many began to panic at the thought of no food and no heat. Sitting at the front of our building frantically calling each of our families, Olivia Hamilton, the Director of our Food Essentials Program spoke about the crisis. “The biggest thing that I was surprised by with the bad weather was that people reached out to us to say that they were willing to walk to us to receive food. I realized that in our community, food insecurity was a bigger threat than snow and ice.”
We had so many people walk from literally miles away because they needed essentials like bread, vegetables, and dry food. “At a time where almost every store and organization was closed, a lot of our neighbors were relieved that we were one of the few places that remained open,” Ms. Hamilton goes on to say. And our neighbors weren’t the only ones stuck in the snow. Our staff walked from their homes just so that we could open the doors and help the few neighbors that managed to make it.
What did this icy week highlight as an issue in Jackson? “This crisis showed how important having a backstock of food really is to our community. That's been the hardest part for us. We haven’t been able to drive to get more supplies to help those who are coming. Having food at the ready would potentially help ensure that in the future, there is always enough food for anyone who comes,” Olivia states.
We have also had people reach out to see how they can help during these trying times. In speaking on different opportunities, Ms. Hamilton highlights a few. “People can always financially contribute to the food pantry by sponsoring a family or buying canned goods for our shelves. We always need volunteers when it comes to sorting and making up bags as well as with our food distribution.” There is also a new day for involvement in the coming months. Starting on March 13, 2021, the second Saturday of each month, we are going to add a third distribution day for those who need it. The day is specifically geared towards volunteers and neighbors who cannot come during the week but still would like to get involved or receive food donations. From 8:30am-12:30pm, people can sign up to receive food and volunteers can come to help with distribution on those Saturdays.
The Impact of Tutoring
One on one tutoring has become essential to our afternoon Education program. What started as helping students complete simple homework assignments after school has transformed into something bigger over the last few months. Our Director of Education, Mariah Pitre, has helped to grow the program to providing equipment, safe spaces, and tutoring for students who are now fully online. With most of our students coming from Jackson Public Schools, we have created close ties with the school system trying to find the best way to be most effective in Jackson. Recently, the opportunity to partner with Timberlawn Elementary School has arisen to help take in some of their students to our Education program. “We want to start partnering with JPS to assist their students with tutoring and supplies,” Mariah states after having met with school leaders. Timberlawn Elementary not only hopes to partner with us during the school year but also during summer months. “They’re excited to possibly direct some students to Camp Hope this summer,” Mariah says in reference to We Will Go’s yearly camp that provides activities and meals to kids in the community.
Mariah also spoke about the needs she has seen in our students attending our Education program. “I’ve been very thankful to see that what I do everyday matters. One of my third grade students was reading with me and I helped her login on her laptop to do her homework. An announcement popped up on her screen and she struggled to read that simple announcement. Seeing this student not only struggle to read but to struggle to navigate virtual learning was a shock to me.” Only 5% of students are able to receive special assistance at JPS schools. Those in charge of the schools are looking for programs to engage their students to grow in reading comprehension and online learning. Mariah spoke further about the need saying, “It left me to wonder how many other students are struggling? Students who are looking for help to complete their basic needs?”
The weekly routine of opening our building and sitting with students is one that is having a larger impact. It is also meeting a very specific need to keep struggling students from slipping through the cracks. “Being able to see how important it is to be sitting in that chair, reading alongside her, guiding her through her lessons was overwhelming to see,” Mariah says about tutoring. There is a weekly need of more volunteers, people passionate about education, or those simply willing to help to join in. Come and partner with us as we strive to grow and impact even more students.
Making Missions a Part of Everyday Life
Although there are many short term opportunities to serve with We Will Go, some people are looking to get even more involved. Ruth Alexander, Director of Internships, explains why the Internship programs at We Will Go were developed. “Living and working at We Will Go is trying to teach individuals how to make missions a part of everyday life beyond just short term volunteering.” We Will Go currently has a long term Internship program for 1 year, a Resident program for 6 months, and a program called Engage Jackson which runs from August 15-December 21, 2021. The Internship and Resident programs both help with our Essential Food program, after school Education program, and our day to day interactions with neighbors. Engage Jackson is a little different with a combination of our regular programs mixed with actual teaching from Wesley Bible Seminary. Rather than coming to serve for a few short hours and then driving home, you get to stay and continue to impact the community.
The desire to stay and help grow the community of downtown Jackson is what inspired our mission statement and what drives the programs. Ruth states, “Our mission statement of ‘We are neighbors willing to engage our community with the love of Christ’ is the heart behind these programs. We want to be consistent in supporting and sharing the love of Christ to those in Jackson.” So many times, we have made sharing the gospel and giving to those in need something that’s convenient for the giver. We give when we’re available or when we feel like it.
Being consistent in the community not only impacts our team members but also affects those in Jackson that we daily help with food, education, and spiritual encouragement. Giving our neighbors the reassurance that there are believers in this city that will be here to support and encourage them has created an environment of dependability. In describing what it means to model what Jesus did when he was on the earth, Ruth spoke more on staying committed and diligent. “Christ calls us to care about those around us and to not quit when it gets hard. It’s important to not only sow into a community but to stay. To continue to come back and maintain those relationships and pray for Jackson.”
A Change in Direction for Employment
The initial goal of We Will Go Arts was to help people who had an immediate need of $5 or a short need. We then grew to create a class that could teach a skill. This led to the development of products through We Will Go Arts that could be sold to pay trainees and fund the program. After setting it all up, we came back to the initial question: “Why was this program created?” It was created to help an individual who needed a job and could possibly learn a skill while hearing the gospel.
With that in mind, we worked to develop We Will Go Arts into an Employment program that could be more versatile and equip more people. David Lancaster, President of We Will Go and the developer of the original Arts program has been working to transform the program into something more far reaching. “We wanted to be clear that this was not the ‘end goal’ or ‘long term job’ that our neighbors were seeking. We wanted to be the stepping stone that would help them achieve a better job, a stable future, and a professional road we could guide them to,” he states about the direction the program is moving. Starting February 15 and going through March 25, our Employment program will offer a 6 week training that will end with a job reference and a job interview for our trainee.
One of the most important aspects of the program was being able to share the gospel with those who were coming. Even if trainees weren’t Christian or were just coming to work, we still wanted to share how Christ is what motivated us to start the Employment program and how He can change lives. We didn’t just want it to be a job you clocked into; we wanted it to be a job that gives the opportunity to share the gospel as well. Moving forward, our upcoming 6 week training program will blend the practical side of training and prepping for a job with learning and hearing about Christ.
Even with our 6 week training program, there’s another crucial piece of the program that we are also working towards: finding interviews and jobs that our trainees can transition to. David says, “My goal is that the participant will get a job interview by the end of our program. We want to work to create a network of professionals willing to take a chance on those in our community. Many are just looking for that start, that first job that will give them a chance. And we want to help equip them for that while also sharing how the love of Christ can positively direct their lives.” As we move forward and continue to develop our Employment program, we would love for people in our city to partner with us and take a chance on those in our program. Offer a position to someone trying to start their lives on the right track.
Growth in Essentials
We Will Feed is continuing to focus on meeting the needs of those in our community. We have been working to consolidate our donation space so that donors can easily bring by items and we can easily distribute those donations to neighbors. This has led to the repurposing of space in our facilities and growing our shelves and racks so that we can give even more in 2021. Olivia Hamilton, Director of Volunteers and Essentials has been working tirelessly to grow this program even in the midst of crises in 2020. “In the last quarter of 2020, we saw an increase in families needing food and Essentials by 30% which means that we saw an additional 100 families within the last 4 months,” she states.
One of our greatest needs continues to be volunteers to organize the donations that continuously come through. Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-11AM, you’ll find our staff unpacking food, hanging much needed coats for winter, and setting out sturdy brown bags for our neighbors to come and receive in the following days. “That is our largest volunteer need at the moment,” says Olivia about the need for more help sorting. Even though it might not be as exciting as giving the donations away directly, this volunteer opportunity is vital in the continuation of the program as many in our community rely on the stocked shelves for their next meal.
Our goal for 2021 is not just ‘how can we meet one need’ but how can we invest in our community long term. In speaking about the numerous neighbors that come through our doors, Olivia struggled with the question of, “How can we be a long term solution for our families? Our Essentials program seeks to go past just a bag of food. We want to help people join with our Employment program, families to bring their kids to join in with our Education program, and for each person coming through our doors to receive prayer.” Our goal is not to just be a food pantry. We want to help with our neighbors in other areas of their lives and impact them with the love of Christ.
To make an impact in the lives of those who need it, volunteers in Jackson from churches, youth groups, other teams, or individuals who want to come are invited to join us. We never want to limit or turn away a family who is in need. So far even with Covid and procedures in place, we have still been able to give. We’ve actually seen one of our biggest years of giving in 2020! We are praying for more sponsorships for families, more volunteers who want to invest in the people of Jackson, and for more lives to be impacted with the love of Christ.
Counseling at Camp Hope
While our Education program won’t be focused on school work over the summer, we will have some of our students come participate in our annual Camp Hope program. For 8-weeks, kids are here from 8AM-5PM weekdays and they spend the days doing lots of activities. Just to name a few: swimming, field trips, summer reading, Bible lessons, and crafts that all match a theme for the week. Our volunteering church for that week helps us put together the lesson, songs, and activities our kids experience. Our Director of Education, Mariah Pitre has been operating Camp Hope for a few years now and has worked with churches and summer staff. “We can’t do what God is asking us to do without other believers helping,” she states referring to the large number of volunteers and staff we have that help with our operations.
With summer 2021 just around the corner, we’re looking to bring in more counselors who want to help with Camp Hope. Our summer counselors get to mentor kids (ages 5-12) from inner city, downtown Jackson. Camp Hope is a Christ centered program that offers community to staff which other camps might not offer. “What people have to bring is special and what we have to offer to our campers is also special,” Mariah states about the counselor program that people can apply to participate in.
How Camp Hope differs from other summer camps is its focus on community. Our kids come from the Jackson area and get to experience a fun filled summer right in their neighborhood. Our summer counselors get to do the same living here at We Will Go. “You also get to be in the neighborhood our kids are from getting to experience what their daily life is like,” Mariah says about the summer. Counselors are placed in charge of one group, boys or girls, and stay with that group for the whole summer. They get to spend time with all of our campers but, get to bond and learn how to lead that small group of kids. Several counselors work together in leading and become a team, working together.
Every year, we see lives transformed and people walking away having experienced the love of Christ. Speaking about the challenges we faced in the summer of 2020, Mariah shared, “To get to meet our community in a real way, we had to change what we were doing due to Covid. But, our families were even more open and we still got to impact our kids even though the needs changed.” With Camp Hope, we have the opportunities for churches and teams to bring VBS lessons, worship songs, crafts, and volunteers to make an impact in our kids lives. But, our program doesn’t just impact our kids; it also has changed the lives of volunteers as well. “We’ve had visitors give their lives to Christ here. We’ve even had visitors continue to volunteer or stay on as staff to keep helping at We Will Go. People come from different states to join in with Camp Hope. People who join in, often see the impact and want to continue coming back to see Jesus change Jackson.”
ARTS ministry …opportunities for real discipleship
We are praying and seeking the Lord’s wisdom and leading as we go into 2021 with ARTS ministry! We know making disciples was important to Jesus when He walked and taught on the earth, and we know it’s still super important to Him and to us, His servants!
Christ calls us to Himself, and then He invites us to lead others to follow Him in obedience and trust. We are called disciples when we truly love each other in this way.
Teaching and training is a means by which disciples of Jesus are continually transformed in order to become more like Christ (read Matt. 10:24–25; Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18).
Luke 9:23–24
And Jesus said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and come after Me and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
“Come after me” means to become a disciple (Luke 14:27) and requires that a disciple: (1) deny himself (not simply denying certain things but denying personal control of one’s life); (2) take up his cross (Luke 14:27; notes on Matt. 10:38 and Mark 8:34]; make a commitment that will lead to rejection and possibly even death); and (3) follow Me (following the example and teachings of Jesus).
Our desire in ARTS ministry is to provide Godly discipleship and also real tangible practical job training. We have so many neighbors who really desire and need employment and quality job training. Last year we were able to employ and train 16 people here at WWG ARTS. We would love your prayers as we move forward in 2021 in ARTS!
Family Giving Tree
We have loved celebrating Christmas with our neighbors at We Will Learn and We Will Hoop this past month! I'm so thankful for all of you who have prayed and supported our efforts to provide gifts to all of our WWL students and WWH guys. Together we were able to give out 70 gifts as well as the opportunity for our WWL students to shop at our Family Giving Tree!
The Family Giving Tree is a new tradition here at We Will Go. It gives students the opportunity to shop for Christmas gifts for their families. This has been one of the things that our students and volunteers have looked forward to the most! The gifts ranged from candles to toy trains! For most of our kids, it was their first time to 'shop for' and wrap gifts. For some kids it was really exciting to get to shop! For some, the choices were a bit overwhelming. For some, the thought of shopping for certain family members (that they might not have the best relationship with) was quite the challenge. Overall, I was really thankful for the Family Giving Tree and the experience it brought all of us. I was really thankful for the volunteers who helped the students shop and the ones who stopped and prayed throughout the process. It is a privilege for us to have to have the opportunity to teach the kids that it is better to give than receive. The Family Giving Tree is a valuable part of this lesson.
What we have here is special. Thank you for believing and praying with us over this past year and Christmas season. Please join us as we pray into the upcoming year!
New Year, New Start!
New Years:
1 Peter 1v3
‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,’
Happy New Year to you all! As you are looking forward to this new start, one that is full of mercy, I would like to tell you about all the options available to come and live here at We Will Go! Come learn how to do Missions in your everyday life!
WWG RESIDENT (6+ months commitment)
• $750 monthly fee to WWG. Half price for children. Discount available for upfront payment.
• 10 hours of service weekly required to serve at WWG
• Weekly meeting with missionary of ministry area
• Neat, clean, professional in appearance and Godly conduct
WWG MISSIONARY (1+ year commitment)
• $550 monthly fee to WWG, Half price for children. ($300 for housing & $250 for internship) – Pay total upfront and you receive 3% off!
• 40 hours of service a week
• Weekly teachings for family night
• Weekly meeting with Director; Serves directly under leadership of WWG Director
• Deeper call to missions and more growth spiritually, emotionally, physically
• Serves as MENTOR for Engage JXN Students and WWG Residents
• More leadership and responsibilities, confident to make disciples, tasks, prayer, worship, teams
• Deeply committed to HIS heart here in Jackson and at WWG.
We also have an exciting program called Engage JXN. Each student will experience a missions practicum that is experienced through outreach, community living and daily encounters, as they live, learn and apply in our neighborhood in downtown Jackson. Each student with also take classes through Westminster Seminary!
Engage JXN
Cost: $6500
When: Aug 15th - Dec 21st 2021
Early bird registration offer until Feb 15th: $100 discount
Location: Downtown Jackson, staying at the WWG Base.
Practical: Each student will have an equal amount missional learning: from theory to practicum from Monday - Thursday and a weekend rotation of roles
Curriculum: We will be diving deep into Empowering Education, Kingdom Justice and Sustainability, Theory and Practice in Missions and Presentations, other assignments, as well as classes at Westminster Seminary!
Visitor Testimony!
We have about 5000 amazing people come and visit us yearly! This is a testimony from Tony, who came to serve with us with his wife, all the way from Australia!
When God made a way for us to travel to We Will Go Ministries, I knew that it was going to be an exciting time as well as challenging one. Hearing the stories of our friends that had been before, whetted my appetite for what could possibly happen. My prayer was to be immersed in a missionary community that had love as their motivation for all they did, regardless of any opposition, and wow did that happen.
After day two of working in the Fountain, I felt I had come to the end of myself and was saying to God “I don’t just want to get through this, I don’t want to do this absent of love, I want to love like You do. I don’t just want to do the external things right without having Your heart”. That afternoon Miss Mariah shared that if you are struggling with the behaviour and actions of the kids, just ask Jesus how He sees them, so I did, and He did. That was the turning point, seeing how Jesus saw them right now, the amazing potential that hasn’t fully been realised yet was enough. No actions or attitudes could make that image of how Jesus sees each one diminish. I was able to see them as He saw them, love them with His unconditional love and not with my conditional love.
I always knew that God loved everyone, but being able to see how He saw people even when they were not always behaving that way was incredible. Love is the answer and love does not fail, I am a life that has been changed by love and is being filled and fuelled by love to love all my neighbours, whether in Jackson Mississippi, here in Lismore Australia or anywhere else in between.
Every part of what we got to share in was amazing, from cleaning, spending time with the neighbours, hearing from the incredible missionaries who had answered the call to go. Hearing David and Amy Lancaster share their journey, what it looked like in the beginning to what it has grown to now, what God has done and how He is leading – this was just a masterclass in discipleship.
My time at We Will Go has embedded a new sense of what serving your community looks like, and what discipleship really is. Being around people who hang around with Jesus and have His heart is just so good. Praying that Father lets me get back there one day, with all of my family.
If you would like to come and see us, and see what God can do in your heart as you serve in Downtown Jackson, please email us! visitus@wewillgo.org.
Become A We Will Learn Missionary
We Will Learn
We are looking for Missionaries and Residents for our We Will Learn Ministry! Each Missionary and Resident will live and serve Jesus with us here in Downtown, Jackson! Spreading the gospel and allowing everyone to experience the transforming power of Jesus’ love!
We are looking for missionaries that would have vision to fill in these roles!
Missionary
Lead out with vision: prayer, communication, and outreaches in our community
Lead out on preparing lesson plans for each individual student
Lead out on preparing your whole classroom
Ensure staffing of afternoon ministry times and events
Keep up ministry supply orders: paper goods, curriculum, etc.
Manage partnership and communication with Belhaven Work Study and field placement students
Manage discipline and reward systems: points, events, suspensions
Lead out in connections with local Counseling Centers
Team Member
Attend intercession times and seek God’s heart/vision for ministry
Participate in administrative tasks and outreaches to assist coordinators (planning events, organizing gifts, etc.)
Assist coordinator and help with function and administration of designated tasks in a timely manner
Help Tutor the children in selected classrooms
MISSIONARY LIFE
FROM RUTH:
As you read about the birth of Jesus and the first part of His life, you see how people came together. His birth wasn't kept a secret but announced. The shepherds left everything to go and see this baby. Leaving their sheep in a vulnerable place with no shepherds, risking losing them.
The king's risk their jobs and livelihood as they went against Herod's orders and brought our saviour gifts! Gold = Gift for a King, Frankincense = Gift for a priest, Myrrh = Gift for one who died. These kings brought appropriate gifts for our saviour, who was fully God and fully man, and was about to grow up as a beautiful example for us and do the greatest act of love. Defeated death so we can live forever with Him, as we were created to do.
God never created us to be alone and fully independent. Jesus even came as a baby and showed us that! He couldn't ever had done things without help from those created to look after Him. Mary willingly gave God her 'Yes' to birth and care for the son of God! Even Simeon, who was told that he was one day going to see our Saviour, didn't see him as an adult or even as a young child. But he saw Him at 8 days old and got to hold Him. He totally submitted to this tiny baby boy, knowing who He was. As he was soft hearted and allowed the Holy Spirit to speak though him.
As you go through this Christmas season, I would love to challenge you to surround yourself with others. Seek community where you are. As God commanded us to love Him with everything in us, we get to also love our neighbours like we love ourselves. Not one person is not your neighbour, and you get to love them, as God teaches you to love.
Here in Jackson, I will be spending my Christmas day with people from all over coming together to have a big meal! The body of Christ have come together with providing the meal, as individuals and churches bring different dishes. We will play games, pray together and eat together at our 'Family table'.
You are very welcome to join us for Christmas day from 11am-1pm at 799 North Congress Street!
If you would like to come and join our team, living in community with us please do take a look at the following options! Plus, our website, where you will also find our application form!
Each option will allow every individual to learn and receive a wonderful foundation of what missions really is. Learning in community, alongside those who have years of experience in doing missions in different ways.
WWG RESIDENT (6+ months commitment)
• $750 monthly fee to WWG. Half price for children. Pay total upfront and you receive 3% off!
• 10 hours of service weekly required to serve at WWG
• Weekly meeting with missionary of ministry area
• Neat, clean, professional in appearance and Godly conduct
WWG MISSIONARY (1+ year commitment)
• $550 monthly fee to WWG, Half price for children. ($300 for housing & $250 for internship) – Pay total upfront and you receive 3% off!
• 40 hours of service a week
• Weekly teachings for family night
• Weekly meeting with Director; Serves directly under leadership of WWG Director
• Deeper call to missions and more growth spiritually, emotionally, physically
• Serves as MENTOR for Engage JXN Students and WWG Residents
• More leadership and responsibilities, confident to make disciples, tasks, prayer, worship, teams
• Deeply committed to HIS heart here in Jackson and at WWG.
We also have an exciting program called Engage JXN. Each student will experience a missions practicum that is experienced through outreach, community living and daily encounters, as they live, learn and apply in our neighborhood in downtown Jackson. Each student with also take university level classes.
Engage JXN
Cost: $6500
When: Aug 15th - Dec 21st 2021
Early bird registration offer until Feb 15th: $100 discount
Location: Downtown Jackson, staying at the WWG Base.
Practical: Each student will have an equal amount missional learning: from theory to practicum from Monday - Thursday and a weekend rotation of roles
Curriculum: We will be diving deep into Empowering Education, Kingdom Justice and Sustainability, Theory and Practice in Missions and Presentations, other assignments, as well as university level classes.
Engage JXN
Do you want to learn how to live missionally? To go deeper in the Word and your relationship with God? To live in community and serve daily with missionaries? Come and learn at We Will Go Ministries with the upcoming opportunity – Engage JXN!
Cost: $6500
When: Aug 15th - Dec 21st 2021
Early bird registration offer until Feb 15th: $100 discount
Location: Downtown Jackson, We Will Go Ministries
Application: Students will have an equal amount of service opportunities and missional learning
Curriculum: Empowering Education, Kingdom Justice and Sustainability, Theory and Practice in Missions and Presentation, University Classes
Here is a testimony from one of our amazing interns on how she has learned to live for Jesus in her everyday live! If you would like to apply today, please check out our application form at www.wewillgo.org.
Hi, my name is Kailey. I’m twenty years old and from Raceland, Louisiana. I never thought I would find myself in Jackson, Mississippi. Growing up, I hated the fact that we even had to drive through Mississippi to get to other places. However, that is exactly where I found myself just one year ago. I find that the Lord’s funny like that!
I grew up going to church and in a Christian household, always hearing about how a church isn’t a building but the people in the building. We are the church. That statement had never been more alive to me than it was when I visited We Will Go. At home we go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays and we have the occasional outreach but at We Will Go I learned that living for Jesus is more than just going to church and getting filled and having your quiet time with The Lord. While those things are important, living for Jesus is living and loving like Him. It’s constantly growing in your relationship with Him and with others. It’s learning how you can best love and serve others. It’s taking the long way home to check in on your neighbors and friends. It’s sitting and talking with a neighbor who could really use the love Jesus has. It’s encouraging a little kid who might be struggling a bit one day. It’s staying late on Thursday nights to watch a game of basketball.
These are all things I got to learn at We Will Go and I continue to learn, surrounded by the most beautiful people. The leadership at We Will Go, and the friends I’ve made, continue to encourage and teach me to live a life laid down for Jesus and others. Being at We Will Go has made Jesus more real and more tangible than ever. He is real, He is love, and He lived to serve. I live everyday wanting to be more and more like that.
A Mother’s Testimony
Having a past that affects your child’s schooling is enough to desire a fresh start! Imagine starting over as a single mother with intentions to provide a better life for my daughter and moving all that we have to downtown Jackson, only to be welcomed by a mountain of unforeseen events caused by the pandemic: loss of job, lights being cut, and schools moving to virtual learning, and more! With great humility, Still’s mother called the Red Cross to ask for help, and was given a long list of telephone numbers to call, many of which provide essential services. On that list was We Will Go Ministries. I heard Still’s mother recognize the leading of Jesus when she said, “I knew it was God when you guys where the only ones to answer the phone that day!” When she came to receive food and clothes, she realized that we also help with education!
I was excited to have Still join us for We Will Learn, although maybe a little too excited for a very hesitant 6th grader. At the time, not knowing her story, her struggles with learning, or history with teachers; all I knew was that it was mid-October and she was still working off printed educational packets because her school was out of devices. I was passionate to see her have a chance at virtual learning!
This past month we were able to see such a beautiful moment of redemption when Still’s teacher congratulated her (virtually, of course) for being the only student in her 6th grade class to correctly submit all of her assignments, and the only student to get an A on her last science test! To hear her mother filled with thanks, giving glory to Jesus is beautiful. I’m thankful that we get to be a part of God’s heart for education and redemption in this way. Thank you to all of you who have prayed, supported, and given of your time for We Will Learn this past semester! Pray with us as we move forward with a new year, consider how you can be part of redemptive stories here in Jackson!
Mariah Pitre
Giving Tuesday 2020
Dear Friend,
Many times, we find ourselves wrestling with the gap between our beliefs and our actions. This should not be a point of condemnation but a call to action. The call is simple: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind.” And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” My parents were frustrated that their faith seemed to be limited by simply church on Sundays, so they decided to do something. The news that our family was moving to downtown Jackson was not necessarily welcomed as a twelve year-old. We Will Go was started based on the simple verse Isaiah 6:8, “HereI am, send me.” I am excited that what was once my parents’ answer to this call has become my own. What started as a Sunday service in our backyard has expanded to a ministry focused on: Education, Employment, and Essential Food.
Education.
Jackson Public School recently announced that they have moved from ‘on-site’ to ‘virtual’ learning for the fall semester. Many students are living in homes that have limited technology available. Furthermore, many do not have adults there to encourage, assist and ensure that they are completing their schoolwork. Struggling students without supervision and appropriate technology, begin to fall further behind. We Will Go is offering an after-school program each afternoon to help children complete their work in a safe environment. You can be a part of ensuring that these children are given the opportunity to succeed academically.
Employment.
Several years ago, We Will Go started a program aimed at trying to help break the cycle of unemployment for many people in our community. The issue of employment has been worsened by Covid-19. Lack of education, substance abuse, and homelessness are some of the reasons many individuals find themselves stuck in a perpetual cycle. Each week, we have members of the community come into our wood shop to learn skills and empower them to find meaningful work. Work is something that is incredibly dignifying. By sponsoring a trainee, you can help provide afresh start to individuals who find themselves trapped in this cycle.
Essential Food.
Another distinct way We Will Go is able to connect with our community is by sharing healthy food. Sharing a meal centers around social interaction or celebration for some, but for many others in our community it centers around survival. The financial and nutritional strain of having food instability in a home is something that is all too common in our community. Christ pointed out that feeding the hungry is one basic way that Christians can show the love of Christ. Each month, we provide groceries for hundreds of families in our city. You can help ensure that when children return home, they find food in their cabinet.
We Will Go is comprised of normal people looking to share Christ’s love in tangible ways. We Will Go seeks to share the gospel through aiding in Education, Employment, and Essential Food to our community. Over the last fifteenyears, we have been able to approach larger and more complex needs in Jackson. With your generosity, more children and families will feel and know that Christ is not distant, but cares about our needs.
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17
Gratefully,
Jonathan D. Lancaster
Senior Director of Operations and Development
We Will Go Ministries
We Will Feed & Clothe
(Disclaimer: photo taken pre-pandemic)
By Olivia Hamilton
Over the past few years in We Will Feed and Clothe, we have had dozens of neighbors commit their lives to Christ, hundreds of volunteers grow in their faith, and thousands of neighbors receive prayer and encouragement in Christ. We Will Feed and Clothe is an opportunity for us to bless our neighbors with food and hygiene essentials regularly. Even more than that, it is a bigger opportunity to pray for and actively share the gospel in our community. Mark 8:36 tells us “what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” This is a cornerstone verse for our ministry, in that it reminds us each day to keep our focus more on sharing the gospel than just sharing food. Jesus challenged us in the great commission to commit our lives to go throughout our towns and cities and share the good news with those who are lost.
A lot of times, even for those of us who work in ministry, walking up to a stranger and asking them “do you know Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior” seems like quite an intimidating task. Even though evangelism is the core of Christianity, the starting point for that can be quite blurry and daunting. My favorite part of We Will Feed and Clothe is that we create a simple, secure, and supportive environment for Christian volunteers to take a step to participate in evangelism in our city. Getting to help someone pick out groceries, talk about their lives, pray for their requests, and encourage them in the gospel is a way to actively live out the great commission. We always need volunteer help in our food ministry; from stocking shelves and making food bags, to praying for neighbors and making everyone feel safe and welcome. If you are looking for a place to start when it comes to evangelism and praying for those in need, please reach out and see how you can join with us in being a light in Jackson.
The Kindness of Jesus at We Will Learn
By Mariah Pitre
We have seen the kindness of Jesus through those who have responded to the needs of our students at We Will Learn! As most of you know, our students are participating in virtual learning, which means an excessive amount of screen time for most students. It did not take long for us to realize that some of our students had trouble seeing!
We were able to take 4 of our students to optometry appointments and spend the day interacting with them and their families. It was honestly a difficult experience for many of them, but beautiful to be able to carry Jesus every step of the way. One of those students became very fearful as her appointment progressed. She’s been with us for over 4 years now, and I can’t recall a time when I’ve seen this set of tears, paired with, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore, can we go home?’
It was powerful to kneel beside her (and the other optometry staff members) and ask the Holy Spirit to help. ‘Help’ doesn’t seem to scratch the surface when I begin to describe all that Jesus did for us that day! We walked out the room to hear a staff member say that a ‘mini miracle’ happened and that the cost of her appointment, frames and lenses were completely covered!
With the help of some of our volunteers and Dr. Newman and people like you, our students no longer have trouble seeing their virtual assignments! I’ve been challenged to step out in faith and watch our kind Savior do what He does best!
“The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.” Psalm 145:17
When asked what he learned after receiving his new pair of prescription lenses, one student said, “Others giving teaches me to give back to others what they might need. If you give, you can sometimes get something better.” Kaleb, age 12