Mission Projects
Current Mission: Tornado Relief for Kankakee area
In response to tornadoes that touched down in Kankakee County on Tuesday, March 10, the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley and United Way of Kankakee & Iroquois Counties have activated their joint Emergency Response Fund of Kankakee & Iroquois Counties to support individuals and families impacted by the storm. The Emergency Response Fund was designed to provide swift and coordinated assistance during times of crisis. By pooling resources with a shared grants process and working closely with local nonprofits and community partners, this fund will ensure that local support reaches those most affected by emergencies.
Faith Connection will be joining their efforts to provide relief to this community. Your generous support will help families get back on their feet after suffering devastating loss. More importantly, your donation will let these neighbors know that they are loved and supported.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Previous Missions
Amy and Adbeel Alvarez Compost Project - Jan. & Feb 2026
As Amy and Adbeel Alverez continue their work in Guatemala, they have begun building a composting structure on their retreat property to help get rid of a lot of trimming from their bushes and trees. The compost will then be used as fertilizer for their vegetables and citrus trees. As with other projects, this will also be a learning experience that they will pass along to people in other communities. The estimated construction cost is $3,000.
Pembroke Senior Center - December 2025
Our mission project for December 2026 gave us the opportunity to partner with the Pembroke Senior Center. Our goal was to provide 40 boxes of food during the holidays to seniors and people facing hardships in the Pembroke area. All of our gifts were matched by our partners at the senior center. We provided them with sugar, flour, stove top stuffing, green beans, corn, and pie filling.
Manhattan Food Pantry November 2025
The Manhattan Food Pantry needs our help. They regularly get donations of actual food items to help community members who find themselves struggling. However, often overlooked are items such as dish and dishwasher soap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, laundry softener, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, sandwich bags, and ziplock bags. All things we use every day but are often overlooked when donating to a food pantry.
Local Firefighters - October 2025
Our mission of the month is our local fire department. The fire department covers Manhattan, Wilton Center, and Peotone. It has come to our attention that the fire department needs specialized equipment that would keep them, our communities, and in particular our farmers safer. The equipment they need is not part of the standard equipment, nor provided for by state or local government and taxes. This is something they must go and get themselves, so they have to try and fundraise.
One of the needs for the community are special nozzles and attachments that can handle brush fires and field fires. As it turns out that is not something given in standard equipment here in Illinois or locally. Another example of equipment that they would like to fundraise for is lighter gear equipment. The standard gear is great for everyday weather and fires, but with extreme heats like we had this summer the lighter gear would actually keep the fire fighters safer and healthier.
Our mission team believes that we can help the community and make a real difference in the lives of people in our community by keeping us safer through raising funds. Again, this is something that will directly impact Manhattan, Wilton Center, and Peotone communities. Our funds will help to protect and save lives in our community.
California Wildfire Support - January 2025
We have all seen pictures on the news of the wildfires in and around Los Angeles, California. It's hard to look at the images of entire streets, blocks and communities burnt to the ground. It is harder yet to imagine how that devastation has uprooted the lives of so many people. Where do you live when your house and the houses of neighbors and family members have all been destroyed? Where do you send your children to school when their school no longer exists? Where do you buy groceries? Where do you go to work? How do you get there when your car was burnt in the fires?
And yet through it all, God is there, and God calls us to help. Our current mission is in partnership with the American Baptist Home Mission Society where everyone is invited to join their One Great Hour of Sharing effort. Donations will be used to provide relief and hope to those who have lost so much. 100% of the donations will be directed to the designated disaster areas to address immediate needs as well as long term support. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of people you may not know. It will demonstrate God's love and provision in a time that must seem hopeless.
Amy and Adbeel Alvarez Our Guatemala Missionaries
We have supported Amy and Adbeel for several years. Amy grew up in our church and has been serving in Guatemala since graduating from college. Their mission, in recent years, has expanded with their newly completed conference center to host visiting mission teams as well as training for local pastors. In addition to Bible study and preaching in their local communities, they have also developed an aquaponic system that can help Guatemalan people create self-sustaining sources of vegetables and fish.