The ultimate purpose for the church is missions.
That statement might seem a little counterintuitive at first (doesn't church mean Sunday morning? Yes, but there's a lot more to it than that!), but God has called his people to "Go . . . and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19-20). In the original language, "go" can be translated as "as you are going," and at Willow Ridge we believe that this is the heart of missions – to be ready and willing to share the hope of the gospel, in Lexington, Utah, India, and anywhere else that our church family finds themselves. Look below to see some of the ways that our church is actively engaged in missions, and contact us to find out how you can be a part!
Local Missions
Missions can take a lot of forms, but there's no better place to start than in your local setting. These are some of the ways that we partner with organizations right here in Lexington.
153 Project
We proudly partner with 153 Project in Lexington, SC.
153 Project is a ministry devoted to meeting the physical needs of the homeless men and women of Columbia while meeting their spiritual needs as well. They serve an average of 150 plates of food a week year-round to the homeless population of Columbia. Each week as they serve food, they have opportunities to pray for and pray with each of these men and women during a time of worship and Bible teaching.
White Knoll Elementary
We proudly partner with White Knoll Elementary School in Lexington, SC.
We work with WKES to help host community events, teacher luncheons, and through the donation of Snack Packs each week during the school year. Every week our team packs 270 bags of food that we purchase, sort, pack and pray over. Through the Snack Pack program, many families are able to provide food for their children each weekend. We also engage in mentoring kids, sponsoring school events and providing meals for the staff to show our love and support for their investment.
Domestic Missions
Missions work doesn't stop at home, even though it's a great place to start. Check out some of the ways that we are engaged in missions in North America.
Black Mountain Home for Children
We proudly partner with Black Mountain Home for Children, Youth, & Families in Black Mountain, NC.
Begun in 1904 as Mountain Orphanage, the Home began its ministry taking in children whose parents had died or disappeared. Today, they serve youth from birth through college graduation and beyond through family foster care, residential care, transitional living, and independent living. From infants born prematurely or with addictions to young adults working toward an educational or career goal, the ministry provides a safe, supportive home for youth of all ages and stages.
Willow Ridge has been involved in numerous service projects assisting with the upkeep and improvement of BMH’s facilities and property. Each year, our Middle School students take a trip in the summer to help make these projects a reality. Additionally, our Men’s Minstry has visited and served at BMH, and in 2022 we hosted our first family mission trip.
HopeValley Church Utah
We proudly support the Stottmans in West Jordan, UT.
The Stottmann family moved to West Jordan Utah in July 2020 to start the work of planting HopeValley Church. Their desire is to see God build His church here on the west side of the valley. They are praying that through HopeValley many will come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Dustin and Sara serve alongside their daughters Ellie Grace and Sadie Kate.
HopeValley is situated in the predominantly Mormon state of Utah, and the work of spreading the gospel in the Copper Hills area of West Jordan is substantial, where there are 54 LDS churches and only one non-LDS church. Willow Ridge has sent multiple teams to serve alongside HopeValley, and we are excited to see how our continued partnership develops as the Stottman family serves across the country.
FCA Canada
We proudly support the Ostrems in Ontario, Canada.
Since 1954, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been challenging coaches and athletes on the professional, college, high school, junior high and youth levels to use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ. FCA focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ.
Hans Ostrem serves as the Regional Vice President & Executive Director for FCA Canada. He was introduced to FCA as a student athlete at North Greenville University in the United States, where he competed in NCAA cross country and club soccer. Hans has served cross-culturally with the International Mission Board and most recently as the director of Upward Sports Canada. Along with his wife Brandy, they have four children and reside in Mississauga, Ontario.
International Missions
Sometimes God calls us to travel to a specific place or region to share the gospel, and at Willow Ridge this has led to some incredible partnerships. Look below to see how we're helping spread the gospel all around the world!
Samaritan's Feet
We proudly support the Cheeks family in the Philippines.
Darrell Cheeks is the National Director in the Philippines for Samaritan’s Feet, an organization that serves and inspires hope in children by providing shoes as the foundation to a spiritual and healthy life resulting in the advancement of education and economic opportunities. Darrell serves alongside his wife Cristina and their four children, Allen, Kenneth, Angelica, and Forever.
The Cheeks family has been serving in the Philippines since 2011, and alongside the distribution of shoes, they have served thousands of meals as they work to minister to the unreached Mangyan Tribe.
Bible Fellowship of India
We proudly support Bible Fellowship of India in Jaipur, India.
Willow Ridge Church partners with Bible Fellowship of India which is located in the northern India city of Jaipur. This partnership goes to support Bible Chapel Society Church, Maranatha Bible College, Fellowship Mission School, a prison ministry for women, as well as a girl’s home which is located in the southern India city of Andhra Pradesh. With a population of over 1.3 billion people and only 2% of those are Christians, there is much work that needs to be done in this country. Through the work of Bible Fellowship church planters are being equipped and sent, elementary aged Hindu children are taught the Gospel, women behind bars are given hope, and girls who would have been trafficked find the love of Jesus Christ.
Organizational Partnerships
We love devoting all the time we can to the missions we're engaged in, but we also have some pretty great organizational partners that we are proud to come alongside to see the name of Jesus lifted high.
South Carolina Baptist Convention
We proudly partner with the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
The South Carolina Baptist Convention is a family of churches who voluntarily pool their resources together to send missionaries and develop leaders to see every life saturated and transformed by the hope of the Gospel, beginning in South Carolina. No other organization in South Carolina has dedicated more time, resources, and energy to saving humanity than South Carolina Baptists.
The SCBC exists to see a day where every life is saturated and transformed by the hope of the Gospel, beginning in South Carolina and extending to the ends of the Earth. Willow Ridge gives to and partners with the SCBC to work towards this goal through sharing hope, strengthening churches, starting churches, and sending missionaries.
Women's Missionary Union
We proudly partner with the South Carolina WMU.
Woman’s Missionary Union exists to empower churches and believers to participate in the Great Commission by equipping churches, especially its members—women and men, girls and boys and preschoolers—to discover and live out their missions call. South Carolina WMU continues to seek innovative and creative ways to involve more individuals, families, groups, and churches in missions by helping them find their place in missions, and passing on that passion for missions to future generations.
Willow Ridge annually contributes to the Janie Chapman State Missions Offering, named after the first president of the WMU. These funds help support churches, missionaries, events, and more as the Gospel reaches those in South Carolina and beyond!
North American Mission Board
We proudly partner with the North American Mission Board.
An estimated 275,000,000 people in North America do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We can rewrite that story; we can change the statistics when everyday people get up, step out in faith and use their lives on mission for God. Ultimately, this is God’s story. This is your church’s story. This is your story, and NAMB’s goal is to help you find your role in that story and equip you to fill it until we see every Christian—every church on mission—sending the hope of the gospel across North America.
NAMB is a part of the SEND Network, and uses funds to further the planting of churches across North America. Since 2010, Southern Baptists have planted more than 9,700 churches all across the continent. Each year, Willow Ridge contributes to the Annie Armstrong Offering, the funds from which go toward seeing new churches spreading the gospel.
International Mission Board
We proudly partner with the IMB.
The IMB (International Mission Board) partners with churches to empower limitless missionary teams who are making disciples and multiplying churches among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God.
The IMB serves Southern Baptists in carrying out the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. They strive to see a multitude from every language, people, tribe, and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ. Each year, Willow Ridge contributes money to the Lottie Moon Mission Offering, which continues to fund the vital work of the IMB in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.