Pray America began in the late 1980's with a mission to serve those in need in Central America. In 2003 the organization settled in the region of Chichicastenango "Chichi", Guatemala, a region devastated by war and genocide in recent decades. Thousands of widows and their children remain homeless and devastated in the area, and each year Pray America is reaching out with manos de Jesus&38212;"the hands of Jesus"—by working with volunteer teams to build approximately 100 small houses each year. Pray America also has an Orphan Care center in the region, providing education, food, and care for Chichi’s orphaned kids.
Recent Posts
Leading a trip becomes much easier
The new Leaders Manual for mission trip leaders is now available for download. If you are considering planning a trip to serve with Pray America in Guatemala, it is a must read and crucial in planning, organizing...
read moreParty with a Purpose
This season, invite your friends and family over and have a Party with a Purpose . ...
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Metro Merge seeks to join God's restorative work in the city by co-investing with local residents through sustainable entrepreneurship.
Recent Posts
Being Bi-vocational
Ever since I left my full time job to join Metro Merge, I have also been doing work for BLACK, a company two friends and I started, to provide for our family since we are “only” raising support for one minimum wage and health insurance. At first I thought of this as a crutch but [...]
read moreIt’s a beautiful thing.
“From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.” -Psalm 50:2
Colin Powell recently said on CNN, “We must stop the bleeding in Haiti and bring immediate relief to the region, but who is going to invest into and develop Haiti over the course of our lifetime?” But whether suburban, rural or city, U.S. [...]
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Emthonjeni—"the fountain" is what it means, and in under-resourced communities throughout South Africa, this community center project is springing up with hope. It opened its first doors in 2002 with a center located next to Zandspuit, a 3km-square settlement of shack homes housing 45,000 in northwest Johannesburg, and now it also has a center in the under-resourced region of Kwaggafontein. Through projects in the areas of job creation, education, medicine, and sports, Emthonjeni is assisting these communities and empowering leaders, helping the disadvantaged in South Africa to live lives filled with meaning, refreshment, beauty, and purpose.
Recent Posts
Golang Zonke (All) Sports Day
Almost a year ago Bryanston Sports club, wanting to be involved in what Emthonjeni is doing in our community, decided to adopt our old …
read moreSewing A Future
Every weekday, a group of beautiful women take taxis to gather at a church a few towns east of Zanspruit. There they have been given …
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The Potter's House is an elementary, middle, and high school that was started by a group of Calvin College [Grand Rapids, MI] graduates who decided they wanted to make a difference in their community. Seeing a need for education, they formed The Potter’s House, which provides a Christ-centered education to children of all ethnic heritages and income levels, equipping them to serve God and society to their fullest potential. In existence for over 25 years, The Potter’s House is now a fully-accredited school with two campuses and over 400 students in grades PK-12.
The Grand Rapids Red Project (GRRP) began over a decade ago, when eight people sat around a kitchen table and decided to make a difference in the face of HIV/AIDS in Grand Rapids, MI. This group had personal experience with the epidemic and felt that there were gaps in care and services for those infected. Today the GRRP is made up of community members who are passionate advocates and activists in the fight against HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and the harmful or risky choices that help spread these life-altering medical conditions.
Recent Posts
2010 Aids Walk/Run
Race Details August 28, 2010 Registration at 8 am The walk and run are 5k in length Click here to register Download 2010 Aids Walk Run Pledge Sheet (PDF, 184kb) 2010 Aids Walk/Run Facebook page This year marks the 18th AIDS Walk in Grand Rapids. Last year, despite the slowing economy in Michigan, we had [...]
read moreUltra Pure Heroin And Overdose
The Grand Rapids Press recently reported that there has been an increase in Ultra Pure Heroin entering the country from Mexico and that this has led to an increase in overdose fatalities around the country. What the Grand Rapids Press fails to mention is that overdose has consistently been a major problem in Kent County [...]
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Green Sahara Gifts, based in Morocco [North Africa], offers unique gifts that have been handcrafted within a story of sustainability toward people and planet. GSG’s products show a mix of traditional Moroccan motifs and modern influences, and those products have been crafted by Moroccan artisans paid a fair wage for their work. GSG demonstrates its values of people and planet by committing to hire those who have difficulty gaining employment, including the disabled and the poor, and by striving to use sustainably harvested wood as well as limiting wood waste. Whether you’re looking for a gift for yourself or someone you know, GSG gives you an opportunity to take part in a great story by purchasing its beautiful, functional, lasting furniture and gifts.
Recent Posts
Moroccan hefla
The High Atlas Foundation recently hosted a party in New York City to raise funds and awareness for tree planting efforts in Morocco. About $15,000 [...]
read moreTea time
Tea time and coffee breaks are popular the world over. In Morocco, tea time is a sacred event that happens almost every time you visit [...]
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United In Christ Ministries (UICM) is an organization that began in the under-resourced Black Hills neighborhood (Grand Rapids, MI) when multiple faith-based groups came together in developing a community center for the kids and families in the area. Today UICM hosts a variety of programs in its over 8,000 square-foot center, and this is just part of its effort in the community. It also brings together stakeholders in order to positively impact the lifelong sustainability of the Black Hills area, creating a life-changing atmosphere for local youth and families.
Recent Posts
A Mentor’s Story
Every Monday and Thursday many white middle class adults and a group of diverse urban youth come together at UICM for a time of academic mentoring.
Their time together only lasts about 2 hours and a majority of the time is spent on homework and reading. However for 1 pairing, this time together has become something [...]
read moreJeremiah’s Story
I would have to say that my ’story’ began long before I was aware of it, or of what the Lord was doing.
I was brought up in a single parent home, that was very Christ centered. My family and I, (my mother, brother and I) were heavily involved in the church. When the doors were [...]
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Mission Partners India (MPI), Inc. works in partnership with the indigenous local church in South India to help marginalized women and children. It is the goal of MPI to come alongside and assist the local church in South India, realizing a shared vision to build sustainable indigenous programs that promote the dignity of these women and children. In a region where unemployment has long been over 75%, MPI provides skills-training and job creation initiatives, helping to generate jobs and income for the unemployed and those living below the poverty level. It also works in development projects, including installing bore-wells that provide clean drinking water and help cultivate local vegetable gardens.
Recent Posts
No work, no income
L. is one of the daughters in law of the joint family. They have two sons and a daughter, all of them are married and live in the same house.
They also have to take care of their aged parents. They do not have any land and their main source of meager income is through seasonal [...]
read moreTime for school
M. comes from a poor family. She and her husband are agricultural laborers living on little income. They have a son and a daughter.
As both of them go for work and the son goes to school, the daughter stays at home without any schooling and looks after the household duties.
It was very hard for her [...]
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The grassroots expressions featured in the boxes at the left weren't started by Mars Hill, and they aren't run by Mars Hill either. So why are they here? Because in Grand Rapids and in other cities and countries, people connected to Mars Hill have come up with ways to reflect our mission through their own work and service. They’re helping to bring about measurable change in the world, and that's something we're pretty excited about. If you’re looking to give to or get involved with some great efforts, we hope you’ll consider these.
Does your organization demonstrate the
Mars Hill mission? If so, we'd love to consider featuring it here! Tell us what you're up to by completing our
organization application.
[Mars Hill does not determine and is not responsible for content found on sites linked from this page. Potential applicants, please note that some qualifications apply—see application for more info.]