We are a missional community which means that we know that God has a purpose for His Church and we seek to fulfill this purpose by following Him and His commands to love Him and to Love one another. GCF will always be centered on Jesus' Great Commandment and His Great Commission. This is the purpose of the Church. We are not saved by works but by grace through faith. When we receive this grace we can't help but share it with the world through action.
Our first priority in mission is our individual, personal relationships with those around us. We seek to share our lives and testimony with everyone we meet. We also seek to work corporately as His Church to love our community corporately. We partner with Churches, civic leaders, non-profits, and any other organizations that seeks to love and serve their neighbors. Here are a few ways we are working to do this.
Angel Food Ministries
We are thrilled to partner with Papillion-LaVista Schools and Angel Food Ministries to provide low cost food items to anyone in our neighborhood who needs them. There are no limitations for this program and anyone can use it. We distribute food once per month at Carriage Hill Elementary School. Orders are taken throughout the month at Carriage Hill Elementary. If you would like more information about ordering, distribution or volunteering- click on "Contact Us" and fill out the form. We will respond quickly. Or you can visit www.angelfoodministries.com and order online!
The Backpack Buddies Program
We have partnered with Papillion-LaVista Schools, Bellevue Public Schools, Heritage Hill Church, and Tri-City Food Pantry to provide backpacks stuffed with non perishable food items for children in need. Many children are able to eat at school through the food programs but often have very little at home. We fill the packs, take them to the schools, and the school staff distributes them to kids as they have need. There is no "red tape" involved to receive a pack. We leave it up to those working directly with the kids in need. We accept donations of food items at Tri-City Food Pantry located at Heartland Family Services (302 American Pkwy in Papillion), Heritage Hill Church, or GCF Gatherings. Please specify your food donation is for The Backpack Buddy Program. Monetary donations can be made through Heritage Hill Church (6909 Cornhusker Rd in Papillion) or at GCF gatherings.
Good News Clubs After School Program
Good News Clubs are after school Bible programs offered in public schools -overseen by Child Evangelism Fellowship and hosted by local Churches. Our first Good News Club began September 21, 2009 at Carriage Hill Elementary! Since that launch we have ministered to over 30 children per week teaching them truths of the Bible, songs, and how to live out God's purpose for their lives.
5 Day Clubs
This past summer we hosted our first 5 Day Club. These clubs are similar to a "Backyard Bible Camp". We met at Carriage Hill School each evening on the playground and taught 25 kids about creation, sin, redemption, salvation, and eternity through Christ Jesus! The kids loved it and we look forward to hosting a few more clubs next summer.
Neighborhood Events
Our mission is love. We believe that a great way to love neighbors and to teach neighbors to love is to come together in fellowship and in service. BBQ,s Trunk-or-Treats, Christmas Tree Lightings, you name it. We are all about being with the community here and growing closer through fellowship events. We believe that if we are together often, our needs can be shared and provided for easily. We all have something to offer one another- most important is Love.
Free Family Movie Nights
We recently hosted our first movie night. We had a blast and plan to host these community events often as a way to bring families and neighbors together for a happy, safe, and fun evening. Free popcorn and drinks are always a hit at out free movie nights.