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Beyond the breaking of the waves, over the old planks of the boardwalk, amidst the loud noises of a carnival and the smells of a fair lies a small chapel, preaching Christ to anyone who would listen. This herald of the gospel is the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey. It was established less than a decade after the founding of the OPC and has continued ever since. Its building is neither flashy nor new, but its message is timeless. My wife and I experienced this firsthand when we visited the chapel this Summer.
Seth Van Noord, member at New Hope OPC, Green Bay, WI, was greatly encouraged by his time at the Boardwalk Chapel. Though he was challenged by the proposition of evangelizing in a public space, he was comforted by and thankful for the community of believers by his side all along the way. Read his testimony below.
What can I say about the Boardwalk Chapel, except that we love it? Even though our church has to travel quite a long distance to get to Wildwood from Matthews, NC, we keep making the trip happily because there’s nowhere quite like the Boardwalk Chapel. Sure, we can practice evangelizing anywhere, but evangelism is best “caught” in addition to being “taught,” and the Chapel is a veritable beehive of spiritual zeal and equipping. Every two years I bring a fresh batch of new faces to discover the warmth of the Chapel’s missional Christian fellowship, and to begin their first forays out into the intimidating world of cold call evangelism. In all of this, God has never left us disappointed, as each year we return with stories of God’s power and a desire to apply what we’ve learned back home.
Global STM Archive
Asia
I think of my time there as a drip in the seed-watering process. Long-term workers have been planting and watering seeds there for years through building relationships, translating literature, training leaders...
English Camp (Czech Republic)
Summer 2023 is gone just as quickly as it came. However, for the first time in multiple years, OPC Short-Term Missions is thankful to be able to look back on a summer full of teams traveling around the globe to assist missionaries, engage in evangelism, and to reach the lost with the gospel. This year, over 200 short-term missionaries went out to six locations: Quebec, Canada; two Czech Republic locations; Western Ukraine; Lanham, MD; and Wildwood, NJ.
Jim Hoekstra, pastor of Immanuel OPC in Anoka, MN, joined a team headed to the Czech Republic this past summer. While there, he helped host and teach English Camp for local children. In addition to standard vocabulary themes which are taught throughout the week, reading and conversation lessons are drawn from Bible stories. Pastor Jim speaks of the trip in this way:
Team Praha (Czech Republic)
Summer 2023 is gone just as quickly as it came. However, for the first time in multiple years, OPC Short-Term Missions is thankful to be able to look back on a summer full of teams traveling around the globe to assist missionaries, engage in evangelism, and to reach the lost with the gospel. This year, over 200 short-term missionaries went out to six locations: Quebec, Canada; two Czech Republic locations; Western Ukraine; Lanham, MD; and Wildwood, NJ.
“I really appreciated the opportunity to catch a glimpse of real-life mission work. I learned the importance of developing and investing in relationships and saw it carried out by the Farniks. It was through relationships and connections that they were able to invite people to the activities they hosted and connect with them on a personal level.”
Team Haiti
Sadly, for the first time ever, we had to cancel the team’s visit because of the unrest. Our priority is the safety of our visitors, and this year things are just too uncertain...
I told my pastor that I was interested in going, but that I didn't think my motives were right. He told me that I should go anyway, as I could be put to good use if I went...
One thing that really stuck out to me about this trip was the way everyone served so willingly and joyfully. The team was comprised of many, very different, members and yet the Lord knit us together into a strong and unified group that was able to serve him effectively...
Haiti Work Teams
Don and Jim traveled to Haiti to carry out maintenance tasks at the mission home in Kaliko, and on the mission vehicle on the island of La Gonâve...
Their smiling faces show their tiredness after a week of hard work. They all went above and beyond to plaster the inside of the guest house wall, the cistern, and three sets of stairs...
In May 2015, a team of men from OPC churches across the United States traveled to Haiti to do repairs on the mission homes. The Delfils’ family are grateful not only for the work that two men accomplished at their house, but also for the fellowship they enjoyed together . . .
Japan
This is the second report we've received on the RP Missions (RPCNA) team that served in Japan, in the summer of 2019. RP Missions regularly sends teams to Japan, which OPC members are welcome to join...
Team members have poured out their energy, creativity, and love for the Lord here in Yamamoto, and God is answering prayer. Their cheerful love shines through to all despite their very busy schedule...
English for Kids (Quebec City)
Sunday afternoon a lite rain passed over our house. A few minutes later, our son Kaelan called out, “There is a rainbow!” What a nice way to end our English for Kids Bible camp about Noah and the rainbow. When we went outside to look, there were in fact two rainbows! There is story behind the two rainbows. During our second summer in Quebec City, I was quite discouraged. Learning French was going very slow. Learning about the resistance of the Quebec people to the Church and the Gospel made me realise that evangelism would be even slower. The hearts are very hard. Discouraged, I went outside just as a storm had passed by. As the sun began to shine, I saw in the sky above Quebec City not one, but two rainbows! Reminded of God’s faithfulness to his promises, even his promises to preserve for himself a people from every nation, I committed myself to serve the mission in Quebec. Twenty-two years later, the double rainbows over Quebec City encourage me once again to pursue this mission. Thanks for interceding for me, for our family and for God’s people in Quebec!
English for Kids (St.Georges, Quebec)
Summer 2023 is gone just as quickly as it came. However, for the first time in multiple years, OPC Short-Term Missions is thankful to be able to look back on a summer full of teams traveling around the globe to assist missionaries, engage in evangelism, and to reach the lost with the gospel. This year, over 200 short-term missionaries went out to six locations: Quebec, Canada; two Czech Republic locations; Western Ukraine; Lanham, MD; and Wildwood, NJ.
6:00AM. “Time to make the donuts!” Mornings started early at English for Kids Bible Camp at the Eglise Reformee de Beauce (Reformed Church of Beauce).
This was my family’s second year serving with the OPC’s short-term mission to Quebec. Whereas I was a teacher last year, this year I had the unique perspective of working in the kitchen, providing meals for the U.S. team. Three things stood out to me.
So far this summer, one Short-Term Missions team has traveled to St. Georges, Quebec to serve the local children at the St. Georges English for Kids Camp and six teams have served at the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, NJ. Here's what they have to say about serving the Lord, reaching out to the lost, and spending a part of their summer on mission!
English for Teens (Quebec)
The camping experience was great...Discussions about God the Creator and our stewardship were well received. A couple of spontaneous discussions about faith and church gave me insight into the teen’s spiritual reflections...
Each summer, a team of volunteers leads a Bible-centered, English-immersion camp for French-speaking teens in Quebec City...
I met many young men and women there who need the light of the gospel in every corner of their lives. In the short time I was there, I felt that those teens reached out for friendship and the Lord certainly worked in their hearts for good . . .
Uganda
As the new year begins, I find it fitting to provide you with an update on my endeavors here in Uganda. Having returned at the beginning of November, I commenced a 1-year term as a missionary associate with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. My focus remains on continuing the maintenance projects initiated during my previous visit.
Some have likened Karamoja to the “Wild West” or referred to it as the “Ugandan Wilderness.” In this region there is a great need for the light of the Gospel to shine forth in the area’s culture and in the hearts of its people. Situated in the middle of it all is the OPC Karamoja Mission Station. The OPC Mission Station in Karamoja, Uganda has been in operation, ministering to the locals since 2000. As would be expected, living in a wilderness is not easy—not on missionaries and certainly not on the equipment and systems they depend on every day.
“I’d like to say it was life-changing. The experience was unlike anything I’ve ever done before. Living among a culture of people on the mission compound and the surrounding area was so completely different yet such an amazing experience. I am so thankful to the Lord that I had this opportunity and could serve in some capacity.”
Ukraine
Uruguay
National STM Archives
Boardwalk Chapel, Wildwood, NJ
Hannah Foster, member of New Hope OPC (Frederick, MD), was, in one sense, nervous leading up to her trip to the Boardwalk Chapel. She shared, “To be very honest, having never been to the Chapel before, first of all I thought, ‘I’ve never done cold-turkey evangelism. That’s really intimidating.’ Second, I thought, ‘I’ve heard of this place, they have this thing called the Heaven and Hell machine that they set out for people. What is that about? What kind of methodology is this? What is their theology like?’”
Beyond the breaking of the waves, over the old planks of the boardwalk, amidst the loud noises of a carnival and the smells of a fair lies a small chapel, preaching Christ to anyone who would listen. This herald of the gospel is the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey. It was established less than a decade after the founding of the OPC and has continued ever since. Its building is neither flashy nor new, but its message is timeless. My wife and I experienced this firsthand when we visited the chapel this Summer.
Seth Van Noord, member at New Hope OPC, Green Bay, WI, was greatly encouraged by his time at the Boardwalk Chapel. Though he was challenged by the proposition of evangelizing in a public space, he was comforted by and thankful for the community of believers by his side all along the way. Read his testimony below.
Key West Evangelism Training
Andy and Beth said, "We had a great time with the project....So happy to be able to serve the Lord in this way..."
Naples, Florida
Once again this year at Spring Break, Reformed Missions Services (RMS.org) sent a team to Florida to serve at Christ the King OPC in Naples...
The reputation of our church, and the credibility of our cause for the Gospel, has been significantly enhanced among our neighbors based on these good works...
San Antonio, Texas
It is both humbling and encouraging to experience the love and unity of the body of Christ in this way. Our church family loves this team dearly and feels a strong kinship for the saints at Trinity...
Menominee Missions, Zoar, WI
The team was often left physically and mentally tuckered out at the end of each day, but performing these labors to advance Christ's kingdom made them richly worth the effort ...
I appreciated all the hard work everyone put in and their willing attitudes to help wherever they were needed. I learned a lot from watching others on the team interact with and respond to the children...
NEW HORIZONS, October 2018: Focus on Menominee Missions 2018 and Uruguay English Club 2018...
We thank the Lord that we have grown closer to our sister church through mutual service and encouragement in the Lord. We are so grateful for their generosity. They have given of their resources to build up the body of Christ in northeast San Antonio . . .