Signal Mountain Church of Christ youth and family minister Kendall Harrison, left, and SMCOC minister Greg Nance are preparing for two church fundraisers to assist in sending a mission team to El Salvador.
Photo by Katie WardSignal Mountain Church of Christ's 20-member mission team will serve guests stacks of pancakes, orange juice and coffee inside the church fellowship hall May 7 from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
The pancake breakfast fundraiser is free, but SMCOC will accept donations to benefit its July 11-19 El Salvador mission trip.
"The mission to El Salvador will be a construction, evangelism and vacation Bible school mission trip," said SMCOC youth and family minister Kendall Harrison. "We have three congregations from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee going on the trip."
He said a yard sale May 14 beginning at 7 a.m. and lasting most of the day will also benefit the El Salvador trip. The sale will be at SMCOC minister Greg Nance's home at 1104 Woodbine Way on Signal Mountain. Yard sale items will include furniture, housewares, baked goods, clothes, toys and electronics.
Harrison said the trip will cost a total $24,000, about $1,200 for each team member, which includes airfare, lodging and construction supplies. He said the church would like to pay the construction fee portion of the trip cost, which is $300 to $400 per person.
Harrison said the team will travel to Ciudad Real outside of Santa Ana, El Salvador. One project while there will involve constructing a church building for an 80-member congregation currently meeting in a garage. The mission team will also assist a smaller house church group in El Refugio by hosting vacation Bible school there.
Nance said his son-in-law, El Salvador native Hector Cortez, the minister of Central Church of Christ in Dalton, Ga., inspired him to begin work in El Salvador. Nance said he and his wife have worked in El Salvador two times. Even though they will not be able to make this trip, they plan to assist other church members going to El Salvador for the first time.
Nance said in El Salvador cultures come together on common ground in Christ and that natives have many planted churches.
"The people of El Salvador are very proud of their country," said Nance. "They are very poor, but they are family-oriented."
• For more information about mission fundraisers, call the church at 886-1290 or email Kendall Harrison at kkaia@netzero.net.