December 15, 2022

With a heart for children and families, Baptist Church on Homedale in Klamath Falls, OR, continues looking for practical ways of ministering to them. In addition to hosting a fall conference focused on building healthy families, the church for the past three years has provided after school tutoring.

“We are not as churched in the Northwest as in other areas, and we want folks to know that we are different than those you might see around you,” said Vern Bland, BCH executive pastor. “We want them to feel seen and that we care about their pain.”

With a desire to make a healthy church responding out of their strengths, the church provides three hours of care Monday through Thursday each week while offering tutoring and “life lessons” on ethics and moral values.

“We currently have 120 students,” Bland stated. “We employ 25 people and those include high school students, church members, college students and retirees. We are able to pay them minimum wage through a charitable group.

“This has laid a great foundation to open doors for us to be invited in,” he said. “We are meeting them (where they are) and not every lifestyle is one size fits all. Christ ministered to people where they were at and we must do the same.”

Baptist Church on Homedale continues to seek more ways to minister and has opened a new campus in nearby Merrill, OR, some 20 miles away on the Oregon-California border, giving the church a new opportunity to move to the south portion of the county.

The new church has begun, with a youth group ministry and an after school tutoring has begun in the location.

“We hope to continue to be proactive in practical ways by meeting physical needs before spiritual,” Bland added.