Mission Outpost History

Little did we know when the first couch phone call came to Prince of Peace in December 2001 that it would lead to the Mission Outpost (our furniture, food and clothing ministry) as we know it today. Members of our congregation had been reaching out to families in the community out of their garages for several years, long before Mission Outpost ever existed. Since 2001, Mission Outpost has grown from a closet, then to a classroom, then the old welcome area, then the east end of the Christian Life Center, adding the garage, and now the west end of the Christian Life Center, using several warehouses to store hotel furniture donations.

In the early days, a couple of key volunteers would help weekly (or sometimes daily) with the food sorting, order filling, furniture delivering and answering phones. Then they would invite friends to serve. Today, Mission Outpost runs with nearly 250 volunteers each week. Although we do not require anyone to schedule their time to serve, we have an amazing base of volunteers that keep coming back each week. One of the reasons for this is the community that has been built over the years and the trust that has been created. Volunteers will often share prayer concerns and deep important things that are occurring in their lives. Much of the same could be said of the people that receive items from Mission Outpost. They have come to appreciate the community – the volunteers that care so deeply for them. The volunteers have created an environment where each person is treated with dignity, and through the process each person has the opportunity to share what is going on in their life. Over the years, many partnerships have been created. Probably the one with the greatest impact is with the Salvation Army. Since their arrival, our food pounds distributed has grown to 12 – 16,000 pounds of food each week. They also provide the opportunity for families to receive funds for heat, rent and electricity. We are grateful to God for all that has transpired in these 12 years and we are looking forward to what God has in store in the future!