Events

2021 was another year of great change for our nation and local communities. As was the case for almost 30 years, the call for Metanoia NW is to publish with the voice of thanksgiving. Psalm 26:6-7 reads this way:

6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:

7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. (KJV)

This call follows a general pattern of the call that my mother had. She was a strong Christian woman, whom God used in marvelous ways. In addition to leading a number of people to the Lord, my mother published in many of the well-known Christian magazines and was featured on CBN for a nursing home ministry she had for a number of years.

My call in contrast has been two-fold: 1) to work with a small team of people to do pubic outreach, and 2) to publish teaching, writing, music, and video through radio, local cable tv, and the internet.

Regarding the first calling, our team used to conduct a weekly street ministry along with several other outreaches each year including a Palm Sunday parade for the local body of Christ to participate in, a national day of prayer, a Christmas outreach in Port Townsend, and a Halloween outreach in Port Townsend. As a result of the covid situation, two years ago, the City of Port Townsend stopped issuing parade permits and permits for other gatherings. This affected the Christmas and Halloween outreaches which were sponsored by the Main Street Project, a secular group in Port Townend. (We tagged on to their work to bring a Christian perspective.) Consequently, only the weekly street ministry from 11:30am to 12:30pm in Port Townsend and Port Hadlock is conducted, along with the national day of prayer. These are the scheduled events for now until the communities are able to open up to a greater degree.

Regarding the second calling, another stream of publishing is moving ahead. That is the production of a close paraphrase of the New Testament of the Bible. This work had been going on for a number of years, but has become a greater focus during the last year and half. At this point, the paraphrase and audio have been completed, and a base video version has also been completed.

This recent thrust of completing the remaining New Testament books followed work in 2019. In that year, I received permission from Faith Comes by Hearing ministry to use their audio for a simplified audio/video rendition of the entire Bible. This along with 50 specialized programs similar in format to the One Year Bible have been used on Cable TV in Port Angeles and, in limited amount, on the internet.

I believe that the coming days will bring a new zeal for both Christians and unbelievers to embrace the word of God.

I am also encouraged to see a small number of other believers that are doing public outreach in Sequim, Port Angeles, Oak Harbor, Burlington, and Aberdeen.

God is faithful in all His ways as we watch for His soon return.

Dennis Feten

In January and February Sports Beyond hosted a weekly basketball clinic for boys and girls 3rd-8th grade. In order to accommodate covid guidelines we ran practices for 60 minutes in small groups of 6 players; 30 kids participated.

In March we hosted a 3x3 basketball clinic/league for boys and girls 3rd-12th grade. There were four different divisions with 4 teams in each division, and the kids were able to compete in a low-pressure environment with their friends. No spectators were allowed, but we filmed the games and shared the link so families could watch their child play. Here is the link to some of the videos recorded: https://sportsbeyond.net/3x3-clinic-videos

In April and May Sports Beyond hosted another weekly clinic for boys & girls 3rd-8th grade, and in June we started forming travel basketball teams. Teams practiced twice a week from June-October, and we played in local tournaments at least once a month. We had 2 boys high school teams, 2 girls high school teams, and 1 girls middle school team.

In July & August Sports Beyond organized 5 weeks of outdoor camps for boys & girls 3rd-8th grade. We had 91 campers throughout the summer. A girls high school head coach and some of his players helped lead the camp.

At the end of the day, we shared about the importance of teamwork, sportsmanship, character, and work ethic from a Christian perspective.

Josh Mathews
Program Director for Sports Beyond

The Sequim Youth Skatepark Foundation held a jam at the Sequim Skatepark called Skate ‘n Burger on a sunny June 12th, 2021. The event, attended by about 300 people, was simply amazing!

Throughout the day, The True Vine Fellowship shared the gospel and blessed the Sequim Youth Skatepark Foundation greatly by feeding skaters, bikers, scooters, and spectators. As president of the foundation and chief organizer for the event, I heard feedback on how great the burgers were and how The True Vine Fellowship helps our efforts so much.

I love sharing the gospel in a real practical way and look forward to more events in 2022 with the Promise of Life Café.

Keith Franklin and Mark Simpson encourage a skater at Skate ‘n Burger.

Through these outreaches Jesus’ love has been spread, and Gospel of John shared with many.

Thank you Lord!

Mark Simpson
TTVF Elder and President of the Sequim Youth Skatepark Foundation

Throughout 2021, the Promise of Life Café served free burgers to support the Sequim Food Bank and other charities. Both Dennis and Charrise helped lead the Promise of Life Café.