Native ministry leaders from Hayward Wesleyan Church

Hayward Wesleyan Church, located in the Wisconsin northwoods town of Hayward, is impacting the 4,000 members of the nearby Lac Courte Oreilles (Ojibwe) Reservation.

Over 20 people from the church work in various positions of service on the rez: in the health department, pharmacy, funeral home, schools, after-school recreation centers, and more.

In addition, the church runs a van ministry which brings people from the rez to church on Sundays (they’re praying for funds so they can add a bus) and a teen mothers program on Tuesday nights.

Please join Hayward Wesleyan in prayer as they consider additional youth and family outreaches, and maybe even a church service, on the rez.

They’re also praying about the possibility of buying a 168-acre farm adjacent to the rez, which would be called Hope Haven.  Pictured above are Hope Haven visionaries Jathan and Becky Brubaker (center), along with Pastor Mark Wilson (far right) and other church leaders.

This working farm would offer transitional housing, life skills classes, Bible studies, family reconciliation programs, and work opportunities for those who have recently come out of jail/prison or drug/alcohol treatment programs.

Hope Haven would also provide a safe coffee-house type of community center where people of all ages could come to connect with people who care, play games, study the Bible, and more.

Community leaders tell Becky and Jathan there is a growing need for these types of programs on the rez.  Please pray for wisdom as these plans develop, and funding in order to purchase the property.