It’s not uncommon to hear laughter while shopping at the

World Impact Thrift Store (WITS) in Wichita, KS. And if you hear it, it is probably coming from Jonathan, the newest member of the team! Jonathan initially came to work at WITS through Job Force, a national job training service where participants are given an 80-hour work assignment to evaluate their skills and learn new ones. It was clear during Jonathan’s placement at WITS that he was a perfect fit – and he was offered a staff position at the store.

Jonathan’s back-story is a familiar one; he was on a destructive path and failing in school. A family friend saw this, and took action, inviting him to live in her home and helping him start fresh. Working at WITS has been a part of this new season, encouraging him to prioritize his relationships so he is surrounded by more positive influences.

“You always get a second chance. It feels like family!”

Jonathan understands the value of learning from those wiser and more spiritually mature than him and has found trustworthy mentors at WITS. He recently said, “The store feels like a place we can talk about our problems, talk about God, and the [Christian] music is always playing. It’s much more than just a thrift store.”

At WITS, Jonathan is a valued team member who knows he is appreciated by the other staff and faithful volunteers. He actively engages customers with a friendly greeting and positive attitude because, as Jonathan says, “Just like you can’t tell a book by its cover, you don’t know what’s occurring in peoples’ daily lives or what struggles they might be going through.”

Leaning back in an orange retro chair, Jonathan said, “It’s comfortable here. You can always be yourself. You always get a second chance. It feels like family!” •

WITS staff Beau and Jonathan with store manager David McCloud.

More Than Just a Thrift Store

impacting future generations

NCS volunteers Stanley Holdorff, Debby De Heer, Stephanie Pesci-Gard, and Cliff Lang with the eighth grade graduates.

Because of your support, World Impact is incredibly privileged to demonstrate justice in our country’s inner cities through Christian schools.

“Newark Christian School has been a blessing to my life,” shared Sara Vasquez, an NCS alumna, in her tribute at this year’s eighth-grade graduation in May. Sara continued, “I was able to receive many opportunities to grow in my abilities and talents. Newark Christian School is not like another because they help you to grow more in the Lord and they individualize the work to the child’s pace.”

Sara’s father, a church-planting pastor from Columbia, said, “As a pastoral family, we are absolutely convinced that NCS is impacting generations for the Kingdom of God.” Her mother also encouraged the other school parents as she said, “It is not easy to find a private Christian school that offers scholarships to students. NCS works to make Christian quality education affordable for those who live in inner cities. NCS is not only a school, it is a family that cares for the academic and spiritual growth of our children.”

This year’s eighth grade graduating class took these words in and agreed wholeheartedly. Friends, family, faculty and school volunteers watched as two students received full scholarships for boarding schools in neighboring states, and the three other graduates received scholarships to a Christian school in a neighboring town. That totals $107,925 in scholarships!

Sara closed her speech saying, “I know that everyone at NCS does everything to give the best possible experience to your child.” Thanks to your ongoing support, this year’s class – with academic achievements, spiritual growth, and scholarships in hand – carries on the tradition of “impacting future generations for the Kingdom of God.” •

Clinics show God’s Love“It’s hard for me to remember what we did before the mobile medical clinic,” says Reggie, a resident of a low-income community in Wichita, KS. Reggie is one of the many men, women and children who access the medical ministry because they do not have health insurance and would likely go untreated.

Thanks to friends like you, World Impact’s mobile medical clinic can work to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the patients. The clinic offers them a tangible demonstration of compassion by connecting them to a local body of believers for ongoing support.

The clinic frequently visits local churches in under-resourced neighborhoods and treats about 1,400 patients annually. The congregation of each church makes up the in-take staff, who are the first point of contact for the patient. Other vital components are the prayer warriors from each church who pray with patients and their families.

“People in my community are beat down,” Reggie shares. “[But] when you bring the mobile clinic into their lives it tells them, ‘We care about you!’ and is sharing Christ’s love. Christ’s hand comes right into their community and says, ‘Hey, I love you.’” •

The ArmoryEvery Wednesday, members of The Armory, a church plant in Fresno, CA, host a clothing and food distribution in their community. As they share these physical items, the church members also connect with their neighbors and spread the Word of God with anywhere from 60 to 100 people. Many visitors have felt so welcomed, cared for, and loved during these outreaches that they have become active at The Armory! •

Mobile medical volunteer Dr. Dee Ann Bragg chats with a patient before a check-up.

The mobile medical vehicle visits five sites around Wichita multiple times each month.

Pastor Mat (left) and a friend during an outreach in Fresno.

worldimpact.org | P: 323.735.1137 | F: 323. 735.25762001 S. Vermont Ave | Los Angeles, CA 90007 | wiinfo@worldimpact.orgin Canada: Box 12085 | Murrayville RPO | Langley, BC V2Y0M6

Dear Partners in Ministry,

At the conclusion of Matthew 25, Jesus provides a picture of the Kingdom of God that includes feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, providing clothes to the naked, welcoming the stranger, and visiting both the sick and the incarcerated. Ministry in under-resourced communities calls for both the proclamation and the demonstration of the good news of Jesus Christ.

In painting this picture of the Kingdom of God, Christ connected intimacy with God with the work of compassion and justice. There are so many opportunities for the whole Gospel to impact the lives of the poor and marginalized in under-resourced communities.

Since 1971, ministry partners like you have enabled World Impact to pursue the missional challenge of sharing the Gospel that transforms both the heart and the community. We have a rich history of outreach through Bible clubs, discipleship homes, mobile medical clinics, thrift stores, Christian schools, and camps. Receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is very important, as is understanding that your life has a purpose and discovering that you are God’s resourced vessel.

This is my story: I came to know Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was in high school. I experienced the local church in my community not only as a center of evangelism, but also as a place that met the needs of my spirit, soul, and body. I was fortunate that the church in my neighborhood had a thrift store, free legal aid, a free medical clinic, and an educational tutoring center. I came to Christ and discovered my purpose as an indigenous leader through the ministry of my local church. This holistic approach to ministry is really the foundation for “transforming communities together.”

Because of your gifts and prayers, our missionary staff still shares the good news with children, youth, and families. We also continue to demonstrate the compassion and justice of God through teen centers, mobile health initiatives, leadership development and job training for the current and formerly incarcerated, thrift stores, and serving as reconcilers in healing relationships between the police and community members. We are involved in forums on racial reconciliation and righteousness. We serve on the streets and dialogue in the Mayor’s office. And we do this all to glory of God.

Thank you for your prayer and financial support in this great work of demonstrating compassion and justice!

Transforming Communities Together,

Efrem Smith, President and CEO