ekklesia

Rachel and I (Josh) met during a DTS (discipleship training school) with YWAM (youth with a mission) back in 2006. Rachel was 20 at the time, and from Minnesota.  I was 26 and had been living in Missouri. Two days shy of  a year later we were married in Minnesota in Rachel’s parent’s backyard. We planted ourselves in my hometown of Troy, MO eager and ready to immerse ourselves into God’s calling on our lives! That calling was a vision that God had inspired in us, Ekklesia. The following is a description of the ministry:

Ekklesia Outreach/Community Center Has a tri-fold purpose…Fellowship, Discipleship and Prayer. The front room or “fellowship hall” has a coffee shop-esque feel to it. Coffee, soda, water, baked goods and snacks are available for purchase. The fellowship hall also includes a small library of Christian literature, and a stage for monthly music venues. The goal was to create an environment where someone could come to just hang out and fellowship, or if they are struggling with something and need someone to talk to, there is somebody on staff ready to listen!

Another room inside our facility is a classroom in which we host our discipleship and outreach training school. The school is a progressive teaching from the basics of Christianity to walking out spirituality. Within the school you will learn things like:

1. What really is Christianity
2. Definitions of words like: reborn, flesh, walk in the spirit, salvation
3. Gaining an understanding of: the differences between spirit, soul and body, the proper roles of a husband, wife, and children, the Father heart of God, how to discern what is self and what is the spirit, spiritual warfare, how to have a Kingdom/eternal mentality vs. an earthly one, and much more!

This discipleship training school meets one day a week, for 3 hours, over a 10 week period. For those who finish the 10 week school, we take them out and apply/share what they have learned on an outreach in the local St. Louis area. One of the goals of the discipleship school we offer, is to give “regular” church people the opportunity to experience a taste of missions. Attending a school with YWAM is an amazing opportunity, but not one that everyone can experience. Because we are aware of this fact, we, essentially, are serving as a bridge between the mission field and the church. We believe that all Christians should be utilizing the spiritual gifts they have been given, and sharing their testimony with the lost to inspire them to live their life for Christ as well!

Finally, the third aspect of Ekklesia Outreach Ministries is the Prayer room; which will be open whenever the facility is open to the public (when we are able to finish constructing the room). The prayer room can be used as a personal “get-a-way” from the busyness of life to have a quiet time, or to meet for cooperate prayer meetings. Our 4 main goals are to first show you that you can have a personal relationship with our heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ (fellowship room), disciple you and do whatever we can to help you build that relationship (classroom) and then provide a place for you to escape life and pursue God in order to sustain that relationship (prayer room)!