Dear Lakeview Family Members;

We have exciting and challenging news for 2022, and we invite you to be part of it! 

We have truly enjoyed the time we have spent with you over these past years. We love growing with you, doing missions and outreach, and making a difference with you wherever Jesus leads. Some of our most precious moments in ministry are with you and because of your support. You have our hearts; we love you very much.

With that, we have a bittersweet announcement: we have accepted a call to move to Minneapolis and join Source MN as Outreach Associates (Urban Missionaries). Many of you have partnered in our involvement with missions, the church, and the homeless or marginalized, which we have actively pursued over the past twelve years. We felt a clear calling to move to Arizona, and to work in missions and outreach. Now, we feel a clear calling to bring these experiences back in order to help restore and rebuild Minneapolis in the aftermath of recent rioting and instability.

Amidst the darkness, Source has seen incredible fruit for the kingdom of God. In the last six months of 2021, hundreds of people have received prayer, including two hundred first-time commitments to follow Jesus Christ. The next few years will be crucial for rebuilding and restoring Minneapolis, and we carry a conviction that we can make a dramatic difference in the lives of its people who are reeling in the wake of devastations. 

The harvest is truly great and the workers are few. Source has expressed a significant need, and its call for laborers to be part of this harvest resonates with us. We sense a green light from God to pursue this calling. Our target date for moving to Minneapolis is January 1.

Part of our challenge is to fundraise the majority of our compensation and expenses, including for the move. We would be honored to invite you to 1) be part of our prayer team and 2) become a monthly investor in the mission’s financial support team.

We hope to count on Lakeview support, as we have in the past, so we may continue to partner with you in sharing Jesus’ love and hope to those in need. If you feel led to partner with us financially, please make checks payable to Lakeview UMC, and write “Jim and Carole Smith” in the memo section.

Otherwise, you can also donate by clicking the PayPal button here.  Both options give you a tax deduction credit through 501(c)(3). 

Thank you for taking the time to read this! And thank you for your support and prayers. We gratefully are, and will always be, your family.

With great love, Jim and Carole Smith