Winner: Resourcing Church over 1,000
Westside Family Church
Name and location: Westside Family Church, Lenexa, Kansas
Denomination: Non-denominational
Date Founded: 1976
Senior Pastor: Dan Southerland
Pastor of Missions: Schaun Colin
Weekend Attendance: 5,500
Website: www.westsidefamilychurch.com
Overview: Westside Family Church has AIDS initiatives in three different parts of the world: South Africa, India and Thailand. They have a holistic approach that focuses on community development and church planting in the targeted areas. Beyond providing immediate care to those who have been impacted by the ravages of HIV/AIDS, Westside believes that the keys to eradicating the disease are education and poverty alleviation.
Specific initiatives:
- Choose Life Program (reaching 4,000 students over the past 2 years) teaching the basics of HIV, abstinence and the hope and purpose that God has for young people
- Community Health Care Worker Program (a 2-day training empowering caregivers by training them to advise, counsel and care for people living with HIV)
- Safe houses (providing a place of refuge for girls and boys who have been involved in prostitution and trafficking)
- Microfinance (women are grouped together and issued small loans to start businesses)
- Agricultural training (improving farming methods, including crop rotation, fertilizer, irrigation, etc.)
- Child Sponsorship Program (currently there are 503 children in the program)
- Soup Clubs: (14 clubs in South Africa feeding approximately 1300 kids a day)
- Outreach in red light districts in Thailand offering hope and shelter to children trapped in prostitution.
Engagement of the Congregation: Since 2002, over 350 people from Westside have traveled on short-term trips. Those people have in turn become the greatest advocates, giving voice to those in affected areas of the world. Sponsoring over 500 children, Westside congregants are invested, not only with their finances, but also with their hearts. They creatively raise funds year round and have sponsored donation drives collecting quilts, school supplies, musical instruments, soccer uniforms, etc. They have reached outside their walls to engage their community and they have actively sought out partnerships, inviting other local churches and organizations to join them in their efforts.
Judges' Comments: "Westside Family Church has leveraged their influence and released huge amounts of resources to bring help and Christ to some of the poorest communities in the world. Their long-term plan (to provide justice, mercy and a relationship with God to people affected by the pandemic) is evident in everything they do, not only on the mission field but also here in the states. Their commitment to providing holistic care and empowering indigenous people is making an impact and providing a replicable model that the judges hope will inspire many churches to engage."
