Two Portland-area churches

lend a hand to project at

Native community in Montana

By RICHARD KOE
    WOLF POINT, Mont. – Two Portland area churches — Portland Christian Center and New Hope Community Church — have partnered with Portland-Vancouver organizations in their mission to build a church and community center for Native Americans at the Fort Peck Reservation in Wolf Point, Mont.
    Portland Christian’s Mission to Montana occurred July 22-30, and New Hope’s mission trip began Sept. 30 and runs through Oct. 8 to help finish the construction project, which includes a 360-seat worship center, gym, classrooms, motel-style rooms, and kitchen facilities.
    The church volunteers are joining forces with We Care Oregon and Frontier Missions of Troutdale plus a whole host of building contractors, architects, consulting engineers, investment firms, and providers of construction materials, including steel, lumber, and electronic stage equipment.
    Pastor Phil Wilson led the Portland Christian contingent last July, and Pastor Dan Williams of the Hope Center is lead the New Hope trip early this month. Ken Azure, a new board member of Frontier Missions this year, directs Blue Sky Ministries at Wolf Point with his wife Sandy. Both are Native Americans and have been in Christian ministry for 26 years.
    The Wolf Point church, attended by some 160 worshippers on Sundays, has been meeting in a crowded, worn-down building that has no hot water and other necessities. Children meet in a school bus during the summer for lack of space.
    With the new facilities, the Azures hope to expand their ministry to the Native American community in the extreme northeast corner of Montana, close to the Canadian border.
    Azure said the new facility will be a great change from present conditions. He looks forward to holding camp meetings and crusades and other ministry opportunities in the new building.
    For more about the Wolf Point project and construction photos, go to the web sites for Frontier Missions (www.frontier missions.org) and Portland Christian Center (www.portlandchristiancenter.com)