Missions
Martin Winslow
Pastor of Missions
Some of the greatest experiences of my life have come through participating in mission work that advances the Kingdom of God!
We’re grateful that we, as a church, are able to partner with so many great organizations with countless stories that all evidence God’s goodness. We’re simply honored to partner in His work around the globe.
By the end of 2025, our goal at Canaan is to send more than 250 of you on cross-cultural missions each year. Some will travel overseas. Some will serve those from other cultures even within our own city.
But our hope is that you, too, would choose to join in.
Our global work is fueled by the generosity of God’s people through our Great Commission Offering (GCO) with a 2024 giving goal of $70,000. Your giving to the GCO allows us to further the mission of many ministries.
The father of modern missions, William Carey, once said, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” May this be a year where Canaan seeks to be faithful in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the remotest parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Pray. Give. Go.
At Canaan, our missions strategy is centered on the principles of pray, give, and go.
We believe in the power of prayer as the foundation of all our missionary endeavors. Through consistent and intentional prayer, we seek God's guidance and intervention in the missions work we support.
Additionally, we emphasize the importance of sacrificial giving to support mission projects financially through the Great Commission Offering (GCO). By contributing our resources with a cheerful heart, we participate in spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Furthermore, we actively encourage members of our congregation to personally engage in mission trips, both locally and internationally. By going out into the world, we aim to share the love of Christ through our actions and words, fulfilling the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20.
Local Missions
The groups and organizations below are part of Canaan's outreach to share the Gospel and the love of Christ with our community.
Feed My People
We partner with Feed My People, a faith-based organization that relies on public support “to show God’s love and compassion to all His people, but particularly to His people in need.”
It serves five ZIP codes in South County and the High Ridge area, and with a staff of only 14 paid personnel, Feed My People utilizes more than 400 volunteers to serve 1,500 clients weekly.
Clients receive bakery goods, produce, dairy products, frozen meat, and personal hygiene items. In addition to providing food, help is offered in utility and rental assistance and medical and pharmacy co-pays. It also operates a thrift store where gently used items can be purchased for very low prices.
Hand 'n Hand Women’s Center
Canaan has partnered with Hand ‘n Hand for nearly two decades.
Hand ‘n Hand provides medical, educational, and material assistance to those facing an unplanned pregnancy. And through those services, they’re also sharing the good news of Jesus in a loving environment.
Not only have many babies’ lives been spared from the tragedy of abortion, but there have been countless changes in the lives of moms, too.
Message and a Meal
Canaan is one of several churches that serves the needs of the homeless through Message and a Meal, a ministry started by Pastor Paul Gonnella that serves many of the homeless downtown.
Money given to Message and a Meal from the GCO helps pay rent for the “pallet yard”, which is what the homeless call the small lot at 10th and Cass, where they meet weekly. Funds also help to purchase weekly supplies.
Serving 50 to 75 people each week, Message and a Meal also offers clothes, coats, shoes, blankets, and health and beauty aids that are donated by supporters of the ministry.
Oasis International
For more than 15 years, Oasis International has welcomed refugees from over 55 nations to South St. Louis City, loving them with the heart of Jesus.
Oasis believes that every refugee in St. Louis has a part in God’s sovereign plan. And great things happen when God’s people befriend refugees of different religions right here in St. Louis.
These refugees need someone to help explain processes (like registering kids for school or how the mail system works), to share meals with, and to just have fun with.
Oasis also helps provide household items, kitchenware, bed- ding, furniture, clothes, toys, cell phones, gift cards and many other necessities that refugees need to begin a new life.
Senior Community Outreach
Canaan is actively involved in sharing the Gospel with senior adults in residential settings, allowing those unable to attend a local church to participate in a worship service.
Hosted in several residential facilities, services begin with our worship team singing familiar hymns. Pastor Ed Vaughan preaches the Gospel message by presenting the scripture as the residents follow along.
Residential participants span a variety of religious affiliations. Many are already followers of Christ, but all are hungry to hear the Word.
Sin Fronteras
Sin Fronteras (Spanish for “without borders”) began as a bilingual preschool program for Hispanic children ages 3-5, helping them prepare for kindergarten with the intent of building relationships and sharing the gospel with the whole family.
Now Sin Fronteras currently serves Hispanic mothers in Fairmont City, Illinois, particularly those with babies.
By using English classes and material needs as a means of opening doors, Sin Fronteras is building relationships and community among Hispanic families in Fairmont City and surrounding areas while assisting with needs and sharing the life-changing message of Jesus.
Global Missions
With more than 3,100 unengaged and unreached people groups, we must continue to pray, give, and go to further the work of the Gospel across the globe.
The groups below are some of the partnerships and ongoing works we have established and continue with in collaboration with other followers of Christ.
Upcoming Trips
Personally engaging in a mission trip offers a unique opportunity to live out the teachings of Jesus by serving others in need. Through acts of service and sharing the good news, you have a direct impact on spreading the message of God's love and grace to communities around the world. Being present in person allows for meaningful connections to be made, fostering relationships that can lead to a deeper understanding of faith and a greater sense of unity.
If you’re interested in joining on an upcoming trip, click below to get more info.
Bethlehem Christian Academy
In 2011, Bethlehem Christian Academy opened its first campus in Zambia with 31 children enrolled, and it has added a grade each year since. BCA opened a second campus in Northern Zambia in 2014, and at the beginning of 2019, opened another campus in northwestern Africa.
At the end of 2019, 344 children were fed and educated with a distinctly Christian education.
BCA’s mission has remained the same—sharing the hope of Jesus with orphans and impoverished children through Gospel-centered Christian education with the goal of making disciples and planting churches.
Mexico
In May of 2018, Canaan Puebla, Mexico, to explore a possible partnership with a local congregation, Primera Iglesia Bautista, where Pastor Alejandro Luna had identified 32 villages and communities surrounding the area that had no church presence.
After speaking with the leadership of Primera Iglesia Bautista, it was decided that one key way Canaan could bless them would be to help train the members in making disciples in each of the key communities that they had targeted.
The hope is that as church members are trained in discipleship and build relationships within the targeted communities, they will have received training to plant and cultivate healthy churches.
School to the Nations
School to the Nations partners with Mars Hill Productions in producing the HOPE film, which tells the truth of the Bible from creation to Christ. This film is designed in a way that it can be effectively and efficiently adapted for any language or culture.
The HOPE film has become a major evangelism and disciple- ship tool for missionaries worldwide, even being viewed with solar-powered video projectors in remote villages.
Senegal, West Africa
Senegal is within the 10/40 window, an area missional strategists refer to as the portion of Africa and Asia that lies be- tween 10 and 40 degrees latitude north of the equator. This section of the globe is where most of the world’s unreached peoples live. Current statistics show that about .4 percent of those who live in Senegal are evangelical Christian (68,000 of 17 million).
In 2012, Canaan sent a team on a vision trip to a small village in Senegal. Those who live there, the Fulani, were considered an unreached people group. Since then, Canaan has made an intentional effort to lovingly build relationships with the Fulani and share the gospel.