Orphans Ministry participates in and supports projects that ultimately bring the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to orphans, trusting that God will bring more orphans to Him through our service. The ministry seeks to offer support, encouragement and resources to adoptive families and those considering adoption. It also ministers to those still living in orphanages or on the street through a variety of special projects, fundraisers and missions trips.

Covenant Families Fellowship. The mission of this ministry is to promote fellowship between adoptive families, support adoptive families through prayer and encouragement, be a helpful resource for those considering adoption and to further God’s kingdom by encouraging as many Christian families as possible to minister to orphans through adoption.  Click here for the next date we will be meeting.

The Christina Fund is a designated fund for money to be given by individuals or groups wishing to aid in the ministry to orphans and/or give financial assistance to Maywood families in the process of adoption.

Building a Bridge to the Community

The Tutoring Club program is designed to help at-risk students from kindergarten to 5^th grade in three critical areas: social, academic, and spiritual.

Keys to the success of the program are: it's free, the tutoring is with the same adult week after week, and it's one on one.

Dennis and Sharon Elrick have been directing the program since 2003. They interview each family so that an evaluation can be made of each student. For the spiritual part of the program we share the basic truths of the Christian faith.

At Tutoring Club the church provides a nutritious meal each night followed by the tutoring part of the program. The club meets Mondays from late September until early May from 5:30 to 7:40 p.m.

Tutors have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the kids as well as reach out to their families. Want to inquire tutoring or to volunteer in the areas of tutoring, substitute tutoring, cooking, or prayer partnering? Then call the church office today at 815-874-6806

Social	Academic	Spiritual

a ministry of:

Maywood Evangelical Free Church has a very strong missions focus. A large portion of the budget is designated for home and foreign missions, and several of our members serve full-time in mission fields at home and around the world. Short-term mission trips are encouraged as well, with many individuals sent to nations around the world each year.

World events require that the ministry remains flexible and open to change. Some countries open up to missions work and workers while others close. Wars and natural disasters produce more opportunities to serve in Christ’s name. The falling dollar requires the reassessment of support levels. The increase in those willing to step forward to serve with their vocational skills provides opportunities for conversations about Christ within local populations.

By focusing our resources and teaming with like-minded ministries such as SGA’s Antioch Initiative, the EFCA’s Chiang Mai school and the Indonesia campaign, we’re able to make a real difference for Christ in strategic parts of the world.
Some of the countries in which we support missionaries include:  Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, Canada,  Slovakia, Spain, Romania, Italy, Czech Republic, Portugal, Central Asia, Japan, Russia, Thailand, Nigeria, and Kenya.

Some of the local agencies we support include: AWANA International, Lydia Urban Academy, Timber-lee Christian Center, Carpenter’s Place, First Love International,  Kids Around the World, Rockford Area Pregnancy Care Centers, Rockford Rescue Mission, Child Evangelism Fellowship, LOVE, Inc., Stateline Youth for Christ and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

Short-term mission trips bless and transform the lives of all those involved by allowing them to see how God is at work in other parts of the world.

Several recent trips have included:

Codru, Romania- Since the early 90’s Maywood EFC has had the privilege of partnering with Pastor Mahia Balint in Romania. Each year teams from Maywood would go to the little village of Codru to assist in the construction of “Camp Horizon” and run the week of camp for Pastor Mahia’s churches. Maywood has assisted Pastor Mihai in developing the camp program and starting Sunday School ministries in the churches where he is the pastor. If you would like to know more about this partnership or how you could be involved please contact Pastor Larry.	Lynch, Kentucky	Joplin, Missouri Click here for full recap

A group from Maywood went down to Joplin, Missouri to help with the relief effort June 5 to 10.

An article/pictures/video about the trip in the Rockford Register Star and an interview with WREX

From Ann Morgan:

"Fourteen members of Maywood Evangelical Free Church left Sunday morning for the 12 hour drive to Joplin, Missouri to help with the tornado restoration. The team, ranging from ages14 to 65, took the 24 passenger church bus pulling a 19’ camper behind. Both were filled with donations for the people who lost everything. The group’s host is Mystery Church in downtown Joplin. Pastor Larry Seagren heads the team and did all the driving.

This has been an awesome experience. First, to see a city that looks like it had been bombed, and secondly to see teams from all over the US coming in to work in 108 degree heat to help people they don’t know and will probably not meet. It is hard not to cry as you look around and when you talk to people.

Monday and Tuesday we worked to clean up a young mother’s home and yard. We hauled everything to the curb, separating it into piles of building materials, metal, trash, and electrical. We picked up broken glass, and shingles, and were stung by fiberglass insulation. We raked the yard and swept the driveway hoping the mother would be pleased to see what was accomplished even though the house must be demolished. Demolition cannot take place, however, until everything has been carted away.

We worked on two more homes. The first was the home of a 91 year old woman. A friend of hers was there trying to find anything memorable that she might want to keep. After helping her we moved to a home where we did meet the homeowner. She and her husband lived down the street from his father, and both homes were a complete loss. While we were working there a team of Samaritan’s Purse workers arrived and made quicker work of the mess with a bobcat. They lent us more shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows. By the end of the day everything was in stacks and they had begun to tear down walls.

Andy Patton, a young man who was a member of Maywood and was killed in 2005 in Iraq, has relatives in Joplin. His dad’s niece lost both her husband and six year old daughter when the tornado struck their church. Four members of the church were killed at the church, and another member was killed on the way to the church. We spent time both days with their family and offered assistance. The young mother cares for her invalid aunt and 5 children.

The YMCA has opened their doors for restoration workers to take showers. Groups all over town have stations set up to give workers free water and to serve food. Today a lady gave me coupons for free hotel stays in Arkansas. Wish we could make use of them on our way home, but the coupons don’t apply to other locations. Someone came by today and held out hotdogs to one of the boys on our team. There are signs all over town thanking people for their help and support. There are US flags stuck in the ground in many places. We know some of those flags represent homes where people did not survive the tornado.

Today we saw groups from Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky, and Ohio. More teams are arriving each day from as far away as New Hampshire and Wyoming. I feel so blessed to live in a country where people are so willing to help others. I am so impressed with the young people on our team. They are working so hard, are so kind, and have such a great attitude."

Many pictures from the trip, click on any to view gallery: