Western New York Chapter news

Fall fun and fundraising

By Gary Fallesen, founding president, Climbing For Christ

It’s nearly the harvest season. Apples will be ripe in Hilton and the mission field is “white for the harvest” (John 4:35). Believe it or not, those two go hand in hand.

Funds raised at Climbing For Christ’s popular food booth at the Hilton Apple Fest go toward the work HIS ministry is doing in places where others cannot or will not go. We put the f-u-n in fundraising this time of year. We also r-u-n for the money. Read on!

Smoothie operators

Lines form here! We’re hoping for good weather, like Sunday at Apple Fest 2017, so business will be brisk. (Photo by Elaine Fallesen)

We like to remind people that there is an international ministry, GO-ing to places many have never heard of (let alone visited) that is based right here in Hilton, NY. That’s what makes the Apple Fest so special for us. People in our hometown get to support the work we are blessed to do.

Our Apple Fest food booth will again produce scores of “mountain-fresh smoothies” along with pulled pork sandwiches, walking tacos, hot apple caramel cider, and more the last weekend of September. We already have about 15 volunteers signed up to serve in the booth on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30. More are needed. Please contact Laurie Kimble at laurikim@gmail.com to sign up. Kevin Kimble may also need help with set-up and tear-down; please contact him at kimblekevin@gmail.com if you can lend a hand.

If you’re unable to volunteer, please come to Apple Fest and make a purchase at our food booth. Every dollar helps! The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29 and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30 – or until, prayerfully, we run out of food and drink. Visit http://www.hiltonapplefest.org/ for more information.

ROCtoberfest

The final Photo Finishers: Team C4C 2017 (left to right) Jordan Rowley, Justin Rowley, Elaine Fallesen, and Hayley Fallesen. (Photo by Hayley)

The Photo Finish 5K had its final snapshot last year. The philanthropic run, which blessed us with thousands of dollars since its inception in 2011, is no more. But Yellowjacket Racing has filled the void on the schedule with the ROCtoberfest 5K fundraising run on Saturday, Oct. 20 at Genesee Valley Park. We’re looking for runners who are willing to ask people to sponsor them.

We have a CrowdRise fundraising page at https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/climbing-for-christ-2018. Register for the race at http://yellowjacketracing.com/races/roctoberfest and then click the “Join the Team” button on our CrowdRise page.

Can’t run with us? You can still be part of our team. Click on the “Donate Now” button at CrowdRise and sponsor one of our runners. So far, local staff members are the only runners: I’m “Climbing For Christ, Inc.,” and Jordan Rowley and Elaine Fallesen are playing themselves. Please support our run. As with Applefest, every dollar helps!

Head for the hills

Heritage hike 2017. (Photo by Mark Eiwen)

The annual Adirondack hike with Heritage Christian Services is Monday, Oct. 8. The group is meeting at 9:30 a.m. at the trailhead for Rocky Mountain on Route 28 between Eagle Bay and Inlet. Rocky Mountain is a half-mile climb with an elevation gain of 448 feet to the 2,225-foot summit. Email Diane Sturmer at dsturmer@heritagechristianservices.org to confirm your participation.

Pray, give, GO!

PRAY: We need your prayers. Please lift us as we seek to walk in the work God has prepared for us. May all that we do glorify HIS name above all others.

GIVE: I’ve shared several ways to support Climbing For Christ. Buy from our food booth at Applefest, sponsor a runner at ROCtoberfest, or simply contribute to Climbing For Christ by sending a financial gift to P.O. Box 16290, Rochester, NY 14616. Or CLICK HERE and donate online via PayPal. In Canada, make checks payable to The Great Commission Foundation, and on the memo line add Climbing For Christ CANADA. Mail your support to: The Great Commission Foundation, P.O. Box 14006, Abbotsford, BC V2T 0B4. Or CLICK HERE to give online. I’ll say it one more time: Every dollar helps!

GO! Jordan and I will be together with three other North American members, a Norwegian member, and staffer Damson Samson from Malawi on Mission: Kilimanjaro 2018 from Nov. 26 to Dec. 9. We’ll be holding a fund- and awareness-raising event in the Rochester area before we GO. Stay tuned for details. The Mission: 2019 calendar has been announced and can be viewed at http://www.climbingforchrist.org/Expeditions.aspx.

The final Word

“Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt His name together.” – Psalm 34:3 (NLT)