The Importance of Outreach to the Community

Community outreach

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Hobart Assembly in Hobart, Indiana, emphasizes community outreach. Many people seek the church for help when they are in need, and the church is the first place that many celebrate life milestones, including baptisms and weddings. Hobart Assembly, led by Pastor Ryan McDowell, has gone the extra step to make community outreach a major goal.

An important part of the church is its service to others in the community. Hobart Assembly has contributed much financial assistance to support international outreach and mission projects. The church has also assisted people living in nursing homes by providing them with home-cooked meals.

Children benefit from the church's kid’s camp programs and the children’s ministry. Hobart Assembly also plays a central role in helping families who are struggling financially.

Pastor McDowell, in conjunction with Hobart Assembly members, understands the importance of giving the community a church that is devoted to outreach through service. For Hobart Assembly members, the church’s efforts provide spiritual sustenance and a connection to the religious community.

What Are the Seven Churches of Revelation?

Reading the Bible
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As a member of the Assemblies of God fellowship of churches, Hobart Assembly preaches the gospel to a growing congregation in Hobart, Indiana. To reach a wider audience, Hobart Assembly produced a weekly podcast covering essential Christian beliefs, such as the significance of the Seven Churches of Revelation.

Also known as the Seven Churches of Asia, the Seven Churches of Revelation are described in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation. The apostle John received a vision that instructed him to share what he experienced with seven congregations of Christians located in modern-day Turkey. Through John, God admonished each congregation for its unique sins and offered redemption if the people remained true to the Word of God. 

Some Christian scholars interpret these chapters as a universal warning of the challenges believers will face throughout time, including persecution, false prophets, and apathy. The lessons transmitted to each church remind all Christians to adhere to God’s teachings, and upon Jesus’ return, all the faithful will be rewarded.

The Importance of Fasting For Spiritual Health

Guided by Pastor Ryan McDowell, Hobart, Indiana-based Hobart Assembly provides Christian worshippers a place of help, hope, and healing. Mission- and outreach-focused, Hobart Assembly’s evangelical message extends far beyond Hobart and Northwest Indiana.

One of the church’s emphases is Spirit-led living, which includes fasting. Fasting is one of the Biblical duties of every Christian, along with giving and praying.

Fasting requires strength and discipline, with the former coming from God and the latter leading to rewards in Heaven, according to Matthew 6. Fasting at the beginning of the year has a particularly strong impact in setting a course for 12 subsequent months of purposeful living.

There are various types of fasting, with three-day fast options including a full fast in which only liquids are consumed. Alternatively, the Daniel Fast involves fruits and vegetables combined with juice and water, with no bread, sweets, or meat consumed. A fast also can consist of refraining from one type of food.

Extended fasts provide heightened sensitivity to God’s desires. One pathway is the 21-day fast that mirrors Daniel’s experience of praying and fasting for 21 days as a spiritual battle was waged. Daniel’s fast came to a close when God answered his plea. Such a fast can be accompanied by a prayer guide and shared prayer toward a breakthrough.

The Hobart Assembly Global Mission Program

Serving residents of Hobart, Indiana, and its surrounding communities, Hobart Assembly has been led by Pastor Ryan McDowell since 2006. In addition to Sunday services, weekly Bible study, and children’s programs, Hobart Assembly supports mission work performed by Christian groups that operate outside of Indiana through its Global Mission Program.

The Global Mission Program allocates tens of thousands of dollars in funding to hundreds of missions every year. The program selects mission projects that focus on three priority area: the training of new ministers, the support of Israel, and the feeding and clothing of vulnerable children. 

Through these missions, the church fulfills the aspiration of The Great Commission, which encourages Christians to spread the Word of Jesus throughout the world. Current and former funding recipients have conducted outreach missions in nearly every corner of the world, including the nations of Togo, Cambodia, Mexico, and Slovakia.