Ways We Serve West Volusia

Beyond the Storm is a volunteer Disaster Relief Ministry and committed to taking the Light and Hope of Jesus Christ to people in need. These needs arise primarily as a result of natural disasters like floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires or ice. However, we also seek to respond to those who have other needs that can be met by our willingness to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Email Bill & Christie Roth ([email protected])

Open since September of 2020, The Bridge at the Neighborhood Center of West Volusia is a shelter for people who have fallen on hard times and who in many cases are experiencing homelessness.

At The Bridge, people can get temporary housing, meals sponsored by the Interfaith Kitchen, clothing, access to free laundry facilities, showers, lockers, and more. The shelter can house up to 60 people.

Since the early days of The Bridge’s existence, on the 4th Wednesday of every month, GraceLife’s SE DeLand Community Group has had the privilege of partnering with St. Barnabas Episcopal Church to serve evening meals to the homeless and to others in need. On any given Wednesday, 50-70 meals are served. Since 2022, during the summer months, GraceLife’s youth have assisted in this endeavor.

It gives great pleasure to have a small role in meeting the needs of others, even if it is just serving an evening meal once a month. Most have heard the phrase, “There but by the grace of God go I.” Serving at The Bridge is a regular reminder of this phrase; it is humbling to know and understand, that except for God’s grace, the things that we are witnessing could just as easily have happened to us.

Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward them for what they have done.” Serving at The Bridge gives volunteers an immediate reward as they see and hear the gratefulness of those who are being served.

If you would like to get involved with this ministry, connect with the SE DeLand Community Group at the Connect Center on Sunday, or ask us through the inquiry form..

Hope Resource Center is a non-profit, educational resource agency that is dedicated to providing support to women & men who are facing unplanned pregnancies. They offer free pregnancy tests, screenings, educational resources and counseling services to those in our community who don't know where to turn when facing unplanned pregnancy.

Get involved: email Matt Karr ([email protected])

We meet every Sunday on the Deltona High School campus, home to many local students during the week.

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GraceLife has partnered with Jessica Becker of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) to financially support her mission here in West Volusia. Jessica spends time on public school campuses organizing, equipping, and sending out Christian students to reach their fellow classmates with the good news of Jesus. They often host school-wide events where students hear the gospel shared and are given opportunity to respond. Jessica's passion is to see kids saved by Jesus and then connected to a local church to be loved and discipled. If you would like to sign up for her newsletter, support her financially, or volunteer to get in on the action yourself, contact Jessica directly.

Contact Jessica directly ([email protected]) · (414) 333-3000 · [email protected]

The Good Samaritan Clinic, located just off of Plymouth Ave and 17-92 in Deland, is a faith-based clinic, motivated by the love of Christ, and in obedience to His command to serve the poor, that provides medical and dental care to the uninsured of the community through volunteer providers. Doctors and nurses in our community volunteer their professional services free after hours three evenings a week to those in West Volusia County who qualify for the services due to low household income and assets. Many adults cannot receive Medicaid services because they are not considered elderly, handicapped, or have dependent children. This clinic provides them medical care, medications, diabetic counseling, and mental health counseling free of charge.

The Northwest Deltona Community Group goes on a monthly basis as Prayer Warriors to the patients and staff of the clinic. We are there to support and encourage them emotionally and spiritually, to share and show God’s love to them, and, as Matt put it in his sermon recently, to “leak” the kingdom of God to them.

The Northwest Deltona Community has also provided gifts for the holiday tree in their lobby, and supplied refreshments for their annual open house at Christmas. We also have opportunity to take part in their fundraisers, since the clinic is run by donations only.

The clinic can use more prayer warriors for days that are presently not covered on Mondays and Fridays. If you are interested in participating, contact Bill or Pam Hicks.

"One of the joys of serving in Ireland is helping people understand the Gospel. One of my responsibilities is to meet with women, of all ages and lead them in a bible study or one-to-one discipleship. (And fun fact, my Dad named me after St. Patrick.) As you can imagine, Ireland is 98% Catholic, and so there are lots of misunderstandings about what the Gospel is and what isn't. There is less than 1% evangelical, and the majority of church leaders are Missionaries from various counties. We know that God is not the author of confusion. Please pray his message will be clearly shared by his servants here." - Patti Parks

To hear a little bit of Patti's story, her most recent update on her mission work in Ireland as well as how we can specifically be praying for the people of Ireland: watch her story.

To be added to Patti’s email update list, email [email protected].

Val Tysinger serves with Missionary Athletes International, using soccer as a platform for discipleship. A Florida native, she played five years on the University of Florida women's soccer team and later with the Charlotte Eagles, where she says God opened her eyes to His heart through sport. A season teaching English and a year in Honduras working in sustainable agriculture deepened that calling, and she was formally sent out as an MAI missionary this past December to lead the Eagles' women's summer programming and urban outreach. Her work centers on three things: raising up leaders who carry the gospel into their own communities, deepening discipleship through the relationships built on the field, and reaching players and their families through the long-term trust that sports make possible.

“Whether with elite college players, beginner elementary school kids, or their families — the goal is the same: build relationships and point people to Jesus.” — Val Tysinger

My story

I grew up in Florida, and started playing soccer when I was just 3 years old. I continued to play soccer through college, attending the University of Florida where I competed on the women's soccer team for 5 years. I graduated with a Bachelors in Spanish and Sociology and a Masters in Youth Development. During my college career I also played with the Charlotte Eagles. It was through my time with the Eagles that the Lord captured my heart and opened my eyes to see how all of life is available to be lived in light of the Gospel. After discipling my teammates in college, I moved to Nashville to pursue college coaching and continuing to use soccer as a platform for ministry. However, the college coaching environment led to deep feelings of burnout and longing for more freedom to share the gospel in word, not just deed. The lord later led me into a season of teaching English, and later an opportunity to learn about ministry and God’s heart for the world through a year of serving in Honduras in sustainable agriculture. The seasons away from soccer were sweet gifts from the Lord to reveal there is more to me than just a soccer player or coach, to reveal more of his heart through new perspectives, and also restore a freedom in soccer to be used as a tool and act of worship, rather than a thing to be worshipped.

How & Why I Became a MAI Missionary

I have been connected to the Eagles since 2012 through my own playing experience, in addition to the vast majority of my relationships being with other former or current Eagles. Through my time in Honduras, I felt the Lord preparing me to be called into a more permanent role elsewhere, so I continued to learn and listen to where he might be leading. This past summer, I was able to act as a translator for the women’s Colombia tour and felt a draw to both that group of players and the eagles environment. However, I did not feel a call to pursue anything further until this past December when I felt the Lord clarifying a calling and assignment for me with the women’s summer programming and urban outreach.

Through my own time in college, the Lord showed me just how beautifully the gospel can be lived and communicated in a sports context. I think after college, in all honesty, I had many assumptions of what ministry “should” look like, and for that reason struggled to see God’s heart more fully. Through my time in Honduras, I began to see more of the depths of his mercy towards me and my own story, giving me a deeper compassion for both those who are “like me”, not just those who are different. In opening my hands to the Lords will for my story and wherever he would desire to send me, stepping into a role with the Eagles became a clear calling.

Our ministry objectives

Whether with elite college players, beginner elementary school kids, urban pre-teens, or passionate high schoolers, our ministry objectives are the same.

• Leadership: Launching leaders for Jesus who are equipped to lead and impact their communities regardless of context
• Discipleship: Leveraging relationships formed through outreach to teach people to be lifelong, fruitful followers of Jesus
• Outreach: Incarnational ministry using the platform of sports to meet players and their families to build long lasting, transformational relationships

Growing up

Growing up, I believed God was distant, angry, and tyrannical; demanding I follow his rules perfectly in order to earn love. When I went off to play soccer at the University of Florida, all the places I had looked to for security fell apart and I was convinced God was done with me. The summer after my freshman year, I played with the Charlotte Eagles and my eyes were opened to God’s true heart; gentle, loving and abundantly gracious. I came to see I was broken and sick, in need of a savior, and he WANTED to save me (Mark 2:17). Through that encounter with Jesus and his love, I saw our need for the Gospel and surrendered my life to follow him in declaring it. I learned how to love my teammates, serve as a coach through 5 seasons at Belmont University, see God’s heart for the world through a year in Honduras, and now see his call for me back into sports ministry. I am learning what it means that our savior is “the word made flesh, come to dwell among us” (John 1:14) as his life and love are lived through us, wherever we are.

If you would like to connect with Val, you can contact her here: [email protected] · (386) 882-3273

Give to Val's mission