Youth Appalachia Missions
Bringing Hope to the Mountains
For over 25 years, Pisgah ARP Church has been part of a transformative mission to the Appalachian Mountain region. Every summer, our high school youth and dedicated adult volunteers join the Appalachia Mountain Mission, organized by ARP Conferences.
Alongside 15+ other churches, our team travels to the Cumberland Gap tri-state area where Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet. There, in one of the most underserved regions of our country, we host Vacation Bible School with Wolfenbarger Missionary Baptist Church for children and teenagers each morning and join with the other mission teams for large-group worship sessions each evening.
This mission is more than a trip—it’s a life-changing experience where the gospel is shared, relationships are built, and young hearts are forever marked by the love of Christ.
Sharing Love
In the Appalachian Mountains, many children face poverty, isolation, and limited opportunities. Our mission team meets these young hearts exactly where they are—offering warm hugs, genuine smiles, and the assurance that they are seen, valued, and deeply loved. Through games, crafts, songs, and one-on-one attention during VBS, our youth demonstrate Christ’s unconditional love in tangible ways. Often, our students sacrifice sleep and comfort for the privilege of loving these children well, and in doing so, they discover the profound joy that comes from serving others selflessly. Many of these Appalachian children have never experienced this kind of intentional care, and for one week each summer, they are wrapped in the love of Jesus through our team’s faithful presence.
Sharing Christ
At the heart of our mission is the gospel message. In a region where the truth of Scripture is sometimes neglected or distorted, we have the privilege of sharing the pure, life-transforming message of Jesus Christ. Through Bible stories, worship songs, and engaging lessons we present the hope found only in a relationship with our Savior. Year after year, children and teenagers hear that God loves them, that Jesus died for their sins, and that they can have eternal life through faith in Him. Our team works alongside the local church to plant seeds of faith that will continue to grow long after we return home, trusting that God’s Word will not return void.
Sharing Hope
The Appalachian region faces significant challenges—economic hardship, educational barriers, and cycles of poverty that can feel impossible to break. But the gospel offers hope that transcends circumstances. Through our mission, we share the hope of Christ with children who may feel forgotten, showing them that their lives have purpose and that God has a plan for their future. Our high school students also discover hope through this experience—many return home with a new sense of calling, a deeper commitment to missions, and a transformed perspective on what truly matters. The relationships formed during this week create lasting impact on both sides, proving that when we share hope in Jesus’ name, lives are changed forever.
Support Our Mission
Our Appalachia Mission Team relies on the prayers and financial support of our church family to make this life-changing trip possible each year. Your generosity helps cover travel expenses, VBS materials, food, lodging, and supplies needed to serve these precious children effectively. More importantly, your prayers provide spiritual covering for our team as they minister in challenging conditions and share the gospel with boldness and love. To support our mission team or learn more, please contact our church office. Thank you for partnering with us in this important work!
Become a Prayer Partner
The most powerful way you can support our Appalachia Mission Team is through prayer. We invite you to join us in lifting up our students, adult volunteers, and the children we’ll serve before the throne of grace. Pray for safe travel, open hearts, effective ministry, and lasting spiritual impact. Pray for wisdom and energy for our team as they minister in challenging conditions, and pray that the gospel message would penetrate hearts and transform lives. Pray for our ministry partners at Wolfenbarger Missionary Baptist Church and for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully throughout the week. Your faithful prayers provide essential spiritual covering that makes all the difference in kingdom work.
Become a Financial Partner
Your financial support makes this life-changing mission possible each year. Contributions help cover travel expenses, lodging, food, VBS materials, craft supplies, snacks, prizes, and other essential needs for effective ministry. Every dollar invested goes directly toward sharing the love of Christ with children in the Appalachian region while equipping our own youth to become lifelong missionaries. When you give to this mission, you’re investing in the next generation on both sides of the mountains.