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For several years, Friendly Avenue Church of Christ has sent aid and missionaries to the impoverished Dominican Republic. Each time, their goal has been to provide a vacation Bible school for children and share the love of Christ with the people, said John Harris, the church elder responsible for foreign missions.

Approximately 45 church members plan to travel back to the Dominican Republic in July, this time also as a medical mission. The team will include three doctors and three nurses from the church who will work with two Dominican Republic doctors to set up a medical clinic.

“You have to remember this is a Third World country, and medical care is lacking,” Harris said.

In an effort to raise the $55,000 needed to fund the trip, the church is holding a captain’s choice golf tournament at 9 a.m. May 8 at Jamestown Golf Course. The entry fee is $50 per person, which includes green and cart fees, prizes and food. The entry deadline is April 24.

Participants may sign up as a team or as individuals. Individuals will be grouped according to handicap/average score to form additional teams. Men will play from the white tees, and women will play from the red tees. All putts must be holed out, and mulligans may be purchased for $10 (limited to two). Ladies’ tees can be purchased for $5 (limited to two).

There will be prizes for the first- and second-place teams, closest to the pin (men and women) and longest drive.

A hot dog lunch will be provided at the shelter and is also open to those who did not play. The meal is $5 per person for those not playing golf.

The church has sponsored mission trips to the Dominican Republic every July since 2007.
“On each of these trips, we conducted a vacation Bible school where we averaged 400 kids per day,” Harris said.

Friendly Avenue first became involved with the country five years ago.

“We find the people there to be a great people to partner with in spreading the good news about Jesus Christ,” Harris said. “The local evangelist is dedicated and hard-working, the people are friendly and open to our message, and the children really respond positively to the messages we bring to them.”

Other fundraisers for the trip include a pine needle sale, which was held in March, and staffing a booth at the Winston-Salem Air Show and Bur-Mil Fall Festival. The church also periodically provides a Wednesday evening meal to members for donations, and a summer festival was held.

Money raised will also help with purchasing medications from Blessings International to take on the trip. Friendly Avenue Church has done medical missions in Romania in the past, and Harris said they averaged 200 patients per day. He expects the clinic in the Dominican Republic to be popular as well. In addition to medical care, the church will provide a Bible school again for the children.

“We will plant the seeds of the Gospel through these programs. The local church members will follow up with the people we make contact with and teach them more about Jesus, in effect watering and nurturing those seeds,” Harris said. “God himself will give the increase and those people to his kingdom, if it is his will.”

Friendly Avenue Church also sponsors an evangelistic effort locally to the mainstream population in Greensboro and the Triad, to the Spanish-speaking community, the deaf community and the youths of Greensboro, as well as foreign missions.

“We’re simply carrying out the command of Christ when he said “go into all the world ...,” Harris said. “We’re simply doing that to the best of our ability.”

Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jennifer.brown@news-record.com