9/9/2024

What Exactly is an Outreach Trailer and Why Does Journey Church Have One?

Great question! I’m so glad you asked.

Journey Church’s outreach trailer is equipped with everything needed for a community event. Inside, you'll find two commercial bounce houses, a hotdog steamer, a snow cone machine, a popcorn machine, and an assortment of yard games like giant Jenga, cornhole, volleyball, and even plastic ax throwing. Additionally, it’s stocked with logistical essentials like extension cords and tables. Essentially, this trailer provides all the tools needed to host an outreach event in the community, allowing us to bring the event to the people rather than expecting them to come to us. After all, Jesus said, “Go therefore into all the world…” (Matthew 28:19), not “sit back and wait for the people to come.”

You might be wondering if this is just a glorified party wagon—but it’s much more than that. The purpose of this trailer is to connect with people, families, and children in our community in positive and meaningful ways. We want them to know we see them, we care about them, and we are here for them. Ultimately, we aim to point them to the source of that love and care: Jesus.

We even loan out our trailer at no cost to other non-profits or churches so that they too can use this tool to serve the community. Journey Church doesn’t hold the monopoly on caring for others, and we want to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. Those who reserve the trailer simply agree to two things. First, they must take care of the trailer and its contents to ensure the ministry can continue. Second, they agree not to charge for anything connected to the outreach trailer. We emphasize that this trailer is meant to be a “fun”raiser, not a fundraiser. Our goal is to empower and equip others to love and care for the community as we do, so more people can be reached for Jesus.

I remember when we first partnered with a local elementary school for their field day—a massive event with 600 students! After the event, a teacher told us about a student who had timidly asked how much it would cost to participate in the games, snow cones, and popcorn (clearly wondering if he could afford it). The teacher joyfully told him it was all free, and everyone was included. That’s not just throwing a party—that’s sharing the love of Jesus with children.

There’s an old saying: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When children and families see that a church takes the time to come to them—to their communities, to their schools—they start to realize how much we care about them. And that opens the door for us to share what we know: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

-Jackie