Abundant Life International Ministries, Inc.

Mission Statement

 Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the poor (meek): he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison  to them that are bound.

 Where Jesus Christ is Lord & Savior!

We are a mission church where children and their  families can come and grow spiritually as well as receiving assistance for daily needs to be met with food, clothing, furniture, appliances, baby supplies, bibles, etc.  All items are distributed free of charge.  Where heartfelt needs are met for children and families of West Virginia and the Appalachia Mountains.   

Abundant Life International Ministries, Inc. of Bishop, WV  was established in 2001 by Pastors Wayne and Kathy Osborne to serve, love and minister to the people of this severely poverty stricken area.

Childhood poverty in this area leads the US, where a staggering 53% of all children under the age of 18 live in severe poverty. This is nearly 3 times the national average. This particular area of the country also leads the nation in childhood illnesses. It is for these very reasons that we choose this area. These people need not only all of our prayers but our help as well.

Mission Pastors Wayne and Kathy Osborne distribute food, clothing, furniture, baby and school supplies to nearly 3,500 disadvantaged people annually. We are also a distribution center to many other churches of this area.
 
     The building with the red front      is the Lord's Mission House for     out of state mission groups     to come and have a place for     lodging along with the main     floor is being set up this         summer for a church room.

    The building with the green     front is used as the residence of the mission pastor and his family (2nd floor) with the 1st floor used for receiving and unloading benevolence prior to distribution.
We Need Your Help Today!

About the area

Bishop, West Virginia located in McDowell County was once a thriving coal mining community. (For additional information on this area visit www.wikipedia.org.) Many families were forced into severe poverty after the coal mining industry came to an end in the early 1980's. Poverty in this area is widespread and severe.

Infrastructure is poor. McDowell County comprises an area of 534 sq. miles but has only one U.S. Highway. County roads are poorly maintained due to low tax revenues. Municipal water systems serve a small percentage of the population and one in four does not deliver potable water. Flood control is poorly managed. McDowell experienced two 100-year floods two years in a row, 2001 and 2002 destroying 15% of the homes and businesses and leaving thousands of others severely damaged. Today, 1 home in six remains unoccupied. 67% of the households have no wastewater treatment, allowing 314,000 gallons of untreated waste per day to enter streams and rivers. That's 13 1/2 gallons per resident. EPA statistics indicate that 558 persons in McDowell are drinking untreated groundwater. They also concede that number is under reported.

Tax base is very low. 60% of the land in McDowell is owned by absentee corporations that do not contribute to the tax base, yet spend millions in lobbying to defeat legislation that would clean up the air, water and flood problems. Less than 6,000 persons are employed full or part time.

Winters are very difficult, especially on the children, many of whom do not wear shoes in warm weather to save what little they have for the colder weather. Many of the homes do not have gas or electric, leaving people to heat their homes with systems that are extremely dangerous. Fires are common.

About Appalachia

According to Wikipdia Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from southern New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. In 1965, the U.S. Congress created the Appalachian Regional Commission to help bring the poor areas of the 13 states of the Appalachians into the mainstream of the American economy. The commission is a partnership of federal, state and local governments, and was created to promote the economy and improve the quality of life in this area. (more info on ARC www.arc.gov)

As of this date, according to the ARC, over 91 of the 410 counties within this region are designated as economically distressed. Distressed counties are defined as ones where poverty and unemployment rates are at least 150% of the national averages and where per capita market incomes are no more than 2/3 of the national average. Additionally, counties are also considered distressed if they have poverty rates that are at least twice the national average and they qualify on either the unemployment or income indicator.

This is totally unacceptable and, although the ARC has helped, it has simply not done enough, leaving many families in need of your help.

You can help changes the lives of hundreds of children by donating today!