Sacred Road Ministries Spring Update

Life and work in ministry have seen both steady continuity and meaningful changes at Sacred Road in 2026. Following the Christmas season and the start of the new year, we returned to the daily rhythms of ministry - weekly gatherings for Hope Fellowship Church, Youth Group and Discipleship Groups, H.O.P.E. After-School, and more.

Firewood continues to be split and delivered to elders and single moms, helping keep homes warm through the colder months. In the kitchen, the smell of sheet cakes and browning ground beef fills the air as our Food Ministry team prepares Sunday lunches and meals for upcoming teams. Our pastors have also been preparing a new sermon series through the Gospel of Luke with our church.

These everyday rhythms of service and worship are where we continue to see the Lord at work among us.

As many of you know, ministry at Sacred Road follows a seasonal rhythm, with summer being our most active season. In our last newsletter, we highlighted Christmas Ministry; in this update, we turn our attention to the spring season - specifically the work of the Spring Break teams we hosted in March.

Above are three of the Spring Team videos.

You can watch the fourth week and even more, previous team videos on our

Youtube Channel.

Spring Teams

Each year, one-week teams from universities across the nation join us during their Spring Breaks. Many of these teams are part of Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), a campus ministry we’ve been honored to partner with for nearly two decades. Year after year, these weeks build relationships that leave a lasting mark on the kids and families we serve, pointing them to the love of Christ in tangible ways.

This March, we hosted teams for four consecutive weeks. Groups came from Covenant College, the University of Pittsburgh, Boise State, NC State, UCLA, Berkeley, and San Jose State (and more!). It was a joy to reconnect with teams we’ve known for years and to welcome new groups for the first time.

During their time here, students helped paint and roof houses, served in our Firewood Ministry, and partnered with us to host Kids’ Clubs in two locations on the Yakama Reservation. Our first team joined us for our annual youth event at Skateland - an outreach event that helps us build relationships with new teenagers in our community. The fourth team helped host a Family Movie Night at the church, where 149 community members gathered for dinner, snacks, and a showing of Finding Dory.

Each week concludes with a final evening of reflection, including a video, shared stories, and prayer. During the first week, one team member shared a moment from a rainy day when Kids’ Club was moved indoors. While playing with children at one of the stations, she asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” One child immediately responded, “Here.”

We are deeply grateful for everyone who serves with us during team weeks. Each person builds on a foundation laid nearly 24 years ago. Through these relationships, children and youth who attend our programs experience connection - to a caring community and ultimately to the body of Christ. Now, we’re seeing a generation of kids who are so excited to belong that when asked what they want to be, their answer is simple: “I want to be at church.”

It is an honor to witness the Lord at work in the hearts and lives of those around us. His faithfulness - to us, to our communities, and to the ministry among Native communities in the Pacific Northwest - is evident.

Left: Craft time at Kid's Club | Right: One of the worksites - repainting a home.

Hope Fellowship Church Update

Following the four weeks with Spring Break teams, Hope Fellowship Church celebrated a beautiful Easter Sunday together. Just under 160 people gathered for worship that morning. A highlight of the day was witnessing four baptisms - each one a powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness at work in the lives of individuals and families who are loved and supported by our church family.

Following the service, we shared a joyful Easter lunch together and spent the afternoon with egg hunts for children and teenagers on our property. It was a simple but meaningful day of worship, community, and celebration.

Over the past year, we have also been encouraged by the growth we’ve seen in our church, especially among youth and young adults. Each Sunday, our teenagers play an active role in serving our church family and helping meals run smoothly - working in ways that bless the whole community.

We are deeply grateful for everyone who continues to pray for our church family. Your prayers matter, and we see their impact in the life and growth of our community.

B.Y.G.E. Update

Our Youth Group has started the year strong. Following the Advent season, Chuck Clevenger led our students through a series on the life of Joseph. Throughout the series, students were continually reminded of a central theme in Joseph’s story: God was with Joseph. Together, we reflected on the truth that God is with us as well and remains sovereign over every aspect of our lives.

In March, we were also able to host several special events for our youth, including our annual Skateland outreach and Eat It. Each year, we take students to our local skating rink, Skateland, for an evening focused on fun, connection, and inviting new teenagers into community. This year, around 100 teens joined us for the event, including many new faces.

One of the greatest encouragements this year has been the strength of the core group within our Youth Group. Our students are deeply invested in the church community and consistently encourage and care for one another. Week after week, new students who come on Tuesday nights are welcomed into a group where they can see genuine friendship, joy, and belonging.



We are thankful for the ways the Lord continues to move and work in the lives of our youth. Please continue praying that Youth Group would remain a safe, joyful, and Christ-centered environment for the teenagers in our community, and that God would continue building deep relationships and a strong sense of community among our students.

Warm Springs Update

Our staff in Warm Springs, Oregon continue to see growth in both ministry and community. Warm Springs is the “sister reservation” to the Yakama Nation, and Sacred Road has had a relationship with the tribe for more than 15 years, serving there in a variety of ways over that time. For over a decade, we prayed and worked toward establishing a full-time team in Warm Springs. In January 2023, Evan, Holly, and Tomo moved to Oregon to begin building and replicating ministry there full-time.

Since then, the team has become consistently involved with the local Young Life branch, helping connect teenagers from the Warm Springs Reservation with opportunities for discipleship, mentorship, and community. Over the past several months, they have hosted and participated in a number of events for youth, including Young Life weekend camps, movie nights, and sledding days.

So much of ministry is deeply relational. Motivated by a desire to love our neighbors well, our staff seek to be present in both joyful and difficult moments - to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. You can see some of the beauty and simplicity of this relational ministry in the update from Evan Shaw linked HERE.



Please continue praying for the Shaw and Ito families as they serve in Oregon. Pray for the Lord’s provision, protection, and encouragement as they continue building relationships in Warm Springs. Above all, pray that hearts and lives would be transformed through the love of Christ and the hope of the gospel.

H.O.P.E. After-School has had a great school year. We had 15 students enrolled in the program this school year. The students have performed science experiments, memorized verses, worked to improve reading skills and and have taken field trips together.

This weekend, eleven of the H.O.P.E. students will be going on the annual camping trip! They have fun activities lined up for their time at camp and will spend some time doing Bible lessons as a group too.

We are encouraged to witness these students gaining confidence in their abilities in and out of the classroom. Please continue to pray for our H.O.P.E. students as they will begin to wrap up the school year soon.

We have had the privilege of partnering with Village of Hope for many years. Village of Hope is an organization on the Yakama Reservation that focuses on outreach and support for the unhoused community, offering transitional housing, educational support, job training resources, and more.

Over the years, many teams who have served with us in Yakama have also partnered with Village of Hope through projects such as painting, sorting clothing donations, building a playground, and other practical acts of service. More recently, our Food and Hospitality team has partnered with Village of Hope during outreach events by preparing and serving hot meals for those who attend.



So far this year, our staff have helped provide meals at three different outreach events, serving hundreds of people in the community. We are grateful for opportunities to come alongside organizations like Village of Hope as we seek to love and serve our neighbors in tangible ways.

• Praise the Lord for His faithfulness throughout the spring ministry season, including the many students, churches, and teams who served with us in March. Pray that the relationships formed during these weeks would continue to bear lasting fruit in the lives of children, teens, and families in our communities.
• Please pray for the Sacred Road staff. Pray that the Lord would continue to provide and sustain each individual and family on staff. Pray protection over our staff and their families as we serve. Pray that we would continue serving with humility, joy, and dependence on the Lord in every area of ministry.
• Pray for the communities on the Warm Springs and Yakama Reservations. Please pray for healing and peace. Pray that our communities would feel welcome at church and that the Lord would continue to change hearts and lives.
• Please pray for Hope Fellowship Church as the Lord continues to grow and strengthen our church family. Pray especially for our youth and young adults as they continue to grow in faith, serve within the church, and build Christ-centered community together.
• Pray for our Youth Group. Pray that the Lord would continue to work in the hearts and lives of our youth! As we move into summer, pray that we would be able to build on the relationships and sense of community that have been established with our youth.
• Pray for Sacred Road as we prepare for the coming Summer Ministry. Summer is our busiest time of year! We are looking forward to welcoming interns, hosting teams, playing at Kid's Club, working on worksites, and more! We appreciate prayers as we get prepared for all of these things.

Thank you for taking time to get updated on everything that has been going on with Sacred Road Ministries this Spring! We are humbled by the continued support and prayers we have received. Please continue to pray for our ministry team as we serve in Yakama and Warm Springs.

Our Summer Ministry is right around the corner! Please be praying that everything will go smoothly with our Summer Interns, Short-Term Teams, and Summer outreach.

To learn more about Sacred Road Ministries, visit our website and subscribe to our Youtube channel. You can keep up with regular news and updates by following us on Facebook and Instagram.