Melissa Holland, the co-founder of Awaken, a Reno-based ministry that works with victims of sex trafficking, shares her personal testimony and the origins of the organization.

Awaken’s mission is to transform the city of Reno into a safe place where victimization no longer occurs, while providing direct services and healing for minors and adults affected by sex trafficking.

Holland describes her journey from a troubled youth to becoming a missionary in China, which led her to recognize the issue of sex trafficking in her own community. She partnered with Jen Campbell to start Awaken, which has grown to offer prevention, restoration, and city transformation programs.

The organization has faced challenges but has seen God’s hand at work in miraculous ways, including securing a building and gaining community support to combat the legalized sex trade in Nevada.

Nicku Bruce, the executive director of Real Choices Women’s Center in Northern Nevada, provides an overview of the organization’s services, which include free and confidential pregnancy tests, options counseling, ultrasounds, parenting classes, adoption support, and abortion recovery programs.

Real Choices is a pro-life Christian ministry that aims to empower women facing unplanned pregnancies to choose life for their babies, while also providing practical and emotional support.

The organization relies on volunteers and community donations to fund its operations and outreach efforts, which include digital marketing to reach women considering abortion.

John Katov, the founder of Open Table, shares how this ministry helps people in need by connecting them with volunteers and community resources.

The core of Open Table is small groups called “tables” that meet regularly with individuals or families to identify their goals and work together to remove barriers preventing them from achieving those goals.

The ministry also has a “neighbor” model where volunteers regularly text and connect with lonely individuals, as well as a “network table” where a group of volunteers leverages their personal and professional networks to solve specific challenges for those in need.

The key principles of Open Table are building relationships, accessing community resources, and empowering those being helped to take the lead in defining their own path forward.

Pastor César Minera is the newly appointed president and executive director of the Nevada Christian Institute (NCI). The school was founded in 2021 to serve the Christian community in Nevada to fill the void upon the departure of Multnomah University satellite school from the state.

NCI offers various certificate programs, including in Bible studies, leadership, homiletics (preaching), and languages (Hebrew, Greek). The programs are designed to equip not just future pastors, but also lay leaders, teachers, and anyone wanting to deepen their biblical knowledge.

Pastor Shay Gilliam shares the story behind his new ministry, A2GG Apologetix, which aims to teach apologetics – the reasoned defense of the Christian faith – to youth in Northern Nevada and beyond.

Shay was inspired to start the ministry after being asked to teach apologetics to a homeschool group, which led to hosting regular apologetics sessions in his home that drew large crowds of interested teens. He believes this generation of young people is particularly open to exploring questions of faith, and he wants to provide them with the tools and knowledge to defend their beliefs in the face of challenges.

A2GG Apologetics uses interactive sessions where Shay plays the role of a skeptic to help the youth practice responding to common objections and arguments against Christianity.

First Responders for Christ ministry, which was started by Steve Walker and Kyle Endres, two local firefighters who felt called to share their faith with their colleagues. (Retired firefighter Chase Perham also was a co-founder).

The ministry is a weekly Bible study open to all first responders, including firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and military personnel. The goal is to create a safe and judgment-free environment where first responders can openly discuss their faith and support one another.

The founders emphasize the importance of having a ministry specifically for first responders, as the nature of their work can make it challenging to be open about their beliefs. They discuss the growth and impact of the ministry, with both Steve and Kyle expressing their vision to expand the group and fill up the worship room at their meeting location at Encounter Ministry.

Coach Jason Ehlen leads up the conversation about the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) with two of his former Reno High School football players, and past participants in FCA.

Drew Dutton and Hayden Parga discuss their current experiences as college student-athletes – Drew at Indiana Wesleyan University and Hayden at Texas Christian University (TCU). They talk about the positive impact FCA had on them during their time at Reno High. They share how FCA provided a community for them to grow in their faith and share the gospel with their peers.

Drew and Hayden explain how they continue to prioritize their faith and spiritual growth as they’ve transitioned to college. They emphasize the importance of taking personal responsibility for their faith and finding accountability through campus ministries.

Coach Jason Ehlen, shares his personal faith journey and how it radically shifted his approach to coaching from being transactional to being transformational, focused on developing character and serving others.

He also discusses the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), a national ministry that combines athletics and the gospel to help coaches and athletes grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. FCA provides opportunities for student-led huddles on school campuses, where they can share the gospel and reinforce core values like integrity, serving, teamwork, and excellence.

What is Biblical counseling and how does it differ from traditional counseling? Rob Rodriguez, the Director of Biblical Counseling at Encounter Ministry answers this question in detail in this interview. He discusses how Biblical counseling focuses on using the word of God to help people with their struggles and suffering. This is done with the goal of discipleship and heart transformation rather than just behavioral modification.

Rob explains that any believer can be trained to counsel biblically, regardless of their background or qualifications, as long as they have a desire to honor and glorify God. The program, that Rodriguez helped launch locally, is open to anyone and provides a community-based approach to applying biblical principles to assisting people in their everyday lives and challenges. Learning how to counsel others is the perfect way to love your neighbor.

Tim Lewis talks about stepping into the role of facilitator for Christian Business Connections, a group of business people and community leaders desiring to build relationships as they grow in deeper understanding of their ministry opportunities in the marketplace.   

Tim discusses the importance of engaging the youth of the church, and for older generations to take on the role of mentorship in developing the next generation of Christian leaders. He points out how vital it was for him to be blessed with mentors in his leadership growth. We also learn about Tim’s personal faith journey and how he is intentionally passing on his values to his own children.

Encounter Ministry is a non-denominational Christian organization that hosts weekend encounters for men, women, and married couples.

The ministry aims to provide a safe and supportive environment for people to share their personal stories and struggles, and to find healing and spiritual growth through the power of testimony and community. The ministry also offers biblical counseling to help attendees continue their journey of faith and restoration after the encounters.

The founders, Richard and Shelli, share their own story of overcoming marital challenges and how that led them to start the ministry in Reno, Nevada, which has since expanded to multiple cities across the country.

Dave Quinn shares his journey to faith and how he was called to a teaching ministry, which led him to help start the Acts 4 Prayer group that brought together churches across the Reno-Sparks area to pray for the community.

Over the course of five years, Acts 4 Prayer held prayer events at over 26 different churches, fostering unity, and laying the groundwork for the current CityFest initiative.

Pastor Christopher Dahir shares his journey of faith and service, including his roles as a pastor, educator, city councilman, and leader of the Nevada Veterans Memorial Plaza.

He discusses the challenges and joys of ministry, his experiences running for political office with integrity, and his involvement in the founding of Nevada Christian Institute. Dahir emphasizes the importance of being available to God’s calling, regardless of the path, and talks about his new podcast “Finding Your South” which explores themes of leadership and purpose.

Gordon Evans shares he was a “late bloomer” as he came to faith at age 49 and how that transformed his approach to business and serving others.

Gordon explains how his participation in organizations like Promise Keepers, Sierra Harvest, and Fellowship of Companies for Christ International (FCCI), allowed him to use his business skills and experience to support ministry efforts. He explains how Christian-owned businesses can be a platform for sharing faith and serving the community.

Jason shares his personal faith journey and the mission of his organization to bring hope and truth to the workplace. He emphasizes the need for Christians to be present and authentic in their workplaces, building relationships and earning the right to share their faith.

Jason highlights the challenges and struggles that many employees face, such as mental health issues, isolation, and uncertainty, and how workplace chaplains and everyday Christians can provide a listening ear and practical support.

Edgar shares his personal story of emigrating to the United States as a teenager, overcoming challenges, and eventually joining World Vision, a global Christian humanitarian organization.

He describes how his faith journey and witnessing the compassion of others like his former boss Steve led him to dedicate his life to serving the poor and vulnerable around the world through World Vision’s work.

Crawford explains the importance of mentoring and passing on the faith to the next generation of Christian leaders.

Crawford emphasizes the biblical principle of life-on-life discipleship, where believers are called to pour into one another and model the love of Christ. 

He describes the challenges facing the younger generation, such as the tendency to confuse exposure with experience and the need to develop a strong character that is greater than any platform or position.

Christian speaks of his personal story of overcoming addiction and finding purpose through Alpha, a course that helps people explore the Christian faith.

He emphasizes the importance of building relationships, listening, and inviting people to explore faith in a non-judgmental way. Christian encourages listeners to be intentional about reaching out to those in their sphere of influence and joining the conversation that the Holy Spirit is already having with people.

Jordan Whitmer is the CEO and Founder of the HowToLife Movement. This dynamic ministry is a student-led initiative focused on empowering young people, particularly those in Generation Z, to share the gospel and to make disciples.

Jordan discusses the challenges facing Gen Z, with statistics showing that this is the least Christian generation in United States History. However, he also emphasizes the openness of this generation to discussions about faith and describes exciting ways in which God is moving in effective outreach, both through physical efforts and digital platforms.

Shawn shares the importance of courage in leadership as well as the need for courageous conversations.

As a successful real estate developer, former church planter and megachurch pastor, and now leader of a fast growing coaching and consulting organization, he highlights the similarities between ministry and marketplace work.

New York Times bestselling author and IF:Gathering founder Jennie Allen shares her personal journey of learning to embrace and process her emotions, rather than trying to suppress or fix them. Jennie explains the science behind the importance of sharing emotional experiences, especially traumatic ones, with loved ones in order to process them and prevent them from resurfacing later in life.

She also talks about how her own upbringing shaped her views on emotions, and how she is now working to create a different emotional environment for her own children.

Pastor Samuel Rodriguez discusses his role as an author, movie producer, presidential advisor and a pastor in California, where he leads a diverse, multi-ethnic church focused on biblical orthodoxy and social engagement.

He shares his faith journey and also highlights the growth and influence of the Latino Christian community in the United States and the unique perspective they bring by embracing both the vertical (relationship with God) and horizontal (service to others) aspects of the faith.

Michelle shares how her husband’s heart transplant has paralleled the spiritual lessons of receiving a new heart from God. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, GMO has reached 2.7 billion people with the heartfelt message of the gospel during this time.

In explaining strategies for digital evangelism, Michelle provides practical advice for Christians on effectively sharing their faith online, emphasizing the importance of listening, sharing personal stories, and pointing people to the Bible.

The Luis Palau Association is one of the most revered global evangelistic organizations. Yet its president, Kevin Palau, emphasizes the importance of first having a local impact at your church and in the city where you live.

Kevin describes how they approached outreach in their hometown of Portland, one of the least religious cities in America. It involved building relationships with civic leaders and mobilizing thousands of volunteers from local churches to meet practical needs. This led to an ongoing partnership between the church and the city in long-lasting and transforming ways.

Jordan shares how he learned to live out his faith in the marketplace. He emphasizes the importance of encouraging others for who they are, rather than just what they do, and the value of focusing on growth over goals.

Jordan also talks about the art of encouragement and how it is a choice, not just a style. He encourages leaders to be authentic and vulnerable, and to focus on being the person God made them to be, rather than comparing themselves to others.

Jon shares his personal faith journey, describing how he went from being a spiritual seeker to finding a relationship with Jesus Christ. He discusses how his faith has transformed his life, including his writing career, and how he now aims to bring hope and positivity to others through his work.

Jon also shares advice for connecting with and ministering to people from diverse backgrounds, focusing on building relationships and authentically sharing one’s faith.

In inarguably one of the most unchurched cities in the United States, the aim of Transforming The Bay With Christ is to bring churches together in unity around the gospel, amplify the good works being done to create goodwill, and multiply through church planting and evangelism.

Gary shares that if unity can happen in the San Francisco area, it can happen anywhere and emphasizes the importance of equipping and empowering Christians in the marketplace to live out their faith, rather than just focusing on church roles.

Nazareth shares his journey of finding faith in Jesus after initially pursuing a career in mainstream comedy. Nazareth explains how he came to realize that he could use his gift of comedy to honor God and bring people to Christ. He discusses the power of laughter to provide relief and hope, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Nazareth emphasizes the importance of using humor in a way that is uplifting and not offensive, and he encourages others to incorporate more laughter and joy into their lives and ministries.

Jason previously worked at ESPN and now works for Sports Spectrum, a Christian sports media organization. Jason shares his journey of coming to faith in his 20’s and how that led him to leave his dream job at ESPN to join Sports Spectrum, where he can more openly discuss faith and its intersection with sports. 

He talks about the themes he has observed in interviews with athletes, such as the struggle with pride and identity, and the importance of finding one’s identity in Christ rather than in one’s performance or success.

Dr. Todd Ahrend shares the vision and work of the Traveling Team, a ministry that has been mobilizing and empowering college students to engage in global missions for the past 25 years. He shares his personal journey of how he became passionate about reaching the unreached people groups around the world and how he has been inspiring and equipping students to get involved in this global mission.

He encourages us to embrace our role as global Christians, to seek God’s heart for the nations, and to take practical steps to get involved in the Great Commission.