On Mission in VT - August 2026
Youth Discipleship Weekend
IT’S BEEN A DIFFICULT TWO MONTHS.
Right after we sent our last newsletter in late May, we received news that Trey’s dad’s health was in sharp decline. Trey’s dad, Skip, had been suffering with dementia for a couple of years, and different systems in his body were shutting down. Trey flew down to Alabama and spent 10 days there, helping his mom get his dad transitioned to hospice care, soaking up time with family, and being as helpful as he could.
While he was gone, Robyn kept up with a few commitments that we had together. She attended two fundraising banquets, one for NETS, the New England Training and Sending center located in Vermont, and one for Central Vermont Pregnancy Services (CVPS). NETS trains up church planters—they can receive seminary credit while preparing for church planting. CVPS is the only crisis pregnancy center in central Vermont.
Soon after Trey returned, we welcomed our daughter, Rachel, her husband, David, and their daughter (OUR GRANDDAUGHTER), Valorie. They traveled to Vermont to assist with our upcoming VBS.
The morning after they arrived, we received work that Trey’s dad had passed.
His passing came almost a year to the day from Robyn’s dad’s passing. When we say it has been a difficult season, it has been a difficult season for many reasons.
But we pressed on.
VBS TOOK PLACE DURING THE LAST WEEK OF JUNE. Since Rachel and her family were with us, we elected to delay our travel to Alabama. We were so thankful to have our church family surrounding us and partnering with us for VBS. Along with all of them, we had our visiting mission team from Albertville First Baptist Church, Alabama. This church has sent multiple teams to us in the past few years, and they always go above and beyond! Altogether, we welcomed close to 60 children into our church for VBS.
THE ALBERTVILLE TEAM WENT A STEP FURTHER, spending one afternoon at the Amy’s Armoire Family Center in Barre, doing a deep clean of that area, both inside and outside the facility. They also engaged prayerwalking in Montpelier, where a new church plant/relaunch was going to be happening that weekend.
WE ARE SO THRILLED FOR THE NEW PLANT—THE BRANCHES COMMUNITY CHURCH OF MONTPELIER, VT! Jesse and Grace Bradley and their three children have recently relocated to that area, and they have been working hard for several months as they navigated two churches through a merger and rebranding. This is difficult to do! They were able to secure a storefront for a meeting place, and after extensive renovations, they were ready to open for Sunday morning services.
On Saturday, July 4, we, along with the mission team from Albertville, joined them for their Independence Day BBQ cookout. They provided meals for close to 500 people and invited them to their first official service, which took place the following day. They had 45 people in attendance for that service!
WE BAPTIZED THREE MORE AT OUR CHURCH! All three of them attend our small group, and we are understandably giddy over their decisions to follow Christ!
AFTER A LITTLE SIGHT-SEEING WITH RACHEL AND THE FAMILY, we all headed to Alabama. The funeral services for Trey’s dad were a beautiful tribute to his life spent in service to others and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We were thankful for this time with so many from Trey’s side of the family and a little extra time with Rachel, David, and Valorie, and Joshua—who drove over from North Carolina, where he has been spending his summer break.
THE SUNDAY AFTER WE RETURNED was “Church in the Park,” the combined, outside service we carry out with our sister church, Enough Ministries. We were blown away by how many attended. Some people just happened to be walking through and stopped to listen to Trey preach, one of them speaking to him afterward about how much he needed the message.
WE ENDED THE MONTH OF JULY WITH A YOUTH DISCIPLESHIP WEEKEND. We have a small, but highly dedicated group of teens that attend our church, and this weekend was an opportunity to pour into their lives. Robyn wrote a curriculum centering on Philippians 4, and we used it as a launching pad to discuss the themes of joy, anxiety, Godly thinking, and contentment. Please pray for our teens as they navigate life in a state that is known for resistance to Christianity.
A MISSION TEAM FROM NEAR SPRING, TEXAS was loaned to us from our sister church, Enough Ministries, to help us start replacing water-damaged tiles in our worship center. We want to thank this team from Faithbridge Church for their hard work!
OUR SMALL GROUP WAS (FINALLY) ABLE TO START BACK UP! Because of all the unexpected events and travel, we have had to be on break for the past 6 weeks, so we are very happy to be able to meet together again! We anticipate that another couple will join us soon! Our group is so treasured by us, and we are thankful for fellowship with them and for time in God’s Word together with them.
COMING UP…
Robyn’s mom comes to visit August 20 through the end of October
Trey’s mom comes to visit September 15-20
Three mission teams will be here to support us in September and October
Glen Hope Baptist Church, Burlington, NC
First Baptist Church of Georgetown, TX
FBC Lenoir City, TN
We start Financial Peace University classes in September
We have a women’s retreat and a men’s retreat
Fall Festival in October
Multiple discipling events
WE REMAIN THANKFUL FOR YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS FOR US. Robyn said to a friend the other day that “normal is a moving target we will never hit.” We are rather comfortable with that!
PRAYER NEEDS:
Pray for Barre and surrounding communities. The percentage of those in the state of Vermont who claim “None” as a religious preference (meaning Atheist or Agnostic) is currently at 46%. WE NEED MORE WORKERS HERE!
We are currently seeking the next family or individual who would commit to a 2-year residency with our church to assist with the ministries at Faith Community Church while developing relationships and praying toward planting a church in Vermont.On that note, pray for our church. We continue to see growth numerically and in deep discipleship, but there is so much work to do. Pray as we work to raise up disciplemakers within our own congregation.
Pray for our Fall outreaches and retreats for women and men.
Pray for our partner churches in the area including new church plants/relaunches in Williamstown and Montpelier.
Pray for our extended families. It is difficult to be away from them during this season with so many joys and sorrows. Please pray for us as we continue to carry out this mission God has called us to. The sacrifices are many, but we press on.
In Christ,
Trey & Robyn Cates
12 Cassie Street
Barre, VT 05641
mhcates3@gmail.com / trey@fccbarre.org
HOW TO GIVE TO OUR MINISTRY
Tax-deductible donations can be made through our sponsor church. Make checks payable to the following:
Faith Community Church
30 Jones Brothers Way
Barre, VT 05641
Please write “Cates-VT Church Planting” in the memo line.
Online Donations can be made at:
https://pushpay.com/g/fccbarre
Please write “Cates-VT Church Planting” in the memo line.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our newsletter by clicking HERE
