On Mission in VT - May 2026

May 20

WE DO NOT FREQUENTLY ASK FOR SPECIFIC FINANCIAL SUPPORT, but we do have an event coming up that could use that kind of support. Please see the end of this newsletter for more details.

THREE MORE MONTHS HAVE COME AND GONE since our last newsletter, and, true to Cates form, we have filled the days with much activity. Here are the high points:

MARCH

One of our teens was baptized! We have known this young lady since she was a baby and her mother would bring her to our church plant in Northfield. When we returned to the state in 2022, we found that the family was living in the Barre area. They have been active in our church since 2023.
We had the opportunity to travel to Alabama to visit our precious granddaughter and her equally precious parents. Travel there and back was quite the adventure with delayed and cancelled flights, being rescued by friends, and two pigs (we’ll tell you all about it if you ask). Time with family was worth it all. We have included a few pictures of that visit with this newsletter.
We ended the month with an Easter Event and Egg Hunt at the church. An estimated 250 people attended. Trey shared a gospel presentation, and the children enjoyed crafts and an egg hunt. We love how our church works together to make this event happen, with an egg stuffing party happening the week before and so many helping with set-up and clean-up afterwards.

APRIL

We had two rounds of snow in April as winter dragged on for us. Easter was a cold one, but we had much to celebrate! A young man in our church was baptized. He started attending our church a couple of years ago due to his involvement in Night to Shine, a prom for the special needs community that our church hosts every year. His dad started attending with him soon after and now leads one of our men’s small groups. We are so thankful for the movement of God’s Holy Spirit in both of their lives!
We have seen such growth in our church, both in numbers and in depth of Christian walk. 125 people came on Easter Sunday, and we are now averaging 100 in attendance. Our small groups and Bible studies continue to multiply. Church members and attendees are inviting friends and family members, and they are getting plugged in.
Our youth had a Deep Freeze reunion in the middle of the month. Deep Freeze is the annual winter retreat the youth attend, and we take teens from about six different area churches to this retreat. They join with teens from all over New England. This reunion was an opportunity to get our Central Vermont teens together for fellowship and worship. The teens planned out the service and helped with leading it.
The women hosted a virtual event called FEAST. The teaching was led by Bible teacher Kristi McLelland and focused on the importance and meaning of Sabbath rest. We had about 20 women attend the all-day event, and the response was so strong, we hosted a rewatch of the teaching videos about two weeks later.
Our FPU (Financial Peace University) class wrapped up at the end of the month. We spent 9 weeks with 13 individuals who wanted to learn strategies for money management and getting out of debt. It was our first time to facilitate the class, and we have plans to do it again in the fall!

MAY

We hosted another Shine On event for our special needs community. This time of food, fellowship, and worship is something that our leadership team looks forward to, and we are thankful for those who attend. Please pray for us as we seek more ways to share the love of Jesus with those who have special needs.
Our women hosted a Ladies Tea. 56 women, most from our church but many from surrounding churches, attended the event. We are thankful for opportunities to gather with believers in our area, and our ladies are always encouraged by the fellowship and the teaching that happens at these events.
The men just returned from Iron Sharpens Iron, a one-day conference for men. Twelve men, representing ages 18 to close to 60, traveled to Manchester, NH, for the event. They came back challenged and strengthened.

COMING UP

We are moving into the summer months, which means VBS and other activities for children and youth. Please be in prayer for us as we welcome a mission team from First Baptist Church of Albertville, Alabama, who will be assisting us in our VBS. Rachel, David, and Valorie are also coming up to help in that event (and to give us a little time with our granddaughter!).

While the team is here, we will be working with Jesse and Grace Bradley, who have come to relaunch a church in Montpelier. We are so thankful for their work with a church that was crippled by the flood of 2023. Although the damage to their building was beyond their ability to repair, a remnant kept on meeting. The Bradleys have recently come to the area and have worked with that remnant through the relaunch process. The church will relaunch as The Branches (see John 15), and we will work with them on an outreach on the 4th of July. Please pray for the Bradleys and for their church. They have already endured resistance from some in the community, but they are people of much perseverance.

AND NOW ABOUT THE FINANCIAL NEED:

Robyn is on the leadership team for a women’s retreat scheduled in late September. This retreat is for all women in the New England area. The Baptist Churches of New England (our association) is sponsoring the event and helping with advertising, registration, and funding. The team has made every effort to minimize costs for this event, with several volunteering their time and talents, a mission team from Alabama committing to providing meals and their service in preparing and serving those meals, and the retreat center itself giving them a discount. They have managed to get the cost down to $125 per person for the two-night, 3-day event.

However, our area of New England has been greatly affected by the cost of living. We have several women who struggle with making ends meet on a monthly basis, despite, in some cases, working full-time with some part-time work on the side. For them, a retreat is a luxury.

The leadership team longs to make it possible for all women to attend this retreat, and they are establishing a fund for scholarships to be disbursed as needed. The women receiving these scholarships would contribute what they can for the retreat with the remainder of their balance coming from this fund.

If you can help in any way, send a check to Faith Community Church, 30 Jones Brothers Way, Barre, VT 05641. Please write "BCNE Women's Retreat Scholarship Fund" in the memo line. If you desire acknowledgement of receipt, please let us know by including that wording when you mail the check.

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. Again, we need more seasoned believers to partner with us in this endeavor as we work to raise up disciplemakers within our own congregation.
Pray for our VBS outreach coming up next month.
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.

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