End of the Year Update 2024

As the year winds down, we take time to reflect on some of the highlights. We thank you for your friendship, prayers, financial support and encouragement. We’ll take a look back at 2024 through four lenses: our local ministry, regional ministry, national and international ministry and some family updates.

Local Ministry

We are entering our 16^th year of ministry in Los Angeles both through our church, Fuente LA, and our mission’s organization, World Impact.

Highlights of 2024

WINTER YOUTH CAMP: 

We sent our teens with and one of our leaders to an impactful retreat in the mountains. Chad also led two breakout sessions on trauma healing – one for the teens and one for the youth workers. 

Winter Youth Camp '24 - Gathering for our General Session

SHARING THE WORD: 

We started a new leadership training cohort to train people how to study the Bible and work on sermon preparation. This cohort created and shared three Sunday sermon series (which spanned over 35 weeks).

EASTER COMMUNITY OUTREACH / BAPTISMS: 

We had around 100 folks come to our four-day event at the park. Children learned about the meaning behind Easter as they played games, sang songs and created crafts. Back at our church, our children’s ministry put together a fun skit for all our guests. We celebrated the new life with baptisms and lots of yummy food. 

Children gather at our Bible Club for songs and skits after working on their crafts.

It's so fun gathering families together and having fun together in the park!

SERVE TEAMS: 

As we’ve built back our leadership structure since the pandemic one of the things we’ve looked at a little differently is how to release more ownership for the ministry we are doing without putting too much on just a few key people. That led us to create short-term serve teams who dreamed up, planned, organized and implemented events such as our:

• Mother’s Day Women’s Brunch Outreach
• Father’s Day Family Fun Day
• Thanksgiving Outreach
• Christmas Banquet

Group of women at Fuente's Mother's Day Brunch

A group took a short hike during the Family Fun Day

We handed out 50 turkeys and shared about 100 meals with those most in need.

Plans for 2025….

Please be in prayer for us as we:

• Launch an English Ministry.

• Expand as we begin using the building next to our church for “Exercise and Wellbeing” classes to help meet needs in our neighborhood and bridge into “relational and spiritual wellbeing” conversations with the unreached.

• Wait on direction (wisdom, finances, etc.) about purchasing the building we have used as our church home for the last 15 years or what next steps to take when it is put on the market. 

Regional Ministry

Chad is entering his second year as the Regional Senior Ministry Developer over the Western US at World Impact.

Highlights of 2024

DEEPENING: 

We have deepened our impact throughout Southern California through various events and trainings this year networking with over 100 churches and ministries. We have a monthly pastor’s breakfast where we network and equip leaders with various topics such as: how to identify and develop great leaders, making a difference in our city’s homelessness problem, taking care of yourself so you can continue to care for others and much more.

Empowering Los Angeles event at Biola University (above) and a Pastor’s Prayer Breakfast in Los Angeles (below). 

EXPANDING: 

We also have focused on expanding out ministry into Las Vegas, Fresno and San Diego. This is the first time World Impact has done anything in Nevada, and it has been exciting to begin to grow a network there. We have also been sharing on platforms like podcasts and leading webinars to connect everyone and continue to provide helpful content. 

Conferences we held in Las Vegas (above) and Fresno (below).

DEVELOPING: 

Our team is growing as we look to empower catalytic partners. These regional expansion efforts are made possible through the key relationships with leaders who are already doing great things in their respective cities. 

Pastor George shares his church planting strategy as we tour the neighborhood in North Las Vegas.

Pastor Mark (San Diego) and Chaplain Lalo (Rosarito) in a Mexican jail providing discipleship materials, Bibles, tamales and hygiene packets.

Pastor Jacob and some of the guys from his Inpatient Discipleship program (for those in addiction recovery and/or being released from prison) in Fresno.

Plans for 2025….

Please be in prayer for us as we:

• Look to hire another person for our team (let us know if you have any leads).

• Look to train and launch 30 new church plant teams in 2025.

• Begin exploring expansion opportunities into the Pacific NW and Arizona.

National/International Ministry

Beyond the Western Region, we have had an impact on several other areas this year through our leadership in the Spanish Ministry at World Impact.

Highlights of 2024

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: 

As we reported at the start of the year, a team of 10 from our church was able to minister in the DR providing Trauma Healing Facilitator Training for 26 individuals from 12 different ministries and some other support. 

Spanish Trauma Healing Facilitator Training in La Vega, DR

MEXICO: 

Fabiola was able to attend a gathering for the church planting network that we are part of in Mexico and have a short visit with her family there. We continue to sow into that network as more churches are being planted in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. 

Pastors responding to a call during a church planting network conference in Mexico. 

DALLAS: 

Chad is the lead Spanish trainer for World Impact’s Trauma Healing program and has been working on building out a volunteer training team to facilitate the growing need. This required several trips to other cities, the primary destination being Dallas. Beyond helping 3 trainers grow and advance in their certification he was able to train another 20 in our Healing Groups.

Spanish Trauma Healing Facilitator Training in Dallas

Plans for 2025….

Please be in prayer for us as we:

• Lead trauma healing facilitator trainings in Mexicali (January) and Rosarito (April).

• Work to identify, train and release a team of Spanish speaking, trauma informed trainers that can begin to allow our reach to expand and keep up with demand.

• Potentially take a larger strategic and leadership role in growing the Spanish ministry reach (nationally and eventually internationally) at World Impact.

Wolyn Family Updates

Here are some updates on each one of us this year:

Beniah (10) is in 5th grade and brings so much joy and laughter to our home. He is good at sports and at home can beat all of us at two square. He continues to be an avid reader enjoying a variety of things from historical fiction to graphic novels. He also worked hard with Chad to plant and harvest some large watermelon this summer. 

Chad & Beniah with one of their delicious watermelon.

Justice (17) started driving this year and is a Senior in high school. He enjoyed his last year of football and is involved on the ministry team, in fact, he just wrote a drama script and put on a production for his school’s chapel.  He has been accepted into a couple universities already. He is planning on studying Christian Ministries and leaning heavily at choosing Biola University as his school. 

Justice played defensive end and running back.

Rebecca (19) is in her second year at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth studying Elementary Education and volunteering at her church there in the children’s ministry. She also has a focus in Spanish and will be studying for one month in Barcelona this summer. She has a job on campus and is involved in bringing attention and help to those that have suffered domestic abuse through her sorority.

Rebecca in her Sophomore dorm at TCU. Go Frogs!

Fabiola leads the prayer group at Justice’s high school and has been networking and growing that group of parents and grandparents. She also volunteers at Beniah’s school 1-2 times a week. She continues to meet with a lot of the women at church for counseling, mentorship and pastoral care as well as lead the children’s ministry. She teaches English classes and continues to be one of the most evangelistic people around, making friends and sharing Christ with virtually everyone we pass. 

Fabiola surrounded by part of the prayer team she leads.

Chad and Fabiola celebrated 20 years of marriage and found a fun walk along the beach that we both enjoyed a lot. He also was able to enjoy an overnight backpacking trip with Rebecca (her first) and discovered how fun pickleball can be. He thought it was fun to be able to see a few friends and family when he, Rebecca and Beniah travelled through Texas to drop off Rebecca at college. 

Chad & Fabiola enjoying time together on a beach walk.

Plans for 2025….

Please be in prayer for us:

• Quality family time…we are so thankful for seasons like Christmas where we are able to spend more time together. Pray that God will keep us and hold us as a family as we continue to grow and serve.

• Finances…with Rebecca at college and Justice headed that way we are more and more aware of the need to depend on God and ask for Him to provide. Please pray for all the needed funding to come through for college, ministry and personal needs (i.e. one of our cars probably won’t be with us much longer). 

Wishing you a Christ-filled Christmas and a blessed 2025!

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and Beniah Wolyn