April Newsletter, 2018 Rick McPherson
Don Cline the founder of Frontier Missions has passed from this life and entered his eternal reward. He was 95 years of age.
Born in Scappoose Creek, Oregon, Don was ordained with the Wesleyan Methodist Church and pastored in the Pacific Northwest before assuming oversight responsibilities for the denomination in this area. While moose hunting in British Columbia, Canada, he encountered a great spiritual need in the Native community. Because of a personal conviction to not hunt on Sundays, he offered a Gospel service instead for the community. Natives, hunters, loggers and cowboys gathered. After the message several responded to commit their lives to Christ as their Savior. One of them was a big Indian! He pleaded, “Come and help us. The nearest church is one hundred miles away and we only have horses. Please, help us!”
Later that night as Don prayed and walked the perimeter of a rustic horse corral, he called out to God, “Why don’t You do something? Why don’t You help these people?” The response Don heard from God that starry night in western Canada surprised him, “Why don’t you?”
That simple question was the beginning of Frontier Missions. The ministry formed with volunteers, pickup trucks, trailers and anything and everything that could be collected and taken to reservations across the country. Groceries, clothing, boots and household items were delivered and the Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached. As years passed the old pickup trucks became shiny big rigs with names like International, Western Star, Peterbilt and Freightliner. The trailers got bigger and better and bore names like Great Dane and Fruehauf.
Native Americans on reservations as far away as Rose Bud and Pine Ridge, South Dakota; Crow Agency and Wolf Point, Montana; Warm Springs and Celilo, Oregon; White Swan and Quinault, Washington; have all been affected by the positive message of God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness.
Now serving the Native American community, both urban and rural, under the name, Pacific NW Outreach, Inc., the ministry continues. We have Native pastors, tribal leaders and community organizers who are on the ground in the reservations we serve helping every hour, every day, every week. The ministry continues to grow and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We are still responding to the plea of that big Indian in British Columbia who said, “Please, help us!”
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US, HELP THEM.
*****