Andrew Butz

Hello all!! My name is Andrew Butz. Along with the VandeLinde family I too am working toward joining the Eastern Dominican Christian Mission. Hopefully through reading this you will be able to get to know me a bit and learn about my part in God’s work trough EDCM.

It feels like it has taken me a lifetime to reach this point. The point where I feel like God physically placed me, in my place, in His plan. When I first started my course of study at Cincinnati Christian University all I knew was that God had brought me there, to bring me somewhere else as soon as my degree had been reached. So I eagerly set out to find the avenue where I would work to further God’s kingdom. I pursued every available opportunity, to serve and work that presented it’s self to me. Everything that I tried to do failed, or did not lead to long term work, for one reason or another. But through all those failed attempts I did learn that I loved church camp ministry and overseas ministry. It wasn’t until I literally gave up searching and pushing for something to happen that this opportunity fell into my lap.

I got invited on a short – term mission trip to the Dominican Republic that Cincinnati Christian University was taking. Someone had raised nearly all the money for the trip but had fallen ill four days before the trip was supposed to leave. Since I knew the professors leading the trip they asked me if I could go. Both of my bosses gave me the week off on short notice and before I knew what was going on I was in the DR working with other college students, alongside Rick and Suzanne York for a week. During this week I learned something about Rick and Suzanne’s work and mission and their plans for the future. Rick mentioned that they were looking for two couples to join EDCM and help them; one couple to help plant churches, and one couple to start a church camp. While I am not a couple I voiced my interest, and was invited down for an extended stay that summer.

So now, to no fault of my own this is where God has placed me, joining EDCM to start a camp ministry. Through this camp, I am hoping to accomplish many things. This camp will be a light of Christian hope to the community that it resides in. It will be a place to teach the youth and young adults, of the churches that have already been planted by EDCM, how to mentor and cultivate other young believers. It will also be a place that will someday be lead and run completely by Dominicans providing them with a home and an income. This camp/conference center will also be able to earn money that will help the church plants in La Romana and Punta Cana become self sufficient.
I am so very thankful that God has decided to use me in this project and others to come. I hope this brief description of me and what I will be doing is of some help and encouragement to you. Please join with us in prayer and support of this project and the other projects mentioned in this site.

God Bless,
Andrew Butz

andrewtbutz@gmail.com