SHORELINE, WA – The beginning of what is now the CRISTA Family of Ministries was clearly orchestrated by the hand of the Lord. When, in 1948, Mike Martin prayed to establish a youth home in an abandoned tuberculosis sanitorium, circumstances were not at all favorable. Nonetheless, the county eventually leased the property to Martin for $1.00 per year.

King’s Garden opened in 1949, not only as a youth home but also as a residence for senior citizens. Within two years, the ministry opened King’s Schools, offering a Christ-centered education before Christian schools became popular.

Within just a few years, King’s Garden began a radio broadcast and, eventually, a radio station. Twenty years after acquiring the property, the FBO changed its name to CRISTA to more accurately reflect its growing number of outreach programs in the Seattle area and around the globe.

Following is an impact statement on the seven entities that comprise the CRISTA Family of Ministries. The data reflect a typical year.

World Concern is a worldwide disaster and poverty relief ministry. More than seven million people in 15 countries are recipients of World Concern aid.

CRISTA Senior Living offers joy and purpose along with care and dignity to more than 1,600 senior citizens in two retirement communities that are part of “intergenerational” campuses.

King’s Schools now inspires, educates, and equips more than 1,300 students, 98 percent of whom continue their education beyond high school.

CRISTA Media reaches more than 850,000 radio listeners each week. Its SPIRIT 105.3 FM station is consistently ranked among the top five radio stations in the Seattle area.

CRISTA Camps serve more than 26,000 campers at Island Lake and Miracle Ranch in the forests west of Puget Sound. CRISTA Camps Operation Xtreme is a unique camping experience design, especially for the children of military personnel.

The Christian Veterinary Mission shares the Gospel with about 52,000 people per year while treating more than 130,000 heads of livestock. (Where indigent farmers are undernourished and sick, their animals are also.) CRISTA sponsors 126 mission trips to 28 countries.

In the Fall of 2019, King’s Schools came under pressure to abandon its core belief that “sexual expression should occur only within a marriage between a man and a woman” after sending a letter clarifying the school’s values.

CRISTA CEO, Jacinta Tegman, defended the ministry’s stance on “historical biblical standards of morality” despite a public backlash that criticized other CRISTA core beliefs, including inerrancy and supreme and final authority of Scripture.

Pray for all the CRISTA Family of Ministries. Pray especially for the Lord to bless their unwavering commitment to the Word of God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To read more news on World Missions on Missions Box, go here.