About Wind River Reservation
Wind River Indian Reservation is the 7th largest Indian reservation in the United States. It is located in the desolate, but beautiful, state of Wyoming and is home to the Northern Arapaho Indians and the Eastern Shoshone Indians.
The Native Americans have often been called the forsaken and forgotten people, yet God has not forgotten them. Where broken treaties have betrayed them and history has cast them aside, God has a redemptive plan to revive, raise up, and restore this unreached people group.
Why We Exist
Foundations For Nations is a a ministry dedicated to the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Indians on the Wind River Reservation. We provide a safe and positive environment for the Native youth, families, and community. We have a local church with weekly services and Bible studies and have outreaches to the community through our food pantry, sports camps, vbs, and after school programs.
2021 Impact Report
Salvations
We saw 100 people commit their lives to follow Jesus, and our church attendance tripled.
People Fed
We were able to serve 9,500 people by giving out over 56,000 pounds of food to families in need.
Teams
We had 16 missions teams help with kids club and community outreaches impacting hundreds of lives with the Gospel.
COMING SOON
New Church Building & Recreation Center
We are excited for our new building on the Wind River Reservation to be able to serve the community in a greater capacity. Our projected opening date is October 2022.
Domestic Violence Shelter
Our women's domestic violence shelter will be a safe place for women who have been in abusive relationships. It will be a place where healing can begin and hope can be restored.
Meet Jason & Sarah Lucas
Jason and Sarah felt God leading them to start a ministry on the Wind River Reservation, so they moved their family to Wyoming in May of 2017 to birth Foundations For Nations.
Both Jason and Sarah had served in numerous ministry leadership roles and have been on multiple missions trips before feeling called to the Wind River Reservation. Jason graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a business degree and biblical studies, and Sarah graduated from Charis Bible College where she studied ministry and missions. Both Jason and Sarah are licensed ministers and serve as lead pastors of Foundations For Nations Church.
Meet Our Board
We believe in partnership and accountability. Team is a vital part of any ministry. Our ministry operates under the covering of our board and our sending church, Church For All Nations in Colorado Springs.
Pastor Sam Abbott
With rich heritage going back to the 1920’s when his grandfather, C.J. Abbott, was preaching the gospel and walking in supernatural power, Sam and his wife Judy have carried on the legacy and have been pastoring since 1975. They also operate a retreat center for pastors. Pastor Sam studied at Lee University and Church of God Theological Seminary. He has a passion for making disciples in the kingdom, planting churches, equipping pastors on the mission field, and spreading a passion for prayer among God’s people.
Niki Tippets
Niki Tippets served in the Peace Corps in Poland in the mid 1990s. She pursued a career in natural resources with Grand Teton National Park before moving to Riverton to become a Residential Real Estate Appraiser. In 2003, Niki surrendered her life to Christ. She has a passion to serve wherever needed and has been involved with Foundations For Nations Church since their very first service in 2017. Living adjacent to the Wind River Indian Reservation for 20 years has given Niki a heart for serving the Native community and helping them come to know Christ.
Wendy Orthober
Wendy has a degree in accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant. She worked as a CFO and in Investor Relations. She is currently an elder of Crossroads Presbyterian church serving in Missions and Outreach. Wendy loves her family, is active in her church and community, enjoys traveling, and is passionate about sharing the love of God with others to bring them closer to Him. Wendy met Jason and Sarah on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 2015, and they have stayed connected ever since.
Clay Caldwell
Clay grew up in a Christian but walked away from his faith. Like the prodigal son returning home, Clay attended Charis Bible College and graduated from 3rd Year Ministry School in 2015. He joined the staff as the Mission Coordinator Assistant leading students on trips all around the world and now serves as the Student Life Activities Manager. He hosts a show called "Charis Talks" where he captures the awesome testimonies of students. Clay is an avid outdoor enthusiast who has hiked all of the 58 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks and Kilimanjaro and hopes to hike Everest Base Camp soon!
WHAT WE BELIEVE
TRINITY
We believe that God is the eternal Father and Creator of all things. He has always existed in three persons - Father, Son, Holy Spirit (Gen 1:1-3).
SALVATION
We believe that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, died for our sins, and resurrected from the dead on the third day to freely offer salvation to all who call on and put faith in Him (Rom. 10:13). He is the only way to heaven and the only name that can be called upon to gain eternal life (Acts 4:12).
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that God sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to go out and be witnesses (Acts 1:8). Just as the Father sent His Son into the world, now Jesus sends us to be His ambassadors to a lost and hurting world (Jn. 20:21). The Holy Spirit gives us gifts and causes us to bear fruit in order to carry out God’s will (1 Cor. 12:11,12).
OUR MISSION
We believe that love sums up the law. We need to love God with all that we are and love our neighbors as ourselves (Mt. 22:37-39). By our love will they know that we are His disciples (John 13:35).
THE FALL
We believe that God created man in His image (Gen. 1:27), but man rebelled against God, introducing sin into this world (Rom. 5:12). Ever since then, all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
THE SON
We believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and came to usher in the kingdom of God which is already here, but not yet revealed in its fullness (Mt. 4:17). He deserves to be the Savior and Lord of our lives (Rom. 10:9). As a result, we need to die to ourselves, forsake all, take up our crosses, and follow Him (Luke 14:27).
THE BIBLE
We believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God and the final authority and standard by which we should live (1 Tim. 3:16).
THE CHURCH
We believe that it is the responsibility of the Church to take the Gospel into the entire world as a testimony to all nations (Mt. 24:14). Every member in the body of Christ must play a role in building the kingdom of God, and taking the Good News to all creation, making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus taught (Mt. 28:18-20).