July 5-11, 2026
Team Leaders
Jonny and Amy
Hadley
TRIP DETAILS:
Duration: One week plus travel and touring. Camp dates are from July 5-11, 2026
Location: Čelákovice, Czech Republic
Churches:
Cirkev Bratrska Čelákovice
Eastside Community Church, Jacksonville, Florida
Our team will help staff a family 'English' camp, which is an evangelistic outreach ministry of our partnering church in Čelákovice.
At the camp we will
* Lead small group discussions using Bible passages as starting points
*Organize and participate in group activities and programs
*Interact one-on-one to build friendships and share the gospel
Prayer Requests:
* Team preparation: We are currently meeting as a team to plan for the camp lessons and activities. Pray that our times together would be productive and that we would be diligent in our individual preparations.
* Camp attendees: The Czech church has been inviting people and the camp is nearly filled to capacity. Pray that those yet to believe would be ready to hear and respond to the gospel. Pray that believers who attend would be encouraged and strengthened in their faith.
*Camp Curriculum: Pray for those planning the teaching material and activities.
*Unity: Pray that we would be unified as a team and that the three churches can work well together both before and during the camp.
*Support: Pray that the cost of travel and other camp expenses will be provided.
MEET THE TEAM
The McCormicks
Our family is so excited to be returning to Czechia this year for our second English Camp. Last year the trip was a bright spot in our year, being a time of adventure as a family, the opportunity to minister alongside one-another, and to see our kids enjoy friendships that can easily blossom on a trip like this. It gave us many opportunities to lead them by example and instruction, and to experience together the joy that comes from partnering with our brothers and sisters around the world for the sake of the gospel. We and our kids left with a deep affection for those whom we met during our short time there and knowing that we would want to return and see the Lord build on what he was doing through His church in Čelákovice.
Jonny is on staff with Southwest Bible Church as Music Director, and this year he plans to travel ahead of the rest of the team to lead a discipleship-focused workshop with the musicians who lead worship at the church and at camp. Lord willing, he will be joined by Krista Brown & Hadley Yoder, and the time will be organized around fellowship, skill-building, and spiritual formation for those who lead in congregational worship. Please pray for this time!
Amy is a full-time Realtor, helping her mom to run their family-owned brokerage, Bella Casa Real Estate Group. At Southwest, she has served in a variety of capacities from nursery, to short term missions, to Women's Bible Studies, and developed a love for teaching the bible through working alongside Bincy in the women's ministry at Southwest.
As we prepare to go again, we would love your prayers for our children, Max (14), Emmy (12), and Gemma (9). It is our desire to see them recognize this as an opportunity for them to lead by serving, to grow in their own faith, and to be bold in sharing that faith with the friends they interact with during our time there.
Hadley
Hey, I’m Hadley: Resident extrovert who is always down for a nerdy or rousing conversation, downs tea like I’m trying to drink it into extinction, plays fiddle, hikes, and sometimes swing dances (though usually not all at the same time), and makes and wears funky clothes. On the boring work end of things, I’m a production lead for a local leather goods company. Which actually isn’t that boring – especially when paired with a good audiobook.
So. Czechia’s got me in a stranglehold…in the best possible way. I decided to dedicate part of my love for travel, exploration, and hanging out with people to this trip in 2019. Seven years and four camps later, I’ve been so blessed by Cirkev Bratrska Celakovice and getting to join a little part of the ministry that they do in their community and the surrounding area. It’s my hope to encourage the believers there as they follow Jesus, and to have (and continue) conversations with those who don’t yet follow Jesus in hopes that they find the hope that there is in Jesus.
Olivia
Hello! My name is Olivia. I am a violinist who teaches and plays in various places around the Pacific Northwest. For the past few years, I have found myself praying for God to use me more. Although He has given me many opportunities to share the gospel with some of my students and coworkers, I have wanted the opportunity to do this in a more focused way. I am excited to work side by side with my brothers and sisters in Christ to spread the love of Jesus to people who need to hear. This will be my first missions trip, and although a part of me is nervous, I am also looking forward with great expectation to see what God will do.
Casimir
Hello, Casimir here! I am an enthusiastic, outdoor activity loving, people person who loves to serve others and lift the mood. Some of my favorite activities include hiking, biking, longboarding, photography, and building speakers. Aside from these hobbies, most of my time is spent working as a school bus driver for Beaverton School District, serving in multiple different ministries at SWBible, and hanging out with friends and family.
I was blessed to be born and raised near Portland Oregon by a family who loves the Lord. I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of my life at a young age, and have been learning to love the Lord and follow Him through different good and hard seasons of my life since then. I want to devote my life to serving Him, loving others, and learning to trust and depend on Him in everything.
Last year, in summer 2025 I was blessed to be able to go to Czechia with a lot of these same wonderful people, and I am excited to see what the Lord does this year! I am particularly excited because having gone last year, I already know and have relationships with people in the church and camp that we will be partnering with, so it will be great to be able to just pick up where we left off last year, and have that depth of relationship already.
Comfort
Hi, I’m Comfort! In the last few years, I have been learning so much about God’s goodness and growing closer to Him. Along with this, I have been wanting to learn how to tell others about him – which has never been comfortable or easy for me. This was one of the reasons I applied to be on the English Camp team last year. Even though I only had a few spiritual conversations with people on that trip, it was amazing to work alongside all the other believers and watch how they were faithfully representing the Lord in their conversations and actions. It was especially helpful to see this in a cross-cultural context with believers from Oregon, from Florida, and from Czechia all doing this side by side and using the different gifts God had given them to serve him. Since that trip, God has given me more boldness to talk about the Lord with people I know at work and in daily life – although I still struggle with fear and often miss opportunities. I am looking forward to continuing to grow in this area.
I am so excited to be part of the English Camp in Čelákovice for the second time. After going last year, I got a glimpse of how special the English Camp ministry is, both in encouraging the local church, and in helping them reach out to their friends and neighbors with the gospel. The camp is a unique environment where people are much more willing to open up about personal and spiritual things than they would be in everyday Czech culture. I am particularly looking forward to reconnecting with people from last year and am praying for opportunities to go deeper in conversations where friendships have already been started. I would appreciate your partnership in prayer with me and the rest of the team for discernment as we connect with people – to know when to speak and when to listen, and to have words to speak at the right time.
Katie
I am so incredibly thankful to have been able to be part of the Czech mission trip last year and have been praying for the church, the people and the country since my return last summer. The Lord blessed me and my time last year in Czech and I was able to form deep connections with both believers and non-believers whom I have been able to continue to keep in contact with. I am so excited to be able to return this year to continue to foster those relationships. It is such an encouragement to see the global reality of the unity of the body of Christ and to be able to encourage and strengthen fellow believers living in a place that has been hardened against the Lord. Additionally, I look forward to continuing my friendships with the non-believers and pray that they see the truth and their need for Christ and my genuine love for them as a result of God's love for us
Pavel and Cathy
Hello, we are Pavel and Cathy. We came to faith in Christ in the early 80’s through the witness of friends and the teaching of Pastor Scott. We have been at Southwest Bible Church since that time and have enjoyed serving together in past years as Sunday school teachers and for many years as home group Bible study leaders. Pavel serves in the care ministry and in the Monday morning men’s Bible study and Cathy serves with the Moms to Moms ministry. We were able to be part of the ministry team for the 2023 Czech English/Bible Camp and loved sharing our faith with non-believing Czechs and meeting many Czech believers. Pavel was born in Czechia and lived there until he was nineteen years old. It is a joy to return to the land of his birth with the good news of Jesus Christ. We very much look forward to renewing friendships and sharing the love of Christ with the many Czechs we met at the 2023 camp.
Erin
On the Czech 2023 trip, I didn't know I was going until 6 weeks before when they needed me to jump in. I've always heard about this trip and the amazing opportunities, but seeing first-hand was incredible. Over 150 people came and heard the gospel over and over for a week long camp and how Jesus has changed our lives. Like I mentioned, I love people and my greatest passion in life is them knowing Jesus. I made so many deep connections the last trip in 2023, and I believe that there is great need for returners to go and continue discipleship relationship. I feel that the Lord would use this scenario of returning mightily.
Gibby
Hello, my name is Alex (although a lot of you may know me as Gibby). I have been attending Southwest for 11 years and have been a believer for 8. I first got connected to Southwest during my freshman year of high school through meeting Pastor Justin Vanier at a school outreach event. I decided to put my faith in Jesus for the first time in my senior year of high school, at a SWYouth retreat. This will be my second mission trip overseas, and my first year attending the Czech English camp, and I am looking forward to seeing God’s global church in action again. I think the opportunities I’ve had in serving kids, youth, and young adults at Southwest will transfer well over to the age demographics I’ll be working with at Czech. I am praying that in the meantime, God will give me a heart of patience and the ability to bring up good Gospel-centered conversations with Czechs. I am also excited to work with, and encourage the Czech believers in their ministry.