EST 2015

radOUTREACH

R.A.D. (Reaching out in Active Discipleship) is Radiant Church’s community outreach team, bringing neighbors together to serve and support those in need.

RAD OUTREACH
FOUNDERS

Our outreach team began in March 2015 when Pastor Jeremy Carmichael invited Mike and Michele Gregson to form a team to serve meals at Refuel Friday. That same month, we served our first meal and soon committed to providing one Friday meal each month.

As the team grew, we recognized broader needs in our community. We launched a backpack and school supply drive, filling 26 backpacks and donating extra supplies to local schools. Later that year, we hosted our first Christmas Day dinner alongside Refuel Friday, serving 85 meals and providing gifts, photos with Santa, and more.

Today, our two largest annual events remain the School Supply Drive and Christmas Dinner. In addition, we offer financial assistance when possible (rent, utilities, gas), distribute food boxes, and respond to seasonal or urgent needs within our community.

OVER THE YEARS

  • The team handed out 50 filled backpacks and served 162 people at our Christmas dinner, which included Santa, gifts, and festive activities.

  • We distributed 116 backpacks and held our first dinner and auction fundraiser, raising $2,300 to support our efforts. The team adopted 24 families and hosted another Christmas Day dinner with Santa and gifts for 87 attendees. To accommodate growing participation, we moved our events to Hathaway Elementary School.

  • As community needs increased, we expanded our support to include financial assistance for rent, utilities, gas, hotels, food, hygiene items, daycare, and household needs. Our backpack event in the park served 230 children, who enjoyed lunch and shopped for school supplies. The second annual dinner and auction raised $4,200. That year, we adopted 33 families and served 116 meals at Christmas, continuing our tradition of Santa, gifts, and sharing tables.

  • We provided financial assistance for rent, utilities, food, daycare, gas, and hotel stays. The back-to-school event served 326 children with backpacks and supplies, creating a fun family day with volunteers assisting in selecting items by grade level. We provided Thanksgiving dinner to 28 families and adopted 35 families for Christmas, serving over 100 meals. Christmas Day included Santa, photos, gifts, and sharing tables with essentials such as jackets, blankets, shoes, hygiene items, and food.

  • Despite COVID-19 challenges, we continued to offer financial support for rent, utilities, gas, motel stays, and travel needs. While the backpack event and dinner and auction fundraiser could not be held, we stayed connected with schools to assist families and anticipated supporting families through Christmas adoptions.

  • Throughout our history, 100% of funds raised have gone directly to helping community members in need. Donations of time and resources have made a significant impact, enabling us to meet both seasonal and urgent needs within our community.

For more information on donating or volunteering, please contact Mike and Michelle Gregson:

Mike Gregson: 360-721-9902
Michele Gregson: 360-281-1125
Email: radoutreach2017@gmail.com

There are many ways to help families in our community celebrate Christmas with food and gifts they might not otherwise receive. You can help fill food boxes for 35 adopted families—nominated locally and in partnership with the Camas/Washougal school districts—by donating items from our Food Donations List.

If you’d like to volunteer to pack food boxes, wrap gifts, or help distribute them, please contact our team.

Christmas Opportunities

JOIN OUR RAD OUTREACH MINISTRY TEAM

R.A.D. (Reaching out in Active Discipleship) is a community outreach team from Radiant Church, operating under its 501(c)(3) status. Our team includes both church members and local residents, and we serve everyone in the community—no church affiliation required.