FCFI Pennsylvania Northern Tier Chapter Shares the Gospel at the 2026 Virginia Farm Show – by Michael and Karen Steele

A view of the FCFI booth set-up. The five colored banners declaring the Wordless Bible were a hit hanging along the back wall. And people noticed the various tractor banners hung along the side rails

The Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International (FCFI) Pennsylvania Northern Tier Chapter recently attended the 2026 Virginia Farm Show at the Augusta Expo Center in Fishersville, Virginia. Despite chilly temperatures, the weather held out and the event saw one of the strongest turnouts in the history of the Virginia Farm Show.

The FCFI outreach team included Michael and Karen Steele of Williamsport, Pennsylvania; John Norris of Eagle Rock, Virginia; Johan Weiss of Fishersville, Virginia; and Bill McCaskill of Charlottesville, Virginia. Throughout the event, the team faithfully shared the Gospel and witnessed God at work in powerful ways.

One of the most encouraging highlights of the show was the opportunity to pray with 26 individuals who chose to receive Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives. In addition, the team distributed all 288 Wordless Walking Sticks they brought, along with zipper pulls, bookmarks, gel bracelets, pot holders, and leather cord lock bracelets—each serving as a tool to spark conversations and share the message of salvation.

On the third day of the show, Johan Weiss brought a case of Diatessaron booklets. The Diatessaron presents the four Gospels—along with portions of the Book of Acts—arranged in chronological order, with repeated stories combined to create a smooth and continuous account of the life of Jesus. These booklets were extremely popular, with half a case distributed in just a few hours.

During the event, Jim Spencer, an FDA supervisor overseeing West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., stopped by the FCFI booth. Mr. Spencer shared that he had been assigned by the Trump White House and spoke about the FDA’s efforts toward faith-based initiatives. As a board member of a Christian school, he was especially encouraged to hear about a recent testimony from the campfire community outreach at the Lehigh Valley RV Show. There, a seven-year-old boy asked Jesus into his heart while learning the Gospel, bringing tears of joy to his mother during the prayer. Mr. Spencer took photos of the FCFI banner, videos of the Wordless Bible display, and a short video with Michael Steele recounting the child’s experience.

Another meaningful interaction involved a neighboring vendor who had previously had a difficult experience with the church. She took a Diatessaron booklet back to her hotel room and returned the next morning to share that she had already read the first two chapters.

FCFI witness Bill McCaskill also learned more about the campfire community outreach during the show. After researching, he discovered that approximately 82 million Americans regularly camp in travel trailers or tents. He was amazed by the enormous outreach potential this ministry represents and expressed great enthusiasm for its future impact.

Michael Steele also spent time speaking with the three Virginia-based witnesses who served at the booth, discussing the possibility of starting a Virginia Chapter of FCFI.

Enjoy the pictures below of some of the amazing action that occurred:

A close up look at the table shows a nice neat collection of free items for the people all including the Wordless Bible colors

 FCFI witness John Norris shares with a local Amish farmer. John has an extensive background in farming and that allowed him to easily start conversation with many of the farmers

A mother listens in as FCFI witness Karen Steele tries to explain, as much as possible, the salvation message of Jesus to this little one

FCFI witness Johan Weiss has this gentleman’s full attention as they look at the lanyard with the five colors of the Wordless Bible attached to the Wordless Walking Stick

FCFI witness Bill McCaskill has the attention of these two farm boys! You can see Bill is down at their level sharing and is showing them the beaded lanyard

There are many farm families that come to the Virginia Farm Show. Here FCFI witness Karen Steele is down on one knee sharing the Gospel of Lord Jesus with this family with four children

Bill McCaskill hands a Wordless Walking Stick to this young mother with six of her family surrounding her. The Gospel goes out with every stick. Bill is sharing the message with her

FCFI witness Karen Steele has the attention of another farm family. She is asking the children if they know what each of the colors are and if they know what they represent

There were some very busy times at the FCFI booth. Here are three FCFI witnesses (John Norris on the right, Johan Weiss in the center, and Bill McCaskill on the left) all busy sharing the message

Another time when three FCFI witnesses were all busy out front of the FCFI booth sharing the salvation message of Lord Jesus. This became a very common scene

This time we have four busy FCFI witnesses. One vendor told us they had nobody stop while we had large groups all hearing the wonderful message of Jesus’ death and resurrection

One of the final scenes of the event has FCFI witness Johan Weiss down on his knees praying with an entire family to receive Jesus into their hearts and lives. After telling them about Jesus Johan asked if they would like to ask Him into their hearts. Dad said yes. The young man with the gray hood slipped down on his knees, bowed his head, and clasped his hands. Then they all went down. It was such an awesome scene. Thank you Lord Jesus!

Throughout the farm show, the FCFI booth remained busy, with many moments when three or four witnesses were simultaneously sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Farmers and their families responded very positively, and many expressed gratitude that there was a strong Christian presence at the event.

After the show concluded, the booth was quickly disassembled and packed into a GMC Acadia for the five-hour journey north. It was a rewarding and joy-filled experience for everyone involved, and Michael and Karen Steele expressed deep gratitude for the help, partnership, and friendships formed with the Virginia witnesses.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all FCFI supporters. Events like the Virginia Farm Show are possible because of your faithful giving and prayers. Lives are being changed, souls are coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are an important part of this work.

God’s Blessings to all of you!