Chuck Lenhart, left, of Frontier Harvest Ministries, shares his organization's message with a group of Chinese boys on one of his visits to China. Lenhart started Frontier Harvest Ministries with his wife, Wendy, in 2003. The nonprofit oversees church plants, trains church planters and sends workers into new areas to evangelize among the Chinese.

He may have been born in the U.S.A., but Chuck Lenhart feels quite at home in China.

Since receiving Bible education in 1987 from Dayspring Training Center in Tarentum, Lenhart and his Malaysian-born wife Wendy have had a heart for the people of Asia.

In 2003, the couple formed Frontier Harvest Ministries, a cross denominational nonprofit organization that oversees church plants, trains church planters and sends workers into new areas to evangelize among the Chinese.

The Center Township couple visits China five times a year, but they stay connected with their work via Skype and e-mail.

“We have planted 70 churches or more, each averaging 95 to 100 people,” Lenhart said. “Most of these churches meet in homes. Some are in the countryside, and others are in small country towns.”

The ministry also operates Bible schools, usually in rented facilities, and currently some 600 students are registered and serving in the churches.

“All of our full-time Bible teachers are older Christians who are from the churches we have planted,” Lenhart said.

Frontier Harvest Ministries has an annual budget of $1 million to $1.5 million, allowing Lenhart to do mission work full-time.

“We are a bilingual family, speaking both Mandarin Chinese and English. As a family, we have, and continue to, do extensive travel in China among unreached ethnic minority peoples,” explained Lenhart, whose son's Jared, 17, and Christopher, 13, also are involved.

“Our ambition in life is to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to places where his name has not yet been heard,” he said.

“We are blessed to receive financial support from our network of family and friends, our monthly newsletter and even from our website,” explained Lenhart about how the ministry is funded.

Lenhart also speaks to churches and makes presentations to Christian organizations and groups.

“Funds also come in from Christian foundations and by appealing to businesses who get involved supporting our ministry,” he said.

Currently, much of the ministry's support comes from churches in Dallas and Colorado Springs.“Our office in Tarentum handles the donations and distributes our newsletter on a monthly basis. The office in Butler wires funds, arranges mission trips and travel to Asia five to six times a year.”Frontier Harvest also prints various types of Chinese books, gospel tracts and Bibles to give away to the churches they've already planted.Lenhart also is eager to share ways others can help by traveling to China. The Lenharts hold a weekly meeting at their home, where they encourage and equip others to be a part of the mission to China.“There is an unquenchable fire within me to push the kingdoms of darkness back, in order to see the kingdom of light come, so that people can be set free,” said Lenhart.Chris Roscher of Kunming, China, knows firsthand the blessings of Frontier Harvest Ministries.“Our home fellowship in Hampton, Va., started supporting Chuck's ministry to the Dong people in China that God laid on our hearts to minister to. Then in 2003, my wife and I went to China to meet up with Chuck and we connected with the Buyi people there and ministered to them,” Roscher said.Shortly after returning to the states, Roscher and his wife decided to move to China. They left for China in October 2004. Roscher continues to work with the Lenharts when they travel to China to serve. He was part of an outreach Lenhart just led in September.Those who serve in China say the biggest challenge, aside from rugged country, is the population diversity.“In China today there are 56 officially recognized ethnic minorities totaling 91 million individuals and hundreds of sub-groups not officially recognized, but having their own culture, identity and language,” Lenhart said.“Our ministry plants indigenous churches among these neglected minority groups, most of whom are classified as ‘unreached people groups,'” he added.Lenhart said in some parts of China the church has existed for more than 100 years, but only on a small scale in local villages. Moving beyond their borders and planting churches is where Frontier Harvest Ministries steps in.“Part of our work is to empower these national workers to become missionaries to their own people,” he said.

Chuck Lenhart, left, of Frontier Harvest Ministries, speaks with Chinese students at a train station in China. Lenhart travels with his wife, Wendy, to China five times a year to do mission work. Lenhart is bilingual, speaking both English and Chinese Mandarin.