Hillside Church Family,
J. Oswald Sanders led quite a life. He was an international Bible teacher, conference speaker, and revival preacher. He served as a college president, and authored many books as well, and later served as the General Director of Overseas Missionary Fellowship.
One of his quotes that I have always enjoyed is this… "Eyes that look are common; eyes that see are rare."
As people, we can look at things every day, day after day, and yet fail to notice any of it. We can look past people, past needs, past things that God is trying to do and wanting to do – as if it’s all invisible. But eyes that actually take the time to see these things are rare, because it has to be intentional. We have to choose to see it. I believe God wants us, His Church, to see things the rest of the world fails to see. And seeing things from God’s perspective must be intentional and deliberate. We need to be people who open our eyes to the world all around us.
Our Kingdom Builders theme for this year is, “Open Your Eyes.” Jesus said, “You have a saying, 'Four more months till harvest.' But I tell you, OPEN YOUR EYES and look at the fields ready for harvest now.” (John 4:35)
As a church, we are on a mission. Our mission is not self-appointed or self-declared. Rather, our mission is God-ordained. Jesus Christ gave His Church this mission and He commissioned us to fulfill it. He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” In essence Jesus was saying, “Go build my Church, my Kingdom! Go everywhere and spread the good news!” So, that’s what we do. Our desire is to make God’s business, our business! What He cares about, we want to care about. But we will never accomplish this if our eyes are closed to the world around us. Our eyes need to be open so we can see the fields that are ready for harvest.
This is what Kingdom Builders is all about. It’s the vehicle the allows us to spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ locally and around the world. Kingdom Builders allows us to invest in missionaries, programs and various ministries around the world that are reaching the lost, serving the poor. Together through passionate generosity we’re able to touch and change our world for Him one life at a time. Together we can be His hands and feet as we strive to reach and serve this generation. As Kingdom Builders, we believe that we are blessed to be a blessing, and we give so that ALL may hear this good news! If you and I will open our eyes to the harvest that’s ripe, right in front of our eyes, caring about what God cares about, I know we can put a smile on God’s face as we work to build His kingdom!
Again, God has blessed you not just to bless you. Rather, He has blessed you so you can be a blessing to others. If you’re not currently involved in supporting Kingdom Builders, please considered doing so – “OPEN YOUR EYES” to the Great Commission and what God is doing and what He has called His Church to do. "Eyes that look are common; eyes that see are rare." Together let’s see the “rare” things that God wants to do! Together let’s build His kingdom!
Pastors Mark & Amy Miltimore
J. Oswald Sanders led quite a life. He was an international Bible teacher, conference speaker, and revival preacher. He served as a college president, and authored many books as well, and later served as the General Director of Overseas Missionary Fellowship.
One of his quotes that I have always enjoyed is this… "Eyes that look are common; eyes that see are rare."
As people, we can look at things every day, day after day, and yet fail to notice any of it. We can look past people, past needs, past things that God is trying to do and wanting to do – as if it’s all invisible. But eyes that actually take the time to see these things are rare, because it has to be intentional. We have to choose to see it. I believe God wants us, His Church, to see things the rest of the world fails to see. And seeing things from God’s perspective must be intentional and deliberate. We need to be people who open our eyes to the world all around us.
Our Kingdom Builders theme for this year is, “Open Your Eyes.” Jesus said, “You have a saying, 'Four more months till harvest.' But I tell you, OPEN YOUR EYES and look at the fields ready for harvest now.” (John 4:35)
As a church, we are on a mission. Our mission is not self-appointed or self-declared. Rather, our mission is God-ordained. Jesus Christ gave His Church this mission and He commissioned us to fulfill it. He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” In essence Jesus was saying, “Go build my Church, my Kingdom! Go everywhere and spread the good news!” So, that’s what we do. Our desire is to make God’s business, our business! What He cares about, we want to care about. But we will never accomplish this if our eyes are closed to the world around us. Our eyes need to be open so we can see the fields that are ready for harvest.
This is what Kingdom Builders is all about. It’s the vehicle the allows us to spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ locally and around the world. Kingdom Builders allows us to invest in missionaries, programs and various ministries around the world that are reaching the lost, serving the poor. Together through passionate generosity we’re able to touch and change our world for Him one life at a time. Together we can be His hands and feet as we strive to reach and serve this generation. As Kingdom Builders, we believe that we are blessed to be a blessing, and we give so that ALL may hear this good news! If you and I will open our eyes to the harvest that’s ripe, right in front of our eyes, caring about what God cares about, I know we can put a smile on God’s face as we work to build His kingdom!
Again, God has blessed you not just to bless you. Rather, He has blessed you so you can be a blessing to others. If you’re not currently involved in supporting Kingdom Builders, please considered doing so – “OPEN YOUR EYES” to the Great Commission and what God is doing and what He has called His Church to do. "Eyes that look are common; eyes that see are rare." Together let’s see the “rare” things that God wants to do! Together let’s build His kingdom!
Pastors Mark & Amy Miltimore
Look at the Next Generation
God is moving in Gen Z
Above: Reggie Dabbs gives a message in Hillside's sanctuary following two school assemblies in the area.
MANKATO, MN: It's a Thursday night in Mankato. A group of students is sitting in Hillside's sanctuary, listening to Reggie Dabbs speak for the second time that day.
Earlier, they heard him at their school – either Lake Crystal or St. Clair – tell them that they are seen, unique, and loved for who they are. The teachers at these schools even received a challenge from Reggie: believe in the students and remind them of this every moment that you can.
Following the assembly in their school, the kids were invited to come to Hillside Church that very night to hear Reggie again. So they came, they had pizza, they heard a time of worship, and then Reggie came to speak. Over and over again, he told them not just that they were loved, but this time, that God loves them. Jesus died, Reggie said, to forgive them of their sins and to demonstrate the magnitude of His love for each one of them.
And then came the call: come forward if you want to give your life to Jesus. 20 students came and gave their lives to Jesus. Some of their friends came to the front with them to care for them and pray for them in that moment. Reggie told them that they had become new creations, that Jesus would begin to fill them with new life every day.
Then Pastor Judah came and told them that we had something for them: a Bible and a journal to start them on their path of faith.
Every piece of this day was the result of careful planning and prayer, and a result of the partnership between our local church and Minnesota Youth Alive. This is just one of the many stories just like it that are coming out of all sorts of places throughout Minnesota.
Thank you, Hillside, for believing in the next generation!
Earlier, they heard him at their school – either Lake Crystal or St. Clair – tell them that they are seen, unique, and loved for who they are. The teachers at these schools even received a challenge from Reggie: believe in the students and remind them of this every moment that you can.
Following the assembly in their school, the kids were invited to come to Hillside Church that very night to hear Reggie again. So they came, they had pizza, they heard a time of worship, and then Reggie came to speak. Over and over again, he told them not just that they were loved, but this time, that God loves them. Jesus died, Reggie said, to forgive them of their sins and to demonstrate the magnitude of His love for each one of them.
And then came the call: come forward if you want to give your life to Jesus. 20 students came and gave their lives to Jesus. Some of their friends came to the front with them to care for them and pray for them in that moment. Reggie told them that they had become new creations, that Jesus would begin to fill them with new life every day.
Then Pastor Judah came and told them that we had something for them: a Bible and a journal to start them on their path of faith.
Every piece of this day was the result of careful planning and prayer, and a result of the partnership between our local church and Minnesota Youth Alive. This is just one of the many stories just like it that are coming out of all sorts of places throughout Minnesota.
Thank you, Hillside, for believing in the next generation!
Above: Students come to the altar to give their lives to Jesus.
Above: 1) The view from Cairo Tower, tallest building in Cairo, 2) The view from the Citadel of Saladin, a fortress on a mountain.
Empowered to Go
Hillside's Return to Eswatini
BHUNYA, ESWATINI: In the final week of October, Hillside sent a team on a short-term trip to Eswatini, Africa. Their mission was simple: assist our frontline workers Mark& Anjali Jones in the construction of a new church building for a new area of Eswatini to be reached with the gospel. Though this was the main purpose of the trip, God had so much more in store for them.
Through Kingdom Builders funding and our team going, Hillside was able to build the superstructure for a 60' x 36' church with a steel-framed roof and concrete foundation. The church was officially dedicated as Spirit Word Church, and will continue to preach the good news under the guidance of Pastor Thwala. During its inaugural service, Ben Pawlitschek – one of Hillside's very own – delivered a sermon on Mark 12:28-34. Pastor Thwala plans to finish the church by adding walls by the end of the year, perhaps adding "soup kitchen" to its list of functions.
Through Kingdom Builders funding and our team going, Hillside was able to build the superstructure for a 60' x 36' church with a steel-framed roof and concrete foundation. The church was officially dedicated as Spirit Word Church, and will continue to preach the good news under the guidance of Pastor Thwala. During its inaugural service, Ben Pawlitschek – one of Hillside's very own – delivered a sermon on Mark 12:28-34. Pastor Thwala plans to finish the church by adding walls by the end of the year, perhaps adding "soup kitchen" to its list of functions.
Above: 1) The steel structure and concrete foundation of Spirit Word Church. 2) Nick Rolfing goofs off with some locals. 3) Sara Rundle, Nicole Ebeling, Kelly Wood, Tami Sellner, and Darla Theobald with their Bhunya besties. 4) Ben Pawlitschek preaches at the inaugural service.
While on the trip, our team was able to tour a couple of other churches in the region. This brought them into contact with Pastor Virtue Mudenda, the leader of Glorious City Church International in Manzini. The church is situated in a densely-packed and impoverished area, and lacks cement floors, walls, windows, and doors. As a result, the church is at the mercy of the weather. Upon meeting Pastor Virtue, our team was struck by his humility and the clear anointing of the Holy Spirit upon him. Following the Holy Spirit's prompting, Hillside's team got Pastor Mark and Amy and the church board's approval to give unplanned funding to Pastor Virtue and Glorious City Church. When they gave him the news, Pastor Virtue related that the previous day, they had experienced a torrent of water rushing through their Sunday service because of the rain. They did their best to keep the water out so that they could still have a worship service and, at the end of the service, they prayed to God, asking Him to provide what they needed to get the church complete and weather-proof. God answered their prayer overnight!
Above: Pastor Virtue Mudenda is told that Hillside is going to fund their building!
Above: Josh Pratt feeds children Manna Packs provided by Feed My Starving Children
During one of the planned construction days, our team was rained out, so they went to two different soup kitchens to help serve food to those communities. It's here that two of our team members experienced the type of story that only God can write. On October 23rd, Hillside participated in a packing day for Feed My Starving Children through our new outreach ministry Serve. From the Eswatini team, both Kelly Wood and Josh Pratt had participated in that event, where Hillside packed thousands of meals for undernourished children. Imagine their wonder upon seeing that the meals they served at the soup kitchen in Eswatini were the very same meals they had packed in Mankato. They both described the moment as surreal: the type of moment that only God can create.
For the Hillside team, this trip was about more than just building a church, serving at soup kitchens, loving the locals; they may not have known it, but God also had things to work on in them. Each and every one of the team members experienced an intensified hunger and passion for the presence of God and His will for their lives. There was a spiritual hunger among them, and it resulted in many conversations that grew them and pushed them beyond their comfort. One of the team members experienced miraculous healing, and by the end of the trip, two of the team members decided to get baptized right then and there. This is part of why we do what we do: we give to missions, support our frontline workers, support our organizations and tackle projects both overseas and locally... and all of this comes from the heart. God has a heart for the lost and unreached, and He is actively developing that same heart in every single one of us. If you have long been supporting missions financially, thank you for empowering others to go. But maybe it's time for you to remember that you also are empowered to go; what you will experience will forever change your faith and your life.
Above: Nick Rolfing and Max Seifried got baptized!
Building the Kingdom in Minnesota
Helping in White Earth Nation
Above: Pastor Lowell Laudert and the new sign for Everlasting Life Church's White Earth campus.
WHITE EARTH RESERVATION, MN: The White Earth Reservation, located in northwestern Minnesota, is the largest of the 11 reservations in the state. The reservation encompasses over 1,300 square miles of land.
It's here that Pastor Lowell Laudert grew up, learning the language and culture of the White Earth people. Eventually, he served in the US military before feeling God call him into ministry – back in White Earth. Since then, he has given his life and his time to follow this call. It started with a small church in White Earth, and then another campus that he pastors in Rice Lake as well. Pastor Lowell is passionate about helping the Natives see that they can retain their language and culture and still follow Jesus.
At the Minnesota District Council in April of 2025, Pastor Lowell shared that his church needed help funding some desperately needed renovations on the physical buildings of both campuses. Things like painting the walls, getting signs for the churches, replacing the roof, and adding a sound system.
Through Kingdom Builders, we were able to provide financial assistance for these projects. It's amazing to think that – simply by giving – our church is able to help somebody who's reaching an entire people group that we may never get to reach ourselves. And better yet – he's somebody who knows their language and culture and is doing an amazing job at preaching the Good News to them!
It's here that Pastor Lowell Laudert grew up, learning the language and culture of the White Earth people. Eventually, he served in the US military before feeling God call him into ministry – back in White Earth. Since then, he has given his life and his time to follow this call. It started with a small church in White Earth, and then another campus that he pastors in Rice Lake as well. Pastor Lowell is passionate about helping the Natives see that they can retain their language and culture and still follow Jesus.
At the Minnesota District Council in April of 2025, Pastor Lowell shared that his church needed help funding some desperately needed renovations on the physical buildings of both campuses. Things like painting the walls, getting signs for the churches, replacing the roof, and adding a sound system.
Through Kingdom Builders, we were able to provide financial assistance for these projects. It's amazing to think that – simply by giving – our church is able to help somebody who's reaching an entire people group that we may never get to reach ourselves. And better yet – he's somebody who knows their language and culture and is doing an amazing job at preaching the Good News to them!
Above: Pastor Lowell Laudert and his family.
