Hillside Church Family,
Hillside Church Family,
In various games and competitions, opponents are always looking for openings or weak spots where their opponents are vulnerable. Places through which they can pass or go through that will help them achieve and leverage their goals and their mission.
For example, businesses are looking for “openings,” which they call “opportunities.” These openings or opportunities allow them to develop and grow their businesses. In football, an offense is always looking for holes or weak spots in the defense, that they can exploit or take advantage of so they can score. So, whether in business or football, these “openings” lead to opportunities, that allow them to fulfill their mission.
Well, as a church, we too are on a mission. Our mission is not self-appointed or self- declared. Rather, our mission is God ordained. Jesus Christ gave the 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. And we do it by looking for “openings” or “doorways” that lead to opportunities for us to fulfill our God ordained mission.
In Revelation 3:8, Jesus said, “See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”
Friends, I believe Jesus has placed an “open door” around us as well, and it’s the door of opportunity! And if we will be brave enough, dedicated enough, and willing enough to step through these doors that He opens, I believe they will ultimately build His Kingdom. That’s the goal and the mission of this church, and Kingdom Builders is the vehicle that drives our mission’s heart through generous giving that goes above-and-beyond the tithe.
Our theme this year is, “Doors,” because when we look around, we see WIDE OPEN DOORS of opportunity for a great work everywhere! And God is inviting us to step through them! Together let’s dream and pray that God would direct us to these open doors of great opportunities that would build His Kingdom.
Someone once said that “You can’t out-give God.” The longer I live and the more I personally lean into this in my own life, the more I experience this to be true. The more I surrender to God the more He blesses me and uses me.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Let’s live our lives in a way that bring glory of God, and together let’s do something glorious for him as well! Together let’s work to build His Kingdom!
Pastors Mark & Amy Miltimore
In various games and competitions, opponents are always looking for openings or weak spots where their opponents are vulnerable. Places through which they can pass or go through that will help them achieve and leverage their goals and their mission.
For example, businesses are looking for “openings,” which they call “opportunities.” These openings or opportunities allow them to develop and grow their businesses. In football, an offense is always looking for holes or weak spots in the defense, that they can exploit or take advantage of so they can score. So, whether in business or football, these “openings” lead to opportunities, that allow them to fulfill their mission.
Well, as a church, we too are on a mission. Our mission is not self-appointed or self- declared. Rather, our mission is God ordained. Jesus Christ gave the 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. And we do it by looking for “openings” or “doorways” that lead to opportunities for us to fulfill our God ordained mission.
In Revelation 3:8, Jesus said, “See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”
Friends, I believe Jesus has placed an “open door” around us as well, and it’s the door of opportunity! And if we will be brave enough, dedicated enough, and willing enough to step through these doors that He opens, I believe they will ultimately build His Kingdom. That’s the goal and the mission of this church, and Kingdom Builders is the vehicle that drives our mission’s heart through generous giving that goes above-and-beyond the tithe.
Our theme this year is, “Doors,” because when we look around, we see WIDE OPEN DOORS of opportunity for a great work everywhere! And God is inviting us to step through them! Together let’s dream and pray that God would direct us to these open doors of great opportunities that would build His Kingdom.
Someone once said that “You can’t out-give God.” The longer I live and the more I personally lean into this in my own life, the more I experience this to be true. The more I surrender to God the more He blesses me and uses me.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Let’s live our lives in a way that bring glory of God, and together let’s do something glorious for him as well! Together let’s work to build His Kingdom!
Pastors Mark & Amy Miltimore
Into the Arab World
Hillside Trip to Egypt
Above: The Hillside Team
CAIRO, EGYPT: It's a Thursday night in Cairo, Egypt. Countless cars are navigating the streets outside the Seven Stars mall, all honking intermittently. A man is wiping the dust off his car on the side of the road with an old towel. It's nearly sunset, so the mosque on the corner starts up its call to prayer. The imam's voice begins chanting the Islamic prayer over the low-quality loudspeaker. The city, the cars, the people don't stop; the call to prayer only adds to the din.
Inside a 4 story building across the street, a group of Christians are quietly praying and seeking to hear the whisper of the Lord's voice amidst the clamor outside. It's pre-service prayer time for the All Souls Egypt team.
In October of 2024, Hillside sent a team of 8 to go and serve in Egypt. They were able to participate in this pre-service prayer and then in the full service of the English Fellowship. It's an international church that speaks in English, but has people from all over the world – Western Africa, Western Europe, Egypt to name a few.
Inside a 4 story building across the street, a group of Christians are quietly praying and seeking to hear the whisper of the Lord's voice amidst the clamor outside. It's pre-service prayer time for the All Souls Egypt team.
In October of 2024, Hillside sent a team of 8 to go and serve in Egypt. They were able to participate in this pre-service prayer and then in the full service of the English Fellowship. It's an international church that speaks in English, but has people from all over the world – Western Africa, Western Europe, Egypt to name a few.
Above: 1) The completed stage, 2) the aftermath of a workday, 3) Cindy Romnes paints, 4) Riley Carlson hangs soundproof panels.
The Arab world of Cairo is a different world altogether. Mosques will blast their call to prayer every day, 5 times a day. On Friday – Muslims' sabbath day – the city shuts down almost entirely. When a person is born in Egypt, his/her father's religion is printed on the birth certificate, and it is illegal to change it (from Christian to Muslim is legal, not the other way). To accept Jesus as a Muslim means social exile, imprisonment, or death.
The reality of Islam is a life of wondering whether your good works outweigh your bad, praying to appease a god who makes it clear that he doesn't care for humanity. There is no love from this god, there is no peace or confidence, no assurance of salvation, no rest. This is a far cry from a Savior who walked among us, poured out love sacrificially, and called all who are weary to receive rest from Him.
On two separate occasions, the team had a chance to look over the city and to pray for the gospel to break the stronghold of Islam. Of the 12 million people in Cairo, 86% are legally classified as Muslim, with no legal way to accept the gospel of Jesus. Pray for the team on the ground, and pray also for the Egyptian government to change the laws to make conversion legal.
The reality of Islam is a life of wondering whether your good works outweigh your bad, praying to appease a god who makes it clear that he doesn't care for humanity. There is no love from this god, there is no peace or confidence, no assurance of salvation, no rest. This is a far cry from a Savior who walked among us, poured out love sacrificially, and called all who are weary to receive rest from Him.
On two separate occasions, the team had a chance to look over the city and to pray for the gospel to break the stronghold of Islam. Of the 12 million people in Cairo, 86% are legally classified as Muslim, with no legal way to accept the gospel of Jesus. Pray for the team on the ground, and pray also for the Egyptian government to change the laws to make conversion legal.
Above: Lucas Larson gives a word of encouragement during the Sunday-night Prayer Service.
The heart of this international church is incredible: their vision is to be a full-gospel witness to everybody that God brings across their path. They want to be an empowering and sending church, too. Their hope is that, since they have many nations represented in their people, God will call and raise some of their members to go and testify to their own home nations about the goodness of God.
There's only one problem: they're running out of space – God is bringing increase to their church! So the Hillside team was able to do something to help them out. Their building (which you helped purchase through Kingdom Builders) has a large basement that they dreamed of turning into a sanctuary to fit more people. The Hillside team did some demolition in the space, then built a stage and a sound booth platform as well. Improvements were made in the rest of the building as well; a fresh coat of paint and soundproof panels in the kids room, and a new prayer room for people to seek God.
They hope to be in the basement sanctuary by the end of the calendar year! We are proud to support such an amazing ministry team!
There's only one problem: they're running out of space – God is bringing increase to their church! So the Hillside team was able to do something to help them out. Their building (which you helped purchase through Kingdom Builders) has a large basement that they dreamed of turning into a sanctuary to fit more people. The Hillside team did some demolition in the space, then built a stage and a sound booth platform as well. Improvements were made in the rest of the building as well; a fresh coat of paint and soundproof panels in the kids room, and a new prayer room for people to seek God.
They hope to be in the basement sanctuary by the end of the calendar year! We are proud to support such an amazing ministry team!
Above: 1) The view from Cairo Tower, tallest building in Cairo, 2) The view from the Citadel of Saladin, a fortress on a mountain.
Another Disaster, Another Response
Convoy of Hope
SOUTHEAST US: On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. In the immediate aftermath, 4 million people from Florida to North Carolina were left without power, and at least 200 people lost their lives (the exact death toll is still not known).
2 days later, Convoy of Hope showed up with relief supplies, food, and water to distribute among the communities. They reported that in Perry, FL, the community was exceptionally glad to see them. Convoy of Hope has been to Perry three times in the last two years. How glad would you be to live there and know that now matter how many times disaster strikes, Convoy of Hope will come to help?
As the days stretched on, it became clear that Helene's path had also devastated Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. So Convoy sent relief to those areas as well, providing critical supplies (like clean water!) that couldn't be secured otherwise.
And then, in the midst of their response to Helene, Convoy of Hope began preparing for the unthinkable: another Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 10, 2024, while Convoy of Hope was still in the Southeast helping relieve the communities affected by Helene.
But they kept pressing on. Another disaster, another response. They did what God has called them to do, what churches like Hillside give so that they can do: they helped and served and comforted and prayed. And they'll continue to do so.
Let's end with an excerpt from Convoy of Hope's website:
2 days later, Convoy of Hope showed up with relief supplies, food, and water to distribute among the communities. They reported that in Perry, FL, the community was exceptionally glad to see them. Convoy of Hope has been to Perry three times in the last two years. How glad would you be to live there and know that now matter how many times disaster strikes, Convoy of Hope will come to help?
As the days stretched on, it became clear that Helene's path had also devastated Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. So Convoy sent relief to those areas as well, providing critical supplies (like clean water!) that couldn't be secured otherwise.
And then, in the midst of their response to Helene, Convoy of Hope began preparing for the unthinkable: another Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 10, 2024, while Convoy of Hope was still in the Southeast helping relieve the communities affected by Helene.
But they kept pressing on. Another disaster, another response. They did what God has called them to do, what churches like Hillside give so that they can do: they helped and served and comforted and prayed. And they'll continue to do so.
Let's end with an excerpt from Convoy of Hope's website:
"With Hurricanes Milton and Helene now gone and the storm systems that spawned
them long dissipated, communities throughout the Southeast are left to grapple with the question, “What do we do now?”
Historic flooding, deadly storm surge, and rain that just kept falling left swaths of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee without power and water for days — in some cases, weeks. It will be months before some residents begin to fully recover.
But Convoy of Hope will be there for the long haul."
Above: The aftermath of Hurricane Helene
Below: A Convoy of Hope aid station
Below: A Convoy of Hope aid station
Building the Kingdom in Minnesota
Central MN Church Plants
Above: the lobby of River of Life Church in St. Joseph, MN
SAUK CENTRE, MN: In early 2024, Pastor Mark received a call from River of Life Church in Sauk Centre, MN. The pastor on the other end started explaining that God was doing something great in Sauk Centre. Their church was experiencing growth, they were in a good rhythm, but God started moving on their hearts for more of their local area to be able to encounter Jesus. It turns out, God was moving on the hearts of some of their staff members, too. And so when the lead pastor at River of Life shared that he wanted to plant not one but TWO churches in their region, God had already lined up people to say yes: Mitch Wall said yes to planting a church in the Belgrade/Brooten/Elrosa (BBE) area, and Tyler Kinser said yes to planting a church in St. Joseph.
Then came the hard reality: they needed funding! So River of Life began calling churches in the area to see if they could get them to fund the new church plants. Their goal was to get 6 churches to give $5000 each in order to help with the first year of operation. When Pastor Mark heard that, it was his turn to say yes.
Both campuses have since gotten off the ground and started to gain momentum. The BBE location has around 50 people attending, all new locals. They are very involved in the community already, doing school events and town festivals. Recently, Pastor Mitch did the kids portion of the community service during the summer town festival. This is a community of about 1300 people, all of whom we pray are able to encounter Jesus through the love of this new church.
The St. Joseph location is also doing great! They've got around 90 people already, including some college students and a portion of the deaf community from the surrounding area. Just like the BBE location, they're very involved in the community already: they made up almost 100% of the volunteers for their town festival this summer, they won their city-wide dodgeball tournament, and they won best float in the parade at their town fall fest. In the words of the executive pastor from the Sauk Centre location: "This location is reaching people like crazy already and is going to take off."
This is what Kingdom Builders is all about: reaching into new areas so that people can encounter Jesus; giving our temporal money towards something eternal; empowering others to do the work that God has called them to do!
Then came the hard reality: they needed funding! So River of Life began calling churches in the area to see if they could get them to fund the new church plants. Their goal was to get 6 churches to give $5000 each in order to help with the first year of operation. When Pastor Mark heard that, it was his turn to say yes.
Both campuses have since gotten off the ground and started to gain momentum. The BBE location has around 50 people attending, all new locals. They are very involved in the community already, doing school events and town festivals. Recently, Pastor Mitch did the kids portion of the community service during the summer town festival. This is a community of about 1300 people, all of whom we pray are able to encounter Jesus through the love of this new church.
The St. Joseph location is also doing great! They've got around 90 people already, including some college students and a portion of the deaf community from the surrounding area. Just like the BBE location, they're very involved in the community already: they made up almost 100% of the volunteers for their town festival this summer, they won their city-wide dodgeball tournament, and they won best float in the parade at their town fall fest. In the words of the executive pastor from the Sauk Centre location: "This location is reaching people like crazy already and is going to take off."
This is what Kingdom Builders is all about: reaching into new areas so that people can encounter Jesus; giving our temporal money towards something eternal; empowering others to do the work that God has called them to do!
Above: The BBE Campus represents their church at a parade in Brooten
So All Can Hear
Project42
Above: Justin and Tara Mack, founders of Project42, and their children.
MINNESOTA, 2018: 42% of the world has never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only 3% of all the missionaries in the world work among this unreached 42%. Of all church resources, only 1% is directed towards missionaries or organizations that work among this 42%.
These are the statistics that were told to Justin and Tara Mack. It was simply too great of an injustice for them to sit idly by; all the people of the world deserve to know that Jesus loves them. So the Macks gathered 42 of their friends and shared this news with them. Together, the Macks and their friends decided they simply couldn't do nothing; at this gathering, they collectively pledged $420,000 to be given to partners on the frontiers of evangelism across the globe. Project42 was born on that night in 2018, and has since grown to include many churches and individuals outside of the original 42.
These are the statistics that were told to Justin and Tara Mack. It was simply too great of an injustice for them to sit idly by; all the people of the world deserve to know that Jesus loves them. So the Macks gathered 42 of their friends and shared this news with them. Together, the Macks and their friends decided they simply couldn't do nothing; at this gathering, they collectively pledged $420,000 to be given to partners on the frontiers of evangelism across the globe. Project42 was born on that night in 2018, and has since grown to include many churches and individuals outside of the original 42.
Project42 is a call to action, to churches and leaders, for the 42% of the global population who lack access to the gospel - no church, no Bible, no missionary, no access.
Project42 is dedicated to changing the future by collaborating with exceptional frontline workers and organizations operating within unreached people groups. Their critical focus areas include missionary mobilization, scripture translation, church planting, creative access (business as mission), compassion, and awareness.
Of all the organizations we partner with and support through Kingdom Builders, Project42 perhaps best captures the heart of Kingdom Builders: we just want to reach the unreached, so that all can have a chance to know Jesus.
You can and should read their full 2024 report by clicking here. We are proud to support such an amazing organization.
Project42 is dedicated to changing the future by collaborating with exceptional frontline workers and organizations operating within unreached people groups. Their critical focus areas include missionary mobilization, scripture translation, church planting, creative access (business as mission), compassion, and awareness.
Of all the organizations we partner with and support through Kingdom Builders, Project42 perhaps best captures the heart of Kingdom Builders: we just want to reach the unreached, so that all can have a chance to know Jesus.
You can and should read their full 2024 report by clicking here. We are proud to support such an amazing organization.
