August 6, 2024

Greetings NHCC family! We wanted everyone who calls this their church to be brought up to speed with what was shared this past Sunday regarding an exciting initiative we want everyone to be able to take part in.

In recent years, you've heard about the vision God has given our leadership to partner with an impactful missions opportunity not just financially, but relationally, functionally, prayerfully--a true partnership where we become active participants rather than simply bystanders who cut checks. And just this past February, after a small team from NHCC  visited and learned about the work of Lifeline Christian Mission in Honduras, they reported to the elders, who then unanimously recommended moving forward with this opportunity, seeing it as capturing this vision.

Lifeline calls this partnership the Befriend Project. It's an initiative where an established church comes alongside a local new church body in Honduras to provide the connection, resources and financial stability to help them transition into becoming fully self-sustaining. One such work through Lifeline is a faith community in the city of Choloma--we presented this at the beginning of summer. You can find the full video we presented that morning pinned on our church YouTube page.

In this project, we commit to coming alongside a young church--to partner with them financially, develop relationships with them, support them in their specific prayer needs, and make small group trips at least once a year to be engaged hands and feet with what God is doing in their community. It's an opportunity for us, as a church community, to step out in faith and watch God do what only God can do.

On that Sunday in early summer, all of us were encouraged to look at our budgets and current level of financial giving, and to prayerfully consider how we might step out in faith to express God's generosity through this project--as well to consider how God may lead us to be involved through various volunteer, serving and team capacities.

Which brings us to this past Sunday, where we took all of those requests to think and pray and consider, and channeled that into a call to action. The bare minimum need for this project is $15,000 a year ($1200/month) but we don't want to just think in terms of a bare minimum. We are excited thinking of this as an us thing, where every one of us can consider how we can step into sacrificial generosity to give above and beyond what we are currently giving so we might together be a part of God's work. Amounts that come in above the $15,000/year minimum start offsetting the cost of trips and supplies--(sending 10-15 people overseas for a week is no small cost!)--what if we brought in enough that the cost of every one of our trips was covered? There is so much opportunity to watch God work when we step out in faith and are willing to give as freely as we have received.

As of the writing of this letter, the first $1200 monthly check has been sent based on some initial funds received, as well with the knowledge that all staff & elders have already committed to personally being a part of this financially. We say that so you know we aren't asking you to do something we, as your servant-leaders, aren't willing to do ourselves. We're in this together, so if you haven't already begun contributing, now is a great time to start. Our goal isn't a dollar total; but every family, every individual who calls NHCC their church to have the opportunity to take part as God so leads.

You can mark a check or envelope with 'Befriend Project', or you can use Tithely, our mobile giving app--there's a drop-down called "Lifeline initiative"--and as we express Godly generosity with what God has given us, we get to then watch and see what God can do with that sacrifice.

We will share updates and specific engagement opportunities as they are made available to us. The aforementioned YouTube homepage and Tithely QR code links are below. We welcome anyone who may have questions to talk to   us--we're excited to watch God work and hope you are too!

Sincerely,

NHCC Elders

Paul Jones, Missions Team Chair

778 Thompson Run Road, Pittsburgh, Pa 15237 | 412.487.4142 | www.northhillschristian.church