The only thing that counts
We are in an exciting season at Hillspring! On this Mother’s Day Sunday, we will gather to celebrate God’s gift of church family and God’s blessings upon our campaign,
The only thing that counts is faith working through love. (Galatians 5:6)
Several years ago, we adopted these words from Paul’s letter to the Galatians as a primary discernment tool, and we quickly discovered that they pointed us to God’s call for our church. It didn’t take long to realize whenever we had a decision to make, and we took this passage to God in prayer, God used these words to clarify his call for our church.
At this point, it’s fair to say that this passage has become forged into our church DNA alongside God’s original call upon his people to be “blessed to be a blessing” to all the peoples of the earth. (Gen 12.3; Acts 3:25) The more we have lifted these passages up as our guide, the more God has blessed us!
Let me tell you, we have some celebrating for God’s blessings to do this weekend!
We knew God was calling us to go to an entirely new level of community engagement in the greater Tri-Cities region. God has equipped us to do so much through our After School Matters program at Eastgate Elementary and all the subsequent ways we work with that community. From monthly Mobile Market food dispersions, bike rodeos through In Gear, a backpack meal program for the kids, and Treat ’n Trunk, the list goes on and on. But God has called our church family to even deeper partnerships with other groups so we can broaden our work to other areas of Kennewick and Pasco. All the while, we have a lot of work that needs to be done on campus. It’s become painfully clear that our sanctuary foyer and restrooms are wholly inadequate for our worship gatherings, weddings, and celebrations of life. We need more space and more restroom capacity; we are far from having ADA-accessible facilities. We need to paint the entire exterior of our campus. We have roofs that leak. We need to take care of our spiritual home! We need a baptistry that allows us to baptize 52 weeks out of the year. The list of needs seemed huge even after we paired it down to several phases. 1.5 million definitely won’t cover all our needs. Still, we expect we will be able to fund phase 3 projects (such as an accessible drop-off driveway to the front entrance of the sanctuary) very soon as we are blessed with more funds after this weekend.
Does 1.5 million sound like a huge goal? Yes! Our annual budget is roughly 1.5 million dollars. Fundraisers and consultants worth their salt would not suggest a church try to double their income in a year. But we took Galatians 5:6 to God in prayer and heard clearly that we not only need to raise 1.5 million dollars but more importantly, that God will be present. Our God is much greater than any barrier!
The only thing that counts is faith working through love! The story of our church has definitely been that of a family that is blessed to be a blessing to others. It’s what makes us tick! God has called us to step out in faith and meet this goal.
If you haven’t turned in your commitment card, it’s not too late! We’d love to add your pledge to the amount we celebrate this Sunday. But we fully expect to continue to receive pledges after this weekend. Remember, for those who are unable to commit to financial support, prayer is a vital component of this campaign. Please commit to praying that God continues to bless His work through our church.
Learn more and commit at Faith Working Through Love
We are truly blessed to be a blessing! Please join us this week for a family celebration as we celebrate what really counts!
Your pastor,
Bryan White