Missions
Our Missions | Globally
Mission to Russia (Ron & Ginny Cook)
Ron and Ginny Cook started the Kostroma Christian Church in 1992. Now the church averages over 200 in attendance in the winter and has all local Russian leadership.
Taking a huge step of faith, the church built a Christian elementary school as an addition to their building. The cost of about half a million dollars was raised by the time the building was completed. Qualified, certified teachers in the congregation allow them to staff the school. The school has received high praise from city officials and the community is excited about it. A new kindergarten class of 12 children is being selected from many applicants at this time and the school grows by one class every year. Funding for construction and operation of the school is coming largely from America because the economy of Russia is such a disaster. Recent changes include a new cafeteria and a new heating system.
There is also a Bible College Ron founded during his first four years of work in Russia. Students are active in leadership in the church and desire to plant churches and spread the good news in their native Russia.
There is an orphanage operating now on the church property. This is another vital ministry in this chaotic country.
Ron & Ginny—like nearly all other American missionaries to Russia—had their visas denied without explanation for several years. They are now stateside much of the time, raising support for the ongoing work in Kostroma.
For the past year, Ron has been going to Russia for periods of three months to teach and encourage the leaders and the church. Ron will be officially retiring this year and a new director will begin the work of supporting and expanding this ministry.
YWAM - Mazatlan (Jordan & Kendra Norris)
Jordan and Kendra Norris serve as missionaries in Mazatlan, Mexico with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). YWAM Mazatlan is an international Christian missions movement dedicated to providing young people from all over the world opportunities to serve Mazatlan, Mexico, and the nations. Jordan and Kendra have been serving in Mexico since March of 2012 and are committed as long-term missionaries there. Kendra is originally from Pennsylvania and grew up going to Hillside Church with her father, Larry Martin, while Jordan (originally from New Zealand) grew up in Hawaii.
Homes of Hope is a one of the leading ministries within YWAM Mazatlan. In three days a team of builders construct a home for a desperate family in need. Building a home shows the tangible love of Christ, while also building relationship and connecting the new home-owners with the local church. Many families are coming to know the Lord and grow in Him through this ministry!
Some of YWAM Mazatlan's other ministries include training schools, evangelism teams, and a skaters ministry. To see photos and testimonies, and to learn more about ministries within YWAM Mazatlan and Kendra and Jordan's service, please view their webpage: www.kendraandjordan.com
On the World Mission front, we also support a Bible college and an indigenous pastor in Southeast Asia, as well as a missionary family in Eastern Africa. However, to prevent persecution and protect their identities, information cannot be posted over the internet.
Our Missions | Regionally
Dolph & Jenny Laraio
Dolph works with Life Transforming Ministries in Coatesville. His ministry is to help bring unity to the body of Christ across Chester County (and beyond), with the knowledge that together we can be more effective at reaching every man, woman, and child with repeated opportunities to hear, see, and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What this looks like: Dolph facilitates monthly pastors meetings in various towns (West Chester, Downingtown, Coatesville, Phoenixville...) that helps build relationships, trust, prayer, and a common vision/mission. Through those meetings, they are strategizing a way to equip and mobilize the people of our congregations to be reaching out to those who live near them, and to do this in partnership with other believers from different congregations.
Dolph has been amazed to see the shift in Chester County over the past few years--pastors are truly excited to be connected with each other, and are now thinking in terms of 'us' rather than 'you and me'. They believe God is directing their steps through their prayer times, and can't wait to see what He has in store for them moving forward!
Keystone Church Planting Network
The KCPN is made up of congregations across Pennsylvania who have a burden for evangelism and have voluntarily joined in this common effort. Their goal is to plant New Testament congregations, especially in metropolitan areas of eastern Pennsylvania. Our congregation has been substantially helped by this network. We continue to be very involved with the KCPN (Shelley is Secretary for the organization and has been an officer for over 20 years!).
The most recent church plant, Legacy Christian Church, is off to a great start in Allentown, PA. This church is a partnership between the KCPN and Orchard Group.
Christian Student Fellowship: Penn State/Berks Campus
CSF has campus ministries at State College, Pitt & Carnegie/Mellon, and here at Penn State/Berks. Our support helps underwrite the ministry of Dave Hershey, the local campus minister. Dave is completing his sixth year on campus and the ministry is going very well with great participation from the students and a lot of activities and ministry opportunities.
Indian Lake Christian Camp
Churches in southeastern Pennsylvania, Maryland and northern Virginia cooperatively support this camp, located about 65 miles from here in Maryland. Children and teens from 2nd grade through high school attend 3 to 6 day long camps each summer. There are usually 2 or 3 weeks of camp for each age group, so kids will be able to work around conflicts and find one week that will work for them. The cost is subsidized by churches so that tuition is about one-half the actual cost. The weeks are staffed by volunteers from churches and each week includes Bible teaching, recreation, and all kinds of special activities. This is a tremendous blessing to the kids who go and many children and teens from Hillside have attended.
Our Missions | Locally
Freedom Gate Prison Ministry
Freedom Gate, a halfway house in Reading for released male prisoners, was founded about 30 years ago. Junior Oriel directs the program for Freedom Gate. Plans include eventually reopening a women’s unit and integrating a kind of work-study program during this critical time in ex-offender’s lives.
Mercy Community Crisis Pregnancy Center
This ministry is located on 5th street across from the library in Reading. They provide a lifeline to girls from Berks County and especially in Reading who want to continue their pregnancies, but don’t know what to do to make ends meet and to get the health care they need. The center provides counseling, health screening, prenatal and baby supplies and spiritual guidance.
Our Missions | Benevolence/Misc.
Our hope each year is to be able to have income that is not promised to a mission for special needs and benevolence. In the past year, we spent thousands of dollars on food, rent and other emergency needs of people both in our congregation and in the community.
We often give to emergency needs of missionaries whom we support.
Also, we helped with the expenses of some mission trips from our congregation this year.
We also gave each of our missionary families $25-$75 at Christmas.