Northside Christian Church, West Point, Miss., has a tradition of involving its members in ministry to the local community but found more recently that its ageing and limited facilities no longer supported the activities they were called to do.
So, with the encouragement of strong leaders, the congregation asked Disciples Church Extension Fund to walk alongside them with two services – building planning to help them design space that would meet their ministry needs and Disciples Church Extension Fund’s capital fundraising service to help them raise money for construction of a sanctuary on the new site. Finally, with a Disciples Church Extension Fund loan, Northside began construction in 2009 of new space that houses their vibrant worshiping community of approximately 250-plus members and other vital ministries
Others began to take notice. Northside’s continued commitment to service gained the attention and trust of additional partners. Recognizing the stability the church was creating for its neighborhood, the city invested additional resources in the area by creating a walking trail on the property behind the location where the new church building was to be constructed. In addition, as a sign of solidarity, the owner of an auto repair shop across the street donated property to be used for church parking.
Thanks to the trust shown by these partners and the visionary and strategic vision of its leadership, including Rev. Orlando Richmond, Northside Christian Church retains its long-time members and attracts new Disciples, who are drawn to the energy of the church’s ministries. These ministries include tutoring area school children, a youth mime ministry that has attracted national attention, and other women’s and men’s ministries that connect members to community in impactful ways.
Rev. Richmond says of the way partnership with Disciples Church Extension Fund supported their momentum and connection with others,
“We had the benefit of the expertise of an entity that partners… for the advancement of a Christian vision… They were truly vested in seeing us be successful because they believe in what we wanted to accomplish.”
Learn more about our building planning and capital fundraising services.