One of the things we have been focusing on at Friendship Church is reaching out into the community, specifically, the Park West neighborhood behind us. We have had a burden for actually taking our people over into the community, and being visible to our neighbors.

God often uses our work to accomplish His own purpose. When we have opened our heart and hands to focus on Him and are seeking His will, it’s amazing how He responds. Kyle Shaw is a member of Miamisburg First Church of God and God answered his prayer during the church’s 40 Days of Relentless Pursuit, a time of prayer the church established to seek God as a community.

1. There are 20,000 people in Miamisburg, Ohio. 16,000 of those don’t attend church on a regular basis.
2. 80% of the churches in the United States are plateaued or declining…we are one of them.
These two truths were the call to action for Miamisburg First Church of God. Because he knew they needed help to get to a new spot, Pastor Roy Maxwell and his team pursued the HGC Champions Scholarship last year. One year later, things are changing, energy is mounting, and the church is growing.

For Pastor Nathan Heady, waking up at 3 a.m. means one thing…it’s time to pray. He and his wife have a history with prayers needed and prayers answered in the small hours of the morning. So when he woke up on the Saturday before Easter and the clock said 3 a.m., he knew it was time to pray.

At the conclusion of the 40 day journey, Friendship Church had a celebration and invited those who participated to share stories of how God moved in their lives. One of the most inspiring came from one of Friendship’s newer Christ followers, Hailey Bennett.

Hailey took a bold step to ask to pray with one of her customers, knowing it may get her in trouble at work. And the best part, the customers let her.