WESTWARD HO! — a phrase that brings to mind images of pioneers crossing vast western landscapes. For this Easterner, the idea of that trip can be as intimidating as it is inspiring. The grit and determination it must have taken to traverse the continent in a wagon is astounding.
And yet, the drive to forge a life in a new place, to carve out a brighter future for your family, to create a legacy that will impact generations is easy to comprehend. It is some of these same sentiments that have driven the formation of HGC.
Born from a desire to forge a new path forward for churches and leaders, HGC is passionate about creating change now that will have kingdom impact for generations. Helping churches realize new life cycles, baking multiplication into Church culture, helping leaders find their sweet spot from which to operate and providing coaching to get to a healthier place—all of HGC’s core ministries are designed to help churches and leaders carve out a healthier future and to multiply that across teams, churches, regions and generations.
And just as the pioneers had to expand their horizons, God has been pushing HGC to expand as well. In the last several years, it has become clear through relationships with Champions, through ministry opportunities and through doors opened on the path, that God has a desire for HGC to increase its presence in the Southwest and in the Northwest.
From its inception, HGC has been very prolific within the areas where many of our founders have deep roots — the Midwest and the Church of God. We have been so blessed to use these areas as an incubator for our work. But God has been opening doors, giving opportunities, and laying the groundwork for expansion since our beginning. And God has been preparing our hearts.
In the Northwest, 63% of the population has no religious affiliation. This is over 20% higher than the Midwest and almost double the Southern Crossroads region.
In 2016, the staff and board of HGC are strategically working to expand in the Southwest, the Northwest and across denominations. And we have both amazing Champions who are helping us on the ground building relationships in these regions and new partnerships that are bringing opportunities for ministry. There are times we have to stop and catch our breath because God is moving so fast. [And that’s saying something for a catalytic leader like Greg!]
It has become clear that God is moving us out of our “native land” and toward a bigger mission. We know that He has gone before us, preparing the way in advance. Take a minute to celebrate some of the wins He has already given us:
- We are so excited to have free office space in Vancouver, Washington at our disposal through the generosity of US Digital. This gives members of our team a centralized home base when we are there and increases our productivity.
- We are partnering with the Pacific Northwest Association of the Church of God to bring Multiplication Support to the region.
- We have a meeting with the Murdock Trust this week to discuss a grant that will help fund the Northwest expansion. Pray our site visit goes well and that they will vote to approve our request in May.
- Good connections with local representatives of Mission Increase Foundation, a ministry that we have partnered with to help with fund development.
- Great connections with key Champions who live in the regions
- The Arizona Network of the Assemblies of God has granted us booth space at their annual gathering to introduce our ministry to a whole new group of pastors from that region.
This is just a sampling of the doors opened, the invitations answered and the steps forward for HGC in these regions. God is moving and we can’t wait to see where He takes us. If you would like to hear more about what God is doing or how you can help, I hope you’ll reach out to Greg, Tom, Dave or Heidi. We would love to share this story with you.
