Sandhills supports the following mission works here in our local community:
The Gideons
The Gideons International began in 1908. Today, there are more than 280,000 members in 185+ countries who give their time and money to make it possible for others to learn about the love of God by giving them access to His Word. Gideons International is an interdenominational association of Christian business / professional men who are members of Protestant/Evangelical churches. Members are dedicated to saving the lost through personal witnessing and the distribution of God’s Word around the world. Having God’s Word can lead people to faith in Christ, and those new Christians can then grow by studying their Scriptures and even use them to share their faith with others. Gideons focus on distributing complete Bibles or New Testaments printed in 80+ languages that are given directly to certain individuals or placed in selected public locations where large numbers of people who may be searching for answers will have the ability to encounter the Word of God.Distributing complete copies of God’s Word also . . .
*Plants powerful seeds that God can use in His timing. (I Corinthians 3:6)
*Allows people to read the truth for themselves. (John 8:32)
*Provides a continuing witness when the Gideon is no longer present. (Hebrews 4:12)
*Makes it easier for the people we reach to in turn reach others with the truth about Jesus. (II Timothy 2:2)
*Allows new Christians to learn and grow through personal Bible study. (II Timothy 2:15)
Scriptures are distributed one on one by Gideons to these groups:
*Students in the 5th grade and above
*Prisoners and police, fire, medical and military personnel
*Anyone else Gideons witness to individually
Scriptures are placed in certain locations, including:
*Hotels and motels
*Hospitals, convalescent homes, medical offices and domestic violence shelters
*Prisons and jails
During 2009, the Gideon’s divided Moore County into two Camps to better serve the churches and to get God’s Holy Word into the hands of those who do not know our Lord, Jesus Christ. Part of that effort included a new membership drive which was planned and completed during the last six months of 2009. God was very generous; the Holy Spirit led 59 new members from local churches to the Gideon Ministry here in Moore County. That means there are now more men to distribute God’s Word and reach out to those who do not know Jesus. Two of the new members are from Sandhills Presbyterian Church. Currently, we have four Gideons (men) and one Gideon Auxiliary (woman) member. The Gideon Auxiliary assists and supports the Gideon Ministry by praying for the ministry, helping with meeting preparations, distributing Bibles to: staff in medical offices, staff at nursing homes, and staff at Moore Regional Hospital.Donations, from churches in Moore County and nationwide, provide the funding for purchasing Bibles that are distributed worldwide. 100% of every dollar that is given by individuals and churches goes to purchasing Bibles for distribution here and abroad.Nationwide: As of the end of October, 5.5 million Scriptures were placed in the USA [including 703,000+ Gideon Personal Workers Testaments (PWTs) and 275,000 Auxiliary Personal Workers Testaments (PWTs)]Worldwide Bible Distribution figures for 2009 will be available soon.
Bible Distributions in Moore County:
Hotels & Motels: 15 Motels -1554 rooms inventoried -225 Bibles placed.
Nursing Homes: 12 Nursing Homes inventoried- 305 Bibles placed
Moore Regional Hospital: January and July Distribution- 492 Bibles placed
Medical and Other Offices including staff: 24 Offices served – 601 Bibles and PWT Bibles placed (Personal Workers Testament)
Schools: 5 Christian Schools including Sandhills Classical School served – 140 Bibles placed
(Moore County Public Schools will no longer allow Gideons into the schools to distribute Bibles).
Others (Individual Testimonies): 208 PWT Bibles placed
Iglesia del Redentor(Ernesto Fernandez)
What is MNA? MNA strives to ignite a powerful church planting and vitalization movement that impacts all of North America with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and transforms the heart and face of PCA Churches and presbyteries. In addition to church planting, they offer the following ministries:
African American Ministries – Church Planter Development, Church Planter Wives Ministry, Church Renewal, Haitian Ministries, Hispanic American Ministries, Korean Ministries, Leadership and Ministry Preparation (LAMP), Native American/First Nations, Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches, and Urban/Mercy Ministries.MNA also has the following Outreach Ministries: Chaplain Ministries, Disaster Response, ESL Ministries, Ministry to State, MNA Short Term Missions, and Special Needs Ministries.
We currently support Iglesia del Redentor (Church of the Redeemer) in Monroe, NC (www.iglesiadelredentor.com) through MNA. They are the ONLY Hispanic church in Central Carolina Presbytery (the Presbytery we belong to). They have had weekly Sunday morning worship services in a school since September 2007. They have about 20 regular attendees, but minister to up to 50 people a week in the community with a bread/mercy ministry and home group Bible Studies.
In 2009, a Worship Leader joined their ministry.Ernesto Fernandez is the Pastor of Iglesia del Redentor. His wife Awara and their two children also minister with him. They have shared the following prayer requests: that the Lord would bring spiritual and numerical growth to their church, for their English as a Second Language program (pray for a director and for new students), for continued financial provision for this ministry to cover their operating expenses, and for grace and strength for their family as they continue in this cross-cultural ministry. The Fernandez family is in the process of adopting two boys from Peru and will be required to live in Peru for a month to complete the adoption. Please pray for them personally with the pending adoption!
Lake Tillery Church(The McAulay Family)
The Lake Tillery Church is also a part of MNA. Located in Montgomery County North Carolina: Montgomery County, approximately 56 miles East of Charlotte on Hwy 24/27, is home to a population of 27,451 as of the 2007 US Census.The County Church Membership Report figures from the same census show us that there are 14,718 unclaimed people. “Unclaimed” means those who claim to have no church affiliation. This figure alone is proof enough that Montgomery County needs the Gospel!Why Lake Tillery? The Lake Tillery Corridor on the Western side of the County is our target location. The lake, along with the attractions of hiking, camping, and mountain biking in the Uwharrie National Forest is rapidly becoming the backyard and playground for many from Charlotte, Highpoint, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. Over the past several years as the baby boomers have begun reaching retirement, this area of the state is becoming a much desired location for people to make their homes. Even though the lake corridor is the fastest growing residential area for the County, it has the fewest churches.
Meet the McAulays: Chip McAulay is a Teaching Elder in the PCA having been called by Sandhills Presbyterian Church and backed by Central Carolina Presbytery to Plant Lake Tillery Presbyterian Church. Chip, along with his wife Carol and their two boys Cameron and Boone are natives of Montgomery County. They have had a vision of a church in this area of Montgomery County for many years and desire to see God by His grace bring people to saving faith in His son Jesus Christ.Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” ESV
Our focus
1. Evangelism
2. Discipleship
3. Church Planting
4. MissionsOur Core values
1. The Inerrancy of Scripture
2. Man’s need of salvation
3. Salvation is found only in Christ alone by faith alone.
4. Sound contextual biblical teaching
5. Emphasis on worship
6. Emphasis on personal evangelism
7. Emphasis on family
8. Emphasis on local and foreign missions
9. The work to be done is the work of the Lord. We have the privilege to be used to bring Him and Him alone all of the glory.
How you can be involved? You too can be involved in sharing the Gospel in Montgomery County through prayer. Pray for Chip, His wife Carol and their two boys, Cameron (17) and Boone (13). Pray for those whom God will raise to lead in the church. Pray for the salvation of lost souls. Secondly, please consider financial support of this ministry. Projected budget for 2010 is $120,000. Amount we still need to raise is $50,000.00.
Please contact Chip McAulay with any questions as well as to schedule a meeting with you or your missions committee. Together God will use us to bring Himself glory and advance His kingdom.
Life Care Pregnancy Center
Serving Moore County in Carthage, NC, Life Care Pregnancy Center (LCPC) is a Christ-centered ministry that promotes the sanctity of human life by providing Christian direction, compassionate care, accurate information and practical assistance for individuals and families facing crucial decisions surrounding an unplanned pregnancy or pregnancy related crisis.In 2009, LCPC had a very successful year with a significant increase in clients. Yet, there are still folks in Moore County who do not even know that LCPC exists! The Center offers help for women of all ages. Volunteer opportunities are available for those who want to make a difference in the life of a woman who is facing a crisis. Quarterly volunteer orientations are held and advance training for those who want to be peer counselors is also available.This year we have had 3 volunteers who have totally reorganized our “Mommy and Me” closet. The clients who attend classes are able to earn points and these points are used to purchase things in the closet that they might need. The closet not only has baby clothes, but also has baby equipment and maternity clothes!We have been able to expand our Baby Bottle Campaign into a ministry opportunity that goes on all year long instead of just at Mother’s Day. Our goal is to have 3-5 churches or groups participating in these campaigns each quarter. This method of raising money has proven to be beneficial for the Center. We also held our annual banquet for fundraising this past September and incorporated our first silent auction during the banquet.
The Center is working towards becoming a medical center where free ultrasounds will be performed for the women. Statistics prove that after seeing their baby, over 90% of abortion minded women choose life. In order to become a medical center, LCPC has to meet certain criteria, plus raise the money to pay for the ultrasound equipment. In addition to the equipment, there will be a need for a nurse as well as 2 full time employees.Because the Center is growing there is a need for more space. Our desire and prayer is that God will provide a larger space for the same or less money than we are currently paying. It is exciting to see God at work in the opportunities that He continually gives to the Center. Lives are being touched and babies are being given the opportunity of life and a future. www.lifecarepregnancycenter.org
Sandhills Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS)
Sandhills Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) is a faith-based organization that exists to meet the needs of every mother – mothers with different lifestyles who share the similar desire to be the very best moms they can be. A charter of MOPS International, Sandhills MOPS celebrates motherhood while helping mothers make connections and allowing them to experience God’s love through relationships. The women meet bi-weekly and get to know one another over breakfasts and speakers who address light subjects such as home décor and meal prep and more substantive issues such as child discipline and managing technology in the home. Sandhills MOPS nurtures more than 60 women. Some of these women do not attend church regularly and are seeking to learn about God. For those women, MOPS is a non-threatening and mom-affirming place to grow in their faith. Sandhills MOPS’ goal is to move every woman further along in her relationship with God. More than 40 children participate in the parallel program, MOPPETS. This gives mothers a much-needed break but also teaches children about Jesus in a curriculum similar to that of vacation bible school. www.sandhillsmops.com
Sandhills Teen Challenge(STC) (Sal and Debby DiBianca)
Sandhills Teen Challenge (STC) is a residential faith based recovery program in Carthage for men ages 18+ with drug/alcohol problems. Located in Carthage, NC, they can house up to 28 men in their two dormitories.STC strives to help men who have life-controlling problems and initiate the discipleship process to the point where the student can function as a Christian in society. They apply spiritually motivated Biblical principles to relationships in the family, local church, chosen vocation, and the community. Teen Challenge endeavors to help men become mentally sound, emotionally balanced, socially adjusted, physically well, and spiritually alive.The residents at Sandhills Teen Challenge participate in classes and group studies for New Christians to help them discover practical ways to apply Biblical Truths to problems and challenges they face each day.In addition to the daily ministry that takes place on the Sandhills Teen Challenge campus, the students at Sandhills Teen Challenge, along with Sal and Debby DiBianca, do many presentations each month at churches and schools, sharing the Gospel and the power of the Lord to change lives. During the presentations in public and private schools, they use comedy, live music and testimony of personal experience to relevant teen issues (including Choices, Substance Abuse, Abstinence, and Dreams).Sal and Debby DiBianca have led Sandhills Teen Challenge for more than 20 years and are both graduates of Teen Challenge. www.sandhillstc.org
Young Life of the Sandhills
Here in the Sandhills we currently have 6 adult leaders, including our area director Greg Noble, and 16 Junior leaders (juniors and seniors in high school). These leaders offer relationships that can change kids, and often challenge them, as they are led to the ultimate friendship with their Creator.We currently have ministry at Pinecrest High School, The O’Neal School (upper and middle), Southern Middle School, and West Pine Middle School. In 2009, we took over 147 people to camp where they heard the good news about Jesus’ love for them and how to they can respond to Him. Each week we have Young Life “club” on Monday nights at the Sandhills Children’s Center and Wyldlife “club” once a month at the center. Each week we have campaigners (small group Bible Studies) for each grade in which they meet together to go deeper in the word.Young Life offers lifetime friends, listening ears, shoulders to cry on, and reasons to hope. More significantly, as YL leaders build relationships throughout the Sandhills, kids discover that the God of the Universe wants to be their friend…a relationship spanning from heaven to earth…a friendship offering life as well as a way through life. That’s Young Life…Adult friends living out the unconditional love of a caring Creator.We are always on the lookout and in need of adults in the community that have a heart for teenagers and a heart for Christ. If this is you we would love to meet with you to see if where you would fit in, or if you have any questions about Young Life call Greg Noble 315-7949.
For direct contact information or for information on where to send support for these missionaries, please contact the church office by email or by phone at (910) 692-5834.