The Acts 1:8 Challenge

Making our church a worldwide mission center today!

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NIV)

Jesus commanded Heritage Hills to take the gospel to the ends of the earth and gave us a powerful model in Acts 1:8 that is local, regional, national, and global.

Our church reaching our Jerusalem . . . our community and county!

Heritage Hills is uniquely positioned to fulfill our worldwide mission through an Acts 1:8 vision. Understanding that the local church is at the very center of God's heart for reaching the world, we are mapping out our Jerusalem, our Judea, our Samaria, and our ends of the earth. And we are discovering that we can literally change our world.

There are people in our community who need the gospel, but may never set foot in our church building. They are our “Jerusalem” mission field.

We seek to bring people onto our campus through our annual Easter Egg Hunt, Upward Basketball, Bringin' It Home Softball, and other special events.

Our church reaching our Judea and Samaria... our state and North America!

Heritage Hills sends out God's Hope Builders on construction mission trips in the state of Georgia as well as other states to assist churches with new construction. It also becomes a great opportunity to share the gospel. 

Their ministry in IL the summer of 2006 was a great experience. Approximately 65 people were involved. While we often think of North America as “Christian,” the reality is that an estimated 235 million people in our “Samaria” have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is seven out of10 people! The lost-ness of North America runs deep, and the gospel often meets a calloused response in this modern-day Samaria. Our mission dollars, flowing through channels like the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, provide another “Acts 1:8 partner” in the North American Mission Board (NAMB). NAMB is positioned to act as a “nerve center” for the network of more than 48,000 Southern Baptist congregations and more than 5,000 missionaries across our continent. Read more.

Our church reaching our ends of the earth... our world!

Thousands of people around the world are coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Yet the stark reality remains: 1.7 billion people still have little or no access to the gospel message. And while Southern Baptists are going to international mission fields in unprecedented numbers, many more are needed.

Heritage Hills is enabling a growing number of members to directly participate in short-term, long-term, and marketplace opportunities to minister and spread the gospel beyond our church’s walls. We sent our first cross cultural mission team to Zimbabwe, Africa, the summer of 2005. 

We also have global impact through a partnership with the International Mission Board (IMB). Our gifts to the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering enable us to support more than 5,300 missionaries in more than 150 countries. The challenge is in reaching more than 6,500 unreached people groups throughout the world. 

The ends of the earth are within our grasp!