Come. Build. Hope.
Location: Mexico, South Africa and the USA

StoneBridge Connection: For more than 10 years, teams from StoneBridge have traveled with Amor to Puerto Penasco, Mexico to build houses and connect with the families and neighbors where the houses have been built. Make plans to join the next team!

What do they do? For the last thirty years, Amor Ministries' main purpose has been to provide adequate housing for needy families in order to keep families together! Amor Ministries does more than just make life easier for a family in need. They open hearts to truly see the grace and love of Jesus by providing security, safety, and stability. Amor supplies materials, staff and connections with local churches to provide the guidance and tools for volunteer groups to build a two-room home in a matter of three or four days. In 30 years, over 16,000 homes have been built and numerous lives changed.

Why is it important? When Mexican pastors are asked what the greatest need is in their community, adequate housing is the answer. Without a decent place to live, people cannot be productive members of society, children cannot learn and families cannot thrive. In Mexico, however, affordable housing is an impossible goal for millions of families. Consider these facts:

• National unemployment rates are close to 40 percent;
• Minimum wage is set at 40 pesos per day (about $4);
• There are 21.5 million housing units and 22.3 million households. Over 4.5 million Mexicans live in substandard housing.

For more information: Visit Amor's website at www.amor.org

Location: Global - 25 Countries
Child sponsorship offers:

• ongoing Christian training through a local church.
• educational opportunities to defeat illiteracy.
• key life skills training and vocational programs to provide a brighter future.
• health care to prevent and fight disease and sickness.
• supplements to protect against malnutrition.
• recreational activities to development self-confidence and social skills.
• protection from crime, violence and danger.

For more information: Visit Compassion International's website.

Creating Church Leaders
StoneBridge Connection: StoneBridge has been a supporter of Nebraska Christian College for many years. Many of our pastors, including Senior Pastor Mark Chitwood, are graduates of NC.

What do they do? Nebraska Christian College is an institution of Christian higher education that seeks to bring glory to God by calling people to know Christ, preparing disciples with skills for ministry, and sending them out to make Christ known. Their passion and sole focus is the local church. In their own words: “We need the church to be great, and we need great leaders to lead them.”

Why is it important? There are some sobering statistics about churches in the United States:

• There are approximately 300,000 churches in America;
• Only 10,000 of those churches are growing;
• In most communities, less than 25% of the population is in a church on a Sunday morning;
• More churches are closing than are being planted.

NC believes that the local church is the hope of the world, and that she needs great leaders like never before. Nebraska Christian’s focus, now more than ever, is one thing: creating church leaders.

For more information: Visit NC’s website at www.nechristian.edu.

Evangelism. Empowerment. Education
Location: India

What do they do? Mid India Christian Mission seeks to proclaim Jesus Christ throughout India and beyond.  They believe in a holistic approach to ministry. Their aim is to see people transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ through their evangelistic efforts, but they also believe they must enrich people’s lives and society through education and empowerment.

Why is it important? India is home to the most Unreached People Groups in the world (2,018).  3 of the largest religions in the world were founded in India (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism).  As a result, there is great darkness that blinds the people of India from seeing the Truth.  How will the hundreds of millions of people in India hear about Jesus Christ unless someone tells them.  This is why Mid India was started in 1969 and it’s the reason Mid India continues to proclaim Jesus Christ.
 

For more information: For more information: Check out www.midindia.com

 

Bringing Hope to Those Who Have Lost Hope
Location: Peru & Ecuador

What do they do? PNHI is developing a reproducible, expandable and self-sustaining national-led disciple making / church planting and community transformation movement. Using the teaching tools of LifeWinds/CHE (Community Transformation), Bridges (Oral Bible Storytelling), Peace Treaty (Peace with God) and New Life in Christ Discipleship Training, they are planting multiple, definable and reproducing house churches that function, meet and celebrate together. They are planting Christ’s Church, one church working and meeting in many places in the city and calling that one city wide church, the Christian Church in Trujillo. They are training leaders in impoverished communities how they can improve their communities instead of waiting for someone else to do it for them.

Why is it important? There is no hope for those in the poor barrios of Trujillo. PNHI will work to develop businesses so this project can become financially free in the future and not dependent on outside support. They will seek to make cottage industries or home businesses possible in the most needy neighborhoods, and working to create large companies that will provide jobs and support for this project. Helping them help themselves will give them hope.

For more information: Visit PNHI’s website at www.pnhi.org.

Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness and Poverty

Location: Omaha

StoneBridge Connection: StoneBridge has partnered with Open Door Mission financially and through serving monthly at the Open Door campus.

What do they do? Open Door Mission is a Gospel Rescue Mission founded in 1954 committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Each day, Open Door Mission’s campus offers 816 safe, shelter beds to homeless men, women and children, serves over 2,000 hot, nutritious meals and provides preventive measures to more than 275 people living in poverty.

Why is it important? Open Door Mission is a Gospel Rescue Mission providing long-term solutions and programs that break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. It’s program focus is equipping Omaha men, women and children with the needed tools to become self-sufficient and independent in their community.

For more information: Visit Open Door Mission’s website at www.opendoormission.org.

Every Child Has A Church
Location: Planting churches in the U.S. and South America

StoneBridge Connection: In 2014, StoneBridge raised over $80,000 for their annual Christmas offering. That offering went through Stadia to fully fund a church plant in Santa Elena, Ecuador. Because of this, StoneBridge has begun an existing partnership with Stadia and their mission to this day.

What do they do? Stadia helps plant churches that specifically care for children. They do this because they know that church planting is the single, most effective way to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Why is it important?

• 85% of those who make a decision to follow Jesus do so between the ages of 4 and 14.
• All children are at risk. Dangers and diseases stem from poverty as well as prosperity.
• Children are close to the heart of God, so they are close to the heart of Stadia. “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me" (Matt. 18:5).

For more information: Visit Stadia's website at www.stadia.cc, or check out this video.