Andrew Hopper is our current church planting resident. He and his wife and a team of others are planting Mercy Hill Church in Greensboro, NC in the spring of 2012. Find out more at their new website: www.MercyHillGSO.com.

How did God call you to plant a church?

Under the discipleship/mentorship/friendship of J.D. Greear and the Summit Church, two things have come alive in me over the past 4 years. First, I have learned and become passionate about preaching the Gospel for BOTH salvation and sanctification. And second, I’ve learned that in this broken and ravaged by sin world…the local church is God’s plan A for redemption. With these two passions ignited in my heart, Anna and I began to ask the question of what God would have us do when our time at the Summit was over…

Part of the Summit’s vision is to plant more churches in North Carolina – we don’t want to reach the nations and neglect our own backyard. As Anna and I talked about church planting in North Carolina a few things become clear. First, we love the Carolinas both north and south. Second, we feel pretty equipped to do ministry in the traditional South. Third, the exchange of true Gospel for moralism in the South is heart breaking to us. As these truths started to weigh on our hearts planting a church in North Carolina an exciting reality.

Why Greensboro?

With the largest percentage of decline in evangelical churches happening in the South we see Greensboro as a place of great need and strategy.

• The Need – Greensboro is a city where lost people reside and Southern moralism reigns. In short, the city needs more gospel-centered churches. Furthermore, 20% of Greensboro’s residents live in poverty, thousands are experiencing homelessness (many of these being children), and each year the city ranks well above the national average in the violent crime category.
• The Influence – Greensboro is a very influential city for North Carolina and the South. It is known as a strategic city (often called the “Gate City) for its sending capacity. We want to use this sending capacity to plant churches and send the gospel throughout NC, the South, and beyond.
• The People – Greensboro is one of the most diverse cities in the South. Furthermore, there are 72,000 college students in the Piedmont Triad region. Lastly, this region is home to 1.6 million people, with 250,000 being in Greensboro. Many of these people need to hear the gospel message of Jesus Christ for the first time.

How can people get involved in Mercy Hill Church?

People are the mission. We are asking that you would invest in the people of Greensboro for the sake of seeing the gospel take root in people’s hearts and begin to change the city one person at a time.

• Pray with us…God in his sovereignty chooses to work through the prayers of his people. For this reason we ask that you would consider partnering with us in prayer
• Give with us…As covenant members of Mercy Hill Church we will give to support the mission of the church, but we can’t do it alone. We need the help of individuals and churches that are willing to make a 1-3 year financial investment for the advancement of the gospel in Greensboro, NC.
• Plant with us…We need people to make Greensboro, NC, their new favorite city! We need Christians who are willing to plant their lives in Greensboro with the hope that God would use them to make the gospel flourish in the city.

To support us by praying, giving, or going contact Andrew Hopper at ahopper@mercyhillgso.com or visit www.MercyHillGSO.com.

Wednesday night at 7 pm at the Summit’s Brier Creek Campus we’re hosting an International Church Planting Forum with one of our church planters from Central Asia. Many of our church planters are serving in some of the most unreached and difficult places in the world, and the area where our guest works is no exception. He will be sharing what God is doing in that part of the world.

You’ll also have the opportunity to hear what it takes to live on mission overseas, and how you can prepare now to go, including equipping opportunities through SendRDU. You won’t want to miss it.

For more details and to RSVP, go here.

Check out this update from our church plant in Denver as they’re preparing to move into their 4th meeting space this year due to growth. God is moving in Denver. Get more details here.