Urban/Suburban Church Partnerships

All Christians are called to share in Jesus’ mission of proclaiming Good News to the poor.  We realize that many suburban churches have limited opportunity to build relationships with people in poverty.  Part of Hilltop’s mission therefore is to serve as a bridge between suburban churches and the urban poor. 

Under Hilltop 1.0 (our old way of doing things), Hilltop relied on suburban partners to heavily subsidize our basic operating expenses.  With Hilltop 2.0, we are leaving behind this dependence model in favor of a partnership model.  We are building relationships with partner churches in which urban and suburban partners bless one another, and together we are able to minister to more needy people in our neighborhood than we could working separately. 

What Hilltop brings to the partnership is an intimate working understanding of the culture of our neighborhood, and especially and understanding of the culture of poverty.  We also bring strong indigenous leaders who can be far more effective in connecting with neighborhood needs than outsiders ever can.  

Our suburban church partners bring many skills, employment connections, stability (often in scarce supply in a poor neighborhood), and financial resources—all of which can make a difference in the lives of the urban poor.

And, of course, together we bring God’s love and the transforming Good News of Jesus to people who are spiritually hungry.