Youth Pastor Tony Hunt shared that the South African government planned  to shut down a Christian school, with strong ties to West Shore missionaries, unless significant renovations were made to the facility’s overcrowded and dilapidated dormitories and bathrooms. Without financial and spiritual support, the school’s 175 impoverished students, many of whom are orphans—would essentially be abandoned. Total cost? About $100,000.

Unaware of Pastor Tony’s desire to help the children of Aurora Primary School, just a week later, Dr. Phil Thorne, Sr. Pastor at West Shore, shared a burden on his heart while gathered at a staff meeting. “I want this Christmas season to be about giving beyond ourselves, not only individually but also as a church,” he said. “We should give the Christmas Eve offering to something or someone beyond the church but I don’t yet know who or what that is.”

Once again, God’s perfect timing is manifested. Within moments of sharing his testimony, Pastor Tony received unanimous support for a special Christmas Eve offering for Aurora, located in Bapsfonstein, South Africa. And not only would the church set a goal of $35,000—the minimum amount of funds needed for renovations—we’d strive for the full $100,000—and see what God would do.

News of the offering spread quickly and with great anticipation as we hoped for a miracle. Children emptied piggy banks, youth surrendered spending money, families sacrificed personal gift giving, and prayer teams were commissioned. Those who had visited Aurora shared testimony of the great work and sacrifices of school leaders who faced tremendous challenges on a daily basis. And, through written communications, Aurora graduates shared their experiences of how God has worked through their lives, helping them to share the Gospel themselves.

Elders and staff, supporting the project, still harbored a level of concern. Would such a large offering affect regular budgetary giving? For some, their prayers resembled Malachi 3:10 when God said “test me on this” in regards to giving in abundance and seeing how He blesses in return. At one point Pastor Phil shared that although the special offering might adversely affect church income, at the end of the day we’d be changed as a body of believers.

Christmas Day came and went with many thoughts on Aurora. Would we meet our goal? Would the students of Aurora continue to hear the Word? “Yes!” said the Lord. As a church, West Shore raised $165,000—enough for new bathrooms and a dormitory, a dining/activity hall, enhanced security and even assignments for long and short term missions’ teams.
 

But the Aurora project was much more than your average church fundraiser. This experience changed us, including, according to Pastor Tony, “raising a new level of faith among our leaders.” There is a palpable sense of excitement in the air as we move toward greater global involvement, recognizing that our sweet sacrifices here in Mechanicsburg—both large and small—can have a profound physical and spiritual impact on our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

In a heartbeat . . .
by Hannah Jones