Northline Church: When a Church Sends and Serves

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A Huge Thank You to Our Friends from Northline Church!

It's been said that churches often pay close attention to their "seating capacity" while losing sight of their "sending capacity." In Acts 13, the church in Antioch, led by the Holy Spirit, sent Barnabas and Saul to witness beyond the walls of their own congregation. Their willingness to send very faithful people into the harvest became part of God's plan to carry the gospel to places they themselves would never go.   

Acts 13:1–3 

 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon ...Lucius... Manaen... and Saul. One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them."  So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. 

We see this same willingness to send in our friends at Northline Church.  Check out below how their willingness to send and support is making a massive impact in McDowell County. 


As many of you know, our friend Celia Coleman moved down here about five years ago. She originally came to serve with Praying Pelican Missions, an organization that helps outside churches connect with local churches to meet tangible needs of families and the organizations who help them. Fast forward a bit, and in the spring of 2023, Celia joined our core team here at RCW after our 1st "vision meeting" and has become "part of the furniture here" as we like to say!

Since joining RCW Celia has began mentoring local high schoolers through leading Young Life at Mount View High School, singing on our worship team, and married her husband, Chris (our Sound and Tech team coordinator).  They actually just bought a house right behind the church and have been having TONS of fun with Young Adults hangouts and are preparing for Cross Con 2026/7 already. 

In early May Celia’s sending church—Northline Church from Taylor, Michigan—came to serve with a team of about 15. Part of their goal was just to love on the Coleman family since they miss Celia like crazy, but man, did they ever come ready to work!

The Work:  

First, I know I'll miss a lot.  But the trip goal was to bless a few local families (and they did!) while also tackling some projects at the church.  Not only did the team accomplish those goals, but they were also able to visit Miracle Mountain Park in Gary and spend a morning helping our friends Dan and Erica. With wedding season arriving and Miracle Mountain being a popular venue, there were a few projects that needed attention. 

If you’ve walked through the church building lately, you’ll notice some things look fresh and finished. This crew jumped right into helping us renovate:

  • Flooring in the RCKids kitchen and bathrooms (some of our last flooring!!)

  • New basement sump pumps 

  • Electric and Plumbing in the bathrooms and kitchens

  • Finishing up a closet space by hanging a brand-new door

  • Updated lighting in the downstairs offices... and much more

They also put up beautiful pine shiplap boarding on the walls in two major spots: the couch room (where our Young Life, WyldLife, and small groups hang out) and the community room behind the TV, which is where we do our community dinners, birthday parties, and VBS.

On top of all that, they helped Chris tweak our soundboard and livestream mix.  Now, when you're at home sick or away on vacation, you’ll be able to hear everything beautifully and still feel right at home with us. 


The Best Part of the Week

While all the manual labor was incredible, the highlight was getting to be together and see how this team of old friends works together and joke together.

They arrived on a Saturday, and on Sunday, they joined us for our first-ever Church in the Park at Miracle Mountain in Gary.  It was special having everyone together in the fresh air with plenty of time to sit, chat, and get to know each other. Throughout the rest of the week, the real love of Jesus was shown around the breakfast and dinner tables, just sharing meals and laughing together at the different job sites.  They love to joke.

Talking with the Northline crew reminded us that a church doesn't need to have it all figured out to do big things—you just need the right attitude and a willingness to let God use your gifts. Northline has grown a lot over the years according to the Colemans, and it's simply because they focus on doing things well, taking the Bible seriously, and letting their folks use their talents to honor Jesus.

We are so incredibly grateful for their hard work, their laughs, and their friendship. We’re praying this is just the beginning of a long partnership between Welch and Michigan, and we can’t wait to see how God keeps building this friendship.

If you see Celia or Chris around, be sure to ask them how the week went, and keep praying for the team up at Northline!





 

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