A Church on Mission
IN OUR COMMUNITY + AROUND THE WORLD
Southern Hills has been passionate about the world-wide mission of God since its earliest days as a church. With direction from our International Missions Team and our Local Missions Team, we participate in God's mission through the following ways:
International Missions
Southern Hills has a strong history of supporting the work of God around the world. Our church’s international missions program includes:
Supporting seven full-time missionaries in the US, Central and South America, and Africa.
Partnering with mission partners who share the compassion and message of Jesus.
Sending members on mission trips we call “Let’s Go” trips.
Our Missionaries
We use the term “missionaries” to describe those in whom we are heavily invested, who receive their primary financial support from Southern Hills.
Erick & Gabby Gamez | El Salvador
Erick and Gabby minister at the Iglesia De Christo San Bartolo in San Salvador, El Salvador. Erick serves as an evangelist, counselor, and youth worker. He has developed trust in his community, and has been given the honor to speak and teach in schools about religious topics, opening doors for people to think and talk about faith. He also helps lead a ministry called “Project Nehemiah” which provides homes for people who otherwise could not afford them. Gabby works alongside Erick in leading the youth of the church, and also oversees the young women’s ministry. Southern Hills began sponsoring the Gamezes in 2017.
Serge & Esperance Gasore | Rwanda
Serge and Esperance have three children: Serge Jr., Joel, and Joella. Serge and Esperance Gasore are missionaries in Ntarama, Rwanda, where Serge was raised and where he witnessed the Genocide against the Tutsi people in 1994. The Gasores founded a ministry called Rwanda Children, which provides daily shelter, food, medical care, education, and hope to at-risk Rwandan children in the name of Jesus. In just a few years, Rwanda Children has grown from a single house where one staff member provided care for several children in 2014, to a beautiful, spacious campus that now includes a Christian school, medical clinic, job training center, garden, and a fellowship and worship center that seats 1,300 people. Rwanda Children has over 800 students enrolled in their school, over 500 children in their sponsorship program, and 136 staff members. The Gasores have been supported by Southern Hills since 2016. rwandachildren.org
Alejandro & Nohely Gumesindo | Peru
Alejandro and Nohely Julio serve in Ventanilla, Peru, a city near the Pacific coast with a population of more than 300,000 people. Members of Southern Hills have traveled there each summer for the past 18 years. Alejandro is the minister of a church in Ventanilla, where he and Nohely have developed a strong program focused on children and teenagers. In addition, Alejandro leads Bible studies, visits and encourages church members for their spiritual edification and growth, and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Christian Counseling. This training enables him to provide better support and biblical guidance to church members and people in the community who are facing various needs and challenges. Alejandro also participates in medical campaigns organized by Olive Branch Ministries International, where he provides Christian counseling and spiritual support to patients who need it. Nohely works as an English translator and teacher. Together, they continue serving the church and seeking opportunities to share the love of Christ and strengthen families spiritually within their community. Southern Hills began sponsoring the Gumesindos in 2018.
Casper & Ashley Steenkamp, South Africa
Casper and Ashley Steenkamp are part of a disciple-making team that started 2014 in Stellenbosch, South Africa called Kingdom DNA which encourages, educates, and equips followers of Christ. They are passionate about mentoring and discipling believers who are then able to go out and make disciples themselves. They’ve planted churches at numerous locations in and around Stellenbosch, and in recent years their work has expanded into Mozambique, Botswana, and India with the hope for even more nations. Their heart is to multiply the work of the gospel and disciple-making through partnering, training and investing into local leaders from different nations that share the same heart for discipleship. For this next season the Steenkamps will be joining others to form a missions team that will travel from location to location, following the lead of the Holy Spirit as they continue to make disciples, plant churches, and expand the Kingdom of God to more nations. The Steenkamps have been supported by Southern Hills since 2014. kingdomdna.org
Carladean Thompson, Kenya
Carladean Thompson is a missionary serving the Koma Rock Church of Christ in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition to teaching and leading Bible studies and classes for women and children, she equips and trains others to lead and teach throughout Kenya. Her focus is on drawing others into the Lord’s work, and she excels in helping them discover and use the gifts God has given them. The vast majority of people who live and worship near Carladean live in extreme poverty. She works hard, in partnership with the elders of the Koma Rock church, to help provide assistance for those brothers and sisters who are in need. Southern Hills began sponsoring Carladean in 2018.
Matt & Nikki Wallace, Denver
Matt and Nikki Wallace help provide houseless young people in Denver, Colorado with safe, caring relationships and a safe environment to experience the love of God. The ministry they helped create and shape, called Dry Bones, has provided a community of support and transformation for teens and young adults for over 20 years, helping meet emotional, spiritual, and physical needs, as well as providing job training, resource navigation, legal aid, and more. Matt and Nikki, along with the Dry Bones staff, practice the way of Jesus through building ongoing relationships that remind people who often feel invisible that they possess immeasurable worth. The Wallaces have been supported by Southern Hills since 2001. drybonesdenver.org
Our Mission Partners
We use the term “mission partners” to describe those whom we help support, whose primary financial support comes from other places.
Change A Life Ministry
Under the direction of Southern Hills member Tony Mauldin, Change A Life Ministry impacts children who are the poorest of the poor, who live in a slum called Mathare in Nairobi, Kenya. The goal of the ministry is to change one life at a time by providing education, meeting basic needs, and helping children and their families grow in their relationships with Jesus. This dynamic ministry has expanded to include a primary school in Mathare, and a boarding school in Kiserian for older students. calkenya.org
Nathan & Mahsa Elyaar
Nathan and Mahsa Elyaar have planted over 80 house churches in their home country of Iran. Since 2019, nearly 400 people have been baptized through their ministry. After being interrogated and imprisoned in Iran because of their faith, the couple came to the United States as refugees in 2017, yet continue their mission work remotely from Dallas with the support of the Prestoncrest Church of Christ. Today, they mentor and disciple Christians in Iran as their work continues to grow and thrive. kelisanet.com
Ricardo Fuentes
Ricardo Fuentes serves at the Iglesia de Cristo San Bartolo in San Salvador, El Salvador, alongside missionary Erick Gámez. He helps preach and teach the Bible and leads the English Classes Project, teaching children and young people while developing meaningful relationships with students and their families and using these connections as opportunities for biblical teaching and evangelism. Ricardo also participates in Project Nehemiah, a homebuilding ministry serving families in need, and supports youth, family, and other evangelistic efforts of the church. Ricardo is engaged to Julissa (wedding date is set for October 11, 2026), who serves alongside him in the ministry through her work in audiovisual production, photography, and creating content for the church’s Facebook page and social media. She also serves with the young women’s ministry and is involved in teaching preteens in Sunday school. Together, Ricardo and Julissa seek to serve the congregation and reach the San Bartolo community with the message of Christ.
Christopher & KaSarah Morgan
Christopher, who grew up at Southern Hills, serves as the donor relations manager at The Freedom Story, an organization based in Chiang Rai, Thailand that seeks to prevent and protect vulnerable children from exploitation through providing education, advocating for human rights, and alleviating poverty. KaSarah serves as the children’s minister at the Freedom Church and teaches 6th grade at Chiang Rai International Christian School. thefreedomstory.org
Val & Tatyana Sviontek
Val and Tatyana Sviontek lead a church in Odesa, Ukraine, but their work extends to Messianic Jews in places in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Israel. In addition to leading a church and sharing the gospel, they continue to work tirelessly to assist people in their church and community who have been impacted by the Russian invasion, providing humanitarian assistance to thousands of Ukranians. jewishpartnerinitiative.org
12 local preachers in Ghana
Southern Hills partners with 12 Ghanaian preachers who are strategically placed to preach and evangelize in locations where churches were planted by Southern Hills on previous Let’s Go trips.
Bar Church Abilene
Southern Hills launched Bar Church in March of 2013. Today, it continues to be a sacred space for people who feel out of place at a traditional church. Bar Church, which meets in “His Prayer Room” at Love & Care Ministries, nurtures faith and provides acceptance for people in our community through weekly recovery meetings and worship services.
LOCAL MISSIONS
Our church looks for ways to meet needs in our local community, specifically our “one mile radius” - the area within one mile of our church campus. Here are some ways we are making an impact:
We actively support our local schools — Alcorta Elementary, Madison Middle School, and Cooper High School — with school supplies, teacher gifts, and programs like “Alcorta Readers” and “Madison Fist Bump Crew.”
We partner with the Big Country Hunger Coalition to serve thousands of free meals each summer during the three-week period when local schools don’t serve free meals, in a program called “Kids Eat Free.”
We provide free supplies for families who receive foster placements, through our Foster Love Connection ministry.
We host neighborhood events such as Easter Eggstravaganza, Trunk or Treat, and Breakfast With Santa.
Our playground is used daily by families looking for a safe and fun place for their kids to play. In the summer we host weekly “Parents on the Playground” events for parents looking for connection.
We encourage members to serve through local ministries and non-profits, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Love & Care Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, CASA, Christian Service Center, Christian Homes & Family Services, and others.
