January has a way of quieting everything down.
The decorations come down. The noise fades. The calendar resets. And in that stillness, God often asks a question that is both simple and searching:
Why are we here?
Not just as individuals—but as a church.
As we step into 2026, I believe God is calling Hillside to live with renewed purpose in everything we do. Not activity for activity’s sake. Not motion without direction. But a life—and a church—shaped by God’s plan, even when that plan is bigger than us.
Throughout the Bible, God rarely gives His people the whole picture all at once. If He did, we might negotiate. Or panic. Or ask for a different plan. He calls His people forward—and asks them to trust Him with the rest.
- When Joshua stood on the edge of the Jordan River, the promise of the land was already given—but the path forward was not yet clear. God did something unexpected. He told the priests to step into the river before the waters parted. Only after they stepped in did God move the river out of the way. Obedience came first. Clarity followed, which, if we’re honest, is usually the opposite order we prefer.
- Nehemiah faced a different challenge. The walls of Jerusalem were broken, the people discouraged, and opposition was everywhere. What’s often overlooked is that before Nehemiah ever lifted a tool, he spent months praying, fasting, and waiting. Purpose wasn’t driven by urgency—it was driven by discernment. And when the work finally began, Scripture says the people built “with all their heart” (Neh 4:6). Purpose united them.
- And then there is the early church in Acts. They had no buildings, no budgets, no long-term plans. What they had was devotion—to prayer, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to the apostles’ teaching. Their purpose was not to grow an institution, but to be faithful witnesses. And God added to their number—not because they were impressive, but because they were obedient.
To be purpose-driven means we ask different questions:
Not “What is easiest?” but “What is faithful?”
Not “What benefits us?” but “What advances God’s Kingdom?”
It means we worship with intention. We serve with intention. We love with intention. Even the small, unseen acts matter—because God often does His greatest work quietly, faithfully, over time.
God’s plan for this year is bigger than any one of us. And that should not create fear—but expectation. An expectation that God will continue shaping lives, that He will open doors only He can open, and that, in His time and His way, we will see His best.
Living with expectation does not mean everything will be easy. It means we trust that God is already at work ahead of us—even when we are still standing at the river’s edge, holding a brick in one hand, or praying behind closed doors.
Hillside, we are a church that has learned how to rebuild, how to trust, and how to move forward together. And I believe 2026 will be a year where we don’t just move forward—we move forward with purpose.
Let’s step where God leads. Let’s serve with whole hearts. And may everything we do point back to Him.
Your servant,
David Gunardi