Making Heaven Full –Elevating Fort Wayne Through Action
About this episode
Pastor Kyle Mills of Elevate City Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana joins Philip Cameron to share the remarkable story of planting a thriving church in the most violent and impoverished neighborhood in the state. Rather than following the suburban exodus common among growing congregations, Kyle felt a clear call from God to move into the heart of the city — and launched out in faith during the turbulence of 2020, despite critics who predicted the church would close within a year. Kyle draws on Ecclesiastes to explain the leap: "If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done." That conviction has fueled a ministry now serving five rehabilitation facilities, running bus ministry for women, men, and children, and welcoming worshippers — some with ankle monitors — into a community of genuine restoration. Kyle also unpacks Revelation 12 and the urgency it creates: Satan's time is short, but so is the Church's window to share the gospel. The conversation is a clarion call for pastors and believers to move beyond the four walls, stop being spiritual consumers, and become spiritual contributors. Learn more about Elevate City Church at elevatecity.church.
Part of our Church collection of conversations.
Quotes worth sharing
“Today is not the day you are going to quit. Do you hear me? You're not going to quit today. You're going to tell your circumstance, you're going to tell the devil that's trying to destroy your family or your health or your finances, your peace, and you're going to tell the devil today, "Listen, Devil, I am not quitting today."”
“I remember a scripture that the Lord dropped in my spirit out of Ecclesiastes. Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived. The Message Bible actually says it the best in my opinion: if you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done.”
“Satan has come down with great wrath, knowing his time is short. And I felt like the Holy Spirit spoke to me and reminded me and said, "Kyle, his time is short, but also our time is short to share the gospel." Both ways. So the time is now. The time is now, and I don't think we can just sit around and wait and hope for things to happen.”
What's Discussed
Pastor Kyle Mills of Elevate City Church (1315 South Hanna Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana) recounts how God called him to plant a church in the most violent and impoverished zip code in Indiana, launching during the upheaval of 2020. Citing Ecclesiastes — "if you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done" — Kyle describes a ministry now active in five rehab facilities, operating a bus ministry, and running men's and women's correctional facility outreaches. He references Revelation 12 to frame the urgency: Satan's time is short, and so is the Church's opportunity to evangelize. Kyle challenges believers to move from spiritual consumption to spiritual contribution and encourages pastors to start with one consistent outreach and trust God to grow it.
- God's Call to Fort Wayne's Inner City
- Launching the Church During 2020
- Rehab Facilities and Bus Ministry
- Revelation 12 and Gospel Urgency
- Going Beyond the Four Walls
- Consistency as the Key to Outreach Growth
- Spiritual Contributors vs. Consumers
Scripture in this episode
Episode Transcript
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Intro
Philip:Hey, welcome to Daily Faith. My name is Philip Cameron, and I am so glad you have happened past our place today. Let me tell you something. God loves you very much. He loves you with a love that will not let you go. Did you know that nothing, now listen to me, nothing can separate you from His love? You're not holding on to Him, He's holding on to you.
Philip:And we've got a great program today. Kyle Mills is with us from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and he has a very unique ministry. A lot of times today, churches are trying to get out of the inner cities, to get out into the suburbs. This is a church that turned the whole thing on its head and have gone into where the need is most, and I believe that God's got a word through him to you.
Philip:Daily Faith is here because we want to help you on your daily faith walk with Jesus. Something happens when you're affirmed. When someone comes up behind you and says, "You're doing a good job. You're all right. You're going to make it," that affirms you. There's a scripture, I forget what it is, but in the King James Version, which I am a King James Version guy, I'm that old. I don't understand these new-fangled things. I like the poetry of the King James Version.
Philip:But one of the scriptures says that your words confirmed the feeble knees. Your words confirmed the feeble knees. And the translation is that your words kept men on their feet. And my job, and my calling, and this ministry's calling is to speak life to keep you on your feet. Today is not the day you are going to quit. Do you hear me? You're not going to quit today. You're going to tell your circumstance, you're going to tell the devil that's trying to destroy your family or your health or your finances, your peace, and you're going to tell the devil today, "Listen, Devil, I am not quitting today."
Philip:And something happens when you say, "I'm not quitting." Something comes inside your spirit and you tell the devil, "You can go back to hell where you came from, because as for me and my house, we are serving the Lord." And we are just delighted to have you. And my brilliant son tells me that that scripture, your words confirm the feeble knees, is from Isaiah 35, verse three. You might want to write it down. Isaiah 35, verse three.
Philip:And I encourage you, why don't you be a knee confirmer? Why don't you be the person in your family, in your church, for your pastor, to be the person that stands up and confirms them? I don't know. They're telling me what to do still. I'm going to keep on going along this line.
Philip:When I was a wee boy back in Scotland, I must have been 10, maybe 11. I learned to play a few chords on the guitar. And my dad, I pestered my dad, "Can I sing in church? Can I sing in church? Can I sing in church?" He put me off for weeks, and finally, he says, "For goodness sake, yes, you can sing in church." Well, I got to church. I got there early, and my old acoustic guitar that I had, and it had a string because my mom couldn't afford a proper strap for me. And so I got our church hymnal, and I found a hymn, and I'd made a new tune for this hymn. And my cousin Anne held the hymn book.
Philip:So I got up to the microphone, flustered, and the string snapped on my guitar, and the guitar fell down, so I had to pick it up, which knocked it out of tune. And so I got a chair, and I put my leg up on the chair, and I forgot the whole melody I'd made. And all of a sudden, I'm standing, looking at this book, panicked. And the book starts shaking. And I looked at my cousin and she was laughing, just holding this book.
Philip:Well, I escaped from church. I ran out the back doors. I was humiliated. And I was never going to do this again. I was done. And I got to the back door of our church, and my Aunt Maggie, my dad's brother's wife, Maggie, stopped me and she says, "Philip, you blessed me today. That was absolutely wonderful." I ran all the way home. I was so embarrassed.
Philip:And I started at the church, "I'm never going to do that again." And by the time I got home, I was saying to myself, "Well, Auntie Maggie liked it. I'll do it again." That day, her words confirmed my knees. Why don't you encourage someone today in your life? And when you love someone and encourage someone, all that I do today, I would never have got here if my Auntie Maggie hadn't said, "You blessed me today."
Philip:I want you to share this broadcast, if you would. Tell someone about us. Like us. Hit the like button and the subscribe button. That would be a great thing. You can go to youtube.com/dailyfaith and we are there, with hundreds of shows just like this, speaking life and hope and faith into your heart, because I want to confirm your wobbly knees today, that you are not going to quit. Today's not the day you're going to quit. You're not going to give up today. You're going to keep on going because God is on your side, in the name of Jesus.
Philip:So we're on YouTube. If you can go there and subscribe, I'd appreciate it. We're just opening that up more, and do that for us if you could. We've got a great show today. You're going to love our guest. And we've got some wonderful news coming from our mission work in Moldova. I am delighted you are here. Welcome to Daily Faith.
Philip:Hello, everybody. My name is Philip Cameron, and I am delighted you're watching with us today. We have got a tremendous program for you. And first of all, I got a word from the Lord that God loves you, and He's not going to let you quit. He's not going to let you fail because He is on your side. And I'll tell you what, if you could see what was for you instead of being against you, we always accentuate the devil. "Oh, the devil." I've got news for you. This isn't a 51/49% conflict, and sometimes the devil's in charge and sometimes God's. "Oh, who's going to win this?" No.
Philip:The devil doesn't even get 1%. The only devils we have to fight and face is ourselves, to be honest with you, because we've overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. And the blood of Jesus is working in your life.
Philip:I saw something the other day that really troubled me. I've been praying for him ever since. Jordan Peterson has been deathly ill, I don't know if you know this, this last summer. Deathly ill. They thought he was going to die, and they couldn't even talk to him for a whole month. And his daughter came on yesterday, and she was telling, "Just pray for my dad. Please pray for my dad." And I text her and I said, "I just want you to know that they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of the testimony." And I plead the blood of Jesus over Jordan Peterson, and I want you to pray with me for him, that great man.
Philip:That great man who has gone from not believing to believing and being a great exponent for the Word of God and for Jesus and for the Christian faith. Pray for him. We've got a great program today.
Philip:In Moldova, those that don't know, we have a mission work in Moldova. Thirty-five years ago, I went to Moldova and Romania. First of all, Romania, with my dad. He forced me to go. He'd seen something on the BBC News about orphans, and he called me up and he says that our baby's dying. And I said, "For goodness sake, what's that got to do with us?" Well, it turned out a lot because he made me go with him, and while visiting the very first orphanage on the very first day, he went up the stairs in this orphanage, and I went up behind him complaining, "Look, it's all the same upstairs, downstairs. There's no difference. We've got to drive 2,500 miles back to Scotland."
Philip:And he ignored me and went up the stairs into salon five, and I went in behind him complaining, "This is ridiculous. Every room's the same. They've all got the same cribs. They're all filthy. They're all messed up." And in that room, right in the middle, was a wee face looking back at me. Out of 200 kids, this one face just grabbed my heart. And I said, "Look at that boy, Dad." And he said, "Oh, he's a bonny boy." And I says, "No." I said, "God wants me to adopt him." Just as fast as that, I heard His voice. The Lord says, "That's your son." Clearly as I'm talking to you.
Philip:It was crazy. Went into the place, down between the cribs, picked this little orphan waif up, covered in waste, all around his hair was covered in pus. And I said, "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but I'm going to adopt you one day, and I'm not going to quit until I do." Took me a year to do it, and in that year, God broke my heart for orphans. And our whole family is involved in reaching these kids for the Gospel.
Philip:And in the last 25 years, we've been in Moldova, which is the poorest country in Europe. Highest alcoholism in the whole wide world, and the poorest country in Europe. It's like Africa in Europe. And at the bottom of this mess of a society, there are kids that are abandoned by their parents, mostly through alcohol abuse. Unbelievable.
Philip:And we have a tremendous place called Vatra Village. We bought this, it was used and built originally, and it wasn't completed, but it was built, and the plan was to make it for rich people to have a summer home on the lake, the largest lake in Moldova. And we bought that. They poison the lake with chlorine because they're trying to kill algae. And every girl you see in this picture is worth $300,000 a year to the traffickers. And we take them to our place, and we put them back in school and tell them, "If you are born, God has a plan. You are not a mistake."
Philip:And the most miraculous things are taking place. These orphans are turning into sons and daughters. It's crazy. And then from daughters and sons into missionaries. And when the war in Ukraine, we've had a home in Ukraine for 10 years, long before the war. And when thousands, hundreds of thousands came to the borders, our kids, orphans, went up on the border to meet these mothers that had left their husbands behind to fight the Russians. A million people have died.
Philip:And when it was at the worst of days, these orphan kids that no one wanted were there cooking, and praying, and loving, and babysitting. Mothers were having nervous breakdowns because their husbands were left to fight the Russians. And having two kids shoved in a bus and run for your life, standing at the border not knowing where to go. And they would just come up and say, "You get in that bus." And that bus was going to France, and that bus was going to Italy, and that bus — they had no idea. They'd just put on a bus, "Go." And our orphan kids stood there in blizzard conditions for weeks on end, sharing the love of God.
Philip:And the other day, our kids went on an outreach. The boys went on an outreach, and they sent me this video. Watch this.
Philip:Oh, to be His hand extended. And there you have boys. We have one house in Vatra Village for boys. And the first thing we do when they come to us is we give them things to give away. We've discovered that by giving, you break the orphan spirit. You change how they see themselves. Instead of getting stuff all the time, handoffs, the worst of stuff. We work here, there's a warehouse about 50 feet from where I'm standing or sitting right now, and we've got teams of people that work nonstop building pallets to put on a container to send over there.
Philip:So our kids give away more stuff in a day than they've seen in their entire lives. And by doing so, by giving, it changes their perspective. It changes their whole mindset, that they are going to bless instead of just being the recipient all the time. And you know what? A lot of folk I know have got an orphan spirit inside them, and giving is the way to break that orphan spirit for you in your situation. The devil wants to impoverish you and bind you down in your need and your lack, and God wants to set you free. And the quickest way I know, and I've watched this happen through hundreds of kids, make them give. Let them give outside of themselves.
Philip:And that's our boys. That town they were in is a town called Bălți, which is a Russian town in Moldova, and most people in that particular part of Moldova speak Russian. It is one of the areas that there's concern about. If Russia ever gets across Ukraine far enough, they will take Moldova as well. That is a publicly known thing, that they are concerned that Moldova is the next grab in Putin's grab to restore himself. What he wants to do, he wants to reconstitute the Russian Empire. And so our kids live every day under that threat, and they give, and they love, and they pray, even though they know that tomorrow might be only the Lord knows.
Philip:And we had a terrible thing happen to us a few months ago. A young girl of 14, and that's under the age that we are permitted by law to take them into our house. 16 and up is what we're allowed. But this girl had such a horrible situation in her family that the mayor of the little village contacted us and said, "Will you take her in?" And they called me, says, "Well, what do you think?" And I said, "Let's risk it." So we took her in. We were caught, we were found out, and they put her back to the village. And within a week of being back, she was gang raped. And her whole life has been ruined, totally ruined.
Philip:And the leader that took her back to the village, a young woman called Nadia, she called me and she said, "I will never do that again. I will never drive a girl to that fate." Now we have no facilities for kids between the age of four and 16. We started looking, and we've just found this place, and there's two homes, and it's a farm, and it also includes a barn. So there you go. There's two houses right there.
Philip:And those two houses, the biggest one closest to us is already finished. We're going to take out the fancy furniture and repaint the place. But that house can house 25 little kids. That's the fancy house. We're going to change all that opulence. Who can paint a house pink blows my mind. But there'll be bunk beds in there, and those houses will house 50 kids between the two of them. And there's also a great big barn there that we're going to turn into a youth camp because our kids do youth camps all through the summertime.
Philip:And we're trying to believe God. We need $150,000 to finish this ministry, this part up, and we'd love you to help us. Whatever the Lord speaks to your heart, whatever one-time gift. There's someone watching today that he say, "Philip, I'll just give you the money to finish that whole thing up." This house is unfinished. It's about 80% complete. We've got to get the funds to finish that house. But if we can get those two houses opened, we have already hired one set of house parents, and we're just waiting for God to provide.
Philip:And if you say, "Well, what else can I do to help?" Every house that we open takes 300 people giving a dollar a day to sponsor it. And if you'd like to help us by giving a dollar, you can change a life for a dollar a day. If I could have had a place for Maria, what kind of difference could I have made in her life? And I want you to pray. A dollar a day won't change your world. Less than a tank of gas. But by giving a dollar a day, you can transform these kids forever.
Philip:My son, Andrew, was just over there. The boy from the orphanage, Andrew, he was over there, and it coincided with one of our girls who had already left our village, and she was getting married to a lovely Christian boy, and Andrew was invited to go. And they sat him at a table where every one of the people in the circle around that table was one of our alumni from Orphan's Hands, from Vatra Village. And some had their husbands with them and their babies on their laps. And Andrew called me up and he said, "Dad, you won't believe how it felt today to be sitting with all these kids that we found when they were broken." And here they are now, successful, married, serving Jesus, loving God.
Philip:Your dollar a day can change someone's life for all eternity. And you can help us, and you can contact The Orphan's Hands, that's the name of the organization, that part of our ministry, PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. You can also go to dailyfaith.tv, which is like our home base for the whole ministry. Dailyfaith.tv, and there's a giving page there. And whatever you assign this gift to, that's where it's going to go. You can also go to our webpage, which is orphanshands.org. There's all kinds of videos and all kinds of stuff that we do there. And by giving, you are opening God's blessing into your world.
Philip:If you've got kids, you're believing God to get saved. Give, and God will bring it back in. Would appreciate it, your help. I want you to meet Kyle Mills today. He is pastor of Elevate City Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. And he has done something that is unusual. He's bucked the trend, and instead of trying to escape from the inner city, he was outside in the suburbs and went into the inner city. Kyle, thank you for being on Daily Faith today. God bless you, my dear friend.
God's Call to Fort Wayne's Inner City
Kyle Mills:Thank you so much, Philip. It's an honor and a joy to be with you.
Philip:Tell us how on earth does a pastor who is sitting in suburbia suddenly get this calling to go back into the place that everyone's trying to get out of?
Kyle Mills:Yeah. The bottom line to it for us is we started, before we planted the church, with inner city ministry in mind. So we were serving it. God spoke to me when we moved here to find the hardest area of Fort Wayne and serve it. So the inner city was always in our heart, but we started the church in suburbia. But as time went on, our heart was just incredibly drawn to get here. And sometimes as we walk with the Lord, we have our idea of the way we think things should go. But God has another idea, another plan. And so during the pandemic is actually when we launched out in faith, and we really were in a place that it was time. It was time to go to the inner city and to make that launch into the deep and allow God to be God and to write the next part of our story as a church.
Launching the Church During 2020
Philip:And what's funny is most people are always waiting for the harps and the goosebumps and the chills. I've learned in my life over these years of ministry, 35 years in Moldova, 56 years traveling in this country and preaching and singing, there's never a good time. When we started our Bible school back in Scotland, inflation was at 25%, interest rates at the bank were at 20%, everything was in recession, and that's when the Lord says, "Start a Bible school." When you get to the Promised Land, there's a Jordan that needs to be crossed, and guess what? It's at flood stage. Who would've thought about it? Why not dry it up and make it an easy step across a little wee stream? No, no, no. When you are challenged by God to do something, usually you're doing it, there's giants in the land. There's a storm coming. Something happens, and that's where God tests your mettle, isn't it?
Kyle Mills:Yeah, absolutely. And I think, with anything, there's a price, there's a cost. And we understood that we were heading to the most violent part of our city, and actually the most impoverished, not just of Fort Wayne, but of the state of Indiana. So we understood the battle was real, and we understood that not everybody was going to go with us. I'll never forget in that particular year with everything that went on in 2020, as we all can remember. I also had emails of people who left us who said, "It'll close in a year. It won't happen. The community can't sustain a life-giving church." But here's what I know, man, when God speaks a word and when He tells us He's got a plan, that's who we listen to, and that's who we keep our eyes on.
Kyle Mills:And so as we marched forward in God's plan and purpose here, of course, opposition was there, but again, there's nothing that God cannot do. And so we just chose to believe and to stay in position to understand and know that if God is for us, who really can stand against us?
Philip:And there are people watching us today, maybe a pastor's watching us, and the Lord's been challenging you to do something that is out of the ordinary. And you're thinking, "Lord, I want to live a normal life. Just leave me alone. Let me live in my own lane and just kind of survive and get by here." And God's calling you to something bigger and different. And if you're watching us today, we want to encourage you, come on in, the water's fine.
Philip:When we went to Moldova, it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life. Everything in my mind and my spirit said, "You are out of your ever-loving..." Never mind the other people. We were known in America as the Singing Camerons. We'd sung praise songs on PTL and stuff. And guys would come up to me and say, "You'll never change. People see you in one light, and you'll never transition into something else." And God says, "You do what you're told, and I will make a way where there is no way." And that's what you found.
Kyle Mills:Yeah, absolutely, Philip. And I think one of the things that the Lord spoke to me in that particular season when some of the negativity seemed to be swarming loud, because it can feel that way, and it can feel daunting. And I remember a scripture that the Lord dropped in my spirit out of Ecclesiastes. Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived. The Message Bible actually says it the best in my opinion, that if you wait for perfect conditions —
Philip:The Message Bible. You read The Message Bible?
Kyle Mills:Yeah.
Philip:Not the King James?
Kyle Mills:Yeah. Go ahead, I'll let you — no, you're good. If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done.
Rehab Facilities and Bus Ministry
Philip:Never. Absolutely. And so we knew it was going to take a step of faith to come out from comfortable into the area that God needed us to be.
Kyle Mills:Yeah. And that's where I reflect on most. It is some of the most joyful time of ministry right now because we're serving in five rehab facilities right now with services and small groups and our bus ministry bringing women and men and children to church. And I'm telling you, God is moving in the recovery business, that's for sure. And then in our men's and women's correctional facility ministries open up. Philip, we've got some of our prayer team at the end of services, they've got ankle monitors on. Some of our ushers have ankle monitors on. But I think it's a great picture of the church and reaching those who are far from God, who have been unchurched, but now who are growing, being restored into a relationship with the Lord. And to me, that's what it's all about.
Revelation 12 and Gospel Urgency
Kyle Mills:And I think that there's an urgency in this hour. Something the Lord dropped in my heart just a couple of weeks ago, and it was out of Revelation 12, and that was that Satan has come down with great wrath, knowing his time is short. And I felt like the Holy Spirit spoke to me and reminded me and said, "Kyle, his time is short, but also our time is short to share the gospel." Both ways. So the time is now. The time is now, and I don't think we can just sit around and wait and hope for things to happen. Prayer is powerful, and we need to pray, but there also needs to be some action steps to go beyond the four walls of the church and be the church that God has called us to be in our cities.
Philip:Well, I think Charlie Kirk has kind of shaken us all up because here's a kid that started at 18. You talk about unlikely. And he went in. I, as a minister, have railed against Harvard and these lunatic left institutions that are poisoning our kids. He says, "Okay, that's where I'm going to go." And he went into the place and shook a nation and has had the president talk about him and the Pope talk about him and these prime ministers all over the world because he chose, rather than sit in the comfort zone of what he wanted to be nice and cozy, just me and you in the pew kind of thing, and he went into the lion's den, and that's exactly what you've done.
Going Beyond the Four Walls
Philip:And I'd like to encourage pastors watching today, why don't you think and pray about starting an outreach into the worst parts? Because that's where the biggest miracles are. Our family, Kyle, every man in our family for 200 years was an alcoholic. We were the drunks of our town. And two young boys came to our town, fresh out of Bible school, had six weeks of services, had 96 converts, 67 were Camerons. And everyone said, "Ain't no way, the Camerons, they're all a bunch of, they'll never stick it out." And here we are, three quarters of a century later, serving God, because God works in the worst places first.
Kyle Mills:Yes, sir. Yeah. And I think that's the part of the faith journey. It takes great faith. And I think this journey that we're on, I tell our church that we don't want to just be known for what God's doing on Sundays, but man, we want to be more known for what God's doing Monday through Saturday, too. And it's going to take a people that are united in the cause of Christ to understand that God's placed something within you, that you have an assignment. You have a calling to go do something remarkable for Him.
Kyle Mills:And I'm convinced more than ever, Philip, that God has called us to not be pew sitters, but to get beyond the four walls and let's be the church. To not be spiritual consumers, but to be spiritual contributors for the glory of God.
Philip:Jesus spoke about a man who'd fallen amongst thieves, and the Levite came past, the priest came past, and they all just walked past, and this guy's dying on the side of the road. It got ahold of Jesus so much that he told the story. Jesus is looking for those who have fallen amongst thieves, the ones that have been battered and bruised and are dying. And we in the Church, we want everything so clinical and clean. Just come in, drop your tithes and offerings in this little bucket here, and don't give us any trouble. Don't be an agitator. Just kind of cruise along in a numb, controlled situation. And I'm here to tell you, in these days we're living in, God's not going to allow us to be like that. We've got to get involved in the fight. And as someone who's been fighting for 35 years in the darkest of situations, I believe that God wants us to stand up in these days.
Consistency as the Key to Outreach Growth
Kyle Mills:Yeah. Absolutely, Philip. And I think in this hour, there is a calling. You referred to the Charlie Kirk thing that happened, which was horrific. Horrific. And then we see all of the other things that are happening, the violence throughout our nation. And what America needs is a revival. What America needs is Jesus, and what America needs is the Church to rise up and be the Church. And however that might be, and sometimes I've had different conversations with pastors that say, "Well, where do we begin? How do we do an outreach?" And I always encourage pastors and leaders, just start with one area and be consistent with it. And I believe that consistency will grow.
Philip:Be faithful. God will bring the people you need. People in need test you and want to see if you're just another do-gooder or if you're someone that's really interested in getting them out of the pit. And obviously, Kyle, you are one of those guys that have gone in there and poured in oil and wine. That's an investment. And paid for their keep in the inn. That's an investment. And it moved the heart of Jesus to the point of talking about it. And I just honor you. I have so enjoyed meeting with you today. I've enjoyed what you're talking about.
Spiritual Contributors vs. Consumers
Philip:Let me put up his address. This man needs your help. This ministry needs your support. You know when you're in the middle of a downtown area, the challenge is always there. Elevate City Church, and it's 1315 South Hanna Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I want you to get on their website, elevatecity.church, and say, "I want to help." I'm sure he wouldn't say no if you sent an offering to help in their outreach. But get involved. Get your hands dirty.
Philip:Don't just sit on the sidelines in the greatest moments in the history of the world. In Britain, this last week, they've just made a digital card. The prime minister said you will not be able to work unless you have this card. You will not be able to buy stuff. It is the beginning, the prequel of the mark of the beast. We are living in it. Don't be counted short. Stand up and do something. And giving and being part and praying for Kyle and this ministry and Elevate City Church, you are involving yourself. Roll up your sleeves and get going.
Philip:In the last World War, when our country was bankrupt from the First World War, Churchill inspired a nation to fight. And I hope that Charlie Kirk, who gave his life as a martyr, I hope he's going to inspire all of us to stand up and be counted in the days. Kyle, thank you so much for being with me. What a blessing you've been today.
Kyle Mills:Thank you so much, Philip, again, for having me. Honor, and it's been a joy, truly.
Philip:It doesn't take long to spend half an hour when you're on Daily Faith, I can promise you that now.
Kyle Mills:Yes.
Philip:Thank you for watching Daily Faith today, wherever you're at. Be a part with Kyle. Help us in our ministry in Moldova to get these two new houses, or be one of these 300 folk to become a monthly sponsor. You can make a difference. We love you. See you again. Bye-bye.
For over 25 years, the Cameron family has been changing the lives of orphans in Romania and Moldova. From providing running water, flushing toilets, and clean wells to coal for heat, new windows, as well as food and clothing. They champion the physical needs of the orphans in these broken and desolate countries. Many of Moldova's orphans are saved from the horrors of trafficking through homes founded by the Camerons, and in the process, orphans become daughters and sons.
They come to know their Heavenly Father and are forever changed by the love of Jesus. God helped the Camerons lift these amazing young men and women out of darkness. Now, no longer orphans, they want to return and invade that very same darkness with the light of Jesus Christ. The Orphan's Hands equips these daughters and sons to become missionaries. Your monthly gift of $31 will allow us to rescue and take in more girls and boys, saving them from the hell of human trafficking.
Your monthly partnership will allow us to care for those in The Orphan's Hands homes in Moldova and Ukraine. If you want to join Philip and Chrissy in taking care of these precious young people, please contact us today by calling 833-DAILYFAITH. You can also give by going online to www.dailyfaith.tv or by writing to PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. So many lives depend on what we do. Thank you for loving the lost.
Common questions
Why did Kyle Mills move his church into the inner city instead of staying in the suburbs?
Kyle says the inner city was always in his heart — even before the church was planted, God told him to find the hardest area of Fort Wayne and serve it. The church started in suburbia, but over time the pull became undeniable, and they made the leap during the pandemic, choosing to trust God's plan over the comfortable path.
What part of Fort Wayne does Elevate City Church serve, and how tough is it?
Kyle describes it as the most violent and most impoverished area — not just in Fort Wayne, but in the entire state of Indiana. When they launched, people emailed him saying the church would close within a year because the community couldn't sustain a life-giving church.
What does Elevate City Church actually do beyond Sunday services?
Kyle says they currently run services and small groups in five rehab facilities, operate a bus ministry bringing women, men, and children to church, and have ministries inside men's and women's correctional facilities. He notes that some of their prayer team and ushers wear ankle monitors — which he sees as a vivid picture of what the church is supposed to look like.
What scripture motivated Kyle to stop waiting for the right moment and just act?
Kyle leaned on a verse from Ecclesiastes — he quotes The Message Bible version: 'If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done.' He says that word from Solomon was what the Lord dropped in his spirit during the season when doubt and negativity felt loudest.
What does Kyle say the Church needs to do differently right now?
Kyle says the urgency is real — drawing on Revelation 12, he felt the Holy Spirit remind him that just as Satan's time is short, so is the Church's time to share the gospel. He challenges believers to stop being 'spiritual consumers' and become 'spiritual contributors,' getting beyond the four walls and being the church Monday through Saturday, not just on Sundays.
Topics
kyle millselevate city churchinner city ministryurban church plantingrehabilitation outreachfort wayne indianarevival