Pulse, the Millennial-led prayer and outreach ministry led by Nick Hall, has raised $212,313 to help churches at risk of closing due to COVID-19. The funds, which will be disbursed through $3,000 grants, will help approximately 70 churches keep their doors open.
The effort was hosted in partnership with the Churches Helping Churches campaign. To raise the funds, Pulse brought together a roster of NFL athletes, bestselling authors, speakers, filmmakers, award-winning artists and pastors for a live simulcast on Friday, May 15, that drew over 260,000 viewers on Facebook and YouTube.
“This is exactly what the church does in times of great crisis—we come together,” Hall said.
The simulcast, which was called Together: Churches Helping Churches, is the latest initiative Pulse has launched to bring churches and encourage Christians during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, Pulse hosted live events for Good Friday and Easter that were watched by an estimated 1.7 million people online and led 117,000 people to make professions of faith.
“In some ways, COVID-19 is forcing us to become more and more like the early church in the book of Acts as we return to the pure gospel and meet one another’s needs. This could be the greatest moment for the church to show a hurting world what God’s love looks like. I am amazed by the church’s generosity and God’s goodness,” Hall said.
Friday’s simulcast included performances by Lauren Daigle, TobyMac, Kirk Franklin, for KING & COUNTRY, Lecrae, River Valley Worship, Brandon Lake and Hillsong Worship. Other notable guests included:
—Christine Caine, speaker, author, activist and founder of The A21 Campaign.
—Benjamin Watson, author and former NFL tight end.
—Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriguez, author and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
—Justin Giboney, attorney and co-founder and president of the AND Campaign.
—Sam Acho, NFL linebacker.
—Jeff Warren, artist, author, triathlete and pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.
—Lorenzo Alexander, former NFL linebacker.
—Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family.
—Rev. Dr. Nicole Martin, author, minister and assistant professor of ministry and leadership development at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina.
—Adam Wainwright, MLB pitcher.
—Chris Broussard, motivational speaker and NBA analyst and commentator for FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports.
—Matthew Slater, NFL wide receiver.
—Andy Erwin, filmmaker and co-founder of Erwin Brothers.
—Brian Mosley, president of RightNow Media.
—Kevin Palau, president and CEO of the Luis Palau Association.
All of the proceeds from the event will go directly to at-risk churches through grants administered by the National Christian Foundation. To date, the Churches Helping Churches campaign has raised more than $650,000 to assist churches in need.
To learn more about Together: Churches Helping Churches, please visit TogetherGeneration.com/CHC.
