Bible study project honors
memory of faithful teen
By Edward Terry, The Layman, November 22, 2010
The tragic death of Nathan Stiles has the potential to bring new life to countless others through the Word of God.
Nathan, 17, passed away after collapsing on the sideline during a Spring Hill High School football game in October. He had sustained an injury earlier in the game and later died at the hospital, just a few days before his 18th birthday. 
Nathan’s story goes national
“Outside the Lines” is scheduled to air reporter T.J. Quinn’s story about Nathan Stiles on Sunday, Nov. 28, at 9 a.m. (EST) on ESPN.
He was a member of Hillsdale Presbyterian Church, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) congregation near Kansas City, Kan., and was strong in his faith. His pastor, the Rev. Laurie Johnston, said Nathan often would talk about God with her and took time to be involved at church, including through the Hillsdale Singers and Vacation Bible School, according to an article in the Miami County Republic newspaper.
“He sat on the front row every Sunday for 10 years,” Johnston said. “Our whole church has lost a son. He was at the center of everything we did.”
Nathan’s father, Ron, is an elder in the church, and Connie, Nathan’s mother, is the music director. Their faith amidst tragedy has been inspirational, Johnston said.
“The family really believes it was Nathan’s time; that it happened for a purpose,” she said. “They believe this is for a greater purpose – using Nathan’s life to touch other people.”
That prayer already is coming true.
In Nathan’s memory, his family and church set up “The Nathan Project,” a nondenominational Bible distribution and study program. In lieu of flowers at his funeral, the Stiles family asked that donations be made to the effort to purchase Bibles for Nathan’s peers. More than $14,000 has been raised in Nathan’s honor, according to an article on ESPN.com, and used to purchase study Bibles.
Approximately 1,000 Bibles already have been distributed and at least 15 Bible studies launched since the effort began. “The Nathan Project” lists more than a dozen Bible studies being hosted by churches of various denominations, including Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and Episcopal.
“He wanted his classmates to know God,” Johnston said in a statement on the Hillsdale Web site. “We are making his dream come true by offering Bibles to anyone who signs up for a Bible study to learn more about God.”
To support The Nathan Project, donations may be mailed to Hillsdale Presbyterian Church, care of the Nathan Project, P.O. Box 61, Hillsdale, KS, 66036.