Friends:
Thank you for how you have responded to the Lord regarding Forging Our Future: 2021 Fundraising and Pledge Campaign.
We are Forging Our Future with God, in God, and through God, and we are Forging Our Future together as the community of his presence. Forging Our Future is done together– with God and with each other.
Let’s celebrate what the Lord has done so far through your responses. As of 10’27’21, pledges have reached $139,852, which is 87% of our $160,000 goal. The total gifts received are $138,092 which is 86% of our $160,000.
Let’s do this! We are praying for an additional $21,908 today, October 31, in order to reach our goal of $160,000.
This following graph gives us the update as of 10’27’21 for our Forging Our Future: 2021 Fundraising and Pledge Campaign.
You are such a generous people. Thank you for your pledges and gifts.
- Our goal is to receive all pledged gifts by October 31, 2021.
- For those who have pledged already, thank you. For those who have given already, thank you. For those who are giving regularly, thank you.
- Please make every effort to have your gifts in by October 31.
Here is our call to action:
- We are inviting every member, regular attender, and willing friend of Calvary to fill out the Forging Our Future response card. (Click here for my previous blog to access the response card and the graphic card.)
- For the context of what we are doing, please listen to the messages from Forging Our Future Part 1 and Part 2, where we talked about forging our future together in the areas of finances and stewardship. In the Scripture, the Lord talks a lot about money, stewardship, giving, tithing, offerings, and resources. We talked about 8 values and principles by which we live as members of God’s kingdom family that help us to align with the economy of the Kingdom of God.
- In Forging our Future Part 3, we talked about where we are headed with the Lord. And, we talked about some of the things the Lord is doing currently. The Lord is leading and inviting us to partner with him.
- We are asking every member, regular attender, and willing friend of Calvary to turn in your response card ASAP, letting us know how you will participate in this fundraising and pledge campaign.
- Let us know if you are giving a one-time amount, or if you are going to give a monthly amount.
- You can also fill out this response card online (see below).
- Please accept this invitation to participate.
- I want to invite everyone to participate in this campaign.
- We are not asking everyone to give the same amount.
- We are asking everyone to listen to the Lord and to give something in faith as unto the Lord.
When Joshua and the people of Israel entered their promised land, they faced obstacles, adversaries, and challenges.
The same thing is true for us in our journey. Currently, we face a financial obstacle that we need to rise up and overcome in the months ahead. That is why we are doing this campaign.
In facing this obstacle together, we get a chance to grow in our individual and corporate capacity to dialogue with the Lord, to obey the Lord, and to step out in faith in the Lord.
Remember the power of sacrifice:
As I shared in a recent blog, sacrifice carries great power in the Spirit. God’s blessings flow through sacrifice. The whole OT Jewish faith was built around sacrifice. Then, God flips the deck and makes the biggest sacrifice of all—Jesus on the cross. Think of the blessings that the sacrifice of Jesus unleashed on the world and our lives: mercy, forgiveness, eternal life, new creation, new beginnings, and much more.
Here is another testimony about the power of Christ’s sacrifice. Through the power of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, having disarmed the powers and authorities, God made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:13-15).
David said he would not give to God that which costs him nothing (2 Samuel 24:24). This man after God’s own heart was a man of sacrifice, just like his Father God is a sacrificer. The widow’s mite is another example of sacrifice, which gets the attention of God (Luke 21:1–4). And, remember the sacrifice of the Macedonian churches (2 Corinthians 8:1-3).
Sacrifice carries great power and impact in the Spirit. We are Forging Our Future together with God and one another.
Thank you for dialoguing with the Lord, obeying the Lord, and stepping out in faith in the Lord. We are grateful for those who support and uphold Calvary Community Church with your generosity. We are reminded of this promise to givers: And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
May the Lord bless you abundantly in every way,
Pastor Jeff
