As you can imagine, starting a new church costs a lot of money. Things like salaries, office space, advertising, facility rental, road gear (sound, lights, video, etc), seating, children's supplies (furniture, toys, teaching materials,etc), trailers (to move everything), logos, web sites, and TONS MORE!
So, a natural question comes to mind... Where does all of this money come from?
Not only is that a natural question - it is an important one! Without money, this future church - and the people it will reach for Christ - are just a figment of our imagination! Every step of this crucial mission to reach the lost is dependent on people just like you and I who are willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ!
This past week has been unbelievable! We have officially started the "fundraising" phase of the plant. I spent all day Monday in NW Indiana presenting "the plant" to a couple of churches and reconnecting with a few friends. We are praying that those efforts will be fruitful for the cause of Christ! We are anxious to see how God is working in people's lives to reach people!
The simple reality of our lives at this moment is that we will need to raise a total of $150,000 over the next 3 years. (that means that income totaling $150,000 will need to be pledged by people, groups and organizations to come in over a 3 year period of time).
At first, I have to admit that this whole idea was very intimidating to me... I HATE ASKING FOR MONEY! Then one day, I realized that I am not asking for money for me - I am raising money for God's project to reach lost people - people who other than this effort would likely spend eternity separated from God - that moved me!!
I am confident that God has developed this vision in our hearts for years, and if that is the case, God has also been laying this effort on the hearts of many of you over those same years. Maybe God has used preaching or a relational connection to begin to prick your heart to support His work... no matter what the avenue, God has prepared the way!
So, here is the simple plan... we need people who are willing to pledge money... some as a one time "start up" gift... some as a monthly pledge... for our fancy brochure, I broke it down this way:
We need...
- 75 people who will pledge $15 per month over 3 years (or $540 as a one time gift)
- 50 people who will pledge $10 per month over 3 years (or $360 as a one time gift)
- 10 people who will give $2000 or more as a one time "start up" gift
- 5 people who will give $5000 or more as a one time "start up" gift
- 20 people who will consider meeting a specific need in a ministry area ( i.e. children's ministry, sound, office, etc).
Now, here's the big question. How would God have you be involved? What part can you play?
I want you to know that I realize that these are difficult financial times for many people.
I also want you to know that I sincerely weighed that as I considered how we believed that God was moving in our lives. The simple reality is this: In God's economy, there is no better time to plant! That is true for two reasons: 1.) People are looking for hope like never before! 2.) If we are able to raise these funds and see people come to Christ in this economic climate, it will be OBVIOUS that it is a work of God!
I have said this before, but if David had an AK-47 when he battled Goliath, it wouldn't have been much of a story... but because he was a 12 year old boy facing an insurmountable foe, we are talking about it thousands of years later!
Here is the simple truth: IF IT'S GOD'S WILL, IT'S GOD'S BILL!
Here is the thing, if you are someone that I have known for most of my life or someone that I have known from Dyer, you can probably expect to receive a letter in the short term asking you specifically to consider how you might be involved. If you live in NW Ohio, I will likely not be approaching you asking directly how you might be involved (out of respect for New Hope and not leveraging my position here to raise money and put people in an awkward position). If you live here, I am trusting that God will be laying this project on your heart and you will approach me to talk about what God is doing.
In either case, please consider what God might have for you as a part of this project. I can assure you that there is no gift too small - every sacrifice is a vital part of God's plan!
If you would like to contact me directly related to your desire to have a conversation about where we are headed, please talk to me in person, call me at your convenience or send an email to justjeremy73@gmail.com
Again, thank you for reading these posts (as I hear a number of you are)... and thank you for considering conquering Goliath with us!
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