Commitment Results!
Last Sunday was a HUGE day for our church! We took a monster step of faith in our effort to reach Every Man, Woman and Child with the Gospel of Jesus. I was thrilled with the amount of families that sought the Lord in prayer and committed above and beyond to sacrificially give to the Advance Campaign.
This Sunday is “First Fruits Sunday” when we will collectively give our biggest and best offering to kick start the campaign. Our goal is $125,000 by the end of the year.
So here are the numbers:
Families that made a commitment: 43
Given to date: $14,936
First Fruits Pledged: $32,465
2-year Monthly Pledges: $98,620
Total Pledged or Given: $146,021 (58%)
Remainder to raise: $103,979 (42%)
Remainder to meet our “First Fruits” Goal: $77,599
Here are a couple thoughts:
1. THE LORD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL! I could not imagine 4 years ago that a church that couldn’t even pay the rent would ever commit to give almost $150,000 above our tithes! This is tremendous growth in our ability to be generous in such a short time.
2. “But we didn’t meet the goal!?” No, we didn’t. But that’s okay, we are more than half way there and we will meet the goal. Here’s why I’m confident of this:
We are a culture and church that often under commits but over gives. It is highly probable that as the project moves forward we will be spurred on toward further generosity.
We are growing in attendance. Over the next two years, more and more people will join the effort and make pledges towards the Advance Campaign.
We are well ahead of our current budget. By the end of September, your giving will have surpassed our budget by almost $15,000 for the year. We are very healthy and very stable financially.
We are assured of this vision. We believe God has given us this project. So we will wait on his timing, be obedient with the work He has given to us and watch the walls come down!
3. “How are we going to meet our First Fruits Deadline?” Good question. Here’s the answer:
I don’t know, but I know God knows. We are not going to panic. We are going to pray, seek counsel, and make wise decisions moving forward.
We already know that we can chip away at the $77K through savings we’ve built up through the years, money that will be given over the next three months, and generous people outside of our church that are willing to give.
There are MANY ways to fundraise money. The question for us to consider is: what is best for Cane Bay?
Our absolute last resort will be to get a small loan. But we will do everything we can to avoid that.
This has been one of the best and forming seasons of our church’s life. We have grown and learned so much. I can’t wait to see, as we move forward, our dependence on God and how much we trust Him!
Of course, if you are reading this and you have not joined us with a commitment and the Lord is prompting you to do so, you can head on over to the PLEDGE page of www.advancecanebay.org
Cane Bay Family, I’m so proud of you. I’m thankful to walk with you on this adventure. There are so many that are going to be blessed by what you have pledged to give.
Love you all! Let’s Go!
Charlie
PS... Get excited for this Sunday, we start a new series thats all about Jesus. What can be better than that?!
