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Monthly total -
Faith for the Future
May 2008
$67,129.46 |
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Rendering of the proposed new building.
Drive by the property and check out our new sign.
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Praying for the Future of
our Church
Something awesome happens when we reach out to our Father through
prayer. We are acknowledging both our need and God's ability to meet it.
Jesus Christ made it possible for us to have communion with the Father.
The One Who listens to our petitions also has the power to answer them.
He wants us not only to seek His wisdom and guidance, but also to take
practical steps to achieve our goal.
In carrying out the Father's plan, we may encounter obstacles along the
way. For us to overcome them, we must be persistent and committed to
praying. When He opens up a path, we should walk on it. There is power
in prayer! Praise the Lord.
Prayer Team Leader
James Bratcher
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Commitment
The word commitment brings out a wide range of emotions in most
of us. It is not always met with much enthusiasm especially when it is
mentioned in the same conversation with sacrificial giving, but that is
exactly where we are as the body of believers that make up Center Pointe
Church. We have heard commitment used on a regular basis since talk of
the Faith for the Future campaign started. The reason is simple. Without
the Center Pointe Church body truly committing to this cause, it will
not be the success it has the potential to be. In reality, this campaign
is about committing to raise money, and a lot of it, to build for our
future. Money is a subject that gets our full attention, especially when
it is used with the little term "sacrificial giving." We must be willing
to give God the opportunity to show us what He has in store for us as
individuals and as the church body.
Now that money has been brought up, I pray that everyone will finish
reading this before closing your minds on the giving of your money.
Please allow me a few more minutes of your time to share some thoughts
that I feel we all need to hear. Please believe me when I say that this
is directed at no one in particular but to the church body as a whole.
I believe everyone needs to understand this financial commitment to the
Faith for the Future campaign is intended to be above and beyond what we
should already be tithing to God. I am aware that this is a very touchy
subject for some of you, but I feel that it needs to be discussed to
help everyone understand how this campaign is designed and intended to
work. We need to understand the importance of tithing in order for us to
realize how this commitment to the Faith for the Future campaign will be
so special. I think this additional reading in my Bible sums up the
importance of tithing. The Bible makes the purpose of tithing very
clear: To put God first in our lives. We are to give God the first and
best of what we earn. (Deuteronomy 14:22-23) What we do first with our
money show what we value most. Joyfully giving the first part of our
paycheck immediately focuses our attention on Him. It also reminds us
that all we have belongs to Him. The tithe may appear to be legalistic,
but it actually is to be an expression of joy, love and thanksgiving. It
involves a response to God's blessings and stirs further blessings from
God.
I know many of us struggle from week to week with our personal finances.
It may be hard to see how things will work out and bills will be paid if
we tithe first, much less give even more for the Faith for the Future
campaign. If this is the case for you, I simply ask you to go back and
read 2 Chronicles 20 and see how Jehoshaphat reacted to a situation in
which he couldn't see no good end. You will find that God already had
everything worked out. He was just waiting for Jehoshaphat to bring the
situation to Him. Why should we think that God will be any different
with us if we will just give Him the opportunity to show each of us what
HE can do with OUR situation? We find that God not only provided what
Jehoshaphat needed, but He gave his people an overabundance of
blessings. Do you believe He can do the same for YOU? If you do, God
wants you to tell Him you believe and then go live it!
My prayer for every person at Center Pointe Church is that you will ask
God to speak to you in a way He never has before. I pray that you will
get to a place where you trust Him with your finances. It breaks my
heart to think there may be members of my church family missing out on
the blessings and miracles that God has waiting just for you! He is
ready to give out those blessings if we just turn it over to Him and
truly let Him have it. I pray that everyone will have a personal
testimony to give in the days ahead of what God has done in your life
after you allow Him to take control and handle any situations that
arises. Just remember these three steps when facing uncertainty:
1. Take it to God in prayer.
2. Trust to God to take care of it.
3. Praise God when He does.
Yours in Christ
Trip Still
Commitment Team Leader
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