Volunteering

(from Envision newsletter #1)

Many of you have already volunteered to give your time and talents to this new capital stewardship campaign. The talents within this congregation are amazing. We need the help of as many of you as possible!

{ First: Pray }

Talk to God: The first step in this journey is to ask for His blessings and guidance in all that we do. Pray that His hopes and plans will be made clearly evident to us and pray that He uses us to accomplish His purposes. As we start this exciting journey of prayer, faith and commitment, we must recall, with thankful hearts, those who went before us and pray that He will continue to bless us as we prepare for those who will come after us!

{ Second: Learn }

Commit to Being Informed: Effective communication is absolutely essential to our success. Between now and August 30, information will be shared, through FAQs, newsletters, blogs, packets of information, emails and meetings, that will tell this church's story – past, present and future – and will emphasize the reasons for our whole-hearted support of this project. The sermons and Bible classes during August will be especially significant to each of us in our understanding.

{ Third: Participate }

Begin to Prayerfully Consider What You Will Give: The importance of your time together with God in prayer cannot be overemphasized. Giving is not a matter of wealth but of willingness, and the final decision as to what your commitment will be must be from your heart. It must be over and above your regular weekly gift, and it should include a willingness to sacrifice – to give up something of value to you for something you value more. This campaign has the potential to be a new beginning for our church, both financially and spiritually. It is an opportunity to enter a new dimension and discover how biblical stewardship can be implemented in our lives through prayer, study and faith.

{ Fourth: enVision }

Building Our Faith, Focusing on Prayer, Serving God, Uniting in Purpose, Sharing Our Blessings, Expanding Our Outreach, and the transformations are endless.

The Campaign

(from Envision newsletter #1)

In May, we introduced the “enVision What GOD Can Do” Capital Campaign. This is a three-year journey to fund the needed building renovations, the mission in Ecuador, and to reduce the size of the bank note on our building. That said, our goal is not about money. Well, yes, we are trying to raise money (otherwise, we would not have a capital campaign), but the prevailing goal is to grow spiritually as we “enVision What GOD Can Do” when we fully trust and put our faith in Him. God has blessed the Twickenham Church of Christ with a wonderful history of grace through which many hurting souls have been helped. This year, we also celebrate the 30th Anniversary of this congregation which was established on April 30, 1979. Just like those who stepped out on faith 30 years ago to partner with God in establishing a New Testament-based congregation, we believe God is calling us into a new role of creating an even better future for both this church and those we seek to serve.


Spiritual Goals

Our primary concerns are spiritual in nature. If our church family does not grow spiritually during this campaign, this venture will have been a failure no matter how much money is raised. Here are the goals we hope to achieve above all others:

• Each member's faith will increase
• Each member's prayer life will increase
• Each member will use their talents to the glory of God
• Each member will learn & commit to being a good steward of God's blessings
• This church family will be united in spirit, vision, and purpose for the Kingdom

Financial Goals

Our financial goals are in direct correlation to the spiritual goals we believe we can achieve. The Hebrews writer expressed his confidence in God's people in a way that left no doubt about the extent of his faith. In Hebrews 6:9-10, he states “Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” We know that God has and will continue to bless this church because of our faith and love. Because of our faith, we have set these financial goals:

Goal One : $1.8 million

These funds will allow us to complete our renovations and meet the needs of the children at the Hacienda of Hope.

Goal Two : $2.5 million

These funds will allow us to complete our renovations, meet the needs of the children at the Hacienda of Hope, and reduce our existing note.

Goal Three: $3.5 million

These funds will allow us to complete our renovations, meet the needs of the children at the Hacienda of Hope, and eliminate all of our debt within three years. This will allow us to save significant interest costs and have an additional $18,000 per month for outreach, service and ministry opportunities that will greatly impact our community.

40-Days of Prayer Begins July 22!

Did you realize tomorrow (July 22) is the beginning of our forty days of prayer! In addition to the prayer tins and window clings, we will email the daily devotional to you each morning. We hope these reminders will help all of us complete the 40 days of prayer successfully. The emails will begin today, if you don't receive these emails please let the office know immediately so that you can begin your prayer journey.

Matthew chapter four details how Jesus, after what must have been an intense 40 days of prayer and fasting, overwhelmingly defeated all attempts by Satan to cause Him to sin. These next 40 days give us the opportunity to go before God individually, as families and collectively to call on His name. We should be committed to pray for everything: to give praise to the Father and thank Him for the grace and salvation that are ours through Jesus Christ; to pray for individual needs of healing, growth and forgiveness; to pray for congregational needs such as our elders, ministers, and our ministries; and to pray for the expansion of God's work through this group of Christians. Prayer gives us a time to submit to God's leading, to offer renewed commitment to His cause, to call on God's mighty power and to deepen faith. Prayer is a time to speak to God, but it is also a time to pause and listen to His leading.

The enVision campaign is about more than just providing capital for renovations, mission projects and reducing our note. If we dedicate our minds, bodies and spirits to the Lord during these 40 days, there is an opportunity for spiritual awakening and renewal for each of us as children of God. We should each individually search our heart and lay our self bare before the Creator.

These 40 days are an opportunity for this congregation to grow closer to each other and to our God like never before. As Christians, we are called to build a dwelling place for God - a sanctuary in our hearts. If we do so, His Spirit will overflow within us, and no task will be too daunting or too great. We should lay all our cares, concerns and hopes at the foot of the Cross and then wait on the Lord to bless us with His response. Without His blessing, our efforts are worthless, but with His blessing, one can only imagine what He can do through us.

In the next forty days, may we all strive to grow in wisdom, strength, and love!

"What GOD Can Do" by Steve Crigger

"Twickenham is in the midst of two exciting events, the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the church and a capital campaign. Our goals for this campaign are financial, but there is a more important set of spiritual goals that we need to emphasize. As much as we could use the money raised in this campaign to realize renovations, fund Ecuador and pay down our debt, how much more do we need to ensure that the intent and integrity of our hearts are right. This is an opportunity for this church to unite in purpose and spirit as we journey through 40 days of prayer, culminating in a 24 hour prayer vigil on August 28-29. It is all about WHAT GOD CAN DO!"

To replay this lesson as presented July 19, 2009, please the below play button.

Are You Afraid of The Dark? by Kerry McDowell

Just as we think it is silly for our children to be afraid of the monsters under the bed God must feel the same way when we are afraid of the unknown in our lives. As fear creeps into our lives because of the unknown I think God may be saying the same things I would say to my son as he begs for me to leave the light on in his bedroom at night. Our fear of the dark changes from literal darkness to the unknown of changing jobs, changing house, a crumbling marriage, or a defiant child. The pain of the moment is real and it often is consuming but we can find peace in the fact that God is on our side. We lose focus just as Peter did and we think we are alone. When we ask for vision God will help us see more as he does. He can open our eyes to what we can’t see. It may be the person living next door that needs a friend because their spouse is leaving, it may be the diagnosis you were given, it may be your friend that has no relationship with God but everyone has a different fear. When you have vision the darkness disappears.

To replay this lesson as presented July 12, 2009, please the below play button.