I'M IN!

October 30, 2019

I get so excited and grateful thinking about the NewPointe I’M IN Campaign. Through this campaign, we are making a difference around the world. That might sound trite and over-used, but it is absolutely true.

There are many good things for which a church can be known. It might be well-known for its size, or because it is a multisite church with locations in many places. It could develop a reputation for great worship music, encouraging the arts, an exciting children’s ministry. It could be known for its diversity. All those things are good and pleasing. But our number-one desire at NewPointe is to be known for the same reason that marked and defined the early church as recorded in the book of Acts, and that was their generosity. The followers of Jesus, the believers, were the most generous people in their communities. They cared for the sick, they shared their resources and homes, they helped others get a start, they rescued people from the darkest places. The early church members were known as the first people to rescue children and infants from rejection and death as they took them into their own homes, in a very real way adopting them. These Christians are our heroes and role models. We try to imitate them well.

In the I’M IN Campaign, because of your generosity, we have been able to add on children and student spaces at our Millersburg Campus. We were able to redo the parking lot at our Wooster Campus. At the Dover Campus we have been able to upgrade our technology to produce a better product across all of our campuses. We are in the process of working with an architect for a facility in Coshocton. At Canton we were able to add on children space, adult space, and enlarge the lobby area. We have launched our new campus in Cambridge and our online campus as well. These developments are all so very significant because they have positioned us to make an incredible push for 2020. That push will lead to many people coming to know Christ and changing their destinies, as well as transforming the quality of their lives now.

But that is not all. We have been able to make immediate differences in our communities right now. We just watched three families become first-time homeowners through your generosity. Not only were we able to invest in three homes through our partnership with Habitat for Humanity, we’re just beginning to see the potential impact. These three families poured countless hours of sweat equity, not only into their own homes but into the homes of others. And now as they repay the interest-free mortgage that comes with the home, that money will be put into building more homes, creating more opportunities for families like Cottie, Rick, and Issa.

Your generosity has gone beyond our communities too. We have been able to support and send people all around the world in reaching people for Jesus Christ. We have people serving Jesus and the people He loves on several continents, making an eternal impact. People whose faces we will never see until heaven. There are material, physical, and spiritual needs being met because you care.

To date, 80% of our pledges have been received. We want to finish strong. We are counting on all of us to check where we are and make a determined effort to complete the pledge. I believe your generosity will guarantee it.

Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive; it is better to be on the giving rather than the receiving end. The blessing is much more satisfying. I know you are finding that to be true. Thank you so much for making a world of difference in a world that is so desperately in need of hope and healing. May we never forget that the local church is the hope of the world living and teaching the truth of Jesus Christ. This is the greatest investment one can make. We are investing in the only thing that will last forever.