God is moving in the life of this church! We celebrated Thanksgiving and 7 new families formally partnering with what God is doing here. Each week for the last several months, new families have visited Shalom and many have come back a second time. Additionally, many families have returned home to Shalom. Our Holiday Festival was magnificent and the following Sunday 7 new families visited Shalom for the first time. There is SO much to celebrate and still so much to be done.
Over the last year, we’ve responded to this growth by investing in three main areas:
1. Critical Ministry Staffing & Structures – this includes Family Life, Modern Worship, Office Management, Maintenance, and best practices in Finances.
2. Facility Care and Maintenance – We have addressed significant areas of deferred maintenance including electrical, plumbing, and exterior maintenance. Our facility is humming along but a few significant challenges remain.
3. Ministry Enhancement – This includes Kids Ministries, Hospitality and Next Steps and rebuilding the bridge between Shalom and Light of the World Academy.
Friends, the results have been remarkable! In December of 2021, 60-80 people were worshiping in-person at Shalom on a weekly basis. Today, we average 120-170 people at our in-person opportunities. We also continue to maintain an online opportunity at 9am. God is moving in fresh and new ways – building upon the foundations laid during this revitalization season and in anticipation of Shalom engaging a formal call process in 2023 and calling its third pastor in its rich 46-year history.
That being said, three significant challenges remain:
1. Finishing 2022 strong. We’ve invested significantly and God continues to bring the resources that are needed. We believe, however, that we can end the year positioned for a strong start to 2023.
2. Big-Ticket Maintenance Items: There is one significant and imminent area of deferred maintenance with regard to heating and cooling the lobby and worship center. We anticipate expenditures of around 15-25k to correct this situation.
3. Student Ministries: By the start of the second half of 2023, we would like to be prepared to add staff in Middle and High School ministries. We have a tremendous team of volunteers but are in desperate need of a point leader. We believe that significant growth will accompany this initiative. Our greater Pinckney Community is in desperate need of solid, Christ-centered student ministry leadership to walk alongside the other Christ-centered churches serving out students.
I am asking every person and family in our church to commit to doing three things:
1. Seek God for guidance
a. Ask the Lord, as a family, what God would have you do to financially support this opportunity to finish 2022 strong and to start 2023 stronger.
2. Pray daily for this initiative
a. Pray for the Lord to move in the hearts and lives of our church
b. Ask God to send the needed provision
c. Invite God to guide your steps
3. Do what God says
a. Follow God’s leading
A great spiritual harvest awaits a church that unites together to accomplish something great for the Lord. I believe this is what is before us now-an amazing opportunity to sacrifice together so that we can advance God’s Kingdom Work.
The date for the special offering is December 18, 2022 but you can give at anytime by clicking below. This is the date when we will bring our gifts together to fund the opportunities that lie before us. Of course, you can also give online anytime at www.ShalomLife.org/giving. All of your gifts are tax-deductible.
We await this special moment in the life of our church with great energy and excitement.
Over the last year, we’ve responded to this growth by investing in three main areas:
1. Critical Ministry Staffing & Structures – this includes Family Life, Modern Worship, Office Management, Maintenance, and best practices in Finances.
2. Facility Care and Maintenance – We have addressed significant areas of deferred maintenance including electrical, plumbing, and exterior maintenance. Our facility is humming along but a few significant challenges remain.
3. Ministry Enhancement – This includes Kids Ministries, Hospitality and Next Steps and rebuilding the bridge between Shalom and Light of the World Academy.
Friends, the results have been remarkable! In December of 2021, 60-80 people were worshiping in-person at Shalom on a weekly basis. Today, we average 120-170 people at our in-person opportunities. We also continue to maintain an online opportunity at 9am. God is moving in fresh and new ways – building upon the foundations laid during this revitalization season and in anticipation of Shalom engaging a formal call process in 2023 and calling its third pastor in its rich 46-year history.
That being said, three significant challenges remain:
1. Finishing 2022 strong. We’ve invested significantly and God continues to bring the resources that are needed. We believe, however, that we can end the year positioned for a strong start to 2023.
2. Big-Ticket Maintenance Items: There is one significant and imminent area of deferred maintenance with regard to heating and cooling the lobby and worship center. We anticipate expenditures of around 15-25k to correct this situation.
3. Student Ministries: By the start of the second half of 2023, we would like to be prepared to add staff in Middle and High School ministries. We have a tremendous team of volunteers but are in desperate need of a point leader. We believe that significant growth will accompany this initiative. Our greater Pinckney Community is in desperate need of solid, Christ-centered student ministry leadership to walk alongside the other Christ-centered churches serving out students.
I am asking every person and family in our church to commit to doing three things:
1. Seek God for guidance
a. Ask the Lord, as a family, what God would have you do to financially support this opportunity to finish 2022 strong and to start 2023 stronger.
2. Pray daily for this initiative
a. Pray for the Lord to move in the hearts and lives of our church
b. Ask God to send the needed provision
c. Invite God to guide your steps
3. Do what God says
a. Follow God’s leading
A great spiritual harvest awaits a church that unites together to accomplish something great for the Lord. I believe this is what is before us now-an amazing opportunity to sacrifice together so that we can advance God’s Kingdom Work.
The date for the special offering is December 18, 2022 but you can give at anytime by clicking below. This is the date when we will bring our gifts together to fund the opportunities that lie before us. Of course, you can also give online anytime at www.ShalomLife.org/giving. All of your gifts are tax-deductible.
We await this special moment in the life of our church with great energy and excitement.