Wednesday, February 03, 2016

Heartstrong for Christ year 3 update

We are now in year three of our Heartstrong for Christ Capital Campaign and I am pleased to report that we have received $213,665 of the $330,000; that's 65% of the total. Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity.

Below is a letter from Joe Guinn a past member of Baptist Temple who continued to honor his pledge even as he moved to Arizona. He reminds us that our pledges and gifts are to honor God first. The earthly results are secondary.

Greetings Baptist Temple Family,

As we enter into 2016 we also enter into the 3rd year of a journey that we entered into together, Heart Strong for Christ. During the time of prayer for our commitment to the capital campaign I truly struggled and wrestled with what my commitment would be. I am so blessed that I allowed God to have his way in that decision because today I get to realize the true gift in my pledge. You see I don't see this final check to mean that I am free of a commitment that I made to God, but as witness to God fulfilling a promise that He made me to provide a way for me to be able to fulfill my promise to Him.

We thought as a church we were asked to commit to God, but the truth is we were being asked to allow God to show us Himself.
I know it's been a struggle, but I would like to encourage you to stay strong to the commitment, and allow God to show Himself to you in ways that perhaps you've never witnessed before. Remember God doesn't need what we have, but allows us the opportunity to receive a blessing when we trust Him. I am so blessed to have gotten to see that through Heart Strong for Christ, and pray that you all will also be blessed in the way that I have been.