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i have been looking forward to this sunday for over nine months.
when we started looking at the possibility of joining the advent conspiracy last year, there were red flags:
how would families respond to the idea of messing with their traditions?
how would kids respond to the idea of receiving fewer gifts?
would people even get involved? would the whole thing be a flop?
since we were starting it in september, would people get burnt out…tired of hearing about it?
would we create a tunnel vision for our church family and lose sight of higher priorities?
would raising money for the advent conspiracy take money away from our regular budget…which was already struggling at that time?
yeah, there were red flags! but we did it anyway and it turned out to be amazing…
we raised nearly $15,ooo. we were able to purchase and provide three fresh water wells for communities in india that were dying because of unsanitary water. we purchased the materials for two new houses in juarez, mexico for families that were living in…well, unlivable conditions.
we were able to send two national church-planting students to college to prepare them to pastor new churches in their homeland…africa and india.
through world vision international, we purchased goats and chickens for families to used for milk and eggs…and even the possibility earning income.
and our focus was not just on international relief and ministry. we were able to things close to home, also. like providing christmas for families through organizations like christian community action, the lewisville advocacy and pregnancy center, progressive life of north texas (a residential community for people with developmental disabilities), and the union gospel mission of dallas.
on top of all of that, we were able to provide christmas gifts for a number of friends of the north point family…by sharing the resources with north point members.
like i said, it was an amazing christmas! lives were touched. our attitudes were changed. we spent less on ourselves. we gave more than we ever have. our vision for ministry expanded. we had a completely different focus on christmas. it really became about jesus.
to be honest, it was still a struggle for the north point budget. unlike most other churches, november and december are not big giving months in the offering plate. we just don’t have a lot of people who need to give big year-end gifts.
but you know what? we made it! as we committed ourselves to remember the poor and the disconnected, god faithfully kept his promises to us. not only that, i think we learned some incredible lessons along the way!
so you bet! i’m pumped about the advent conspiracy this year. i can’t wait to see needs met…lives changed…the north point vision expanded…priorities challenged…faith stretched…
i even believe that the general budget for north point will not only be met, but exceeded! giving is infectious. it inspires us to go above and beyond. giving shakes the dust off of tired faith. sacrifice breathes life into predictable routines. risk and determination strengthens the tired bones and weak knees of trust that has lost its boldness.
yeah. i’m ready for the advent conspiracy. how about you?
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