The stories of generosity that have been rolling into our offices this week have been absolutely INCREDIBLE!  To say that I am excited about where we are and where God is taking us is an understatement.  I can’t wait to share some awesome updates with you on Sunday!

It’s crazy to think that Christmas is less then 2 weeks away.  2 WEEKS!!!  This means our Christmas Eve services are almost here.  We gave away over 400 Christmas Eve tickets on Sunday.  I can’t stress this enough…there are friends, family, coworkers, and folks in our community that WILL come to church on Christmas Eve if someone would invite them.  I triple dog dare you to go all out and ask your friends to come.  Be sure to grab the tickets you need on Sunday.  As of right now we have services at 5pm and 7pm.  These services are for kids as well as adults.

I’m also very excited about our Special Christmas Offering that is happening this Sunday.  There is no way to put into words how big of an impact we make each year with our Christmas offering.  I challenge you to spend a little time everyday this week asking God to show you how much you should give.  If you have a spouse and kids, invite them to pray with you.  I believe that the seeds of generosity we plant this season will bring a massive harvest in the seasons to come.  I am praying that everyone in our church will seek God and do what He says.  If we all do that, it will be the BEST. CHRISTMAS. EVER.

I love you guys,

See ya Sunday!

Pastor Jeff

Dear Lifepoint Family,

Words cannot adequately express the amount of overwhelming gratitude we feel as a result of the outpouring of support for our efforts to raise awareness and funding for adoption through our KIN Campaign.  Yesterday was nothing short of a miracle in our eyes, and God is using each of you to play a part in what is, at this point, one of the most significant chapters of our story.

In preparation for last Sunday, we made close to thirty bracelets with the thought that if we’re left with none it would be a huge answer to prayer.  Just for reference, that’s about the number we had sold to date since KIN’s launch in early November.  It’s hard to describe the moment when we looked up after the service ended to see a line forming and thought, “Um, I don’t think we made enough.”  We’re so glad we serve a God who is described in Ephesians 3:20 as “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think”.  So as it turned out, we certainly hadn’t made enough.  After running out of bracelets and taking even more pre-orders, you bought 62 KIN Bracelets raising over $3000 and making our adoption that much closer to a reality.

We are humbled by the heart of this church.  We’ve always been so proud to be a part of Lifepoint, and what we experienced Sunday proved to be a reminder that none of us are meant to walk our roads alone.  Church family was created by God and when it’s lived out the way He intended, the world around us is transformed.

So we’ll say it again; KIN is family.  And family means a whole lot to us — especially church family.

Thank you for the overwhelming display of generosity you’ve shown us, and thank you for the encouragement, prayers, and support you’ve given us throughout the years — it’s safe to say we wouldn’t be where we are without it.  We’re anxiously awaiting the day that we welcome our son or daughter into the world.  We can’t wait to share the celebration with all those who helped make it happen and then turn KIN’s efforts to helping someone else experience the same feeling.  We hope and pray this is just the beginning.

Thank you, to our KIN, from the bottom of our hearts,

Hal and Jen Griffin

Sunday was PHENOMENAL!  I love being part of a generous church!  If you missed the message, be sure to catch it online here once it is posted.  At the close of the message I shared 4 opportunities that my family is participating in this year to be the hands of Jesus to those in need.  I want to invite you to join us in changing the world!

Samaritans Purse puts together an awesome gift guide that allow our kids to select items that they would like to bless other children with.  It’s fun to watch my gang pick soccer balls, meals, books, and baby chicks to give to kids across the world.  You can find view the gift catalog online by clicking here.

Hal and Jen are great friends of mine.  Hal is on staff with us here at Lifepoint and Jen, his wife, is perhaps the most creative person I know.  They are in the process of adopting a child through Bethany Christian Services.  KIN is campaign that they have started to meet financial need of adopting.  I have been wearing my KIN bracelet for over a month and will continue long after they have their little one.  Click here to find out more about KIN.

Wow, where do I start about Sadie???  Sadie is a 21 month old, beautiful little girl in our church who is battling JMML, a rare form of juvenile leukemia.  Sadie and her parents, Jeff and Candace are currently at the hospital in Chapel Hill.  Part of our Christmas offering is going to help this family tackle some of the financial challenges that they face as Sadie gets healthy.  Once her white blood count increases she will have to spend 100 days in Chapel Hill.  It’s a long road to recovery but we’re not gonna let Sadie’s family walk it alone.  Click here to learn more about how you can pray for and help Sadie.

Last but not least is our annual Christmas Offering.  Every year this special offering allows us to do things above and beyond our operating budget.  We’ve drilled wells in Africa, sponsor children in Brazil and Uganda, fed kids in Wilmington, and a whole bunch more.  As a family, we reserve our biggest and best gift for this Christmas offering.  It’s our way of saying “Happy Birthday, Jesus!”  This year we have the opportunity to make a big impact in our church, our city and our world as we generously give!

Join me in asking God how He would have you to give generously and make this the BEST.CHRISTMAS.EVER.