From day one, we’ve had as a goal to raise $200,000 for startup funding for our new church plant, Origin Church.  It takes it all!  Start-up funding is separate than staffing costs.  Start-up is so important because it encompasses everything it takes for a church to begin: Equipment for every environment, children’s environments, adult worship environments, marketing, advertising, building rentals, offices, and so much more.  If these environments are not completely ready to go from day one of launch, there is no way to get to critical mass and hope to survive as a new church. 

We simplified our goal realizing it would only take 10 people giving $20,000 to accomplish the $200K.  Well, I’m more than elated to announce that our first $20K gift was given to Origin Church today!!!  Woo hoo!!!!  It comes from a family in Georgia that our family has known since 1978.  We went to high school together, played sports together, and now are doing ministry together.  God is faithful!  This family understands the need for church planting!  They understand providing irresistable envionments from children to adults, and helping show the unchurched a new way of looking at church, thereby seeing God in a different way.  The volume of unchurched people is so large and the type of church this gift will help plant will be one that helps reduce lostness.  Thanks be to God for vision, dreams, tenacity, and that simple verse of scripture in Ecclesiastes 11:2, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.”  Only 9 more!  Thank you!