Dear Friends,
It is easy for everyday, hardworking folks like us to feel like the big difference makers are those who can write checks with lots of zeros. Unless I win the Megabucks, (which I’d have to play if I wanted to win, right?) my family will never get its name in the paper or our faces on television for donating big money to worthy causes. How do regular folks like us ever get to be a part of something significant?
That is what being involved in the local church is all about! The church has always been God’s way of allowing people like us to be a part of changing lives and transforming the world. This year you and I will have contributed nearly $1 million to a movement whose sole purpose is to make a positive impact in our community and throughout the world. Nearly $1 million! Never in my wildest dreams did I think would be a part of something this significant.
We couldn’t do this without the church. We could not this without each other.
Consider what God has done this year through our giving:
15,000 personal hygiene items for our neighbors in Brightmoor
11,000 meals served to hungry folks right here in Royal Oak
10,000 dollars to Ruth Ellis and Affirmations to support vulnerable kids and teens
8,000 pairs of socks for the homeless and hungry of Detroit
4,000 dollars to provide education for children in Uganda
1,000 bottles of Pedialyte for shelters on our nation’s Southern Borders
100s of pillows and blankets for teens experiencing homelessness in Royal Oak
100s of Free Hugs at Ferndale and Royal Oak Pride
100 children and youth each week experiencing Christ’s love made real
50+ funerals and bereavement care for families after the loss of a loved one
40 violins for low-income kids to experience music
8 Lithuanian churches receiving hope and support
6 Birthday Parties for the boys at The Methodist Children’s Home
1 dedicated effort to help move one young man from the streets to his own apartment.
God is using the sacrificial giving of regular folks like you and me to change lives and transform the world.
Thank you for being a part of this movement here at Royal Oak First. Together we are making a difference.
Grace and Peace,
