I’m sending you a special email to let you know of a last minute change in our annual Birthday Present for Jesus offering. If you are new to Twin Oaks let me explain that each year we take up a special offering in December that we call a “Birthday Present for Jesus”. This is an offering given above and beyond your regular tithe and it is a way to put Jesus first and give the first gift of the season to the One whose birth is the reason for the season. This special offering, which will take place this Sunday, has for years been designated to the building fund to help us make room for more people to come to Jesus. While that is still a valuable goal of ours and we do need to expand, the critical recession we are in has led the elders to make an adjustment to this year’s offering. We are giving you the option this year of designating this gift to either the building fund or the general fund. You will receive a “Christmas Offering” envelope in your bulletin Sunday and you can write on the envelope or on your check: “Imagine Kids” (the name of the building fund) or “General Fund”. Also, please write your tithing number on the envelope as this will save time for our financial secretary.
The reason we are offering a choice in designation between these two needs is that we currently have a $26,000 deficit in our accounts that we need to make up before the end of the year. As is true in most churches in the country, and especially in Michigan, the recession has taken a toll on our offerings at Twin Oaks the past 6 months. Each week we receive an average of $2,000 less than our weekly expenses and we need to erase that deficit. While many area churches have cut staff and ministries to deal with their deficits, the leaders of Twin Oaks believe that you, the people that have helped make Twin Oaks the great church that it is, would rather have us go forward with faith and trust you to join us in meeting the challenges ahead.
This is a time of great opportunity. With so much uncertainty in our state and country many people are waking up to the fact that they need something solid to build their lives on. People are open to Jesus’ leading that never were before. This is evidenced by the record number of people who have accepted Christ as their Savior at Twin Oaks this year. (95 precious souls have been baptized into Christ so far in 2009 with more on the way this weekend. At the same time our impact on missions around the world has never been greater) So while we are being more disciplined than ever using the resources that we have, we believe more than ever we need to shine the light of hope through Christ to our community. While we have made many cuts in the budget, frozen salaries, and have for the first time in years actually lowered the budget for next year, we do not believe that we can afford to reduce any of our vital staff and still accomplish the great calling that God has given this church. We feel certain you would agree.
So please prayerfully consider giving the first gift of the Christmas season to the One who has given us everything. The One who’s birth and life and death is the greatest gift we’ve ever received. If your gift is a sacrificial gift of love and faith, it will be pleasing to God no matter the amount. Thank you for helping us SHINE BRIGHT the light of Christ this Christmas and in the new year.
Thanks and God bless,
Randy
