Thank you!

This campaign is officially over, and on behalf of the community center staff, we want to say thank you for making our first community campaign a big success. We had a lot of fun promoting our vision and the sale of the 2008 t-shirt. We still have some some shirts left over that we will be selling during our current Maximum Impact football and cheerleading season. If you still want to buy a shirt, they will be available in our main office during the week or in the concession stand on Saturdays until we sell out.

Once again, Thank you and be looking forward to the 2009 campaign t-shirt!

Focus

Climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Matthew 14:29-31

Be encouraged

To everyone that has purchased a t-shirt so far, I just want to say thank you. The response to the campaign has been good, and although we are well short of our initial goal, we are extremely encouraged by the support that we have received from each of you. It really is exciting to see the campaign t-shirts out in the community. If you have not purchased one yet, please consider joining this effort. Either way, please join us in continued prayer as we ask God for direction and guidance in keeping this ministry funded.

Carolina Forest is an awesome place to live and serve, and it truly is an honor to partner with all of the wonderful people in this community.

Let's keep selling, buying, and wearing shirts to make this thing happen!

Brody

Let's soar together as people who hope in the Lord.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:29-31

Keep placing your hope in the Lord, and we will soar as a community sold-out and committed to sharing the love of Christ to all that we have the opportunity to reach. Please keep wearing your shirts, it is exciting to see them out all over the place... by the end of this 40 day journey we should not be able to go anywhere in this area without seeing someone wearing a community campaign 2008 shirt! Campaign Ambassadors - I need you all to report your numbers ASAP so we can update shirts sales on Tuesday!

May Christ be at the center of all you do this week!
Brody

Don't Worry

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Luke 12:24-26

Let me share some thoughts from Henry Blackaby on this passage, this has really spoken to me lately...

"Ravens were despised birds, considered unclean by the Jews, yet - Jesus pointed out - God cared for them. So of course Almighty God will surely care and provide for His people, the ones He sent His Son to die for!

Yet we worry. Worry reflects a habitual lack of faith in the Lord's willingness or ability to provide for us. Worry reveals our hesitation to believe God will meet our needs in practical ways, and our anxiety increases when we don't see how we can provide for ourselves. Worry comes so easily, yet it changes nothing about our circumstances.

Actually, worry is a much more accurate gauge of our faith than any doctrinal statement we might utter. Instead of fretting, we do better to remind ourselves that God has repeatedly testified in His Word that He loves us. He has promised again and again that He will provide for our every need, and He has consistently declared His sovereignty over our future. If after all these assurances we are still anxious, we must become better acquainted with our Lord."

Thanks for your continued support of the Community Campaign... have a God-centered and blessed day!

Brody

God's Fearless Warrior

Then David said, "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you."
1 Samuel 17:37

This campaign for many of us is about facing a giant, a giant that may seem insurmountable at times. As I sit here and look at the number of shirts that are still left to sell, it seems like we will never hit the goal of 2,000 shirts. However, through the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, I am constantly reminded that we serve a God who is capable of empowering and equipping us to defeat all of the giants in our lives. So the choice has to be made, not just for me or anyone else involved with this campaign... but for all of us. The choice is to become a fearless warrior for God where doubt and fear are overcome daily, or to stay defeated and never allow ourselves to slay the giants that lay ahead.

Fearless warriors: "Go, and may the Lord be with you."

Serving together,

Brody

Day 1 Success... "Called to Serve"

Day 1 of the campaign was a huge success. We were able to sell a few shirts and add more ambassadors to help us sell shirts out in our community. At Carolina Forest Community Church, we are in the middle of a series called Centered...which is challenging us to look at what it means to live a life centered on Christ. Yesterday's message was so timely as we launched the community campaign, because Pastor Brad challenged us in the area of serving.

Out of this call to serve those around us, which is woven all throughout Jesus' teachings in scripture, was the birth of the community center ministry at Carolina Forest Community Church. The mission statement of the church is to reach and grow people across the street and around the world in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The community center is one of the strategic ways that we reach out to our neighbors across the street. We use sports and rec as an opportunity to build relationships with young people and their families, model servant leadership, and teach God's word through the platform of athletics.

This strategy is always a work in progress, and something that we will always be tweaking and seeking to improve, but this ministry has been an integral part of the DNA of Carolina Forest Community Church and our surrounding area. By supporting this massive fundraising effort, you truly are helping us carry this vision on into this new ministry season. The "Community Campaign 2008" will allow us to continue without having to take a step back in the level of service in any of our recreation programs that we have worked hard to establish.

Let me finish today by challenging each of you to read a passage of scripture that is very familiar and well known. Pastor Brad used John 13:1-17 yesterday to remind us again of the example that Jesus set for us as a servant leader. He challenged us to understand that Jesus is revealed when we serve. That is what I want to leave us with today... I challenge you to read John 13:1-17 and reflect on what it truly means to be a servant leader in the midst of the opportunities that God has blessed you with in your current season of life.

You can also watch all of yesterday's message online at www.carolinaforest.org.

Please come back tomorrow as we go through this 40 day journey together... have a blessed and wonderful day.

Serving and Leading together,

Brody