inTouch Newsletter
DECEMBER 2009 - SPECIAL EDITION:
HOW EVERGREEN gives back
This Christmas season, The InTouch newsletter reflects on a few of the organizations in the Christian community that Evergreen, The Rock and The Urban Refuge supports financially. InTouch brings you news and events within our church family. Together, we are stronger than we could be apart.
how EVERGREEN GIVES BACK
Beginning with a tithe...
Have you wondered if our church gives money to missionaries and Christian organizations outside of Evergreen? Yes, we do!
Evergreen’s generosity begins by giving 10% (a tithe) of our entire budget to Great Commission Churches, Northlands. Northlands, in turn, “tithes” to the national organization, Great Commission Churches.
...giving beyond our tithe
We also support additional ministries and people beyond our tithe. From the Northlands and location budgets, Evergreen is actively supporting:
- Eight missionaries overseas representing five different organizations.
- Seven full-time stateside missionaries representing three different ministries.
- Eight Christian ministries beyond those listed above.
In 2009, Evergreen will give $426,010 to Northlands and other people and ministries! This does not count the tens of thousands of dollars designated towards local outreach efforts like, “Kids Against Hunger,” Harvest Carnivals, Mission to Bloomington, Mission to the City, and many more.
Some of the Organizations we Support
Great Commission Churches, Northlands
supporting regional church planting
Northlands is a regional ministry of Great Commission Churches that supports regional churches and their church planting efforts. Northlands recently helped a church plant in Warren, MN (pictured right). There are additional church planting efforts underway in Bemidji, MN and La Crosse, WS.
Northlands also finances coaching of regional pastors and helps with various pastoral education and support opportunities. Northlands supports the church in Berlin, Great Commission Latin America (GCLA), and Great Commission Europe (GCE).
Great Commission Churches
serving local churches through oversight, support and development
Great Commission Churches (GCC) is our national association of churches.
GCC serves local GCC churches by:
- Overseeing U.S. expansion and multiplication of churches and regional ministries
- Overseeing international expansion
- Developing and appointing pastors
- Developing national communications '
- Developing national conferences (e.g. Pastors Conference and Faithwalkers)
- Developing national accountability of churches
YWAM Arcata
a couple ministering to the Muslim world
Evergreen financially supports a couple who for years have ministered in the Muslim world. Out of concern for their safety, we cannot mention their names or even where they are located. They have led former Muslims to Jesus Christ as their Savior and have helped start house churches.
God is at work in the Muslim world! But there is a tremendous spiritual battle. A woman was publicly beaten by her husband for simply talking to the couple. Another couple was forced to flee their home country after becoming new believers in Christ. A colleague was murdered this past summer because he was a Christian.
They request prayers for wisdom on how to minister and lead in dangerous situations. Please also pray that God would lead them to spiritually open people, and that the Lord of the Harvest would send out more workers into the harvest.
Love in the Name of Christ
coordinating resources to serve those in need
Love INC (Love in the Name of Christ) enables churches in a community to coordinate their resources and services so that those in need are not turned away. Most churches alone cannot fully meet the needs of every family living in poverty, disabled individual, senior citizen, single parent, or others who need a helping hand.
As churches join together to show Christ's love to their neighbors, communities see exciting results:
- People in need receive immediate and long-term help.
- Church members use their unique gifts and talents through specific, manageable opportunities to serve others.
- Local churches work together, across denominational lines, modeling unity of the Body of Christ.
- Lives and communities are transformed.
Love INC ministry’s national headquarters is located in the Minneapolis. With its mission to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ over 140 Love INC affiliates have been established in 30 states. These Love INC affiliates are helping over 1 million people in need each year through more than 9,000 churches, 6,000 community agencies, and 300,000 volunteers.
Lynn Newman, Evergreen’s Operations Manager has served on the Love INC National Board of Directors since 2004 because she is inspired by its mission to help those in need through the most powerful force on this earth – the Church. When the Body of Christ works together, the results can be miraculous.
In addition to Lynn’s involvement, our Evergreen-New Hope location has become part of a Love INC affiliate that includes eight churches from six denominations in four local communities. Love INC fits perfectly into the vision of ECC-New Hope to “Plant seeds of kindness and good deeds in our community.”
As Pastor Mark Stiglicz notes:
" It is a practical, consistent way for people in our church to serve those in need in our area and to use their God-given gifts of helps and service. In addition to the nearly 50 adults who have been trained to serve with Love INC, the teens of our church have also decided to do a monthly service project with Love INC. "
Here is one teen leader’s summary of their first service project, helping an elderly couple to clean out their home:
"There were six rooms full of trash, clothing, pet feces, and random things like food and grocery products...some rooms had piles up to our shoulders. Even though it was initially overwhelming for all of us, it was a wonderful time. The kids had great attitudes and worked hard. We worked for two hours and 15 minutes and were able to put a substantial dent in the work. We cleaned out three of the six rooms pretty completely and hauled away over 30 bags of trash.
"They were very sweet people and I know that they felt very blessed by the teen’s service. Thank you so much for the opportunity to 'wash their feet.' God used it in all of our lives. We look forward to serving more with Love INC."
Partnering with Love INC is an opportunity to bless others in need, but it has also proven to be a wonderful experience for those who have participated. People are discovering first hand that it truly is better to give than to receive!
Wycliffe Associates & Heshima Children’s Center
an Evergreen couple serve as missionaries to Africa
Eric and Tracey Hagman attended Evergreen for many years before becoming missionaries in Africa in 2002. They now live in Nairobi, Kenya, and Erik works for Wycliffe Associates. Wycliffe works to translate the Bible into different languages. In Kenya, for example, there are 50 different languages! Wycliffe’s goal is that each of these groups of people can read the word of God in their own native tongue! Erik oversees construction projects to support Bible translation efforts throughout Africa.
In addition, Tracey has started Heshima Children’s Center for disabled children. (Heshima means “dignity” in Swahili.) In Kenya, disabled children are considered a curse and have no dignity. Heshima “uses human hands to represent the love of Christ” by offering disabled children occupational, speech and physical therapy; health care and nutrition (two meals a day); and special education. They also work with the parents of these children to offer support not otherwise available to them (support groups, Bible studies, etc.).
City Vision
networking across denominations to plant churches
New church plants are the fastest way to reach lost people with the gospel and City Vision’s research and cross-denominational networking has served the body of Christ by opening church planting doors throughout the Twin Cities. Since 1995, John Mayer has done research for and/or directly coached 78 church plants, 95% of which continue to do effective ministry today. This includes the first Somali church plant in America. John’s collaborative style and consistent generosity have made him a key partner to Kingdom builders across denominational lines, including Evergreen, The Rock and The Urban Refuge!
Ministry is a moving target, and accurate information on a changing society is essential. Communities and people groups in need of a strong evangelical presence continue to multiply around us. Lyle Schaller, the father of congregational consulting, says John Mayer’s research on the Twin Cities is the most comprehensive on any city, ever completed from a Christian perspective! City Vision is making a difference through careful gleaning, skillful analyzing and generous sharing of harvest field information.
Pastor Mark Bowen of our Lakeville location and Bloomington member Bill Brown serve on the City Vision Board of Trustees.
