In January of 2023, we rallied together to kick off our first “Jesus First Offering” on January 29th of 2023. Our goal was to take up 5 JFO’s in 2023. With God’s grace and the sacrificial giving of our church, we paid off our mortgage of over $230,000 by November of 2023. God is Faithful!
This was our launchpad for moving into the next season for our church. The next season is a brand-new worship building that will give us much more room for worship and growth as well as more Sunday School, Bible Study, and Children’s Ministry. In addition to that, this added room will be essential for Strong Tower Academy if the Lord allows this ministry to launch.
We have now secured an Architectural Engineer to move forward with drawings and state mandated submissions to the Fire Marshall and other state & county offices. The costs for this firm are right at $100,000. Building costs, sprinkler system, parking lot and grading all cost a lot of money.
We know that God has got all of this under control. He has blessed STBC beyond anything that we can think or imagine. He will continue to so long as we keep Christ and His Gospel message front and center and going out into the community, state, nation, and across the world.
This is where the “Jesus First Offering” comes into play. We have all been blessed with more than any of us deserve. God provides us shelter, food, water, jobs, vehicles, family, friends, and sustainability in day-to-day life. He is so good to us!
This Sunday, May 19th, 2024, we will be taking up our 2cd Jesus First Offering for 2024. I cannot encourage you strongly enough the importance of your sacrificial giving. Here is how this offering works:
1) If you regularly tithe, we encourage you to go above and beyond your regular to this Sunday. Give as greatly as you can to this offering! We can never out-give God!
2) If you give somewhat sporadically, maybe you don’t regularly tithe (10%) of your earnings, but you do give often to the Lord, we encourage you to give your tithe this Sunday! Your giving is vitally important to the ministry needs of our church.
3) If you rarely to never give to the Lord, I encourage you to trust the Lord with your finances. Just like those that give regularly, God sustains you every day as well. There is blessing that awaits you like you have never seen if you begin to worship God with your giving. I encourage you to give the Lord your tithe this Sunday in our Jesus First Offering.
Church, we are in this together! If we all pull together under the banner of Christ and each do our part, we are going to see amazing things take place at STBC! Our church is growing; our 9am service is now over ½ way to capacity. I believe that we are moving in the right direction and God is going to continue to use STBC in incredible ways in these last days we are living in.
In His Grace,
Pastor Ancel
2 Corinthians 9:6, 7—”6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
