It’s Been a Great Year – And It’s Not Over Yet.

As I write this blog, we’re a little more than halfway through the 2016 calendar, and it’s already been a great year at Mount Pleasant Christian Church. In fact, there’s not enough room in this blog to list all the great things that have happened so far. There was “Night to Shine” our first prom for special needs folks, Change the World week (over 400,000 meals prepared, the frames of 5 houses constructed, and countless other people served in and around our community). We’ve had mission trips to Romania, Poland (2), The Dominican Republic (home build), Cookson Hills Christian Home in Oklahoma, Big Creek Mission in Bear Creek, Kentucky and Mexico (VBS), and we’ve got remaining trips to Austria, Mexico and Myanmar on the calendar. Each of these trips provided opportunities for people to be served and the gospel to be presented. We had almost 400 students and volunteers at Camp Allendale for a week of church camp as well as over 200 students attending Christ in Youth MOVE and MIX Conferences. Our Bible Bowl teams capped off another successful year by placing 2 teams in the top 3 at their recent National Tournament. Our preschool continues to grow and serve the families of our community. We’ve kicked off a new Soul Care ministry along with a new Financial Freedom ministry. Our Home Group ministry is growing, I could go on and on. It’s been a great year and its only July 27.

I have always had a vision for a church that provided multiple opportunities to reach and serve people. And while Mount Pleasant Christian Church is far from perfect (there’s no such thing as a perfect church), I’m seeing that happen each and every week. So let me encourage you to embrace that vision and that opportunity by making some important commitments for the remainder of this year. First, commit to faithfulness in worship. While we are a church that is involved in lots of ministry opportunities, our major focus continues to be our weekend services. The Bible encourages us in Hebrews 10:25, Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing… (NIV) I know you’ve got a busy life. I know weekends are filled with lots of options when it comes to your time. But I also know the great value of committing an hour and fifteen minutes to worship. Making that commitment is something you’ll never regret. Second, get connected through a Home Group and through regular service. Church was never intended to be a, “Just show up once a week” experience. We can’t live out the “one another” commands of the New Testament (love one another – serve one another – bear one another’s burdens – etc.) if we’re not “connected.” Get connected to a Home Group (you can even recruit your own Home Group) and say “yes” to the many opportunities to serve on a weekly or monthly basis. Third, Be faithful and consistent in your financial support. It takes money to do ministry – especially when your ministry is so focused on making an IMPACT both locally and globally. We operate on a fiscal year that runs from July 1 thru June 30 and we have begun the 2016/2017 fiscal year a little behind our budgeted needs. This isn’t unusual as lots of our church family are gone through June and July with vacation and lots of other activities. And I know that “back to school” always brings an extra expense to families with young children. But our financial commitments are continuous and we don’t want to fall behind. We’ve got operational costs to support the great campus God has blessed us with, a large staff (and families) to care for, and significant opportunities for IMPACT through the IMPACT Center (food & clothing) our IMPACT Chin ministry, local & global mission partners, and the list goes on.

So here’s my encouragement to you. Take some time today to thank God for the ministry of Mount Pleasant Christian Church (say that prayer right now - it really is incredible). Ask God’s blessing on the many ministry opportunities that are before us throughout the remainder of this year. Then be prayerful and thoughtful about your response to the three commitments I’ve shared. Be faithful in worship, get connected through community and service and give faithfully. I can tell you that one of the greatest decisions my wife Sandy and I have ever made, was the decision to be faithful, consistent and generous supporters of our local church. There has never been a moment when we regretted or fretted over this support. We have our weekly gift automatically taken from our account so it’s here even when we’re not. And I can tell you from years and years of firsthand experience, no matter how much we give, we can never out give God.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

Financial Freedom

One of the things I love the most about Mount Pleasant Christian Church is that we are able to offer ministry opportunities to meet a variety of needs. No doubt that’s one of the reasons why we see all kinds of people in our community, oftentimes people who attend different churches, coming to us for things like Bible Study opportunities, Youth & Adult Sports opportunities, Counseling, Pre-school, Mom to Mom, Support Groups and you can go on and on. I love that about our church!

One of the ministry opportunities we offer that I’m most excited about is our Financial Freedom Ministry. Simply stated, the purpose of this ministry is to provide Biblically based financial resources for our members (or anyone in need) to become excellent stewards (managers) of God’s money. Now, this is nothing new as good Biblically based financial stewardship has always been a part of our teaching at Mount Pleasant. But we’re “raising the bar” in what we’re able to offer to help you become a good steward. In addition to offering Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University (FPU) at different times throughout the year, we’ve also begun to offer Dave Ramsey’s “Legacy Journey” which is a seven-week Biblically based class that teaches you how to live and leave a legacy for generations to come. But there’s even more. In addition to these classes, we now have three Dave Ramsey trained Financial Coaches to assist you with special questions and needs. These coaches will come alongside you to help you achieve your financial goals no matter where you are in your stewardship journey – whether you’re living paycheck to paycheck, saving for some special need like college for your children or planning for retirement. These “coaches” are not insurance specialists or brokers and they won’t try to push or sell any products. Their sole mission is to help equip you with practical advice and a Biblical toolbox to enable you to become financially free so you can fulfill God’s purpose for your life. Depending on your specific situation, they might recommend qualified professionals for you to consult with (tax attorney, estate planner, etc.), but you will be in control at all times. Our coaches will only make recommendations to you, the follow through is up to you. And this confidential service is being offered at no cost to you.

There’s no question that being financially free is God’s will for all of us. The Bible teaches us that everything belongs to God (Psalm 24:1, The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.) so when He entrusts something to us (like money), we need to follow His instruction and His guidelines for how it is handled.  That’s God’s expectation. And God knows how easy and how dangerous it is to lose the right attitude or perspective about money. That’s why Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:10, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (NIV) Don’t make the mistake of being a slave to money. Use however much or little God has entrusted to you for His glory. We can help you do that through the Financial Freedom Ministry.

If you’d like to take advantage of this ministry, then just contact Don Vandoski at 317-513-5859 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday (please respect those times). He will confidentially discuss your situation and connect you with one of our coaches. You can also learn more about this ministry by clicking here. Don’t keep putting off taking steps toward financial freedom…act now.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris