2012 Christ Church Annual Report

7/29/2019 2012 Christ Church Annual Report

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ANNUAL REPORT

THE 2012 CHRIST CHURCH



Rev. Shane BishopSenior Pastor

The growth curve in weekend worship at Christ Church since 1997 has truly beenremarkable. We have moved from just over 200 per weekend to well over 1,600 and indoing so, have grown steadily each year. Our growth curve continues to be…sustainable.Almost every church in USAmerica desires to see their congregation engaged in the kind of sixteen-year cycle we have enjoyed, but what makes our church grow steadily when manyothers are seeing decline? Obviously our location doesn’t hurt, but there are plenty of dying churches in great locations all over the country. I am all for good theology but lots of dying churches believe the right stu. A great pastoral connect is helpful but I know manygifted pastors all struggling mightily in their local context. Here are my thoughts on whatwe have done and what we must continue to do to grow into the future:

A Clear Mission. We exist to “connect people with Jesus Christ.” This mission informseverything we do and gives us a shared language to talk about change. The mission mustbe a higher core value than both the personal preferences of the congregation and the jobsecurity of the sta.

Strong Leadership Team. We have leaders who are visionary, committed,limber and serious about doing what it takes to accomplish the mission of the church.You can get to natural growth plateaus with strong preaching, great music and relevantprogramming but it takes leadership when you run out of seating, parking, space or clever

ideas.

Radical Commitment. We expect those who call this their church home to supportour mission with their prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. No church canseriously move toward its mission without a congregation living up to these vows. Theaccomplishment of great things for God requires great sacrices from great people.

Growing People. Put simply, growing churches consist of growing people and dyingchurches consist of stagnated people. As we keep our sta and people growing, ourchurch will grow with them.

An Evangelistic Culture. People are natural evangelists! If a person discovers anew restaurant or sees a great movie, they will tell everyone they know, by every meansthey can. Growing churches consist of people who are excited about their church and are

inviting others.

This is a year-end report. It is not so dierent than the report you get for your otherinvestments. Mutual funds are quick to point out that past performance does notguarantee future returns. Fund managers must pay attention to national trends, worlddevelopments and earn the trust of their customers every day. What they accomplishedyesterday will establish their reputation but what they do today and tomorrow willdetermine their future success. We are no dierent.

I often wonder what the next sixteen years holds in store for this congregation. To nd acollective answer, we will each have to answer the call of Christ individually.

God is Good!

SUSTAINING

AT CHRIST CHURCHGoth How We Have Suained Goth

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3 | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT



WORSHIP TEAM Ats

CHRIST CHURCH | 4

2012 has been an incredible year for the Worship Arts Team.The Worship Arts Team is a balance of what you see onstageand what you don’t see ostage. Pretty much what yousee at a worship service (at any of our campuses) is just thetip of the iceberg. What you don’t see are the many, many

volunteer and sta hours that go into just one worshipservice. There is a great deal of prayer, planning, practicingand programming that go into each service. Our team ishonored to be used by God to lead His people in worship.Our prayer is that we will hold the light of Christ high and thatthe world will see His glory through the talents we use in Hisname.

One of the highlights of 2012 was for part of our team to join Feed My Sheep Ministries on their Fall mission trip toSan Pedro Sula, Honduras. I was blessed to have LauraSteinke, Bonnie Fahrner, Ryan Murphy, Tony Tarr and TimZimmerman join me on this trip. We were asked to leadworship at our sister church and ended up having a two-nightconcert on a stage built in the middle of the street in front of

the church. It was an amazing week. I thought the best wayto tell you what we all experienced was to let guitarist RyanMurphy share it in his own words:

Today is October 13, 2012, and I write from an airplanebound for Miami, Florida. My wife and I, along with the othermissionaries, are returning home from seven days of workwith Feed My Sheep Ministries in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.I am having a dicult time watching the coastline shrink intothe distance because I feel like I left part of my heart there.

I rst started thinking about this trip several months agowhen Don Frazure asked me to be a part of the worship bandand help lead worship at our sister church Iglesia de Cristo,Casa de Paz. I thought a week of jammin’ with the bandwould be fun. Turns out that God had way more in store for

me than that.

Our rst full day in Honduras was Sunday, and we attendedthe worship service at Casa de Paz. Pastor Jonathan prayedat the beginning of the service, and I felt the presence of theHoly Spirit in a powerful and undeniable way. I began to cryfor that reason alone and felt my heart turn to mush. Wedanced, we lifted hands, and we sang in Spanish proclaiming,“No hay nadie como tu.” At the end of the service, the peopleof the church prayed for all of the missionaries, anointing usfor the work to come. I felt God’s peace when we left thathouse and an eagerness to begin.

We spent the rest of the day preparing supplies for theweek’s missions. Medicine and eyeglasses were counted and

bagged, medical equipment was tested, and clothing for thechildren was sorted. The team would take these suppliesthe next day to the rst of three medical clinics. We drovefor two hours in the Iglesia de Cristo bus to Tela, a city muchin need of help. The doctors, nurses, paramedics, and therest of the team worked together to provide the people inTela with medicine, reading glasses, dental care, and bibles. Ihad the opportunity to meet three boys, ages 8, 10, and 11.They were cousins I later found out and were eager to playFrisbee with me while waiting for their parents. My heart




broke for them that morning for two reasons. One, becausethe only thing they asked me for was a toothbrush, but wehad already run out. Two, I noticed them acting sluggishafter only playing for about twenty minutes. I was not usedto kids this age tiring out before me, and I began to wonderwhat they had to eat for breakfast if anything at all. The daywas long, but much was accomplished. I will never forget thesmiles on the faces of the people of Tela.

The following day I helped pass out reading glasses at the

medical clinic held at the hotel for sta and their families. Itwas a joy to serve the people who spent the week servingus. On Wednesday we held a clinic at Casa de Paz. I was veryimpressed with the students of our sister church who quicklylearned how to run the reading glasses portion of the clinic.By the end of the day, they were running it on their own.

The next day I joined part of the team who visited thechildren’s cancer ward at a local hospital. I did not knowwhat to expect; as I walked into the room, my heart broke yetagain. Around fteen children were sitting in either a reclineror stretcher and were receiving chemotherapy through anIV in their tiny little hands. They were so happy to have thebeanie babies we brought. We handed out bibles and prayedwith families and sta. We returned to the ward the next dayto bring much needed pillows and blankets. This was the dayI met Natalie, a nine-year-old girl with a beautiful smile. Shespoke a lot of English and told me her favorite subjects inschool were math and debate. I’ll never forget the smile onthis courageous young girl’s face as she held her beanie baby.As we prepared to leave, I gave her a big hug, wondering if I would ever see her again. I hope and pray that one dayI might see her again teaching math or nding a cure forcancer.

We also had the opportunity to pass out Spanish bibles thesetwo days. I had been told the hunger for God’s word wasgreat, but I was still blown away by how quickly a box of 24bibles can be emptied. It was even more amazing to watch

the people begin reading their bibles immediately. Even aswe backed out of our parking spot, people hurried to thetruck before we could leave. Throughout the week, the teampassed out over 4,000 bibles. I gave one to a security guardand found that he spoke a little English. After talking for awhile, he asked if I could “play.” I said, “play?” He responded,“Yes, play for me.” It took me a second, but I realized hewanted me to pray for him. We stood right there in themiddle of that parking lot and prayed for his work, his family,and his church. I can still see his smiling face, and as we left,he told us to go with God’s blessing.

Thursday and Friday evenings were spent at our sisterchurch, a beacon of light to the surrounding community.Our band took the stage and sang in Spanish and English. I

will always remember watching the kids clapping, jumping,dancing, and even running in the street in front of the church.The Lord was truly magnied in mighty and powerful waysthose evenings.

This morning came and I found myself torn in two directions.It was time to go home, and I looked forward to seeing myfamily. Yet I had just spent the entire week in the presenceof God and some amazing Christians, some of whom speakmostly Spanish. Have you ever been somewhere that God

hangs out? If you have, you can understand the issue I hadwith leaving. Karen stepped onto the bus just before we leftthe hotel for the last time and talked about the seeds weplanted this week in the city. Equally important she said werethe seeds planted in our own hearts. At that point I lost it andbegan weeping almost all the way to the airport.

I cried tears of thanksgiving to God for softening my heartthis week and for blessing me beyond measure--tears forgracing my wife and me with a new friendship in Oscar and

Delia Hernandez and their beautiful daughter Sharon; tearsbecause we will not be able to see them again next week;tears for the children at the cancer ward who taught mewhat it means to be courageous and hopeful; tears for themembers of Iglesia de Cristo, Casa de Paz and their children,who reminded me how to worship in spirit and in truth;tears because we leave behind Carlos and Luis, two amazingkids who love God. I will miss seeing them every day andwatching them become Godly leaders.

I nally saw the airport come into view; we unloaded the busand made our way in to check our bags. My friend Oscarstood with Shelly and I as we waited to check in. I looked athim and said, “Amigo, we’re going to miss you and Sharon.”With tears in my eyes, I looked at Shelly who told me to stopit, because she was trying not to cry. Oscar, who had notspoken much English at all the whole time, made us laughwhen he held out his hand and said, “Relax, take it easy.”

Marvin came over shortly before we went through the rstsecurity checkpoint and asked what we thought of the trip.Shelly and I told him we have to come back. There is just somuch yet to be done. I am so grateful to God for Marvin andKaren who led us on this amazing trip. I have been foreverchanged. Thanks be to God for walking with us every step of the way. I look forward to the day when my feet step o theplane in the San Pedro Sula airport and we begin the nextmission with Feed My Sheep.

Dios te bendiga,Ryan Murphy

by Rev. Don Frazure, Pastor Of Worship Arts



Rare it is to struggle sharing good news because there is somuch, you don’t know where to begin or when to stop. Forme, I write this recap of 2012 in such a position! Simplyput, we have had an amazing year! 2012 has been anoverwhelming year of impact and witness through ChristChurch. The quick and short of it is that we have maintainedour mission commitments down the hall, around thecorner, and around the world, while expanding our careand compassion for those in need tied to our missionof “connecting people with Jesus Christ” in tangible and

enduring ways!

We have dened and worked through our sharedunderstanding of “Loving Neighbor.” Our Serving ChristMinistry (aka Outreach) leads us as we work to be the handsand feet of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible whostand in need of the grace of Christ and the care of God’schurch. Our down the hall eorts from the youngest to theoldest in the forms of our children’s ministries, as well asCongregational Care for all ages, have been dramaticallyexpanded. Each month, our Congregational Care teammakes over 400 contacts in either direct or indirect ways toensure those of Christ Church are supported through timesof medical or emotional distress. In addition, our Prayer

Ministry has taken another step in beginning to form whateventually will be a quarterly time of church-wide prayergatherings that have already been transformative in waysthat words cannot fully express.

Our around the corner eorts still include support for peoplethroughout the Metro Area in medical, housing, food, andother direct forms of support. The increase in our ServingChrist budget, a commitment made by the church, hasallowed us to enlarge our work and impact, and also toprovide opportunities for families to be engaged like neverbefore. Other ministries like Prison Ministries and WelcomeHome have begun their work in ways that have multipliedour imprint of care for real transformation in the lives of people to live out a life connected with Christ in dignity and

wholeness. Ministries, such as Impact (a ministry to youngperson’s returning to society after incarceration) and ourpartnerships with the Christian Activity Center and LessieBates Davis Neighborhood Homes, are assisting peoplethrough real Christian discipleship to discover their place inChrist and know God’s plan for their best life in ways manynever thought possible.

The energies spent by serving Christ and our church aroundthe world have never been more impacting and important!Our sister churches in the Philippines and Honduras continueto thrive, ensuring young children the means to eat andattend school (through our Christ Church Scholars Program).

Expanding Our Reach OF HEART & HANDS

Our mission work to bring others the gospel of Jesus Christthrough our partnership with Feed My Sheep and Bibles forHonduras is bearing fruit in the growth of those churchesand healthy impact on those cities and countries. Our mostrecent church, Inglesia De Cristo de Paz, has already exceededthe space for use in their new building in less than one year!Your commitment to support our eorts in response tounderstanding what it means to love our neighbor is makingall this and much more possible.

What I am most thrilled about is how we will continue toincrease our mark on this world beginning in 2013! In additionto continuing with the many bold and creative ministries weare engaged in, Serving Christ will answer the call of JesusChrist by working to respond to the needs of homeless andchallenged families in Belleville and other local cities, byenlarging our mission eorts to support both the AWANAand potential support of a missionary in Uganda, and byputting ourselves in position to respond to growing missionopportunities in the name of Christ Church. Serving Christwill also grow its outreach to the local nursing homes byproviding worship and communion to some monthly, and byexpanding the mission eld to families through at least twoservice projects to be oered for the entire church to perform

on-site. Sponsoring these family-friendly events will allowus all to make a dierence, and give parents an opportunityto introduce their children and their friends to the work of missions. It will be a year that will bring Jesus Christ muchglory!

Finally, we intend to track all of these eorts through use of our 100,000 Hours Initiative. Each time you log your hour(s)through our app and/or our website, it will allow us a monthlyestimate of the amount of tangible impact we are making asGod’s family, and estimate the scal value of this eort forfuture use in partnership with community groups and otherorganizations. Thank you for helping us in this way; keep it up!

Serving here at Christ Church continues to be one of the high

honors of my journey as a pastor! I am learning each daythrough both our Senior Pastor and the team that leads thischurch. I am certain the leadership team here is one of theabsolute best anywhere in professional Christian ministry.2013 is preparation for a 2014 that will blow our minds as wemake a mark that cannot be erased. If you haven’t yet, get inthe game of loving your neighbor--your life will never be thesame!

“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase yourstore of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)

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by Rev. Troy Benton, Associate Pastor



CHRIST CHURCH

Campuses


In 2012 Christ Church launched its second campus in thecommunity of Millstadt. The Campus meets in the PrimaryCenter and will connect people to Jesus Christ in Millstadt,Smithton and surrounding areas. The Illinois Great RiversConference provided critical funding from the conference’sCongregational Development Team allowing Christ Churchto purchase the necessary equipment to get started. Thecampus has made a strong beginning with nearly 90 inregular attendance and giving on the increase towardstithing. Each week the campus has worship, children’s

ministry in three age level rooms and an adult Sunday school.In addition, the campus has as many as four small groupsmeeting during the week; one men’s accountability group,another Bible Study at the local pizza parlor, one marriagestudy for couples and a women’s study group. The campushas participated and/or sponsored many community eventsleading up to its launch, and since that time. The campushas participated in outreach in the community (CROP Walk),Christ Church wide events like the back pack attack andevents like our Christmas in September food drive for thelocal food bank. J and Deanna Haas are the Millstadt Campusleaders; Je Abel is the Site Foreman; and Justin Aymer is theWorship Leader for the Millstadt campus.

The CM Campus in Maryville continues to thrive one yearafter its inception. The campus is averaging nearly 100 inattendance each week despite the fact that most of thePioneers sent to help establish the campus and providecritical mass have now returned to the FH Campus. The CMCampus celebrated its rst baptism and has had many joinon profession of faith prior to its birthday celebration onSeptember 16th when they worshiped in the Drost Park inMaryville. CM has monthly splash events designed to easilyinvite their friends and acquaintances to its weekly worship,weekly children’s ministry at three age levels and an adultSunday school class. This summer the CM Campus addedstudent ministry to its Sunday morning lineup. There is alsoa marriage study group for couples and a home study groupmeeting in Maryville in addition to two women’s Bible studies.

The CM Campus small group numbers continue to growas they disciple the members of the growing congregation.

The CM Campus leaders are Jon and Robyn Clark; Mike andBonnie Loftus are the Site Administrators; and Matt Denny isthe Worship Leader.

Launching campuses has challenged our church and itsleadership but proven to be an excellent strategy for reachingothers for Christ. In addition, campuses have served to helpdevelop additional leadership within the church. Since wewere new to the endeavor, we learned several key lessonsfrom our CM Campus launch in Maryville that have made the

Millstadt launch go much smoother this year. Those lessonslearned include: 1) We continue to identify those called byGod to launch a new campus and who possess the leadershipskills necessary to fulll that calling. 2) We asked the Pioneersto commit to attend at the campus for one entire year afterthe launch. We ran a campaign called 50 for 50; i.e., we asked50 pioneers to commit for 50 weeks of attendance at theMillstadt Campus. 3) The campuses must continue to providehigh energy, high quality worship. Matt, Justin and theirworship teams have brought a worship style that seems to twell in their respective communities. 4) We learned to startsmall groups prior to the launch as an evangelistic tool toreach the community. Rev. Shane led an Acts Bible Study atboth locations; CM in the spring and early in the summer at a

local pizza place in Millstadt. That was followed by a Sermonon the Mount study by Dr. Jerry Dortch in Millstadt. And, 5)Communicate, communicate, communicate. The campusescontinue to be connected to the FH Campus through ourcoordinator, Larry Weber. We often say we are one church inthree locations but to make certain that each campus staysconnected to each other, communication is essential andhas been facilitated by monthly Huddle meetings for eachlocation.

There are no plans for a campus start for 2013; we willcontinue to ll the worship areas of the current ChristChurch locations. It will be a time of continued growth andrefreshment for all campuses as we listen for the Holy Spiritto guide us to the next location calling for us to connect

people with Jesus Christ.

by Larry Weber, Director of Ministries



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FROM TODDLERSTO TEENS:

Connecting

CHRIST CHURCH IS

KIDS WITH CHRIST

Growing up in a small United Methodist Church in the 1980s,I attended Sunday school in cold classrooms where we satquietly at desks. The most exciting part of our lesson waswhen the teachers busted out the annel boards to illustratethe Bible story for that day. If we were lucky, we got pickedto move the annel characters during the story. Needless to

say, Sunday school was not very exciting or fun.

Christ Church takes a dierent approach in 2012. On anygiven Sunday in Creation Corner, the youngest children arepraying, memorizing Bible verses (complete with actions)and worshipping together in fun and active ways. Directorof Early Childhood Ministries, Mistie Denny stresses thatour youngest children shouldn’t be discounted in theirability to learn spiritual truths and connect with God. Mistiesays, “When I walk around Creation Corner, I see childrenwholeheartedly giving themselves to a God who takes joyin their worship and loves them dearly. I love being a partof that. I love to see that relationship blossom and grow.”By the time these children are ready to move on to theelementary ministry, they are grounded in 3 truths: God

loves you, God made you, and Jesus wants to be your friendforever.

Across the building, elementary age children are connectingwith Christ and nding their relationship with Him at anearly age. Director of Elementary Ministries, Amanda Catesis excited to see so many kids grow in their faith becausethe ministries at Christ Church meet them where theyare and help them incorporate the lessons they learn onSundays into their lives at home. With interactive videos andcontemporary worship music that brings the Bible to life, kidshave fun and build one-on-one relationships with each otherand leaders who care about them. Amanda states, “I trulybelieve we can build a better community for the future bywhat we’re instilling in our kids now. Seeing kids acting out

their faith in real life is one of the best parts of my job.” Inaddition to plugging in on Sundays, elementary kids and theirfamilies are encouraged to participate in service and missionprojects like Kids Against Hunger. Through service, kids whomay otherwise feel disconnected are discovering spiritualgifts they can use for God’s glory.

Averaging 120 students per event, junior and senior highstudents are making an impact for God’s glory down thehall and around the corner. With opportunities to serveabounding, the students are participating in worship, service,and mission ministry. Students in the recently formeddrama team use their dramatic talents to minster to youngerChrist Church kids by acting out skits. Director of StudentMinistries, Rev. Will Campbell reports, “I see students gettingmore involved with the church as they are being taught whatthey can do with their gifts to help build up God’s church. Ihave seen students serving in new and exciting ways.” Bystudying God’s word, students are being equipped to usetheir faith to witness to others and avoid the temptationsof our modern society. By connecting with Christ and each

other, students are better prepared to make wise choices andgrow in their faith.

For those that work with the children and youth of ChristChurch, it is clear they are blessed to be a part of theseministries. Mistie Denny states, “I wish that every adultwould get a chance to experience worshiping with children.”Volunteers work both behind the scenes and directly withchildren or youth, depending on their gifts and comfort level.By contacting Volunteer Coordinator Erin Hanson, adults canget plugged in with children or youth ministries and make animpact for Christ. From toddlers to high school students andevery child in between, Christ Church’s Children and YouthMinistries are connecting kids with Christ.

by Lindsay Tallman



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What lies around the corner in your life? Are you like mostof us—“out of sight, out of mind”? Do you ever really lookaround the corner? Or do you stay in your comfort zone,thinking that it doesn’t really concern you, that someone elsewill take care of it. Besides, it might be uncomfortable, oreven dangerous. Surely God understands!

You don’t have to go far to see “around the corner.” It canbe as near as the closest softball diamond, the nursinghome down the street, or the underpasses and abandonedbuildings that house the homeless. Serving around thecorner only takes a person just like you who has a heart thathas been stirred by God and lled with the desire to follow

God’s calling.

One of these people is Ryan Blaha, who is the ministry leaderfor the Men’s Softball Tournament Team. One might notthink that playing softball can be a ministry, but Ryan wouldbeg to dier. Ryan has seen unchurched men who havebecome staunch, godly family men who are proud to wearthe Christ Church t-shirts. He has seen men who may havenever crossed the threshold of a church become men whoaren’t afraid to witness publicly to the Glory of God, leadingdevotions before each softball game and gathering to prayafter each game, win or lose. As a matter of fact, Ryansaid that it is when they lose that they provide the greatestwitness. “This is a messy ministry playing a competitive

sport,” Ryan says. “We glorify God the most and are the bestwitnesses when we lose. That is the toughest time to do it.It’s easy to be a good Christian when you win.”

Ryan says that he has grown a lot in the past ve years.Now he cares more about the ministry than he does aboutwinning. He testies, “I would rather lose and represent theministry well than win and not glorify God.” And that’s whatserving around the corner is all about—glorifying God.

Just ask Jean Casey. The passion that God placed in Jean’sheart is for the nursing home residents who have few closerelatives, virtually no visitors, and who often feel lonely anddespondent. Seeing this need, Jean started the NursingHome Ministry, and volunteers in this ministry are not only

making a dierence in the lives of the residents, but theirlives are being changed as they put others before themselvesand, in so doing, draw closer to Christ. Jean says, “This is aministry that counts, that truly makes a dierence in people’slives. You not only see the results; you feel the results.”

Being a volunteer in the Nursing Home Ministry requirescommitment and perseverance. It requires regular visits toan assigned resident. It requires someone who is able tolook past the sights and the smells in the nursing home tothe heart of the resident they are visiting. It requires goodlistening skills and the patience to give the resident undivided

attention and the precious gift of time. It requires love,compassion, and empathy.

A take-o of the Nursing Home Ministry is Project ChristmasCheer. Through this ministry, about 300 nursing homeresidents are able to have their Christmas wishes come true.Each year, families shop for the presents on the residents’wish lists and deliver the gift-wrapped packages to church, tobe delivered to the nursing homes before Christmas. Beinga part of the Nursing Home Ministry truly means loving yourneighbor as yourself!

In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus

was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” After telling the parable, Jesus asked, “Now which of these three would you say was aneighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” The manreplied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said,“Yes, now go and do the same.” Cheryl Shostall, ministryleader of Winter Patrol, is doing just that. She knows thather “neighbor” is not just the person next door or down thestreet. Her neighbors have become the homeless on thestreets of St. Louis, and she has been showing mercy to themfor almost eight years.

Cheryl Shostall’s ministry began when she heard Rev.Shane’s sermon challenging her to make a dierence in thelives of others. She says, “It was soon evident to me that I

was meant to serve on the streets . . . a place where mostpeople aren’t comfortable.” What began as the simple actof taking hot chocolate and blankets to the homeless on thestreets of St. Louis has grown into a ministry that is trulymaking a dierence in lives and hearts.

Members of this year-round ministry might nd themselvescooking a roast beef dinner and then serving it to about 200people at a homeless shelter in St. Louis. Or they mightnd themselves loading the church van with blankets, hotchocolate, socks, coats, gloves, hygiene items, and Biblesand heading to the streets of St. Louis, serving and prayingfor the homeless in abandoned buildings, in underpasses, or

just curled up in a sleeping bag in an empty doorway. In themidst of this, needs are met, stomachs are lled, hearts are

warmed, relationships are formed, and the gospel is shared.Lives are changed. And God is gloried!

Hebrews 13:2 tells us, “Don’t forget to show hospitality tostrangers, for some who have done this have entertainedangels without realizing it!” And don’t forget that you don’thave to go far to nd those strangers. They might be rightaround the corner!

AROUND THE CORNER Ministries...

by Diane Kruger



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You’d think traveling to Honduras twice a year since 2005to work feeding stations, assist in medical missions, repairchurch and orphanage buildings or haul fresh water to aremote mountain village would scratch any kind of mission-trip itch you might have. But not for Brian Safarian and hiswife Lisa, founders of Bibles for Honduras. Even supportingtwo Honduran boys so they could attend a Christian schooldid not satisfy their desire. There was something missing.

Before he left for another trip in early 2007, Lisa said shethought it was important they do more. She wanted to helpwith Hondurans’ physical needs—but she thought it equallyimportant to let the people know more about Jesus Christ.Brian agreed, but he wasn’t sure exactly what that looked like.God did.

In August 2007, Brian was in his Honduras hotel when heoverheard some Americans talking about East St. Louis. Brianwas born in East St. Louis; his family even had a businessthere for many years. Brian introduced himself. They turnedout to be missionaries from Florida with a very peculiarmission.

One of the missionaries, George Horton, explained that he

had spent many years of his life bringing Spanish Bibles tothe people of Honduras. He believed God wanted him todeliver 100,000 Bibles to the people in the nation. He wouldorder the Bibles from Ohio, drive from Florida to pick themup and then drive to Honduras to give them out. He hadmade more than 200 trips and had given out over 80,000Bibles.

Brian knew that meeting with George wasn’t a coincidence.And he knew what it meant, too: he and Lisa were to helpbring Spanish Bibles to the people of Honduras. On their rsttrip they sent 2,500 Bibles. Since then they’ve shipped morethan 25,000.

On October 2010, George achieved his goal of putting100,000 Bibles into the hands of the people of Honduras.

Because he was getting older, and the drive wasn’t as safe asit used to be, George retired. That’s when Brian and Lisa tookover.

Shipping Bibles to Honduras isn’t cheap. Brian and Lisawere stumped on how to do it without breaking the bank.Then God showed up once again. While on another trip inHonduras, Brian ran into an American in a coee shop. ThisAmerican introduced Brian to a Honduran pastor and hisdaughter. Brian told the woman that he was looking forideas on how to ship Bibles to Honduras. She told Brian thatshe had a friend in Miami who made weekly shipments of building materials to Honduras. She said he might be able tohelp and gave Brian his contact information.

When Brian returned to the US, he contacted the man andexplained his mission. The man liked the idea and oeredto ship the Bibles from Miami to Honduras at no cost—atany time—even paying the duty upon entry. From the porthe would then ship them to San Pedro Sula where he storesthem in his warehouse. The mission team can then pick themup any time. His only request was that the team pray forhis businesses. Brian and Lisa can’t really be sure how thisministry has changed the lives of those they serve, but Brian

said, “We believe that it is our place to bring the Word of Godand the message of salvation to all. Once the seed is planted,He will do the rest.”

It may be dicult to know how many lives have beenchanged, since the vast majority of Bibles are given tocomplete strangers, but Brian says, “The smiles on their facesand their words of thanks tell me that we have met a needand I know that God will work in their lives as a result.”

If you are interested in getting plugged into this ministry, youcan contact Brian at:biblesforhonduras.comfacebook.com/[email protected]

by Demian Farnworth



Loving Neighbor 2012 HIGHLIGHTS

15,000Canned goods delivered

to local food banks.

5,000Meals given to the homeless.

1,000Coats distributed to the

homeless.

$3,000Direct food support to needy

families.

10,000Volunteer hours served at social

service agencies.

12,000Volunteer hours in local

evangelism and missional work.

$15,000Direct nancial support tocongregants in short-term

emergency need.

900Blankets oered to the

homeless.

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7,000Volunteer hours served at

nursing homes and hospitals.

250Volunteer hours oered in

prisons.

2,000Hours spent in prayer groups.

350Gifts given to people in nursing

homes without family.

300Educational scholarships given

to children in Honduras.

1,000Volunteer tutoring hoursoered in local schools.

250Gifts given to the children of imprisoned family members.

350Educational scholarships givento children in the Philippines.




Chi Chuch Stats

69

162

1,721

2,805

2,500

BAPTISMS(53 in 2011)

NEW MEMBERS(180 in 2011)

AVG WORSHIP ATTENDANCE(1,594 in 2011)

EASTER ATTENDANCE(2,563 in 2011)

CHRISTMAS ATTENDANCE(2,204 in 2011)

95PROFESSIONSOF FAITH

(99 in 2011)

CHRIST CHURCH | 16



278AVG CONNECTION CLASS

ATTENDANCE(379 in 2011)

143AVG STUDENT MINISTRY


121AVG KID CONNECTION


138AVG CREATION CORNER





39,376WEBSITE VISITS44% were new visitors.

123,192WEBSITE PAGE VIEWS

602MOBILE APP DOWNLOADS

7,622VIMEO VIDEO PLAYS

CHRIST CHURCH | 18



FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS CAMPUS

CHRIST CHURCH PHILIPPINESMindanao, Philippines

CHRIST CHURCH HONDURASSan Pedro Sula, Honduras

COLLINSVILLE / MARYVILLE CAMPUS

MILLSTADT CAMPUS




FINANCIALREPORT

2012

Alan PrassExecutive Director

We had another record-breaking year as we continue to see an increasein total giving. We want to thank everyone for their nancial support of Christ Church and our vision to Connect People to Jesus Christ. Withoutyour giving of God’s tithes and your extra oerings we could not do thework of God’s Kingdom. The numbers, graphics and stories you read inthis report are evidence that your investment is helping change the world.

At the end of 2012 our building loan totaled

$5,021,947

We ended the year on the positive side with an excess revenue of

$16,469We continue to drive down our debt. We reduced the principal by

$376,620

Tithes and oerings to the General Fund increased from 2011 by

$180,767

CHRIST CHURCH | 20




ASSETS - 2012 Balance SheetChecking / Savings

Fixed Assets

Other Assets

TOTAL ASSETS

$10,819,602.87

Inventory

Petty Cash

Buildings

Loan Closing Costs

Bookstore

Money Market

Vehicles

Total

Mission Trip Cash

Land

Accumulated Amortization

Total

Cash

Equipment & Furniture

Total

Total

Accumulated Depreciation

$257,910.46

($2,376,766.48)

$300

$12,019,320.65

$10,203.50

$24,094.44

$127,937.30

$94,078.00

$8,332.84

$11,676.92

$260,000.00

($1,870.65)

$24,094.44

$117,996.24

$532,632.96

$10,529,265.13



CHRIST CHURCH | 22

LIABILITIES - 2012 Balance Sheet

Payable Liabilities

Payroll Liabilities

System Due To Accounts

Long Term Liabiliities

TOTAL LIABILITIES

$5,051,995.74

Accounts Payable

Payroll Liabilities - EE FICA

System Due to - General

Sanctuary Mortgage

Total

Employee Pension Contribution

System Due to - CM Campus

System Due to - Bookstore

Total

Total

System Due to - Millstadt Campus

Total

Sales Tax Payable

Payroll Liabilities - Other

System Due to - Building

Capital Lease - Soundboard

$5,058.95

($496.25)

$8,938,276.54

$5,020,494.73

$9,560.23

$815.09

($17,063.49)

($4,900.71)

$5,041,929.28

$506.23

$22,393.53

$0.00

$4,501.28

$187.39

($8,938,705.87)

$21,434.55




FUND PRINCIPAL - 2012 Balance Sheet

RESTRICTED FUNDS - 2012 Balance Sheet

Fund Principal

Restricted Funds

Unobligated Operating Funds

Total Temporary Restricted

New Sanctuary Equity

Total

Total

Excess Cash Received

Unobligated Building Funds

Total Permanently Restricted

$2,851,456.56

$86,404.39

$170,500.34

$5,681,202.74

$86,404.39

$17,921.82

$2,641,324.02

$0.00

TOTAL FUND PRINCIPAL

TOTAL RESTRICTED FUNDS

TOTAL LIABILITIES,FUND PRINCIPAL

& RESTRICTED FUNDS

$5,681,202.74

$86,404.39

$10,819,602.87



Learn more about Christ Church at www.mychristchurch.comChrist Church // 339 Frank Scott Parkway East // Fairview Heights IL 62208 // (618) 277-4659 // mail@mychristchurch com

Documents

2012 Christ Church Annual Report