ALL ABOUT THE ONE 2016 POINTS OF PASSION
ONE VISION THRIVE COMMUNITY CHURCH EXISTS TO SHOW THE LOVE OF JESUS TO THOSE WHO ARE HURTING AND TO THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD. WE CONSIDER IT A PRIVILEGE TO GIVE TO OTHERS AND ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT REACHING PEOPLE WHICH IS WHY WE CALL OUR OUTREACH AND MISSIONS EFFORTS, POINTS OF PASSION. In this report, you ll see where we ve invested our time, talent, and treasure in 2016. Each year, we strategically invest in our Points of Passion in order to reach our city, our state, our nation, and our world. Our efforts together have literally touched thousands of people with the life-changing message of Jesus. But sometimes when we see large numbers like that, we lose the perspective that lives are being changed ONE person at a time. ONE IS AN IMPORTANT NUMBER. God sent His ONE and only Son to save ONE person at a time. To Him, every ONE matters. BECAUSE OF WHAT WE DO TOGETHER, EACH ONE OF US IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE. 1
If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn t he LEAVE THE NINETY-NINE AND GO AFTER THE ONE? And if he finds it, doesn t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn t want to lose even one Matthew 18:12-14 (MSG) 2
ONE STATE LOCAL MISSIONS Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: REACH OUT TO THE HOMELESS AND LOVELESS IN THEIR PLIGHT... James 1:27 (MSG) Daytona-Orlando-Melbourne is ranked 45 in the top 50 cities in the US that do not believe in God. - Barna: Cities Only 29% of Christians in Florida believe that their religion is the one faith leading to eternal life. - Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life More than 1 in 6 Floridians live in Poverty. - US Census Bureau Florida is the 19th hungriest state in America. - FeedingAmerica.org 3
OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS Thrive Church is a very supportive partner to our school, students, and community. Throughout the school year, Thrive, has assisted us in a variety of projects and provided assistance to many of our students. Specifically, the church s Helping Hawks Thrive program has made real and lasting contributions to our school. They have kept the food pantry in our guidance office full throughout the school year. The assistance provided from this food pantry has been constant and Thrive Church has been strategic in the items they collect to place in our food pantry. Thrive has also donated graduation items to our students; paid graduation fees for needy students; contributed to our pay to participate account for those not able to pay; and provided sponsorships to sports teams. We are grateful for the support of Thrive Community Church. Dr Todd Sparger SCHS Principal OUR SUPPORT Teacher appreciation events and gifts, (Spruce Creek High School, Port Orange Elementary) Science Fair donations, County-wide fair Graduation fees, graduation shirts and ties for graduating seniors (Spruce Creek High School) Gift cards given to teachers to resource their classrooms (various schools) Weekend food packs, snacks for testing, Muffins with Mom (Spruce Creek High School, Spruce Creek Elementary) 2 scholarships were given to graduating seniors who demonstrate a passion for serving their community (Spruce Creek High School) Thrive s Secret Santa is ONE way we are helping schools! As the school year has progressed, teachers have gotten to know their students and their living situations. Thrive s Secret Santa gives the teachers the opportunity to help a family in their classroom who could use a little extra help at Christmas. We were able to give 50 Secret Santa grants in the form of a gift card to students at Spruce Creek High School, Silver Sands Middle School, Spruce Creek Elementary, Port Orange Elementary and Sugar Mill Elementary! The grants are awarded to the teacher, to be given on their behalf to the family. The teacher is then free to give them the gift card or shop for the student/family whatever they think is best! I want to THANK YOU for doing this again this year. I was able to get a lot of clothes and other fun things for my student. She really needed clothes that will fit her and that are for a sweet little girl like she is. I am so excited to have this waiting for her at her desk one day next week to surprise her. I signed a card saying it was from her Secret Santa. I got a few things I think she will be able to also share with her two brothers. - A Teacher at Spruce Creek Elementary 1 4
ONE STATE LOCAL MISSIONS 5 On Saturday, July 16, 2016, Thrive participated for the first time in the annual SERVE Day, along with Church of the Highlands and over 300 other churches worldwide. We joined our passion for helping others with several local opportunities to effectively use our gifts to build up the body of Christ and extend the Kingdom of God into our community. In serving God by serving others, we demonstrated God s love by caring for felt needs within our area through building with Habitat for Humanity, beautification of the grounds at Spruce Creek High School and Spruce Creek Elementary, cleaning and organizing at Arc of Volusia in Deland, Family Renew Community, as well as many other outreach projects overseen by the summer semester small groups. Over 400 Thrive attendees participated in SERVE Day 2016 Our church body served at a dozen locations throughout the Port Orange, New Smyrna, and Daytona area 308 churches served their communities in worldwide unity for God s glory Thrive partnered with local, national, and international churches including some in Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Africa In addition, Thrive has served our local community by investing in the lives of others through scholarships and donations such as: - Marriage and Women s Conferences - Resources for Women - Helping Hawks Thrive - Homeless Ministry - United Methodist Children s Home - Boys and Girls Club WINSHAPE CAMP Thrive partnered with Chik-Fil-A and other local churches to bring WinShape Camps to Port Orange this summer. Through this partnership hundreds of children were able to have an amazing camp experience. Many of the Dream Team volunteers served as counselors and contributions from Thrive s Points of Passion fund allowed for 266 local children to receive scholarships in order to be part of this incredible Christ-centered camp experience.
BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLY GIVEAWAY Thrive Community Church partnered with Target to give away $5,000 in school supplies to teachers and $3500 in school supplies to families. The need for this assistance was so great that a line formed over an hour before the store opened. Students from 42 schools and teachers from 43 schools were served this year. My family and I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for how you reached out to the community in giving away school supplies. Everyone that I encountered was so kind and extremely helpful. Thank you for setting an example of how a church should be. - Mike and Gwyn This boy is ONE whose life was changed at WinShape My son, Eli, participated in WinShape Camp. It was the first time he d gone to a day camp. It was a big step for him, and thanks to your church and volunteers, he had a blast. So much so that he lost his voice! I thank you for sacrifically serving physically (boy was it hot!), financially, and mentally to provide kids with a great camp experience. Also, thanks to your generosity, we were able to receive a discount. I would not have been able to let my son attend had it not been for the scholarship. My son has grown in his understanding of God s love and forgiveness while having fun-thanks to Thrive! - Gratefully, Nicole 6
ONE NATION NATIONAL MISSIONS I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HELL WILL NOT OVERCOME IT. Matthew 16:18 (NIV) 7 Suicide took the lives of over 42,000 Americans in 2015. - American Foundation of Suicide Prevention- American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, 2012 37% of people living in Western states do not claim a belief in God. - Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life - Harris Interactive 2013 Those claiming no religion was 36% in 2015. - Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life - Harris Interactive, 2013 1 in 4 people under age 30 are unaffiliated with any faith. - Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life - Pew Forum on Religion
ASSOCIATION OF RELATED CHURCHES, CARE FOR PASTORS, and MORE! Thrive Community Church is passionate about supporting other churches, caring for those in ministry, and being a source of encouragement to other pastors. Thrive Church was launched through the Association of Related Churches. ARC works with church planters, church leaders, and churches in transition to provide support, guidance and resources to launch and grow life-giving churches. Thrive also partners with Care for Pastors, an organization that encourages and counsels pastors. - Thrive Community Church has invested $38,207.00 in church plants through ARC - 120 churches have been planted this year, making a total of 600 ARC Church Plants - Over $4 million has been given toward church planting through ARC - ARC churches gave over $10 million to missions this year - Care for Pastors has invested in over 600 Pastors and spouses - Thrive sent 8 Leaders to GROW training conference at Church of the Highlands - Gave to Refuge Foundation-a respite retreat for pastors A Church in the Southeast is ONE that has been impacted If it had not been for Care for Pastors, I don t believe our church would be in existence today. Because of the faithfulness of Care for Pastors, during a very dark and hurtful time in the life of our church...we were loved unconditionally and led through this time...and we are now a thriving church once again reaching the lost and dying community. 8
ONE WORLD INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS VOICE OF THE MARTYRS 9
VOICE OF THE MARTYRS The Voice of the Martyrs is a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization dedicated to assisting our persecuted family worldwide. VOM was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned 14 years in Communist Romania for his faith in Christ. His wife, Sabina, was imprisoned for three years. In the 1960s, Richard, Sabina, and their son, Mihai, were ransomed out of Romania and came to the United States. Through their travels, the Wurmbrands spread the message of the atrocities that Christians face in restricted nations, while establishing a network of offices dedicated to assisting the persecuted church. The Voice of the Martyrs continues in this mission around the world today. Hebrews 13:3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. Cheng Jie and her family is ONE CHINA: JOY IN PRISON that has been changed As the date of her long-anticipated release from prison neared, Cheng Jie wondered whether her young sons would even remember her. She d spent the last two years at a labor camp in China, and she hadn t seen her sons at all during her imprisonment. Cheng Jie is a young mother, a pastor s wife, and a former kindergarten director. She never anticipated her 2014 arrest. With a husband who was a pastor in China where religion is tightly controlled, she and her husband, Du Hongbo, had prepared for his possible arrest, but never hers. In the end, it was her role as the director of the Hualin Foreign Language Experimental Kindergarten that took her to prison for two years. At first, prison was a scary time for Cheng Jie. But God intervened and provided encouragement through letters she received containing hymns, Bible verses and encouraging notes from VOM readers using Prisoner Alert. As letters poured in from the United States, she thought, Really, I can t go through this, but because of the encouragement from all over the world, it makes my faith strong. That is why I can go through my difficulties. In February 2016, Cheng Jie s sentence was complete, and she was released. Today, the family faces an uncertain future. They don t know what life will hold for them. Cheng Jie s prison record is a black mark against the family. It will be difficult to find work and her sons may not be allowed to enter school. Though they were reluctant to leave behind their church family, Du Hongbo decided, The church belongs to God. They are preparing to relocate. For now, Cheng Jie is glad to be back with her husband and her two boys. She is especially glad for all the prayers that were offered for her and her family. Sisters and brothers, thank you for your encouragement, she said. 10
ONE WORLD INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS Then He said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ASK THE LORD OF THE HARVEST, THEREFORE, TO SEND OUT WORKERS INTO HIS HARVEST FIELD. Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV) 3.11 billion (42.1%) individuals worldwide have never heard the Gospel. 11 - Over 703,000,000 individuals are Muslim. - Over 426,000,000 are Hindu. - Over 202,000,000 are primarily Buddhist. The Joshua Project
IN 2016, THRIVE CHURCH HAS... Supported Thrive Dream Team Members to go on mission trips to: - Haiti - Africa - Children s Evangelism Fellowship Being at Children s Evangelism Fellowship headquarters has been such a blessing. It s helped me grow in my faith and brought me closer to the Lord, teaching me things God can do with me that I never thought possible! - A. Louis Supported The Shawiak family, a missionary family in Southeast Asia. Together we are not only putting the Word of God into people s hands, we are sharing the truth with people who never heard of Jesus before. Through persecution, oppression and adverse travel conditions your prayers and support are a beacon of light in a very dark place. - Ben Shawiak Our support allows: - Teaching and equipping missionary children at an international school - Teaching medical students English and the Gospel - Discipleship in remote unreached villages - 50 Bible stories translated into the gateway language A21 announces another ONE is now free! Supported A21 - Human Trafficking prevention, protection, prosecution, partnership. A21 exsists to abolish injustice in the 21st century. Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings, mainly for the purposes of forced labor and sex trafficking. As the world s fastest growing criminal industry, it affects every nation across the globe. Every 30 seconds, someone becomes a victim of modern-day slavery. There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe. Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will. THRIVE S SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIPS We believe every member of Thrive Community Church should go on a short-term mission trip at some point in their life. Nothing gives you a vision and passion for the world better than experiencing it for yourself! Thrive is working on launching mission trips in the summer of 2017! We are thrilled to announce that on #AntiSlaveryDay, another survivor is now FREE! Looking for a way to escape poverty, this young girl was offered a job across the Atlantic. She ended up trapped in a dark room and the only people she saw were the men that paid to be there. She finally escaped, and ended up at a refugee camp in Greece. We are thrilled to see our efforts of training frontline professionals activated, as the local camp staff connected with our 1109 Resource Line immediately. This survivor is now safe and able to begin her restoration journey. Your support is continuing to make freedom possible. Thank you. 12
ONE VISION LOOKING FORWARD TO 2017 BUT MY LIFE IS WORTH NOTHING TO ME UNLESS I USE IT FOR FINISHING THE WORK ASSIGNED ME BY THE LORD JESUS the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts 20:24 (NLT) Even though we ve accomplished so much this year, there is still so much more to do. Here are some of the opportunities God is giving us in 2017: 1. Locally Get involved in one of our Outreach Small Groups ~ Helping Hawks Thrive, Homeless Ministry-Reaching the Lost, Blessing Bags, Habitat for Humanity, The Serve Team/Rapid Response Team, or consider starting your own Small Group. Donate your time and/or resources to one of our local partners or schools. 2. Nationally Help to plant more than 80 new churches all across America including churches in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Louisville, Florida, and Georgia. 3. Internationally We are partnering with the Association of Related Churches (ARC) to plant churches around the world. We are also continuing to invest in Haiti and other international missions. 13
EACH ONE OF US CAN MAKE AN ETERNAL DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE S LIFE. HERE S HOW: 1. PRAY. Pray over our efforts locally, nationally, and internationally that God would transform people s lives ONE person at a time. 2. GO. Make a difference locally by serving on the Dream Team or with one of our local Points of Passion organizations or groups and by performing simple, random acts of kindness to the people closest to you. We also encourage you to pray about taking a short-term mission trip. We currently have five small groups with our Points of Passion focus: Spruce Creek High (Helping Hawks Thrive), Homeless Ministry - Feeding the Lost, Blessings Bags, Habitat for Humanity, and The Serve Team/Rapid Response Team. You can find out more about these small groups or about starting a new small group by emailing us at brynn@wearethrive.org. 3. GIVE. As God continues to bless you and as He speaks to your heart about certain areas, give over and above your tithe to our Points of Passion. There is no limit to the difference we could make if we all made a commitment to give something each month that will be used for local outreaches, church planting, and world missions. Ways you can give at Thrive are through text to give (386)478-7080, the giving kiosk in the lobby, online at wearethrive.org, the offering bucket, or use a pre-addressed giving envelope and drop it in the mail. 14
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