Location and TimesThis is a draft of the letter that I am sending all of you that have given so sacrificially during 2009!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Dear Vision
Another year has ended. We all did all we can do in 2009, its over! I want to thank each one of you for your generosity towards the work of God through Vision Baptist Church. God has done great things and it is very exciting to see it all.
2009 was a year of God’s blessings on us as a church. We baptized 5 and they all became members. God also gave us 23 members by letter or statement of faith giving us a total of 28 new members. We ordained David Gardner to the gospel ministry, commissioned Mark and Natasha Tolson as missionaries to China, sent David and Katie Gardner off to the field of Peru, and sent two other families for short term missionary work, Andrew and Holly Pearson and Robert and Kelli Canfield. Others were saved and God caused all of us to grow in grace.
God has given us the new building. It will take some time to get it into shape and quite a bit of sacrificial giving but I believe this new building is going to be great. Our first Sunday there God gave us 141 in Sunday School, 171 in the AM service and then 128 in the PM service. God is already blessing the ministry in the new building. God gave us a new family, the Elrods as members as well.
We are praying that God will allow us to give $80,000 to missions this year through faith promise. Also, Lord willing, Tyler and Gretchen Masters will leave for North Africa and Mark and Natasha Tolson will leave for China. Several others are planning on leaving for a six month period to Peru.
I believe that God is moving in a great way in our church. I am excited about all that He is doing. I want to thank you for what you have given this past year. Your giving made a real difference here in Alpharetta and also around the world. Now as we move forward into 2010 I want to challenge you to honor God with your giving as we strive to do more than we have ever done. Our first step is to get the building comfortable for our guests and friends that will come this year, our goal for missionary giving is strong, our goal to make a difference in our community with more outreach is tremendous. I thank you in advance for all that you are going to do.
I believe that it is a privilege for all of us to be part of such a growing and vibrant church. God has been blessing more and more and I really expect that this is going to be our greatest year as a church. We will seek to lift high the name of Jesus and carry His Word all over this world.
Grateful to God for all He has done through you, His people,
Austin