SPARK Field Guide by College Heights

spark

a generosity journey

CONTENTS PASTOR’S LETTER

CHURCH MILESTONES

PRIMARY GOALS

WEEKLY CONTENT

MAKING A COMMITMENT

SPARK’S FULL IMPACT

THE GENEROSITY JOURNEY

CREATIVE WAYS TO GIVE

FAQ

I’LL NEVER FORGET

that one fall when I was at the Father/Son camping trip with our home church. It happened every

THAT’S WHAT OUR SPARK INITIATIVE IS ALL ABOUT.

Roman candle fights late into the night. My favorite part of the tradition was breakfast the next

College Heights Christian Church has had fifty years of sparks, starting with a group of high school students finding a

year and included cooking hot dogs and s’mores over the fire, playing spotlight tag, and having

morning–scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage all cooked on a cast iron pan over the fire. As my

friend, Ben, and I were anxiously waiting for breakfast to begin we began shooting off leftover bottle rockets from the night before. Eventually, our dads called us over; it was time for breakfast! So we

tossed the bottle rockets and lighter aside and ran to join the others. A few minutes later Ben’s dad noticed smoke and started screaming all kinds of orders at us. We looked over and sure enough, our fireworks had started a massive fire in the dry field. We grabbed shovels and water and did

everything we could to douse the fire. Finally, we were able to get it under control but not after we burned a lot of grass and brush around us. It happened within a blink of an eye. In one moment, a

bell in an old church building and planting a Church in Atlas, MO. A SPARK.

Next, a small church with massive faith decided to relocate down the street from the Junior College in town in order to reach the next generation with the good news of Jesus. A SPARK.

And an eldership deciding to give 19% of every dollar that comes into our facility to advance God’s kingdom outside our doors, here, near and far away. A SPARK.

small spark ignited into a massive fire.

And our time is now.

That is all it takes.

We have come to one of those moments when another spark is needed. It is time to not only celebrate the 50 years of

One small step, one tiny sacrifice, one humble SPARK. One woman’s bravery to not move to the

back of the bus led to a civil rights movement to change the course of our country. One man’s hate to assassinate a duke led to the War to end all Wars, changing the culture of our world. And one man’s death on a cross led to a movement that would change the course of all mankind. Each, a SPARK that fanned into flame hundreds, thousands, and millions of more sparks to alter history.

major impact that this church has had in our city, our country and our world, but is is now our duty to take that next step of faith, it is our turn to make those thousands of small sacrifices, it is our time to make a SPARK to ignite this church forward to the next fifty years of impact here, near and far away.

Beginning October 7th, we as a church will be taking the necessary steps to create a SPARK to kickstart our church into the next 5, 15, and 50 years of ministry at College Heights. And we are inviting you, calling you, urging you to join us in this journey called SPARK. This is your field guide that will serve as the manual for your role in creating a SPARK. Please bring it with you to worship, small

groups, and Sunday bible school. For us to truly create a SPARK as a church, we

need every single one of us engaging our vision and mission in the days ahead. The time is now for you, for me, and for us to create another SPARK. Will you join us?

Keep your eyes on Jesus, Sy Huffer

MILESTONES IN OUR HISTORY

1951

A group from Iron Gates Christian Church went in search of a bell and subsequently founded Atlas Christian Church; Willard Black was the minister

1978

College Heights Christian School began

1967

Atlas Christian Church moved to 4311 Newman Road and changed their name to College Heights Christian Church; B.A. Austin was the first Lead Minister of College Heights

1982

Randy Gariss was hired as Lead Minister

2003

1996

We “adopted” the Tai Dam people and committed to reaching them with the Gospel

We held our first Great Day of Service

2011

2008

We helped Joplin recover from the F5 tornado

Our new Worship Center opened

2007

2009

We helped start God’s Resort transitional housing in north Joplin

We helped launch the Neighborhood Lifehouse in north Joplin

2016

Sy Huffer was hired as the new Lead Minister

PRIMARY

GOALS

3. GROW INTENTIONALLY.

Attend each Sunday from Ocotber 7 through November 4. Engage in the SPARK study with your small group. Learn all you can about God’s heart and will for you and your resources. A Growth Area for me through SPARK is: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SPARK is first and foremost a discipleship initiative. We want to learn new things about God and ourselves. We are calling on every person in the College Heights family to invest in unprecedented ways to see God work powerfully here in our church, our community, and around the world.

4. GIVE GENEROUSLY.

HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?

I can grow in generosity through SPARK by:

We are asking you to go on a spiritual journey with God and your family and to take the biggest step of generosity you’ve ever taken as we move together to accomplish God’s task for us through SPARK.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. PRAY REGULARLY.

Ask God to show you what it looks like to give in a way that changes you. Take whatever steps are required to see it through.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pray that God would multiply our efforts to make disciples and make much of Christ. Pray that He would do abundantly more than we ask or imagine for His great name.

LET US CONSIDER HOW TO STIR UP ONE ANOTHER TO LOVE AND

My Prayer for SPARK is: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. COMMIT FULLY.

Help us reach our goal of 100% engagement in SPARK. Stand side by side with your church family to accomplish this task that is bigger than ourselves. We also encourage you to commit to regularly attend Sunday services and join a small group, if you’re not already in one.

GOOD WORKS, NOT NEGLECTING TO MEET TOGETHER, AS IS THE HABIT OF SOME, BUT ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER, AND ALL THE MORE AS YOU SEE THE DAY DRAWING NEAR. HEBREWS 10:24-25

My Commitment for SPARK is: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8

SMALL GROUP CURRICULUM

WEEK 1

PRAYER CALENDAR SUNDAY / OCT. 7

READ: Romans 12:1 RESPOND: What does it mean to be a “living sacrifice”? How is God currently asking you to be one? What part does this play in your engagement with SPARK?

MONDAY / OCT. 8

READ: Deuteronomy 13:4 RESPOND: Following God is not an accident; it’s a daily decision. Where is it difficult for you to “hold fast” to God today?

TUESDAY / OCT. 9

READ: Psalm 119:112 RESPOND: Is your heart set on following God, no matter what it takes? Where do you waver in that commitment? Ask God for courage and strength to follow Him to the very end.

WEDNESDAY / OCT. 10

READ: Hebrews 3:1 RESPOND: It’s so easy to get distracted from trying to follow Christ. Think about what distracts you from His call, and ask for His help in fixing your eyes on Him.

THURSDAY / OCT. 11

READ: John 15:10 RESPOND: There are so many benefits when we choose to follow Jesus, and one of the biggest is our constant experience of His love. Thank Him for this promise!

FRIDAY / OCT. 12

READ: Philippians 4:19 RESPOND: Tell God what your needs are and allow time for Him to respond. Then, rest in the assurance that they will be provided by the God who loves you.

SATURDAY / OCT. 13

READ: Hebrews 10:24-25 RESPOND: Praise God for the church and pray how you might encourage others God has put in your life. 10

Week 1: Faith to Leave - Genesis 12

LOOK BACK

(Teacher notes – this is the first section of each study, where we look back on last week’s time together and debrief how those challenges have shaped us over the last week. Essentially, this is a time to re-visit key concepts and follow up on any commitments made.) Since this is the first week of our new study and the beginning of our SPARK initiative, we won’t be reviewing or debriefing from last week. Instead, let’s spend some time talking about where we are going to go in the next five weeks. First, what have you heard about the SPARK initiative so far? Have you attended any of the meetings or vision nights? Do you know why the initiative is called “SPARK”? What are some of the reasons we are doing it? As a church, our purpose for this initiative isn’t simply to raise money. While that is a part of this venture, our greater desire is to challenge ourselves to seek God’s guidance as we grow deeper and wider into being a church that makes disciples who change the world. A key element in helping us understand the power of a SPARK, a small change that leads to much greater things. So for the next five weeks we will be looking at five examples of men and women in the Bible who saw great things happen from small circumstances.

LOOK UP

(Teacher notes – this is the section where we focus on God’s word. Our purpose here is to consider and discuss what God is trying to say to us through this passage.) READ Genesis 12 together. This call of Abraham to go and leave everything he knew was an incredible challenge. Among the many feelings that Abraham must have felt was uncertainty. How much do you trust God with the unknown? God told Abraham to go and Abraham went. We don’t see in the text anywhere that Abraham questioned God. God called him to leave everything he knew and move. All Abraham had to go on was the promise, but it seemed like that was enough. He trusted God and he moved accordingly. Do you feel like you are able to trust God in the same way? Why or why not? What are some of the promises He makes that seem easier to trust? Which ones are more difficult? 11

READ: 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” READ: Romans 10:9-10 – “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” READ: Matthew 6:31-33 – “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” What kind of promises are given in these passages? What do they have in common? Which ones are easier for you to trust than others? If you’re comfortable, discuss some of your fears with the group. Have you ever been in a place like Abraham - comfortable, content - but then God called you to something else? How did you rely on God at that time? What was the end result? How are you at trusting God with your finances? Do you trust that He will provide all you need?

SERMON MESSAGE NOTES Week 1: Faith to Leave - Genesis 12.1-9

As I pursued this theme of SPARK, I was intrigued to see if it rang true throughout biblical history. Are there SPARKs that we see in God’s historical movements to rescue and create a chosen people? Are there moments when a few people made strategic decisions that created and ignited a SPARK for the people of God? And if so, what are the common factors needed in order to create a SPARK for the Kingdom of God? And as I searched through biblical history, these passages stood out as the five factors needed in order for God’s people to partner with Him in creating a SPARK. So for these five weeks, we will be unearthing these five factors from these five moments in God’s history of salvation.

The first factor we see in the history of salvation is God calling Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12. It was a simple call, “Go from your country…to the land I will show you.” The very first factor is that a SPARK only comes about when we are willing to take a step of faith out of our comfort towards an unknown and sometimes frightening future, only relying upon the word and promises of God. In order to create a SPARK, we must have faith to leave.

LOOK FORWARD

(Teacher’s Note – this closing section is designed to challenge our groups to actually do something with what they’ve discussed. Our desire is for this time to be used to talk about practical, concrete ways that they can use these ideas in real life.)

NOTES: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

As we begin this new series, think about the areas in your life you struggle with giving up completely to God. What areas do you want God to SPARK in your heart? In one of those areas, what is one small, practical thing that you can do to show your trust and dependence on God?

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As a group, pray that the Spirit will reveal new areas in your life that you need to give to God. Be open to the movement of the Lord and areas He’s asking you to move outside of your comfort zone.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

MESSAGE FOLLOW UP

DRIVE HOME QUESTIONS

PRAY: What is God calling you to? How is God calling you to move outside your complacency and comfort and into His wild unknown? Commit to praying this prayer throughout this week: “Lord, call me to greater dependence upon you.” SPEAK: Who are you talking to throughout this series? Who are you accountable to so that you are following God’s promptings and movements in your life? Our goal is 100% participation as a church, so who are you challenging to engage the mission and vision of College Heights? GROW: In order for us to reach our goal of $9 million in two years, we must grow in our generosity as individuals and as a church. What does this look like for you? How can you take a step and grow from where you are today to where God wants you to be? LOVE: Who is God calling you to love by leaving your life of comfort? How is God challenging you to love others by engaging this initiative?

FAMILY GUIDE

family. Additionally, God’s promise to Abraham that the entire world would be blessed through his family did not happen right away (it happened through Jesus!). It took faith for Abraham and Sarah to believe in God’s promises. God has promised us many things, too, and we know He can be trusted to keep His promises. We can have faith that although we cannot see Him now, one day we will see Him. We can have faith that when God promises He will help us when we come to Him (Matthew 11:28-29), He’ll do it! When God promises to supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19), we can have faith that He will do so in His timing and in His ways (and sometimes that looks very different from what we expect). Let’s do an activity that helps us think about faith. Before we do this activity, let’s pray together, asking God to grow our faith so we can have confidence in knowing Him and following Him. Let’s pray that we will not lose our faith, but will always love, believe in, and obey our loving God who is so faithful to us! Let’s pray that as we consider how our family can serve and support our church family at College Heights, we will have faith that God will supply what we need so we can be a blessing to others here and around the world. FAMILY ACTIVITY: Go into a room that can become dark (or place blankets over the windows). Limit the lighting to one light that you can control with a switch (flashlight, lamp, etc). If your kids are very young, don’t make it completely dark, as that can scare some children. Turn off the lights, and while it is dark, ask your kids what they think will happen when you flip on the light switch. Turn on the light. Explain to your kids how they had faith that the lights would come back on. It takes faith to believe the light will eventually work. If you didn’t have faith that you would eventually see with the light, you probably wouldn’t have purposefully made the room dark! If we can have faith in something as simple as a light switch, we can surely have faith in our powerful God! After you are finished with this activity, have a dance party in the dark with glow sticks! (adapted from ministry-to-children.com)

WHO: Abraham and Sarah WHERE: Genesis 11:27-12:5 WHAT: Abraham and Sarah left their home to follow God. WHY: God can be trusted! TABLE TALK: Look at the table. See it? Can you touch it? Sure, you can feel the table and you can see it, so you know it’s here. Now, let’s say you were to go into the other room and close the door. Would you know there is a table in this room? Why? You would know there is a table, because you’ve seen it and you’ve touched it. Even though you can’t see the table from the other room, you know it exists and you believe it is in this room.

I WILL MAKE OF YOU A GREAT NATION, AND I WILL BLESS YOU AND MAKE YOUR NAME GREAT, SO THAT YOU WILL BE A BLESSING. GENESIS 12:2

We can’t see God, but we know He is real. There is evidence all around us and we believe the Bible to be true when it tells us of the one, true, living God. Faith is “believing it without seeing it.” Abraham and Sarah had faith when God told them to leave their home for a new land. They had never seen this new land, but they believed in God. They understood He would take them to this land and create an entire nation there from Abraham’s 14

SMALL GROUP CURRICULUM

WEEK 2

PRAYER CALENDAR SUNDAY / OCT. 14

READ: Philippians 4:5-6 RESPOND: Our anxieties can be calmed because of the Lord’s presence. What about your participation in SPARK are you most worried or anxious about? Pray that God will give you a reassurance of His presence and of His ability to take care of all your needs.

MONDAY / OCT. 15

READ: Deuteronomy 31:8 RESPOND: When you are tempted to become anxious regarding what God is calling you to do, remember this verse and be thankful that He is always with you.

TUESDAY / OCT. 16

READ: Matthew 17:20 RESPOND: Have you ever felt that you were asking God for an impossible request? Pray, believing that God will answer the deepest cries of your heart.

WEDNESDAY / OCT. 17

READ: Hebrews 11:8 RESPOND: Has God ever called you to do something or go somewhere without knowing the end result? How did you respond? What unknown is God calling you to now?

THURSDAY / OCT. 18

READ: Matthew 21:21-22 RESPOND: Jesus tells us we should have faith. The size of our faith is directly connected to our capacity to live generously. How will you respond to Jesus’ request? How will you draw upon your faith to make a SPARK?

FRIDAY / OCT. 19

READ: Matthew 6:19-21 RESPOND: What are some earthly treasures you have stored up? How do these treasures interfere with your ability to give generously to God? Where do you spend your time, energy, and money? Take a moment to examine your mind and heart. What do you feel God may be asking of you?

Week 2: Focus on God - Exodus 3-4

LOOK BACK

Last week we studied Genesis 12 and God’s calling to Abraham, asking him to leave everything he knew and move to an unknown place that God would reveal in time. We ended by challenging one another to ask God to reveal what areas that we still struggle to trust Him and rely on His promises. As we considered that throughout the week, what did you come up with? What practical thing did you practice to begin to show your reliance on Him?

LOOK UP

READ Exodus 3 together. In verse 11, why did Moses feel the need to boldly question God? (Doubt in himself, feeling unqualified, no experience.) What kind of answer would he have expected? (Even though Moses specifically asks why he should be the one sent, God doesn’t give a list of Moses’ qualifications. He doesn’t explain why He chose Moses instead of someone else. Instead, He simply reminds Moses that he will not be alone.) How would you describe Moses’ reactions to God and God’s response to Moses? How do they speak to each other? How does God respond to Moses’ questions? How does Moses react to God being the one speaking to him? What are some reasons for Moses’ apprehension? If you were in his position, how would you be reacting in this situation? (Intimately acquainted with Pharaoh’s power and military might, and knowing full well he is a fugitive, he is asking a legitimate question. It indicates that Moses has not yet fully grasped the power of God, and has not yet learned, “With God, all things are possible.” ) Do you ever underestimate what God can do in and through you?

SATURDAY / OCT. 20

READ: Proverbs 3:27 RESPOND: How can we fulfill this command from the Lord with those in your family or community? 16

LOOK FORWARD Moses was simply going about his day when God reached out to him. There was nothing that built up to his encounter with the burning bush. In verse 3, we see Moses making a very conscious decision to examine the bush. In this same way, we must consciously decide to make time for God and His calling in our everyday life. How are you making that time in your daily life? How can you make sure you’re not ignoring any “burning bushes” this week? In this initiative, it’s easy for us to be worried that our finances are inadequate to contribute. We might think, “There is just so much uncertainty in our life right now,” or “We really need to focus on paying off our debt first,” or “What if something goes wrong and we don’t have the resources to fix it?” It’s easy to find reasons to stall God’s calling for you. It’s easy to put off resourcing the Kingdom of God. Over the next week, examine your heart and where it lies. Is there an area of your life where fear, doubt, and ignorance are keeping you from fully relying on the Lord and allowing Him to do His work in you? As a group, make a commitment to pray every morning this week for God to reveal the areas in your life where you fear your reliance on Him. Be prepared to come together and share what God has shown you.

SERMON MESSAGE NOTES Week 2: Focus on God - Exodus 3-4.17

The second factor to create a SPARK that I saw pretty quickly in the history of salvation came after God’s people had spent hundreds of years in slavery in Egypt. God raises up a leader to rescue them named Moses. Yet part of Moses’ preparation was in the wilderness as a shepherd, where God confronts him with the call to lead his people out of slavery in Egypt. Moses’ hesitation was this: He could not see himself creating this SPARK. It was simply too big. God’s answer: Keep your eyes on Me. In order to create a SPARK, we must focus on the bigness of God, not the smallness of man.

NOTES: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

MESSAGE FOLLOW UP

DRIVE HOME QUESTIONS

PRAY: This week, spend time praising God for how BIG He is. Finish these two phrases in your prayer time: “God you are ________” and “God you have _________”. Dwell and mediate on how BIG God is as Creator and Savior. SPEAK: Where do you feel too small for the role God is calling you to in this season in your life? What lies of the enemy are you believing about your identity, capacity, and ability? Speak these lies out loud to your community, your spouse, your pastor, bringing the lies of the darkness into the truth of the light. GROW: How is God wanting to grow your faith and dependence on Him and His power and might in this season? Is your commitment to SPARK a commitment that is easy for you or is it a commitment that can’t be done without God helping you? What kind of commitment would require you to develop a greater faith and view of the bigness of God? LOVE: How can greater dependence and a bigger view of God impact how you love those close to you and who you love around you?

We have the ENTIRE Bible to read and we can see God’s amazing power around us every day through His creation and His care, and yet we still can become distracted and lose our focus on God. Our entire church family is learning more of what it means to engage in God’s vision for His family at College Heights. It could be easy to get distracted in this process. We could start worrying about money or programming or facilities. We might be tempted to judge others or compare our service and our giving to theirs. We could even worry what others might think of us, and be tempted to not participate at all, purely out of fear of the unknown. But, none of this is about us at all. Let’s pray together that we will focus on GOD and listen to His message. Let’s pray we will not allow distractions or fear or worry to stop us from being obedient to Him. Let’s pray we will focus on what God is doing in our church family and in our own family, and how we can not only support it, but also fully engage in it. FAMILY ACTIVITY: Grab a pair of binoculars! Use what you’ve got; maybe you have the real thing or a pair hanging out in your child’s toy box. If not, grab a couple empty toilet paper rolls or cut an empty paper towel roll in half and get creative making your own pair! Take turns asking the person using the binoculars to look at an item in the room with the binoculars. Ask them “Without moving, can you see what is behind you right now? What about above you? Of course you can’t! You are looking at this one spot right in front of you! We can only see what we focus on or give our attention to.” We all get distracted and need to be reminded to daily focus on God. Pick a simple way your family can daily focus on God together and make plans to do it. Listening to a worship song together can be a time of focus on God. Memorizing a verse together could place focus on God’s Word. Enjoying telling your favorite Bible story is another great way to focus on His Word. Make focusing on God a priority this week as a family!

FAMILY GUIDE

WHO: Moses and the Burning Bush WHERE: Exodus 3:1-4:17 WHAT: God redirected Moses’ focus when he kept trying to make excuses. WHY: God deserves our attention!

I WILL BE WITH YOU, AND THIS SHALL BE THE SIGN FOR YOU, THAT I HAVE SENT YOU: WHEN YOU HAVE BROUGHT THE PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT,

TABLE TALK: When do you have a hard time paying attention? What kinds of things make you distracted? Have you ever tried to talk to someone, but they aren’t paying attention to you? (Discuss as a family.) Even Moses had a hard time focusing on a very important conversation. God did something amazing to get Moses’ attention -- He talked to Moses through a bush that was on fire but didn’t burn up! And, yet, even with this INCREDIBLE show of God’s power, Moses was still distracted. God was telling Moses to do a very important job, but Moses kept thinking of other things, such as: What if people don’t listen to me? What if they don’t believe me? I’m not a very good speaker, so maybe someone else should go. He got distracted by his fear of what others would think of him. It’s pretty easy for us to think, “Good grief, Moses! God was appearing to you in a BURNING BUSH and you still couldn’t focus!” But, we should be careful not to judge Moses or think we would never act so foolishly.

YOU SHALL SERVE GOD ON THIS MOUNTAIN.

EXODUS 3:12

SMALL GROUP CURRICULUM

WEEK 3

PRAYER CALENDAR

Week 3: Faithfulness to the Cause - 2 Kings 12

LOOK BACK

Last week we focused on the life of Moses, specifically the way God challenged him to look beyond his own shortcomings and focus on the ability of God to handle his situation.

SUNDAY / OCT. 21

READ: Proverbs 3:5-6 RESPOND: How could you demonstrate your trust in the Lord? Are you willing for Him to be Lord over every part of your life? What are the hardest areas of your life to surrender?

Your challenge was to commit to praying every morning that God would reveal the areas in your life that you struggle to rely on Him. What did God show you? What would you like to share about that challenge?

MONDAY / OCT. 22

LOOK UP

TUESDAY / OCT. 23

The passage starts out by giving an account of Joash the king. What is the summary there? Was he a good king, a bad king, or somewhere in between? What helped elevate his character? What actions took away from the good that he accomplished?

WEDNESDAY / OCT. 24

NOTE: As mentioned in the previous chapter, 2 Kings 11, Joash was only seven years old when he became king. Therefore, the instruction of Jehoiada the priest was especially important to his ability to do “what is right in the eyes of the Lord.” When you look at the future leaders of the church, what role are you playing in helping ensure their spiritual strength?

READ: Psalm 37:3-6 RESPOND: In what practical way can you commit your way to the Lord and trust Him? READ: Matthew 9:20-22 RESPOND: Throughout the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly said, “Your faith has healed you.” How big is your faith? READ: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 RESPOND: Giving in itself is good, but which kind of giving does God love? Is this how you give?

THURSDAY / OCT. 25

READ: Colossians 1:3-12 RESPOND: Pray this prayer over your small group, friends, and family. Make it personal by inserting a name!

FRIDAY / OCT. 26

READ: Matthew 6:25-34 RESPOND: In what way do you have a hard time believing that God is a good Father that knows your needs and will take care of you? How does worry impact your life of faith?

SATURDAY / OCT. 27

READ: Psalm 50:14-15 RESPOND: Think through this last week. Take some time to reflect on ways you saw God at work in yourself or others. What are some ways God is calling you to sacrifice thank offerings to Him?

READ all of 2 Kings 12 together.

In verses 6-8 Joash challenges the priests on why they haven’t repaired the temple as they had been instructed. Why do think this was important to Joash? What difference does the physical condition of a worship building make to God’s people? The connections between these verses and our SPARK initiative are fairly obvious. One of the ways that this money will be used is to update and renovate our church building, which was recently called the third mostused building in Joplin. Do you think there is a connection between the physical condition of a building and the spiritual condition of those who worship in it? For reference, read 1 Chronicles 29:1-9 to see the materials used to build the temple in Jerusalem. Also read Revelation 21:9-21 for a description of the materials of the New Jerusalem.

LOOK FORWARD

SERMON MESSAGE NOTES

Giving money to the material needs of a building can certainly be controversial. One of the traditions of our fellowship of churches is that we would not waste money on the material trappings of wealth, and that value applies to how we handle our facilities. So while we certainly don’t want to waste money on vanity, we also have to remember that our physical appearance communicates deeper values. For example, what would it mean if you showed up for a job interview in dirty shorts and a t-shirt full of holes? What it would it mean if a bride walked down the aisle in sweat pants? Did you clean your house before this small group meeting? Why? How does appearance communicate values? In the same way, we have to remember that when we invite the unchurched community into our doors, the condition of our building will communicate something to them. This can be good or bad. While those who have attended the church for a long time may be satisfied with how things look, we must keep in mind that tired carpets and outdated decorations will leave an impression on our guests, and whether we like or not, may be a deciding factor on whether they ever come back. Have you ever had that experience where you come back home after a vacation, and you find out what your house really smells like? It’s called olfactory amnesia, and it’s a way that our brain learns to shut down scents that are familiar. It’s only when we go away for a few days or weeks that we can smell them again.

Week 3: Faithfulness to the Cause - 2 Kings 12

The third factor in creating a SPARK that honestly surprised me throughout the history of salvation came in the obscure reign of King Joash. The beginning of his reign was odd: becoming king at the age of seven. And the end of his reign was unfortunate: turning back to idol worship and being assassinated by his own men. But smack dab in the middle of his reign, Joash called out the religious leaders of the nation to collect the offering from the people for the specific purpose of repairing the temple of God. And the entire nation and leaders rallied around this important initiative with a resolve and faithfulness to the cause in a strategic moment in the lineage of the kings. In order to create a SPARK, we must as a united body remain faithful to the cause of the moment.

NOTES: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the same way, when we see the same building every Sunday for years, our brain tends to stop focusing on what it really looks like because we are comfortable with it. In that process, we lose our ability to understand what kind of first impression we are making on those we want to welcome to our church.

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At College Heights, we want to communicate a place where all are welcome, a place where all belong. In that process, we have to create spaces of hospitality where people can feel a connection. In our goal to make disciples who change the world, we have to have a building that communicates a positive impression, which requires regular updates and refreshment.

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Before this week, what has been your attitude toward the SPARK initiative’s desire to renovate our building? Has our discussion about the connection between appearance and values changed that in any way? Will you take a moment next Sunday to try to look at our building with fresh eyes, seeing it as a guest would see it?

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

MESSAGE FOLLOW UP

As College Heights seeks to make disciples of Jesus who change the world through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God, there is a LOT of work to do! This work isn’t meant for just a few people, or just for staff members or elders. This work is for EVERYONE. Let’s be praying as a family about how each one of us can engage in the work that God is doing at College Heights. How can we intentionally pray? Should we put up prayer cards around our house or in the car? How can we give? What can we do without so that we can give more? How can we serve? What ministries in our church are we currently serving in? Can we add to that list? If we aren’t serving anywhere, where should we start? Let’s pray together, asking God to help us be faithful to the cause of God’s work. Let’s ask Him to increase our love for our church family and our desire to see God glorified through His people at College Heights.

DRIVE HOME QUESTIONS

PRAY: What does faithfulness to this cause of the SPARK initiative look like for you and your family? Pray every day these next two weeks asking the Lord to give you all clarity on what this commitment looks like for you. SPEAK: Who do you know that needs to be challenged to engage in this area of generosity? Are you the person that God has placed in their lives to challenge them to lead their heart with their treasure? GROW: How can you ensure faithfulness to this initiative? What way is that faithfulness causing you to grow in trust and dependence on God? LOVE: How does your commitment help you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? How are you growing in desire and trust in god with this commitment?

FAMILY GUIDE

WHO: King Joash WHERE: II Kings 12 WHAT: King Joash was faithful to make sure the temple was repaired. WHY: God’s work is important! TABLE TALK: (This table talk requires a little field trip beforehand! Walk around and through your home, making a list of repairs that need to be made. Bring your list to the table for discussion.) Okay, let’s look at our big list of repairs that are needed on our house. Let’s pretend we gave this list to the youngest person in our family and expected them to complete every project on their own without any sort of training on what to do. Do you think they’ll get much done? Probably not!! As we read in our Scripture for today, King Joash realized that skilled people needed to take on the work of repairing God’s temple. God’s work is important, and it’s important for us to do what we can to support what God is doing in His Church. We read in I Corinthians 12:12-31 that there are many parts to one body. There is SOMETHING each of us can do to serve our church. We may not have the skills and training to fix up the building, like the workers did for the temple. Or, maybe we do! But, whatever God has given us to do, we can be faithful to the cause of serving His Church and spreading the Good News of Jesus to our community and to the whole world. 26

FAMILY ACTIVITY: Now it is your turn to build! As a family, build the ultimate fort. Allow everyone to contribute something to make the ultimate fort possible. Send each family member on a search throughout the house to seek out and come back with what they have to contribute to make the fort awesome! Think about the needs of others. Someone may bring their favorite blanket. Someone may bring all of their pillows to make it comfortable. Someone may temporarily rearrange the living room to create a space and framework for the fort. Someone may bring a snack to share so there may be times of fellowship. Work together to build an awesome fort and share a time together talking about what you chose to bring and why. Talk about how it really took everyone’s contributions to make the ultimate fort possible. Shift to a time of thinking about what you can bring to our church body to build it up. Maybe you can make a point of grabbing the weekly prayer list at the information center and praying for others. Maybe you will volunteer in an area that will serve and encourage others in their faith walk. Maybe you will bring an offering. Just like some in your family brought one thing and some brought many things you may bring any different number of things. The point is that everyone can contribute and every contribution matters. Our church body will thrive when everyone sees that they can contribute and they act on that. Pray together for opportunities to build up the church body by what you do. Pray that you will do this by the power of the Spirit.

THEY DID NOT ASK FOR AN ACCOUNTING FROM THE MEN INTO WHOSE HAND THEY DELIVERED THE MONEY TO PAY OUT TO THE WORKMEN, FOR THEY DEALT HONESTLY. 2 KINGS 12: 15

SMALL GROUP CURRICULUM

WEEK 4

PRAYER CALENDAR SUNDAY / OCT. 28

READ: John 17:20-21 RESPOND: Join Jesus’ prayer for those who will hear the gospel through your engagement in SPARK. How does it feel to know that Jesus was/is praying for you specifically?

Week 4: Focus on People – John 12

LOOK BACK

Last week we discussed 2 Kings 12 and King Joash repairing God’s temple. In our discussion of the connection between physical appearance and spiritual values, was there anything that challenged you? Did you make an attempt to try to see our church building through fresh eyes, as a new guest would see it? What did you notice? What stood out to you?

MONDAY / OCT. 29

READ: Psalm 24:1 RESPOND: Do you see yourself as belonging to the Lord? Why or why not? Do you consider everything you own as belonging to the Lord? If you struggle in the area of giving God control of everything in your life, how might you make a change?

TUESDAY / OCT. 30

READ: 2 Samuel 24:18-25 RESPOND: How are you challenged by King David’s action to not sacrifice to the Lord something that cost him nothing?

WEDNESDAY / OCT. 31

READ: Hebrews 12:1-2 RESPOND: What is currently hindering you from fully running the race of faith? How can you throw off everything that hinders us in this race? In what area is the Spirit asking you to “fix your eyes on Jesus”?

THURSDAY / NOV. 1

LOOK UP

READ John 12:20-35 together. The application from today’s passage is rather subtle and could be easily missed. Here the disciples, specifically Phillip and Andrew, bring a crowd of Greeks to Jesus. They have heard about Him and desire to learn from his teaching. The Greek followers were clearly outsiders. They didn’t dress, speak, eat, or look like the Jewish people. Yet they wanted to see Jesus, and He welcomed them and allowed them to experience a special moment. That happened in two ways: He allows them to hear God’s voice as a confirmation, and He explains the nature and purpose of His death, which is to draw all people to Himself. What kind of impact do you think this moment had on the disciples who witnessed this? How would it sound to these good Jewish men that Jesus was going to die so that all people may know Him?

READ: Psalm 40:8 RESPOND: Pray for a heart that is willing to do anything that the Lord tells you.

Do you think they might have felt threatened? Do you think they questioned why their status as God’s chosen people suddenly seemed less important?

FRIDAY / NOV. 2

If time allows, read over the passage of the prodigal son in Luke 15, especially verses 25-32 about the older son. How did the older son feel about his younger brother being welcomed back into the family? Why might he feel this way?

READ: Proverbs 11:25 RESPOND: Have you ever experienced being refreshed after giving of yourself or your possessions to others? Who is God calling you to refresh with your generosity?

SATURDAY / NOV. 3

READ: Luke 6:37-38 RESPOND: Which of these commands is most difficult for you to obey? Are you willing to ask God to help you give in the same measure you have received? 28

LOOK FORWARD

SERMON MESSAGE NOTES

Every church lives in tension between caring for those within it and reaching out to those outside of it. Every church makes mistakes in keeping this balance and falls more to one side than the other. What about us? How does College Heights emphasize both of those things? Which one do you think is more evident? Why?

Week 4: Focus on People – John 12

As a church, there are ways that we can promote diversity and open up our church to people who are different from us, just like Jesus focused on the Greeks knowing His purpose. As a church, we can promote diversity when we put a variety of ages, languages, and skin colors on stage.

The fourth factor I found in creating a SPARK is found in the life of Jesus. There were lots of moments that were sparks: coming to earth as a baby, calling 12 disciples to follow Him, rising again, and ascending to heaven. Yet this one moment in Jesus’ life where He speaks directly about His death stood out to me. And his words in this moment reveal that His death on the cross would be for Greeks, Jews, and Gentiles—that His Kingdom would be for all people.

But what about you? What about this small group? Where are we allowing all people to be drawn to Jesus?

In order to create a SPARK, then everything we do must be focused on impacting people with the love of God.

Let’s get specific. How diverse is your circle of relational influence? Where do you interact with people that have a different financial, racial, linguistic, or social status than yourself? How are you using those opportunities to share the gospel? If you find that you don’t have much diversity in your social circles, how can you begin to change that? Where can you begin to branch out into new areas? Close this session by brainstorming together as a group (examples: coaching sports teams, volunteering with CHCC community partners, joining the Global Outreach Team, international restaurants, etc.). Set up a specific time to do this and hold each other accountable.

MESSAGE FOLLOW UP

DRIVE HOME QUESTIONS

PRAY: Jesus said in Matthew 9:38 to “ask the Lord of the harvest to raise up workers for His harvest field.” Pray this prayer for yourself. How is God raising you up to be a worker in His harvest field? SPEAK: What name did you write on the back of your field guide? Who are you praying for throughout this SPARK initiative? Who do you pray God will reach through our pursuit of His vision for our future? How can you speak either your story, God’s gospel story, or a story about Jesus to them this week? GROW: Our commitment to grow in our discipleship consists of the key habit of hearing the word of God and putting that word into practice, otherwise known as obedience. “Hear and Obey.” How is God calling you to obey the word you heard preached today? LOVE: How can you tangibly love the person whose name you wrote on the back of your Field Guide? Is it by spending time with them, sharing resources with them, or simply listening to their heartache and pain? Show compassion this week to them and see what happens.

Let’s think about all of the people we encounter each day. Let’s list them together. Grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, bank tellers, co-workers, library workers, siblings, spouses, teachers, coaches, etc. (Make this list applicable to your family.) The way we treat others is important, for that can determine if they want to interact with us again. If we are rude and unkind, and then we start talking about the love of Jesus, our words are not likely to be heard. But, kindness is not the main goal. We can sometimes think that showing the love of Jesus simply means to be polite. You’ll notice in our Scripture, however, that Andrew didn’t just show kindness to the guests in his country. He also took them to Jesus! There are people around us everyday in our community who do not know or believe Jesus loves them. We can have a direct impact on their lives! We should focus on bringing people to Jesus. We can focus on people in other communities and countries, too! By supporting and praying for the ministries of our church family at College Heights, we can be part of making disciples of Jesus. Let’s pray together, asking God to help us see practical ways we can bring others to Jesus and show them His love every day! FAMILY ACTIVITY: As a family take a look at your schedule for the week ahead. Don’t worry, we are not going to ask you to add one more thing. Instead, as you look at your plans, determine to be an intentional disciple of Jesus (a person who changes the world through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God) during a couple of your scheduled activities. Now, this doesn’t mean that you grab your Bible and open it up and start preaching at some unsuspecting person. You could go prepared to speak a loving truth over someone there. You could go prepared to be a good listener, and if something is shared that would be appropriate to pray for, let that person know you will be praying for them, or ask if you can pray for them right then! Maybe you will be led to a simple act of kindness in the moment. Pray now for eyes to see opportunities to change the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t worry if it seems like a small thing. Small things often make a big difference!

FAMILY GUIDE

WHO: Andrew, Jesus, Greeks WHERE: John 12:20-22 WHAT: Andrew brought some people from Greece to Jesus. WHY: God wants all people to know of His great love for them!

BUT FOR THIS PURPOSE I HAVE COME TO THIS HOUR. FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME.

TABLE TALK: A lot is happening in these short verses in John 12! On the surface, it seems simple. Some Greeks wanted to meet Jesus. So, they did. But a lot more is going on that we might realize at first. Some of the Jews were still trying to figure out if it was okay for non-Jews (Greeks are Gentiles) to follow Jesus. Is it possible that Jesus truly is for everyone, not just the Jews? We know the answer is YES, but Philip might have had some hesitation when the Greeks first approached him. Maybe that’s why he went to his brother, Andrew, before first taking the Greeks to meet Jesus. The Bible doesn’t give a lot of details, but we do know that once Andrew got involved, those Greeks got to meet Jesus! When we are involved in someone’s life, is that an automatic guarantee that we will lead them to Jesus? Can others tell by the way we treat them (including our own family members!) that we are disciples of Jesus? Do we allow His love to pour out of us and onto others? Are we focused on making sure people know the love of Jesus and the truth of His Word?

JOHN 12:27-28

MAKING A

COMMITMENT EXERCISE AND REFLECTION TO DO AT HOME PRIOR TO COMMITMENT SUNDAY

1. List the financial commitments you currently have—those that go beyond a one-time payment and have a time duration to them. Examples would be a home mortgage, a lease agreement, a car loan, a cell phone contract, your child’s tuition for school, your own tuition for school, etc.

PRAY OVER YOUR COMMITMENT as you prepare to lay your card at the altar on Commitment Sunday, November 4. Prayer is the most important thing in this whole process, and prayer is what gives us the bold heart of Christ within us. LET’S DO THIS! Let’s be people boldly surrendering themselves to God in every area of their lives.

A monthly gift of

Over 24 months equals

$10

$240

$25

$600

$50

$1,200

$75

$1,800

$100

$2,400

$150

$3,600

$200

$4,800

$300

$7,200

$400

$9,600

$500

$12,000

$600

$14,400

4. Would that statement be true about you? Or, is there something that needs to be explained or modified?

$700

$16,800

$800

$19,200

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$900

$21,600

$1,000

$24,000

$2,000

$48,000

$3,000

$72,000

$5,000

$120,000

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Now, write out the commitment you are planning to make for SPARK. Where does it fall in the priority of these other commitments? Do you need to change or modify one or more of these other commitments in order to be able to fulfill your SPARK commitment? What if you wanted to raise your SPARK commitment? What would that require? Is there a financial commitment you currently have that appears to be prioritized above your ability to make a truly surrendered giving commitment? With your current priorities, are you fully engaged with God’s mission of helping people take their next step with Christ? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. If someone who didn’t know you looked at your financial commitments, what would they say you value? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. If you keep this commitment over the next two years, what spiritual transformation will occur in you? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. How will you leverage this change to influence others such as your children, your co-workers, your friends, your family, or others in your circles of influence?

YOU MAY THINK YOUR GIFT DOESN’T MATTER WHEN COMPARED TO OUR TOTAL GOAL FOR SPARK. You’re wrong! Every gift matters to God. It’s not about the amount, but what that amount means to you. (Matt 12: 41-44) Use this table to see how your monthly gift adds up over two years!

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SMALL GROUP CURRICULUM

WEEK 5

PRAYER CALENDAR SUNDAY / NOV. 4

READ: Ephesians 3:30-21 RESPOND: Pray that we will honor and praise God, giving Him the glory for what He has done to advance His kingdom in your life and in the life of College Heights.

Week 5: Fortitude to Endure – Acts 4

LOOK BACK

Last week we looked at Jesus’ interaction with the Greeks in John 12. This emphasized that His message was for all people, and that it is then the responsibility of His church to reach beyond borders to bring His message. We challenged you to look at the ways you are crossing borders in your groups and in your personal lives. As you’ve had a week to reflect, what came up for you? How has God been challenging you to break into new circles of influence? This week we will study Acts 4. We see how the disciples shared everything they had with each other so that no one had need. They were selling property, giving above and beyond what was expected at the temple. God honored their sacrificial giving and continued to bless this community even in the midst of persecution.

MY PRAYER FOR SPARK: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

LOOK UP

READ Acts 4 together. It’s so amazing that even when there was persecution from the priests and the Sadducees the apostles were still boldly proclaiming Jesus. Many people heard and believed. This should be a reminder for us to never let difficulty or hardship stop us from sharing the hope of Jesus with unbelievers. Have you ever face difficulty or persecution for your faith? How did you deal with it? A lot of times we feel so inadequate or intimidated to give answers to hard questions about our faith. Just like the Apostles, we need to remember that we have the Holy Spirit in us. He will guide us and teach us what to say just like what the Holy Spirit did for Peter when he stood before the Sanhedrin. Have you ever had an experience when you knew that was the Spirit spoke through you? What was it like? Knowing that Peter and John were untrained ordinary men, the council was amazed at what being with Jesus had done for them. A changed life convinces people of Christ’s power. This is the power of personal testimony, where we allow people to see the work of Jesus through change in our lives. Have you ever shared your testimony before? What was it like?

Do the people who see you every day notice Jesus in your life? Have they seen the change that He makes evident in the way you live?

SERMON MESSAGE NOTES

After Peter and John were released and went back to the believers, what was the first thing the group did? What did they ask the Lord to give them? In your life, when you encounter difficulties, do you ask the Lord to remove the difficulties or give you more strength to deal with them? The early church shared their possessions and property as a result of the unity brought by the Holy Spirit working in and through the believers’ lives. Notice the pattern. Through difficulty and hardship they were unified, and then felt the freedom to share with one another. None of the believers claimed that any of their possessions was their own, they were able to give and share generously. Be honest with one another. Do you struggle with this view of possession? Do you believe they are all yours?

Week 5: Fortitude to Endure – Acts 4

The last factor that I saw in creating a SPARK was all throughout the book of Acts: a small rag-tag group of disciples taking the Gospel of Jesus to the uttermost parts of the world. Yet, the first moment that I saw it take place the clearest was in Acts 4. Here, these unschooled ordinary men, persecuted and threatened internally and externally, are seen devoting themselves to each other and to the mission of Jesus, even when it hurt. They had “fortitude,” steadfastness, endurance, long-suffering, for the sake of advancing the mission of God throughout the earth. In order to create a SPARK, then we as a family must have the fortitude to endure every obstacle that gets in the way of advancing the mission of God.

LOOK FORWARD

When persecution happens the Church grows. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sister who are facing daily hardships because of their faith in Jesus. Pray for courage and endurance for them.

NOTES:

In the book of Acts we learn the form and the growth of the early church. God empowered ordinary people like you and me to grow his Church. He still does. Be praying and asking the Lord how you could be a part of this SPARK initiative.

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As we close these sessions and the study portion of our initiative, we would encourage you to be honest and vulnerable as a group. Where have you been challenged in your faith over these last five weeks?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you think God is calling you to do? What SPARK is he asking you to light in your life? What do you think your role in this initiative will be? How can you keep one another accountable to that commitment? We hope that this passage has shown the connection between community and faith. We challenge you to keep an open and honest spirit in your group where members can share their struggles and difficulties and encourage one another in following Jesus together.

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MESSAGE FOLLOW UP

DRIVE HOME QUESTIONS

PRAY: Are you scared of the commitment that you made for this SPARK initiative? Does it drive you to greater dependence and trust on God? Make a commitment today that requires a greater prayer life, not something that can be done out of your own ability. SPEAK: With whom are you sharing your commitment? When things get hard these next two years, Satan will try to deter you from fulfilling that commitment. Who can you talk to that will hold you accountable to that commitment? GROW: What areas of your life are you wanting to grow in these next two years? How are you praying and striving to become like Jesus through your commitment? LOVE: Loving God and loving our neighbor are the two greatest commandments. What impure motives are you wrestling with as you make this commitment? Is fear, guilt, or shame driving your commitment? How can you drive a stake in the ground today that you keep coming back to throughout this two year initiative?

When we seek to serve God and others, we can expect hard times. We live in a sinful, broken world with an enemy, Satan, who will do all he can to stop people from knowing and loving God. At College Heights, we want to be humble, prayerful people who serve and teach with joy. In the work we are currently doing and in the work we hope to do in the next few years, we can expect challenges. Will our family have the fortitude to endure? Not on our own, we won’t! But, we see over and over again in God’s Word how He helps His people to endure. We’ve seen it in our own lives, too. (Give examples of how God has helped each of you to be strong in hard times.) Let’s be intentional to notice and talk about the ways God is helping our church family and our own family. Let’s also be faithful to pray for our church family and for one another to be unselfish with what God has given us. Let’s pray for God to continue to strengthen us and humble us to have a heart like His! FAMILY ACTIVITY: Go outside to your yard or a local park. Collect several fallen leaves from the trees. Talk together about what happens during the autumn months. As the leaves fall, so do seeds that make it possible for new trees to grow. If the trees never gave up their leaves, we wouldn’t have any new trees come up. Our giving is a lot like these trees. When we give and when we share, we scatter the blessings God has given to us, and others are able to receive them. After you choose several leaves, take them home. Have children glue the leaves to paper and put the paper on your refrigerator. Look at the leaves every day this week and pray for the love and truth of Jesus to scatter throughout the world through the work of College Heights. Pray for our church family to be united and rely on God’s strengths during the challenges that will face us. Pray for our church family and our family to be unselfish and generous to one another and to those around the world. (adapted from ministry-to-children.com)

FAMILY GUIDE

WHO: The Early Believers WHERE: Acts 4 WHAT: The believers stuck together in hard times and shared everything. WHY: God gives His people strength and serves us with good gifts every day.

AND WITH GREAT POWER THE APOSTLES WERE GIVING THEIR TESTIMONY TO THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS, AND GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL.

TABLE TALK: In Acts 4, the early believers were experiencing hard times. Some were placed in jail. Later, others would be killed for following Jesus. On their own strength, none of them would have stayed faithful. But, God is faithful to give us the fortitude, or strength, to endure hard times so that we can serve others and give God credit for all of the good things He does to serve us every day. Take a deep breath and blow it out. God just served you! He just gave you another breath and another blessing in your life. He is eager to serve and give good gifts to His children. This is what we see happening in Acts 4, too. He gave the believers strength to stand before those who falsely accused them. He gave them peace when they were in jail. He gave them a desire to serve one another without being selfish. Even in hard times, the believers shared everything they had with one another and took good care of each other. They did so much sharing that none of the believers were in need! God also gave the believers boldness and courage to talk about Jesus with “great power” (verse 33).

ACTS 4:33

GOALS PRIMARY GOAL: 100% ENGAGEMENT SPARK is ﬁrst and foremost a discipleship initiative. We’re all at different points moving toward restoration. We want to learn new things about God and about ourselves. We want every single person at College Heights to engage in SPARK and to be willing to take a next step of growth in this area of generosity. Whether you’ve never given anything before, whether you’re an infrequent contributor, or whether you’re a consistent and thoughtful giver, there is a next step God is asking you to take in this journey.

100%

OF PEOPLE AT COLLEGE HEIGHTS GET

FULLY

ENGAGED, WE EXPECT TO SEE AN INCREASE IN

GENEROSITY LIKE WE’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

SECONDARY GOAL: $9 MILLION IN GENEROSITY Our secondary goal is monetary. This is a one fund initiative, so the amount includes our general fund for two years, debt elimination, facility upgrades, and advancing our outreach beyond the walls of our church– here, near, and far away.

OBJECTIVE #1 ONGOING MINISTRY | $4.4 MILLION

The College-Age Ministry pursues students at Missouri Southern State University and Ozark Christian College and helps prepare students for what’s next in relationships, careers, families, and lifelong ministry involvement. On Sunday nights we host an average of 180 students at Upper Room. Community groups and discipleship groups meet throughout the year to grow students in their faith. We are committed this next year to become a church for even more college students.

TO CREATE ENVIRONMENTS FOR EVERYONE TO ENGAGE OTHERS AND ENCOUNTER GOD

This past year the Family Ministry hosted 70 people at two marriage retreats, including a new fall retreat in Branson, MO. Couples experiencing hard times have been connected to professional and lay counsels and marriage restoration teams. We hosted a parent seminar in cooperation with Christ’s Church of Oronogo entitled Gospel Centered Parenting that connected with 70+ parents. Another seminar is planned for fall and spring.

In many ways, the Creative Arts Ministry is a support ministry of the church, creating and facilitating environments, both physical and digital, for people of all ages to engage others and encounter God. This occurs through planning and leading weekly worship services, creating video content, managing digital communication, building and designing sets, leading our guest services team, managing audio and visual needs of other ministry departments, and assisting our involvement process for newcomers.

The Pastoral/Senior Adult Ministry provides care to our church family members in homes, hospitals, and healthcare centers due to sickness or other health concerns. Presently, we have 30 people who are affirmed, valued, and loved by their faith family. Every Friday our volunteers deliver meals to homebound friends. We have many faithful volunteers who serve at Crosslines Ministries, who clothes and feeds 1000 people each month.

To accomplish the mission of making disciples of Jesus who change the world through the power of the Holy Spirit, the church of Jesus has historically gathered for teaching, community, prayer, and the Lord’s Supper.

Last year, the Creative Arts Ministry led over 145 worship services where people of all ages engaged others and encountered God through singing, teaching, prayer, and interactive elements. Through our You Belong Here campaign, we have seen over 600 new guests come through our doors, 44 people join the College Heights family through membership and baptism, lots of personal stories shared, and countless moments in growing together. These moments of worship connect our church and reach out to welcome others into the presence of God. From a middle school student growing in her faith to a high school student committing to a renewed life to a college student being empowered to share his faith on campus, the environments we create help draw people into the presence of God and one another. Our budget funds special events, training and developing leaders, paying for copyrights to ethically support the creatives in the global church, maintaining and repairing equipment, creating original content that is a renewable resource for our church, shepherding over 130 volunteers, and providing new equipment in our developing worship spaces for the thousands of people who choose to worship at College Heights.

TO NURTURE PEOPLE IN THEIR FAITH JOURNEY

The adult ministry team consists of four departments working together.

The Adult Ministry Team is proud of the 50+ dedicated teachers and volunteers who study, teach, train, and communicate Scripture in Sunday morning and Wednesday night adult classes and electives. Learning prepares the head and heart for Kingdom service.

SO THAT KIDS LOVE JESUS

Our Youth and Children’s Ministry Team is comprised of the Early Childhood (Babies, Toddlers, Pre-K, and K), Children’s (grades 1-5), Middle School (grades 6-8), and High School (grades 9-12) ministries. This team and these ministries exist so that kids love Jesus! Everything we do is for that purpose. Our church serves more than 1000 people below the age of 18. We have programs on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, as well as special events, trips, small groups, Bible studies, prayer groups, and beyond. Each program teaches the Gospel. To that end, over half the baptisms in the last year have been kids below the age of 18. The only way our Church can achieve this discipleship is *together*! It takes more than 400 volunteers pouring the love of Jesus into the hearts and minds of our children. These amazing volunteers do the hard (and fun) work of holding babies, changing diapers, playing with toddlers, teaching lessons, facilitating small group discussions, driving busses, cooking meals, sharing the gospel, watching basketball games, doing Bible studies, counseling, opening homes, and gently correcting, training, and building up according to the Word of God…and of course praying, praying, praying!

The Small Group Ministry is all about intentional community discipleship. We are creating a stronger culture where small groups become the relational environment for authentically growing followers of Jesus. Last year we had over 70 small groups with a total of 777 adults meeting together. Three times a year small group leaders are offered training, and we want to provide care for these leaders throughout the year from other experienced leaders.

Our hope for the future is to see these ministries grow! We want to see growth in the number of kids following Jesus, growth in the depth of their daily faith, and growth in the number of dedicated adults discipling kids. We also desire to create even better learning environments—creating spaces and places where kids feel a distinct sense of belonging, love, engagement, safety, and freedom to face their doubts, explore God’s love, and grow in their faith through the often tumultuous times of their childhood. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…” Zechariah 4:10

OBJECTIVE #2 DEBT ELIMINATION | $2.2 MILLION OVERVIEW

In recent years many of us have gone through a Dave Ramsey class, and we’ve come to understand the significant benefits, flexibility, and freedom that come from becoming “debt free.” A good number of our members have achieved debt-free status, and others are working hard to get there. Similarly, the elders and ministers have a goal to see College Heights become debt free. Just as there are benefits to individuals, we see significant benefits for College Heights and its ministries if we eliminate our debt. Accordingly, a major aspect of the SPARK initiative is to use $2.2 million to pay off the debt.

HISTORY

A decade ago, once the Worship Center was complete, we owed $4.2 million in debt (June 2008). Most of that debt was related to building expansions. Over the last decade we have paid off one-half of that debt, or $2.1 million. But over that tenyear period we also paid the bank $1.3 million in interest! Ouch! We still owe another $2.1 million in debt. At our current pace, it will take about another ten years to finish paying off the debt. In the meantime, we’ll also continue to pay interest. We currently pay about $220,000 to the bank each year; about $70,000 is just for interest.

FUTURE

Our loan comes up for renewal in 2020. Recently, the US Fed has been raising interest rates, and is expected to continue to do so. As a result, when we renew our loan, the interest rate is almost certain to increase meaningfully. If we stay on our current path, when the debt is paid off in ten years we will have paid the bank a significant amount of interest – perhaps not another $1 million, but it might be close to that. Our desire is to pay off the debt early, by June 2020, when the loan comes up for renewal. We would avoid paying all that interest to the bank, and free up – for ministry use – the funds we currently pay for principal and interest. Imagine what we might accomplish with another $220,000 each year to fund additional ministry.

OBJECTIVE #3 INCREASED OUTREACH | $1.6MILLION With Outreach being such an integral part of our DNA at College Heights and one of the key ways we respond to Jesus’ call to make disciples, an important role that SPARK plays is to increase our Outreach work both near and far. Two years of the current Outreach Budget is $1,120,000. This includes our annual Global Outreach Budget; which is the pipeline for raising up and sending out workers to our seven focus people groups, as well as sustaining and supporting the current work and workers we’ve already raised up and sent out. Additionally, this annual budget also includes current Community Outreach initiatives such as Great Day of Service and partnerships with community organizations that align with our mission and vision. We also want to make sure that One Less Gift will continue through the SPARK initiative. This has become a key part of how we care for people near and far during the holiday season - a practical way to show Jesus’ love while celebrating His coming and dwelling with us! So, $200,000 will be used for two years of One Less Gift ($100,000 per year). In addition to maintaining the current Outreach work for the next two years, we see Jesus leading us to increase our Kingdom Influence both near and far in the following ways:

• PLANT TWO CHURCHES - We see Jesus asking us to become a church-planting church not just overseas, but also within our own country! This amount will allow us to financially, relationally, and humbly participate in two church plants ($75,000 each). But that’s not all. We see all of us being involved in learning what it means to plant churches and then following Jesus’ lead as we look to the future and what it means to multiply on every level - including the churchwide level!

IN FAITHFUL SERVICE BEYOND OURSELVES

The Outreach Team consists of three departments working together. The work of Global Outreach is to help plant indigenous churches in areas where we feel Jesus asking us to engage. This requires prayer, financial support, sending people from our congregation, and engaging in partnerships with nationals. Because we cannot do everything, we have chosen areas of concentration which reflect our definition of missions and our core values. Currently, we engage in specific unreached people groups/areas of the world by seeking to develop partnerships and raising up and sending out teams to these areas: Southeast Asia–Tai Dam, Central Asia–Pashtun, Eastern Europe – Bosniaks, Northeast Africa–Sudanese, North Africa–Rifi Berbers, India–various people groups, as well as refugees, immigrants and internationals in various areas. We also work with organizations like GNPI, LATM, CIY, etc., who partner with believers around the world in church planting, discipleship, and leadership development. As we are called to make disciples of and reach out to all people, we know this includes our city, community, and country. The Community Outreach Team works to develop partnerships with local organizations like Life Choices Health Network, Watered Gardens, God’s Resort, and Life House. We work to create opportunities for our church family to engage in holistic ministry within our community in the name of Jesus through service opportunities, relationship building, etc. We organize events like Great Day of Service to help connect small groups to community partners. Some of our community partners lie outside of Joplin, like Cookson Hills (whom we have partnered with for 10 years!) and a couple in Brooklyn, NY, working to bring Kingdom influence to the artisan community of NYC. This past year, Jesus has been leading College Heights and challenging us to become a church who plants churches. A Church Planting Team has been formed in response to this leading. In addition, we financially support a church plant named “The Gathering” in Harlem, NY, led by Kenny Hart. We look forward to what the future holds for this church planting area of Outreach Ministry as Jesus leads and we follow and obey.

• TEAM TO NORTH AFRICA - For the first time in our history, in 2019 we are going to send out a second team to one of our focus unreached people groups! A small part of the SPARK initiative will help this team with their “startup costs” of Arabic language school, setting up a home and possibly beginning a small business that allows them to legitimately be in this country.

• COMMUNITY OUTREACH MINISTRIES AND MINISTER - This includes the salary, benefits, and

costs of hiring a much needed Community Outreach Minister over the next two years. Additionally it will fund training for our leadership on how to become a healthier community outreach-minded multicultural congregation!

What does it look like to increase our Kingdom Influence through Outreach in the world and in our community? Honestly, we want to find out...and this is the direction we sense Jesus leading us!

OBJECTIVE #4 FACILITY UPGRADES | $0.8 MILLION The last mental hook that makes up our $9 million goal is $0.8 million for Facility Upgrades. A few years ago, Mercy Hospital did a study of the most used facilities in Joplin and our facility landed on the list at number three, just behind the two hospitals in town. Our fifty year-old facility has been used for decades all during the week. Rarely do you drive by our facility and not see dozens of cars in one parking or the other, using the facility for a church or school program. While we love how well we use our facility to advance the ministries of the church and the school, we recognize it is time to invest in some much needed maintenance and upgrades for our ministry. The top two reasons guests come back to a church they visit are: 1. their children felt safe; 2. the bathrooms looked clean. This shows us that the look and appearance of our facility is an important factor for how we welcome guests into our facility. We do not want a museum, but we do need a facility that looks clean, that appears that we are expecting guests, and is designed in such a way to be a catalyst for our ministry programs. We believe we can accomplish these goals through these four facility upgrades:

ATRIUM

CHAPEL

1. RENOVATE THE CHAPEL

Our chapel was originally built in 1972 and hasn’t changed much since that date (we did replace the bright orange carpet). Today that space is used for our primary high school ministry program on Wednesday nights, our primary Children’s program on Sunday mornings, and for the College Heights Christian School’s Chapel on Thursday mornings. It is also where we host the majority of our weddings and funerals. This space is in dire need of a renovation. It was built originally as a sanctuary with lots of entry points, not for children’s ministry with built-in security. The carpet and ceiling needs replacing and the audio/visual technology needs to be updated. We believe renovating the chapel will turn that space into a great resource for our ministry programs. Remodeling the stage, replacing carpet and ceiling, painting, updating sound and lighting, and improving seating TOTAL: $160,000

2. RETOOL THE ATRIUM

The Atrium that was built 13 years ago is being used today for our ministry programs in ways it was never intended to be used. Today, because we share our facility with the school, we use that space for all kinds of programs: our main middle school and college age programs, our senior adults lunches, our all staff lunches, the school’s blood drive, and so many other events. Yet because it was not designed for its current use, it takes endless amounts of hours for our facilities team and volunteers to set up and tear down for all of our programs. The middle school alone begins setting up for their Wednesday night program every week at 3 PM and does not get done tearing down until 9 PM. 50

The Atrium is our center of guest interaction. Guests often get their first impressions of College Heights in the Atrium, as well as find information about the church, check in their children, and grab a cup of coffee before church. We want to install a permanent sound system, replace the floor tile that chips constantly, and create a hospitable space for our guests. At College Heights, prayer is the first of our Four Commitments (Pray Speak, Grow, Love). Having a dedicated room for the sole purpose of prayer is our leadership’s desire. For this, we want to designate a counseling/meeting room located in the north hallway of the Worship Center. It will have 24/7 access, be the primary location of our prayer events, and be open to individuals and prayer groups. Adding permanent audio, visual, lighting, and acoustic improvements - $85,000 Replacing flooring and focusing on hospitality - $74,000 Adding a 24 Hour Prayer Room - $11,000 TOTAL: $170,000 51

3. REFRESH THE WORSHIP CENTER

Our Worship Center is over ten years old and is needing a refresh. A few years ago we had a large deficit in our budget, and in order to minimize layoffs, we cut the capital line item from our budget. We have not been able to replace that line item since then. The result is that we have fallen behind on some needs in our facility, specifically the Worship Center. We need to replace the carpet that is stained, repaint the floors underneath the stadium seating, and upgrade the outdated and incomplete audio/ visual technology in that room. Upgrading and finishing worship center audio/visual system - $190,400 Painting worship center interior and surrounding hallways - $12,600 Replacing worship center carpet - $81,000 Refinishing flooring (under worship center seating) - $48,000 Improved stage and baptistery - $18,000 Total: $350,000

PRIORITY LIST: 1. One Less Gift 2. Debt elimination 3. One Less Gift 4. Renovate Chapel 5. Plant two churches 6. Retool the Atrium 7. Community Outreach Ministry

4. PURCHASE A WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE PEOPLE MOVER We want every person that comes into contact with College Heights to feel like they belong at College Heights. And right now, none of our vehicles for our trips and programs is able to adequately provide for anyone using a wheelchair. We believe purchasing a wheelchair-accessible people mover will say â&#x20AC;&#x153;You Belong Hereâ&#x20AC;? to our disabilities ministry, our senior adults, and our students that have physical disabilities. We also would like to have more large vehicles for our trips for our youth and college age ministries so we do not have to rent as many vehicles in the future.

8. Refresh the Worship Center 9. Helping send a team to North Africa 10. Wheelchair-accessible people mover

TOTAL: $120,000 52

ONE MISSION ONE FUND

ONE FUND You may have been part of church campaigns in the past where you were asked to give a second gift “above and beyond” your usual gifts to complete special projects. At College Heights these have been used to make new buildings and ministries possible. Normally, you gave that gift to the “Building Fund” and you also continued to give to the “General Fund.” This type of giving is potentially confusing to people who either don’t have a baseline for their “usual giving” or who aren’t able to really celebrate the total giving at College Heights in one single number. We believe we’re all on ONE MISSION—to make disciples of Jesus Christ who change the world. The SPARK Initiative will last two years. In those two years, every gift given to College Heights will go to the SPARK Initiative—to help us SPARK the on-going ministry, debt elimination, increased outreach, and facility upgrades. We’ve included a sample commitment card on page 35 so you can see how a “one fund initiative” works. Please take the time to fill this out, but don’t worry: You’ll get a shiny new one to submit on Commitment Sunday, November 4.

5 STEPS TO GROW IN YOUR GENEROSITY

LIFETIME GIVER

These stages focus on behaviors and attitudes of our hearts—our discipleship—rather than on amounts or percentages. Each step represents growth in a lifestyle of generosity and sacriﬁce that transforms us into the likeness of Christ who gave up everything.

INITIAL GIVER

An Initial Giver is someone who decides to give for the first time, out of a response to God’s Word about giving. This is someone who decides to give something and trust God and the leaders of the Church with this gift.

SURRENDERED GIVER

CONSISTENT GIVER

A Consistent Giver is someone who commits to give something on a regular basis. Consistent Givers start to think of their giving in the same way they think about other budget expenses that are always paid, regardless of seasons of plenty or want. They often set up an online recurring gift to help.

INTENTIONAL GIVER

Intentional Givers think about giving in relation to other things they spend their money on: “Why do I give the cable company or my cell provider more money than I give to God?” They consider a percentage or amount they want to commit to in order to consciously grow in their generosity. Intentional Givers look at their budget and consider how their giving reﬂects their view of God and commitment to His Kingdom. This may also be the point when someone begins to tithe, which is being intentional about a certain amount or percentage that they want to give to God.

SURRENDERED GIVER

A Surrendered Giver is someone who recognizes the cost Christ paid on the cross for us and is surrendered to honoring God with 100% of their resources as a result. A Surrendered Giver gives in a way that changes them. Their giving governs their spending/saving rather than their spending/saving governing their giving. A Surrendered Giver isn’t concerned with what they ARE giving but more concerned with what they’re NOT giving and why. They seek to honor God with 100% of what He has given them, whether direct monetary giving or a God-honoring use of an existing resource like a home or a vehicle.

LIFETIME GIVER

A Lifetime Giver is someone who thinks about the long-term effects of generosity rather than monthto-month, or even year-to-year, generosity. A Lifetime Giver makes decisions in the short-term that have longer-term effects as it relates to their generosity capacity. They think of what home they buy, what car they purchase, and how much savings they choose to keep all in relation to their generosity capacity. A Lifetime Giver might be someone who has a lifetime giving goal that governs their larger-ticket decisions. Much like a Surrendered Giver makes a commitment that will govern his/her monthly and annual decisions, a Lifetime Giver makes a lifetime or longer-term giving commitment that governs his/her larger-item purchases like homes, cars, investments, and the like. 56

INTENTIONAL GIVER

CONSISTENT GIVER

INITIAL GIVER

CREATIVE WAYS TO

GROW

IN YOUR GENEROSITY

1. PRACTICE PRIORITY BUDGETING

Many families will choose to rearrange their priorities and give up something in their current budget in order to give more to a generosity initiative. Priority budgeting may mean postponing a planned expenditure such as a new car, vacation, home remodeling, or other major purchase. Many Christians giving to capital stewardship initiatives find a way to give through sacrificial commitments made in faith and coupled with priority budgeting.

2. REDIRECT PRESENT EXPENDITURES Generosity Initiatives rely on church members making gifts that expand and accelerate their current level of giving. The best path to increased giving is the spiritual path, where you set your heart on things above. Financial priorities then take shape from the spiritual priorities. One way of defining this is “Lifestyle Stewardship,” a term used to describe a level of giving that affects one’s living. The challenge of Lifestyle Stewardship is to find ways, boldly and prayerfully, to let your giving touch your living! King David declared, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24 NIV) David understood the gift that would touch the heart of God must first touch the heart of the giver! This is the spirit of Lifestyle Stewardship: If it is for my God, my gift must have value and meaning to me. Often, Lifestyle Giving means giving up something in one area so that you can give more of yourself in another. The three keys to effectiveness in Lifestyle Stewardship are:

REASSESS LIFESTYLE REARRANGE PRIORITIES REALLOCATE RESOURCES Many believers have been amazed at their ability to give more generously to their church. The following seven steps are offered to help you in this regard.

Often, families have significant short-term expenditures for special needs. One example is the large expenditure a family incurs for a child to attend college. A family realized that their daughters would be graduating from college during the two years of the generosity initiative and, as a result, they were able to increase their commitment to the second year of the initiative by thousands of dollars by giving what they had been spending on their daughters’ tuition. Another example would be the cash flow that is freed up when a loan is paid off.

3. INCREASED GIVING WITH INCREASED INCOME

Some people receive periodic increases in salary or bonuses from their employers. The temptation for many of us is to increase our lifestyle to fit the higher income. In many instances, families have decided that they will commit the full amount of salary increases.

4. GIVE FROM YOUR EXCESS

A young man decided that two collectors’ baseball cards worth over $20,000 he had been holding for a number of years would be the most appropriate means of touching sacrifice for his family. Some families save money over a period of years for a special project. A couple had saved $80,000 to build a lake cabin. When their church entered a generosity initiative, they decided the needs of the church were greater than their need for a second home.

5. COMMIT UNEXPECTED CASH

Often, people pray for God to show them a way they can give beyond what they can presently see or afford. Sometimes, the answers come unexpectedly. A couple had been praying for weeks about their commitment to the church generosity initiative. Much to their surprise, they received an inheritance of several thousand dollars. They gave the entire amount to their church as part of their two-year commitment, in addition to a commitment from their regular income.

6. SACRIFICE YOUR EXTRA TIME

Some family members have extra time they would be willing to use in a part-time job to be able to give more to the church. This is particularly true for families whose children are grown and away from home and for semi-retired or retired couples. A man was in the process of retiring when his church entered a initiative. He and his wife secured new jobs and gave the first two years of their retirement income to the generosity initiative. 58

7. DONATE APPRECIATED ASSETS (STORED RESOURCES)

Many people own stocks that are worth significantly more than the original purchase price. That is good news. The bad news is that if these stocks are sold, a significant portion of the gain would be lost to taxation. Gifts of appreciated assets—typically investment securities or real estate—can be very advantageous to both the donor and to the church. By transferring ownership of the asset to the church, the donor avoids capital gains taxes on the sale of the asset. In addition, the donor receives an income tax charitable deduction for the full market value of the asset. That, in effect, makes these gifts less costly to make.

SELL ASSET AND GIFT NET PROCEEDS

GIVE ASSET DIRECTLY

$12,000

ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE

$3,000

AMOUNT OF APPRECIATION

$9,000

CAPITAL GAINS TAX*

$2,340

PROCEEDS TO CHURCH (asset minus tax values)

$9,660

$12,000

VALUE OF ASSET

*Assumes 12-month holding period, 15% capital gains tax, 6% state income tax rate. Though it is important to invest your giving to further the mission of the ministry God has laid on your heart, it is also important to consider the tax implications of making a gift to the church. Before making a commitment of this type, please consult your CPA, tax attorney, or other financial advisor.

A FINAL WORD

Giving does not have to be in equal increments over the two-year period of the initiative. You might be able to give more in the second year than in the first. As you think about your financial commitment to the initiative, think not just of your potential to give right now, but also of your potential to give in the future. It might be that you can make a two-year commitment in which 35-40% is given in the first year, and 60-65% is given in the second year.

I WILL NOT

SACRIFICE

TO THE LORD MY GOD BURNT OFFERINGS

THAT COST ME NOTHING. - 2 SAMUEL 24:24

Finally, as you consider your financial commitment to the Lord’s work, you might want to consider estate planning. Many sincere, committed Christian people have not made provision for God in their wills and estate planning. Now might be a good time to do that. It might be as simple as including a provision in your will that 10% of the value of your estate will be donated to the church holding your letter of membership at the time of your passing. Or, it could involve a planned gift such as a charitable remainder trust. While such gifts do not provide immediate financial benefit to a generosity initiative, they are marvelous gifts of faith commitment to carry on the work of the church for future generations. 60

GIVING

SCENARIOS Each of us embarks on the generosity journey at a different starting point. Here are a few hypothetical situations that may be similar to the one in which you find yourself. Each example below illustrates how an individual or family can take the next step on the generosity journey, and how the SPARK commitment card could be completed accordingly.

INTENTIONAL GIVER 6,000 6,000 12,000

2,000

Which of the following giving scenarios fits you best?

INITIAL GIVER 0 1,300 1,300

2,600

24,000

26,000

Michael is new to the faith and has never given before. He is now starting several spiritual disciplines, including generosity. It’s a huge step of faith for him, but Michael has decided to give $25 per week. Combined with $500 from his savings, Michael plans to give a total twoyear contribution of $3,100 to the SPARK initiative.

SURRENDERED GIVER 7,000 1,400 8,400

16,800 2,000

500

CONSISTENT GIVER 1,250 1,750

3,500 500

LIFETIME GIVER Jennifer has witnessed changes in her own life through the ministry of the church. So far, she has been giving casually, if she has extra cash on hand during offering time. However, she now feels led to become more consistent in her giving by setting up a recurring gift online. Her plan is to increase her usual annual giving of $500 by $1,250, bringing her to $1,750 a year. With the addition of $500 from a vacation savings fund, in two years she will have given $4,000 to the SPARK initiative.

13,500 1,500 15,000

30,000 60,000

90,000

4,000

Anthony developed the discipline of tithing years ago, and he has experienced God’s provision again and again. Anthony will increase his giving percentage from 10% to 12% of his annual income of $70,000, or $8,400 a year. Over two years, with the addition of $2,000 from the transfer of stocks that are no longer of interest to him, Anthony looks forward to giving $18,800 to the SPARK initiative. (Contact Dave DeSonier at 417.624.8915 x112 to discuss tax-efficient ways to give gifts of stocks and other securities.)

18,800

3,100

500

Paul and Rebecca have given consistently to the church at a steady 5%. With a combined income of $120,000, they contribute $6,000 each year. SPARK, however, has prompted them to tithe a full 10%. It will require some adjustments to give $12,000 a year, but they know it’s what God is calling them to do. Also, they’ve been saving for a boat but have decided to give the $2,000 in that account as well. They are now planning to give $26,000 to the church over the next two years.

Judy loves to give of her time, talents, and resources. She has, for some time now, been giving well above a tithe to the church, and also donating to several ministries the church supports. A few years ago she was able to pay off her mortgage, and in recent years she has felt prompted to increase her generosity to the point where she consistently gives away more money each month than she lives on. She has been considering the purchase of a new home, but she realizes that such a purchase would inhibit her ability to achieve her giving goal. So Judy has decided not to move, and instead to donate funds she planned to use as a down payment toward the Spark initiative.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WHAT ARE YOU ASKING ME TO DO?

ARE THERE ADDITIONAL WAYS BESIDES CASH THAT I CAN GIVE TOWARD SPARK?

First and foremost, we are asking that you pray and seek God’s direction on what He is asking of you. Prepare your heart to hear Him and then listen to what He says. Take your next step. Engage in personal reﬂection with God in this guide. Talk with your spouse, your family, or others about what this commitment will mean for this next exciting season of your life.

Be creative as you explore ways you and your family can give toward SPARK. You might have some stocks, property, or other items of that nature. Or you may have stored resources that God has blessed you with in the past that He just might be calling you to give during this time. Please let us know if you need assistance with facilitating gifts of property or stock, and we would be happy to help you. NAME/TITLE is able to assist with all such gifts. (name@ emailaddress.com)

We are asking that you make a sacriﬁcial commitment to gospel-centered generosity—whatever it is that God leads you to do. Follow His leading.

WHAT IF WE ARE SHORT OF THE $9 MILLION GOAL?

Finally, we ask that you prepare to be amazed. We serve an awesome God, and He is going to move in huge ways. We anticipate an unprecedented impact from our collective SPARK commitments—something only God can do. Please mark your calendar for Commitment Sunday, November 4 and prepare to experience a life-changing worship service that will forever be remembered as a deﬁning moment for our church and our own faith.

While I do not like answering this question because I fully believe God will move in a powerful way and we will reach our goal, the answer is pretty simple. If we are short of the $9 million, we will begin cutting the priority list from the bottom up. Item number ten will be eliminated first, then item number nine, then item number eight, until we make it up for however short we were.

HOW IS SPARK DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS GENEROSITY INITIATIVES?

WHAT IF WE RAISE $10 MILLION AND GO ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR GOAL?

We are more focused on everyone at College Heights seeing their giving as an integral part of the discipleship process and then being challenged by God to take a next step. The bulk of this notebook is focused on helping us dig into some key Biblical principles that guide us in this area as we follow Jesus. This is our ﬁrst priority—100% participation in the process. Even if someone wrote us a check today for our secondary goal of $9,000,000, we would still do this initiative. Whether we’re just starting in our giving journey or we’re very committed givers, we all have a next step to take and room to grow in this area.

Now I like answering this question. If God moves in a powerful way and we raise above and beyond our $9 million goal, we will then begin saving for dedicated youth and kids’ space. We do not know if that means an additional building or renovating current facilities that we have, but we are working with College Heights Christian School right now to create a long-term facility plan for both the school and the church that includes dedicated youth and kids’ space.

WHAT IF I HAVE NEVER EVEN GIVEN TO COLLEGE HEIGHTS BEFORE?

HOW DOES $9,000,000 OVER TWO YEARS COMPARE TO CURRENT GIVING AT COLLEGE HEIGHTS?

Our current annual giving is approximately $3 million, multiplied by two years is $6 million. So, in essence, we’re believing God to grow our resources by a little more than $1.5 million per year for a total of $3 million. 64

SPARK was crafted specifically with you in mind. SPARK is a “one fund” generosity initiative. It’s different from a traditional capital campaign where you are called to give an extra gift above and beyond your normal giving, thus creating two steps for people who aren’t yet giving. SPARK is a call to sacrificial, gospel-centered generosity for absolutely everyone at College Heights. If you have never given before, this is your chance to get in the game with a committed sacrifice. We really hope you will.

HOW LONG IS MY COMMITMENT?

WHAT IF I AM SEVERELY IN DEBT RIGHT NOW? AM I STILL SUPPOSED TO GIVE?

We are asking that everyone make a two-year (24-month) commitment. The fulﬁllment period for your commitment will begin with Celebration Sunday and our First Big Give offering on Sunday December 2 and it will culminate in December of 2020.

If you are someone currently seeking to make payments to pay off debt right now, we commend you for making progress on that. And you should continue to do so. We would be happy to help you in this journey and/or to recommend a budgeting class that might minister to you. Being in debt does not, however, “excuse” someone from giving. Giving isn’t about what God wants from you; rather, it’s about what God wants for you. It should be our joy and privilege to give at all times. Please visit with Pastor Sy if you need assistance with this or if you would like to speak with a budgeting counselor. We would be honored to help you!

WHAT IF I AM NEW AROUND HERE?

SPARK is about the vision for our church and our personal discipleship in giving as followers of Jesus. We believe that the local church is one of the most compelling missions to give toward, and we would really love for you to make College Heights your home and join us in SPARK. If you are ready for it, this is a perfect time for you to put a stake in the ground and make this your church. The best way to get on the team is to…

WHAT IF I HAVEN’T BEEN BAPTIZED YET?

Great question. People take different spiritual steps at different times. Some people begin praying before they begin attending church. Others begin going to a small group meeting before they begin talking to God in prayer. Giving is another spiritual step, and it comes at different times for different people. However, just like other spiritual disciplines, giving draws us closer to God. God is calling ALL of us to give.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A JOB RIGHT NOW? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR MY SPARK COMMITMENT?

SPARK is about your total, radical, sacrificial generosity to God’s mission at College Heights. We believe that God calls us to action in times of hardship just as much as He does in times of abundance, and that looks different for every person. SPARK is about a heart change—one that is only accomplished by surrendering our lives completely over to God in this area of giving and declaring that we are a people who are unfinished. That may mean that you are being challenged to sell things, to pick up odd jobs, or even to trust God in faith by making a commitment that you don’t quite know how to fulfill right now but that you believe God will provide for, as you seek for ways to work towards that commitment. We would like for 100% of us to be a part of SPARK so that we can all be supporting, loving, encouraging, and praying for one another through this spiritually-stretching season at College Heights.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Whether you have taken the spiritual step of baptism or not, we would encourage you to join us in SPARK. We ﬁrmly believe it will draw you closer to God and hopefully to a place where you are ready to make the decision to become baptized and to surrender your life to the Lordship of Christ. Learn more online at: chjoplin.org/spark

THE TIME IS NOW FOR YOU, FOR ME, AND FOR US TO CREATE ANOTHER SPARK.

MY SPARK IS FOR:

4311 E Newman Rd, Joplin, MO 64801 chjoplin.org // 417.624.8915