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RELEASE The years come. The years go. And you one day look back and reflect on the moments you seized, the opportunities you reached for, the risks you took, or didn’t take. Every choice you made sent you in a new direction, forcing you to understand why you made the decision you did. The seasons, the trials, and the joy we shared over the years, we released into the world with a furious vigor. We made the choice to be vulnerable, to take the matters closest to the heart, the stories God has unfolded in our midst and set them upon the world. We will not stand idle. For He is not silent.
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JANUARY Series: Creature of Habit Guest Speaker: Pastor Ben Houston O2 Experience California Tour
02 F E B R U A R Y Series: Gold from Golgotha Fresh Life Internships Launch Fresh Life Radio: Missoula Launch
03 M A R C H Series: Gold from Golgotha
04 A P R I L Series: Off The Chain Guest Speakers : Pastor Luke MacDonald Skull Church Majestic Fresh Life Easter Fresh Life Worship : Glorious EP
05 M AY Series: Off The Chain
06 J U N E O2 Experience Montana Tour
07 J U LY Series: Summer Fruit
08 A U G U S T Series: Through the Eyes of a Lion Guest Speaker : Pastor Ed Young Through the Eyes of a Lion Book Release Skull Church Canada Rock This City Blitzkrieg
09 S E P T E M B E R Series: Save The Date Huckleberry 100
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O C TO B E R Series: Fourth Wall Guest Speaker : Pastor Carl Lentz Guest Speaker : Jefferson Bethke Through the Eyes of a Lion Book Tour Fresh Life Worship : Fall Afresh LP
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N OV E M B E R Series: Fourth Wall Series: Multiply
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
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“I came forward at a Fresh Life Easter gathering at the Majestic. Shortly thereafter I began to attend Fresh Life regularly. Deepening my longing for Christ and trying to continue to grow past my childhood spirituality I found myself starting to serve on a team, then I joined a small group. What was happening to me? A year later I was baptized, and now I serve on two teams, attend every Sunday, and continue in my Fresh Life Group. My life has completely one eightied. I run my own business now, have a house, and have been able to be more of a father to my son than I’d ever known in my own life. I haven’t drank or done drugs since then and I am so grateful for everyone who has supported Fresh Life. It has literally saved my life.” - Michael
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EYES OF A LION
“THE INGRED MIRACLE ARE W Y GOD WILL WITH A
SAVE TH
DIENTS FOR A WITHIN REACH. DO A LOT LITTLE.”
HE DATE
3 DAYS EASTER WEEKEND Take something old and dirty, and make it new. Not the easiest of tasks but easily one of the most rewarding. For the past 5 years we have taken Fresh Life Easter across the state of Montana and held Skull Church in the Majestic Valley Arena on Good Friday. The arena is cold, dusty, wet, but full of endless potential. We are always excited to see how we can make this rodeo arena into something loud and exciting; we love trying things we have never tried before or manipulating what we do in radically different ways. This year we put a large emphasis on atmosphere, starting from the parking lot with custom made ping pong tables, to the built-fromscratch merch environment just inside, setting the stage for the arena presentation. Once they entered, they were greeted by a sea of chairs and anticipation for the event to come. But what is most exciting about this event isn’t the transformation that happens in the arena, it’s what happens in the hearts of the people who come ready and willing to receive the message.
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We live for this.
It doesn’t come without its challenges; it’s all hands on deck, but there is no place we would rather be.
DECISIONS FOR CHRIST
GOING NORTH SKULL CHURCH CANADA
Last August, Skull Church jumped the border for a second time and paid a visit to our poutine-loving friends in the North. Skull Church Canada blazed a trail of evangelism right through the center of the country and back down again.
“we believe that the ripples from these events will impact the country in ways we can’t imagine.” The Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary was stop number one. Located right in the heart of the downtown area, the Jack Singer is the most beautiful venue that Skull Church has visited so far. It was designed specifically for symphonic performances, and it was evident by the attention to detail throughout that space. Working within the confines of labor union laws, our team got things loaded in and set up in a hurry, and it wasn’t long before people started gathering outside the entrance. There was a massive swell of excitement and before long, the seats were packed and the event began. Our team poured so much blood and sweat into this tour and it really showed. The room was electric. We had no idea that Canadians knew how to party so hard. Our band did everything possible to set the stage for the gospel to go out with power and when the last note played, Pastor Levi preached his heart out. Seeing the response was unforgettable. The next stop was Edmonton, home of the largest mall in North America. The church that had originally invited us for an event had lost their meeting space but another church graciously made their campus available to us. Every venue is so different and
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in many situations, we have to improvise to make things work. Usually that isn’t a big deal because we have super talented people to help pull those things off. However, the person in charge of load in, setup and all improvising got really sick and was forced to go to the hotel to rest. It was amazing to see how well our team rallied together to help fill in the gaps and make sure everything got done in time for the event to start. It never gets old seeing people so impacted by the gospel. As Pastor Levi was preaching, people were listening with bated breath, some with tears in their eyes. When the invitation went out, a quarter of the room stood up and came forward. Unbelievable and so amazing.
“When the invitation went out, a quarter of the room stood up and came forward.” Our last stop of the tour was a smaller city called Lethbridge, just North of the border. Our event took place in the Expo building on the city’s exhibition park. Anytime you can drive your trailers into the venue you setup in, you make your team super happy. At this point, everybody knew what they were doing and we operated like a fine oiled machine. It was so fun. The people of Lethbridge were so kind and gracious to our team and we felt so honored to be able to bring Skull Church to their city. After the event was over, it was so incredible hearing stories of brothers, husbands, children and friends who had given their lives to Jesus. It made the whole trip worth it.
O2 EXPERIENCE O2 SO CAL + O2 MONTANA
It’s been 11 years of O2 Experience events, but this year was just as exhilarating as any. Our teams not only ventured into the warmth of Southern California in the winter, hitting up Santa Barbara, L.A., Menifee, Costa Mesa, and San Diego, but in the summer we also trekked across the Treasure State itself, bringing the message of life, death, sex and romance to our home land. Each event had obstacles to overcome; Menifee was so packed out we had to open and fill eight overflow rooms (and that still wasn’t enough); the L.A. event was so tight on time the production team wasn’t able to have a run through; and on the day of the Billings event a storm hit out of nowhere, shutting down many of the major roads and causing flooding throughout the city. Even through difficulty the message still went out and lives were still changed.
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There’s a unique energy and vibe to taking the message out across the country, and God willing, one day around the globe. however, there’s something special and close to the heart at work when it’s shared right here at home.
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“The O2 Experience inspired me to stay pure and it’s just completely overwhelming to me that I get a second chance. I was raised by non-believers and taught that it was okay to have sex whenever I wanted before I get married. And today I can stand and say, ‘Ya know what? I will stay pure.’ Never in my entire life did I ever think that I’d say I would accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior or that I’d stand for purity.”
5,515 STOOD FOR STRENGTH & HONOR
“What you Let Into Your Spirit z will work its way into your life.” OFF THE CHAIN
DIDN’T SEE IT COMING NETWORK SITES
P O L S O N Polson Network Site started as a heart-felt response to a desperate need for Jesus in the Mission Valley. My wife and I, along with another couple, had been attending Fresh Life in Kalispell for about a year. Living 50 miles away made it challenging to get to Kalispell, and often we ended up watching online. But the four of us all grew up in the area, and we knew firsthand the desperate and unmet need for Jesus here in Polson and the surrounding Reservation. We had been attending Fresh Life, we loved the church, but knew that Jesus was calling us to something local. We began to pray and brainstorm and decided in January of 2014 to start meeting every week in our house, invite people, and watch Fresh Life. As time went on, our group quickly grew from four people, to eight, and we soon needed more than a living room. A local christian academy allowed us to rent out their cafeteria, and we would watch the previous week’s sermon. The group slowly grew over the following months, so we began meeting with Josh Bowers to discuss developing an official Fresh Life affiliation. In October we decided to make a change and truly take things to the next level. So we bought a computer and projector and found a chapel room to use at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. Within a month 15 people turned into 45. Unfortunately, I received an abrupt phone call from St. Joseph’s telling us that we could no longer meet there as we had become “too large.”
Immediately God opened a door at KwaTaqNuk Resort, a local Casino resort here in Polson. We jumped at the opportunity to be in this setting, knowing that we would have a platform to reach people who would likely never step into a church. God blessed it immensely! Fresh Life Polson Network Site was born in January 2015, and we quickly grew to 100 people, with over 200 at Easter! We were simply astounded by the way God was using the Network Site to bring people into the church.
we could no longer meet there as we had become “too large.” In May, God opened another door with a building on Main Street in Polson. We have seen God grow the church to almost 200 people weekly, and we have seen 89 decisions for Christ! We recently started live worship and are soon moving to two worship experiences. We plan to continue to do things no one else is doing to reach people no one is reaching here in Polson and the surrounding area. Although we are ecstatic about what God is doing here, we are even more excited to see other Network Sites developing across the world! We believe God is going to use Network Sites as a tremendous platform to reach the lost and to see those stranded in sin find life and liberty in Jesus Christ — even in the smallest of communities! - Mike Shallock | Polson Network Site Director
SAM’S STORY FRESH LIFE INTERNS
In 2015 we took on a fIrst for Fresh Life Church : Internships.
Q: How did you find out about the Fresh Life Internship? A: In December of 2014, while listening to the Fresh Life App,
We knew there was an audience out there, both inside
I heard Pastor Levi announce that they were going to start an
and outside Montana, of talented young people who were
internship. I knew immediately in my heart that I was supposed to
passionate about Fresh Life. What if we could tap into
apply. I struggled back-and-forth for a few months in prayer, trying
that? Would anyone sign up? Would it help us, or would
to discern on whether I was truly being called to Montana, or if I just
it create more work? We knew there was a potential for a
wanted to go. I was very involved at Elevation serving as a volunteer
previously unrealized resource — the question was whether
leader for a hospitality team, outreach team, Pastor Steven’s events
we could tap into it.
team … and I had just been offered a huge position as volunteer coordinator for the Blakeney campus hospitality team, eHQ.
Now, three intern classes later, we know the intern program to be a resounding success. We sat down with
HI SAM!
one of our interns, Sam Centeno, to get her perspective:
Q: Wow, that’s quite a lot. What made you decide to take the leap? A: One afternoon I was sitting in the Elevation Blakeney auditorium, waiting for the worship experience to begin. I was lost in prayer, sitting there talking to God again about whether to apply for the internship. I had just prayed that God would grant me a firm
Q: How did you find out about Fresh Life Church?
answer, and at that moment, Pastor Levi and Jennie walked in to the
A: I’m from Charlotte, NC, and I’ve been actively involved
auditorium. They were simply there to visit Pastor Steven and Holly,
with Elevation Church since May of 2013. In October
but it was the clear sign I needed and immediate answer to my prayer.
2013, Pastor Levi was a guest speaker at Elevation for our “I Don’t Know What I Believe” series, and he preached “Turn Off the Dark,” about Lenya going to heaven. I was so intrigued by his story, by Fresh Life, that I downloaded
Q: Amazing. So you applied and were accepted — what was your experience like when you arrived for the internship? A: It was amazing. My internship was May through August. I drove
the Fresh Life App that weekend. I started binge-listening
four days across the country, and when I arrived in Montana I had
to the sermons. In my corporate-world job, I was able to
nowhere to live and no job to pay bills. In just three days though, I had
spend all 8 hours of my workday, every day, listening to
a part time job at a deli and was staying at one of the nicest lake houses
sermons.
I’d ever seen. During the summer internship I was on the events team
and got to be a part of the O2 Experience Montana Tour, traveling to each campus across Montana, Rock This City Blitzkrieg, and Skull Church Canada. Q: Did you have intentions of staying after the internship, or of going back to North Carolina? A: I came to Montana with every intention of going back home afterwards. But as soon as I arrived, I honestly felt the pull on my heart to stay. God was impressing upon me that in either decision, whether going back to the Carolinas with a new passion, or staying to be a part of the work God is doing in Montana, that it would be fruitful and faith-filled work. It wasn’t until the team night in Billings, about six weeks into my time here, that God hit me hard with the thought that Fresh Life needed more ‘all in’ people. And I was sitting there in tears, thanking God for choosing me. I was scared, hopeful, and all-in.
Q: What was the major task you were handed as your ‘term project’? A: I got the huge honor of spearheading the Rock This City Blitzkrieg this summer! It came at a crazy time when I was feeling hungry to volunteer in the community like I did back home, and I was homesick seeing the posts about the upcoming LOVE Week at Elevation. Then I was approached by my team lead about making this year’s Blitzkrieg my intern project. God is so good to me. Q: What did you do when your internship was over? A: I started volunteering immediately on the Events team during the week, and the merch team on weekends. I also picked up a few extra shifts at my job so I could move to full-time pay there. I was perfectly content to stay in this role as long as God wanted me here, just so I could continue to be planted at Fresh Life. Q: Then you got a bit of a surprise; what was it? A: Only two weeks after my internship was over, I was offered a position at Fresh Life as a front desk receptionist, and also to take over Rock This
Q: Did you even own a winter jacket? A: Nope I sure didn’t, and still don’t! One of the photographers at Fresh Life was super kind and gave me a jacket that she said would at least last me until December.
“I wasandscared, hopeful, all in.”
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City. It felt like a dream come true! Then a month later, I was offered a full-time position at Fresh Life to be director of Fresh Life Groups and Rock This City, and I thought for sure it was impossible. It was more than I could have ever asked or imagined asking God for. The generosity of Fresh Life towards me is far beyond words can describe, and I am so thankful for an opportunity to serve God here. Every ounce of faith it has taken to get me here has not only been met, but it has been abundantly exceeded, by the faithfulness and favor of God.
EYES OF FAITH THROUGH THE EYES OF A LION
The story of how one girl inspired a message of hope, that inspired a book, that inspired thousands to find hope and peace when they have never felt further from it.
“You must not rely on the naked eye. What you think you see is not all that is there. There are unseen things. Spiritual things. Eternal things. You must learn to see life through the eyes of a lion. Doing so is to utilize the telescope of faith, which will not only allow you to perceive the invisible - it will give you strength to do the impossible.” On August 4, 2015 “Through the Eyes of a Lion” unleashed upon the world. A monumental moment in the life of our church not only because this is pastor Levi’s first book, this a story personal to the Lusko family and this house. One of the most special and difficult assignments God has ever given our pastor. A book born from the immense pain of Lenya Avery Lusko going to heaven, “Through the Eyes of a Lion” is about turning what the devil meant for evil into a life-altering story of hurting with hope. A manifesto for looking at your life through the lens of faith and fuel for maintaining an eternal perspective, we have seen God use this book to change lives the world over in a few short months. Out of this book came a four-week sermon series. The sermon series covered major themes from the book, like “Hidden in Plain Sight,” “Standing on Tiptoes at the Edge of Eternity,” “Hope has a Rope,” and “Run Toward the Roar.” At the conclusion of the series we packaged everything from video teachings to kids
“Reading this book and hearing Pastor Levi and Jennie’s story and strength has given me new strength. I too have lost a child and the pain is all too real. I have put my trust in Jesus after running as far as I could until I couldn’t run anymore. But now I have surrendered my whole heart and look forward to being reunited with my daughter one day.”
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curriculum and made it available for public use. So far we’ve seen 160 churches and small groups from around the country download the content to use. This fall we did something we’ve never done before - a book tour across the country. We took the message of hope on the road, spanning nine different states launching out into a place unknown. The message at each event was filled with hope for people who are hurting and an opportunity for the lost to be found. It was also an opportunity to give Lenya’s life a chance to continue to impact people. Particularly special was our stop in Salt Lake City - not knowing what to expect, we believed in faith for God to fill the venue and bring many to Himself. He did just that, beyond anything we could have imagined.
I N AT T E N DA N C E
SERIES RESOURCES DOWNLOADED
S TAT E S
Over the course of the book tour we saw hundreds of people give their lives to Christ and countless more impacted by Lenya’s life and the Lusko family’s journey of facing impossible pain and finding incredible power.
TOUR DE FORCE “It’s still quiet and dark on the sleeper bus, but I can hear rustling - evidence I can’t be the only one awake right now. (Or maybe I am?) I just hopped down from my top bunk to peek outside, tiptoeing around pillows and blankets in the aisle that fell to their doom throughout the night from high bunks above. A glance out the window tells me it’s a rainy morning as we pass through central California. I can’t help but pause in this quiet moment to soak in what it is that we’re doing. What it really means. We (and I mean WE, not just us unkept bus dwellers), are spreading a message of HOPE. The Gospel of Jesus, the only hope for a groaning world. The same gospel that lay hold of each one of us and changed our lives. The same Savior that pursued us relentlessly is now using us to tell others who He is. Sometimes I think God gives us quiet moments to clear away the noise of everyday life and remember why we’re here. As we’re in the thick of this battle, whether on a bus, at home or anywhere in between, let’s pause to soak in the reality of what
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we get to do and WHY we’re doing it. If we keep ourselves reminded, we will be battle ready, full of grace and grit with our heels dug in ready to fight desperately for those who need the hope of Christ our Savior.
I hear more rustling. Maybe someone else is finally awake.” - Amanda Minatra | 7am on the bus
DECISIONS FOR CHRIST
“If you feel a work in you a He’s worki GRACE,
l like you’re progress, are! ing onq you.” GRACE
DESTINED FOR IMPACT PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
OUR FOCUS
Throughout 2015 we have continued our faithful partnership with both local and global organizations who are making a tremendous impact. In the past year we have been able to contribute nearly $140,000 to our outreach partners. This breaks down to over $10,000 to each organization. Instead of selecting lots of different organizations to partner with, we have carefully chosen just a few so that we can focus in like a laser and make the biggest impact possible.
GLOBAL
Since Fresh Life began we have had a heart to reach the most unreached people in the world. It’s because of this vision that we have partnered with and continue to partner with, Gospel For Asia, who is working to plant churches and send out missionaries in the 10-40 window, the least evangelized area of the world. This is also the reason that we have continued to partner with Faith Comes By Hearing to have the Word of God recorded into audio for the least evangelized and least literate people in the world. We finished the Min-Man dialect several years ago and have continued to partner with FCBH to be a part of getting audio Bibles into the hands and ears of the people who speak this language.
LOCAL
In every city where we have a campus we make it a priority to partner with a local homeless shelter, food bank and pregnancy center. Last year alone, through our partnership with the Montana Food Bank, we were able to provide 84,000 meals to hungry people across the state. We are doing our part of trying to take care of “The least of these” as Jesus has said. We’ve been a part of organizations that have ministered to young girls facing unexpected pregnancies as they have helped guide them through the journey of choosing life instead of abortion. We’ve seen families in the midst of challenging circumstances be given food and shelter due to our partnership with the homeless organizations across the state.
Fresh Life is making a huge difference through our outreach partners.We are spreading the Gospel around the globe, meeting needs right where we live, and helping people who are facing crisis as natural disasters increase worldwide. Samaritan’s Purse is there from day one when a disaster strikes anywhere on earth. Through our partnership we have been a part of helping people find relief in South Carolina, Mexico, Syria and around the world. Our church in Montana is leaving a wake that is literally felt all over the planet. And this is just the beginning. As we continue to work with our established partners we will be able to see more than ever accomplished. We look forward to sponsoring and giving even more support in 2016 than we ever have before.
FIRE IN THE WINTER FALL AFRESH LP Fall Afresh was put together with songs that were written two years before the release, as well as songs that had lyrical edits just days before tracking vocals. The writing process varied from song to song, person to person, and series to series, but the idea of singing (sometimes difficult) truths about our God was always the thing that bound them together. Once we returned from our Skull Church Canada tour, we had a month to record and track the remaining 6 or 7 songs in order to meet our target release date. It was stressful and nerve wracking, but also rewarding and inspiring. All of our vocals were recorded in either our house, basement, garage, etc. and our synths and keys were done on a laptop, but by using the right gear, tools, and prayerfully trusting the Lord with these songs He’s given us, we came out with something that sounds professional, unique and most importantly worshipful.
ON TO THE NEXT ONE
EVEN IF THE SUN GROWS COLD AND EVEN IFFALLS THE HARD RAIN EVEN IF MY HEART WOULD BREAK YOU WILL NEVER LET MEGO
REVENUE ALLOCATION 4TH QUARTER 2014 - 3RD QUARTER 2015
43. 3 % 29.5 % 18.7 % 3.0 % 5.5 %
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