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ADVANC E His Work
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. EPHESIANS 2:10
A DVA N C E at The Fields Church resources the vision God has given us to strengthen our ministries at home, impacts our local communities and shares the life-giving story and compassion of Jesus around the world.
ADVA N C E 2 020 PRO J ECT GUIDE
I’ve never been more excited than right now. The work of God in and through The Fields Church is amazing. The past few years have been full of life change, spiritual growth, community outreach, missions involvement, dynamic family life ministry and being a church family who deeply cares for one another. This all leaves me unbelievably excited about our future. I believe we can advance God’s work in greater ways. I am inviting God to do a transformational work of generosity in our hearts so that we can lay hold of the advancing opportunities before us.
W E C A N A DVA N C E O U R M INISTRIES AT H O M E . W E C A N A DVA N C E O U R IM PAC T O N O UR CO M M UNITIES. W E C A N A DVA N C E O U R CO M PASS IO N ARO UND TH E WOR LD. Advance at The Fields Church encompasses this desire to reach people globally, to impact our communities, and to strengthen the ministries here at home. Can you even believe what an honor it is to partner with God and advance His work? He is God and we are in His hands. May that reality encourage all of us to take our next steps and advance his love, compassion, and truth here at home, into our communities and around the globe.
Pastor Travis
At The Fields Church, we believe in giving back to God a portion of our income as walking in obedience and living a full life of worship. When you give to The Fields Church, you resource the vision God has given us to make a difference in people’s lives here at home, in our communities and around the world. By God’s abundant grace and blessings, and through the sacrifice and intentional living of many, we, as a church body, are able to give away tens of thousands of dollars every year, The Fields Church supports world-class organizations and individuals working to expand the kingdom of God throughout our communities, our country, and the rest of the world.
MO N E Y IS T H E M E C H A N I SM , GE N E ROS I T Y I S T H E C ATALYST, AN D A DVA N C I N G H I S K I NGD O M IS TH E O UTCO M E . When you catch the heartbeat of generosity at The Fields Church, you become an agent of advancement! Your heart is on a mission to fulfill the commission of Jesus to reach the world. You orient your life, your family, and your priorities to see that this life is about so much more than just us. God wants to use your obedience as a catalyst to make a difference in real people and save lost souls. You are living to hear the “well done” from God when you stand before His throne in heaven. Remember, we are created for this! Let’s go and do the good works he has created us to do.
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HOM E ADULT SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT Provide resources, events, and training to help advance adults in their relationship with Jesus. Some examples would include Groups resources and training, Right Now Media subscriptions, and Growth Track resources. NEXT GEN SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT Provide age-appropriate curriculum, ministry supplies, and media to help advance our children and youth in their relationships with Jesus. The Fields Church emphasizes in providing specific programming for every phase of childhood and parenting.
MOPS Moms gather and support each other through MOPS at The Fields Church. We believe in the simple but revolutionary idea that remarkable things happen when moms come together, face to face. That’s why we rally women to come together in their own communities and help each other through this thing called motherhood, one gathering at a time. SPECIAL WEEKEND SERVICES Weekends such as Easter, Christmas, NFL player Ray McElroy, and other special Sundays provide greater opportunity to reach our friends and family to know God personally.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Equip and empower our staff and Dream Team leaders though specialized conferences, training, resources, and mentoring opportunities.
BENEVOLENCE Families within The Fields Church are helped in times of need. Resources are used to provide counseling, housing, medical and family needs.
NEXT GEN SUMMER CAMPS Invest a dedicated week of time into elementary, middle school and high school students at our regional campgrounds at Lake Williamson Christian Center in Carlinville, Illinois.
FACILITIES Continue to offer and upkeep facilities that meet the needs of ministry to adults and children. Children environments, group space and large group environments provide opportunity for a variety of ministries.
y t i n u m Com
COM MUN I T Y COLLEGE & UNIVERSITIES Chi Alpha leads students to Christ, equipping them through Spirit-Filled communities of prayer, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and mission to transform the university, the marketplace, and the world. We support Chi Alpha on the campuses of Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University and Indiana University
CAMPUS EXPANSION The local church is the hope of the world. The Fields Church wants to advance the Kingdom of God right here in Illinois and will be doing a Pop Up Service in Arthur for Easter.
LOCAL COMPASSION Partnering with organizations that help supply resources for those in need that live in the Coles County area.
SERVE DAY SERVE is our opportunity to serve local communities and share the love of God through practical acts of kindness. Our hope is that serving others becomes our focus throughout the year. Simple acts of selfless love can open hearts to Jesus, and together we can make a difference.
TEEN CHALLENGE ILLINOIS Teen Challenge provides teens & adults freedom from addiction and other life-controlling issues through Christcentered solutions.
NEIGHBORHOOD PARTIES To advance our neighborhoods and cities by sharing the love of Christ through a fun relational experience of food, games, inflatables, and friendship.
FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES To lead every coach and athlete in local schools and colleges in Coles County into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.
PUMPKINFEST Offer a county-wide family event to help bridge the gap between community and church. Providing an excellent Saturday experience glorifies God, builds momentum, and strengthens the reputation of His Church. More than 1,500 typically attend Pumpkinfest.
LOCAL SCHOOLS The Fields of Hope partners with local schools in Charleston and Mattoon to help meet the needs of students and families that teachers, counselors and administrators have identified.
POP-UP SERVICES Host special worship services in new communities across Central Illinois to offer life-giving opportunities to know God and be introduced to The Fields Church.
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WOR L D P R OJE C TS MISSIONARY PARTNERSHIPS $28,000 Provide monthly support to 25 national and world missionaries and organizations in 20 different countries. Our partnership helps them share the love and compassion of Jesus around the globe. U.S. CHURCH PL ANTING $12,000 Church Multiplication Network equips, funds, and networks leaders in the church with the ultimate goal of multiplying the Kingdom of God across the United States. TANZANIA PROJECT $7000 Complete a sustainable work project by funding a chicken coop, clean water project, or greenhouse for a community in Tanzania INDONESIA Partnering with Jaime and Tasha Kemp and Ben and Kathleen Struss to plant churches, disciple others and reach those who do not have a real relationship with Jesus. TEENAGE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Support the Lead Today program that fills this gap by guiding teens through lessons on biblical servant leadership, character strength, and practical application of leadership skills.
CHURCH PL ANT MYANMAR Partner with an indigenous pastor to resource and help plant a church in Myanmar REACHING INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN AL ASKA Partner with Paul and Crystal Burkhart to reach, train, and send indigenous students back to their home communities with the hope and love of Christ. URBAN OUTREACH To take the message and hope of Jesus into some of the most dangerous inner cities in America. ONE HOPE Supporting missionaries and an international movement to reach every child, in every nation, with God’s Word. ORPHANAGE IN MEXICO Sending a team to Mexico to help rise up and take care of the orphaned, abandoned and forgotten ones. The Mission exists to rescue the orphan, love the broken, and restore the hopeless.
n e d g o r B k c i D
RE AC HIN G P E O P L E I N D IFFIC ULT P LAC ES Dick and Jennifer have some incredibly big dreams to reach people who have not heard of the love of Jesus. They have started a church planting movement called Live Dead to start churches in some of the most difficult places on Earth. They are always looking into areas that the gospel has not been. He says, “The places we are sent to bring the gospel are not easy, but they are worth it.” Dick and Jennifer are believing that there is an openness to hear the Word of God more than any time before. Jennifer says, “Seventy-five percent of the Arabian Peninsula is under the age of 26, and with technology, there is a whole new way of reaching the Arab people.” They are wanting to be right on the ground level to help plant the church in the Arabian Peninsula because they know there is not a long line to do that, but they are willing to do it. To advance the Kingdom of God to those individuals in the Arabian Peninsula, your generosity will be used to help establish a business for them to legally have a presence in the specific Arab country. Once the business has been established, they will be able to share Jesus with their employees and customers. So why do he and his wife go into some of the most difficult places on Earth? Dick says, “Jesus is the reason. Nothing else is worth it. If we keep Jesus at the center and keep proclaiming Jesus, He will carry us through the difficult times.”
Ana
WH E N H UNGER WI N S In 2016, six-year-old Ana had a choice to make every day: she could dig for recyclables to sell so she could eat, or she could go to school and learn. Hunger won out a majority of the time, and she regularly spent her days combing through the dump looking for things to sell. “One day, Ana’s mother sent her to school, thinking that we would feed her,” said Principal Katherine Mejia. “It was a Monday, so Ana hadn’t eaten all weekend.” Weakened by hunger, Ana stumbled to school and dropped into her chair. Ana struggled to concentrate on her lessons as her eyes glazed over. Without warning, she tumbled onto the concrete floor. Ana was not the only child struggling with hunger at the school. Many came every day
with an empty belly. “That was very hard for us, but it was impossible to provide [for them],” said Principal Mejia. Ana’s case is not uncommon for kids in struggling schools around the world. Soon after Ana’s incident, Convoy of Hope began delivering food to her school. Since then, Ana’s situation has changed dramatically. “Before, when she was hungry, she was super shy. She didn’t talk and stared at the floor,” said Mejia. “So we can see her health is progressing [slowly with proper nutrition], but it’s a long road ahead.” “Before she can start to learn, she needs to be healthy.” In addition to leveraging these strategic feeding initiatives, Convoy of Hope has also established complementary interventions in many program countries to foster thriving communities. Convoy has more than 6,400 individuals engaged in our Agriculture initiative, and more than 6,700 women joined our Women’s Empowerment program. “We strategically feed children in schools to strengthen our relationship with each community and empower broader impact through families,” says Heath Adamson, Convoy of Hope’s Chief of Staff. “This milestone represents hundreds of communities and thousands of individuals who know their value. Compassion not only makes a difference — it makes the difference.” For Ana, the food she receives is key to her education … and education is vital to breaking the cycle of poverty that has trapped generations of her family. At Convoy of Hope, we believe Ana deserves a bright future, full of opportunity, health, and safety. It’s our privilege to help clear the path that will take her there.
H E D E CID ED TO B E A LE AD ER Teens across Africa equate being a leader with corruption, bribery, and abuse of power. After 13-year-old Adofoli, from Ghana, attended OneHope’s Lead Today program, he discovered an entirely different perspective on leadership. Based on biblical principles, Lead Today was created in partnership with leadership expert John Maxwell to help young people discover the path to becoming true, godly leaders.
Adofoli
Students who piloted the program in Ghana reported that their Bible knowledge increased by as much 31% and leadership knowledge by as much as 60%. Additionally, 100% of students
considered themselves leaders upon completion of the program. Today, Adofoli says: “The Lead Today program has had a very positive impact on my life…I have learned to be kind and humble, just as Jesus Christ was when He was on the earth, and it has helped me a lot.”
p m e K a h s a T Jamie &
SE E K I N G H I G H G R O U N D A little over a year ago a large earthquake shook Indonesia. Jaime Kemp and his team were staying in a hotel in the area that was hit hard by the earthquake. The hotel they were staying at was destroyed just minutes after he and some of his team had left their rooms to disciple some local students. They began to immediately seek higher ground, understanding that a tsunami might soon follow and create more destruction to this island nation. After managing to reach higher ground, a tsunami hit their hotel only 10 minutes after they had left their rooms. After just narrowly escaping an earthquake and a tsunami, Jaime and Tasha Kemp along with their team begin to share the love of Jesus with those around them by helping with immediate disaster relief. They partnered with a church and Convoy of Hope to bring relief and help with rebuilding the community. They have been partnering with this same church and Convoy for over a year now. The city has seen great improvements and developments. The church has been meeting in a small building and has doubled in size over the last year. They are already in talks of expansion so more people come to know and follow Jesus. It is your generosity and partnering with Advance that helps fund these incredible acts of compassion so that the Kingdom of God advances!
F OUR S PE C I A L G I V I N G OP P O RTUNITIE S P E RSEC U TED CHURCH
$19, 000
Advancing the Kingdom of God to unreached people in some of the most difficult places like the Arab Peninsula, Asia, Central Eurasia, East Africa, Indonesia, Middle East, Myanmar, and Vietnam Spring Offering C O MMUNITY OUT REACH
$26, 000
Advancing the impact of Christ in our communities by partnering, financially supporting and collaborating to help others know the love of Jesus. Some examples may include Pumpkinfest, neighborhood parties, and school compassion projects. Summer Offering
O N E DAY
$10, 000+
Advancing the future of children by partnering with Convoy of Hope to give one day’s wage to feed hungry children all over the world Fall Offering C H RISTMAS BL E SSIN G
$20, 000
Advancing the hope of Jesus by blessing people at home, in the community, and around the world during the Christmas season. Winter Offering
HOW D O I G E T I N VO LV ED? P RAY Pray regularly that God would continue to use The Fields Church to impact the lives of our neighbors. Ask God what you can do as individuals and as families to love your neighbors. OBE Y Trust God to lead you in what it means to make Him a priority in every area of your life, including generosity, finances and serving. God will use you in life-impacting ways over the next two years as we intentionally live out our faith for our neighbors. DI S C U SS Commit to talk about the vision of The Fields Church as a family. How much will we invest?
HOW TO G I V E ? S U N DAYS / / Give in the offering ON L I N E / / thefields.church/give TE X T / / Text “Give� to (815) 240-2795
Let your light
shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. MAT TH EW 5:16