Impact Offering 2022

At the start of this year we felt God lead us to Ezekiel 47 where we learn about the River of Lifean amazing river that starts as just a small trickle of water but grows into a mighty flow that brings life and transformation to everything it touches. Along the banks, trees grow that bring blessing and healing, and in the waters fresh life returns.

We themed 2022 at Equippers STEP INTO THE FLOW and, as each of us have brought our offerings to God through Impact Offering, what may have begun as something small has in fact grown into something life changing as it comes together with each other’s gifts.

This year we have invested significant funds towards the start of Equippers College UK, which is a significant part of our mission and strategy to train leaders who will take ground for God in this nation and beyond.

We have helped Equippers Church Wellington buy a significant property in their city and enabled Equippers Ghana to finish their own building.

As the Ukrainian crisis has developed, we have sent funds to IJM to work at stopping sex trafficking of refugees as they fled their country into neighbouring Poland, Hungary and beyond.

And closer to home we have been supporting Pastor and Evangelist Mark Ritchie to take the gospel to places like Universities and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

As we head into the later part of 2022 and look towards 2023, we can already see that there is a growing cost of living crisis and we want to do our part in helping as many people as we can.

Once again, we thank you for your sacrificial giving, knowing that when you say yes to Impact offering, you are saying no to something else.

Let’s keep sowing and serving God together through our giving over the next 12 months. Lots of love.

WHERE THE RIVER FLOWS, EVERYTHING WILL LIVE.

ACCELERATING KINGDOM INITIATIVES AS OPPORTUNITY

Our Impact Offering enables us to get behind Kingdom initiatives locally and globally. We’re able to invest into both new and existing churches, support a number of outreach projects and partner with ministries and organisations that are reaching the poor, oppressed, vulnerable and sick.

KINGDOM OPPORTUNITY ARISES.

EQUIPPERS COLLEGE UK

Equippers College has a vision to equip people for life and release them like a wave of arrows around the world to accomplish God’s purposes. Equippers College is the training arm of Equippers Church and has a heart to foster an environment that trains people to fulfil the call that God has for their life.

This is achieved in three ways:

1. We help to establish students in the knowledge of God and understanding of His word.

2. We train students to recognise their gifts and excel in their chosen area whether it is leadership, preaching, pastoring, music, art, business, missions or another field of ministry.

3. The college is committed to encouraging and releasing those trained leaders and ministers to go into all the world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, helping to extend the Kingdom of God.

We are excited that this year, the first ever wave of leaders will be released from Equippers College UK and are expectant to see how God uses these people to impact the globe.

Say hello to the Equippers College UK students and staff during the first week of college!

EQUIPPERS COLLEGE UK

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Funds from Impact Offering have been used to successfully launch Equippers College UK. This money has been used in two ways:

1. Set up costs to establish a training course, having Ps Steve Graham (Principal of Equippers College) and his wife Christine on the ground in the UK, furnishings and equipment.

2. The costs of renovating the Heath Road building in Weybridge to make it fit for use for Equippers College.

We are thrilled that Equippers College UK is now underway,” says Ps Steve, “The conviction and experience of Equippers New Zealand is that any growing movement has its own training programme and that is why Equippers College in New Zealand has been operating for 29 years. In that time we have seen wave after wave of leaders formed for our movement. As soon as Christine and I heard about plans for Equippers College UK we said we wanted to give our next season of life into helping make that happen. We believe that this is a vital channel to accelerate the forming of leaders for what God wants to do through Equippers UK and Equippers Europe.”

TESTIMONY

Bekah Weston grew up in a Christian home and faith has always been a part of her life. When she left home to attend university, other things became important to her and she soon found herself feeling anxious about life and resentful towards God. At the start of her third year, she was suffering with very poor mental health, and her dad encouraged her to go back to church.

Bekah says,

“ I came to Equippers in October 2021, and during worship, I suddenly felt complete peace and stillness that I hadn’t felt in months, and I knew that what I was feeling could only come with the presence of God. I remembered how powerful God is, that He has the power to silence any negative thought. The peace I experienced that day has been a constant in my life since then.”

Since that moment, Bekah feels that her eyes have been opened to all the good that God has done in her life, and she knows there are an infinite number of things to be grateful to Him for! This renewed passion for God and a desire to delve deeper into His word motivated Bekah to attend Equippers College UK!

“

I decided to join College because I know that God deserves my time, my praise and my dedication, and I believe that giving Him this year will teach me more about how to live for Him for the rest of my life.”

UKRAINE CRISIS RESPONSE

Earlier this year, we took up a special offering and set up a fund, which enabled us to provide practical support to the people of Ukraine. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to donate £20,499 towards practical things like food, clothing, accommodation and supplies. This fund supported the purchase of two container homes (page 13), and the work that Pastors Miro and Marta are doing in Ukraine (page 15).

In addition to this special fund, we donated £11,690 from Impact Offering towards different projects supporting the people of Ukraine in practical ways. See more on page 14 (International Justice Mission) and page 15 (Equippers Berlin).

Many families across Ukraine have suffered the devastating effects of losing their homes. We have been able to support two families, by funding container homes for them to live in. Each container home costs £5,000 and comes completely furnished and with kitchen and bathroom facilities.

The Novikov family are pictured below, together with the setup team members. The families are over the moon to have a roof over their heads, even if only temporarily, until a new house can be built.

We were able to support this project through the special Ukraine offering - see page 12.

UKRAINE

INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION

This year, we made two Impact Offering donations to IJM: £10,000 to their Ukraine Crisis Response and £10,000 towards their work in the Philippines (see page 23).

Since the early days of the Ukraine Crisis, International Justice Mission (IJM) has been working at the Ukraine-Romania border to protect refugees from risks of trafficking. They now work across borders in the region, using IJM’s model of protection to support increasingly vulnerable populations.

While the crisis continues, the needs of those fleeing Ukraine change, including an increased risk of trafficking. For this reason IJM works with government and NGO partners to provide emergency aid (food, medicine, financial support, and more), safe transport of refugees from inside Ukraine to partner organisations, safeguarding,

trafficking awareness and training on traumainformed care.

IJM recently teamed up with a tech entrepreneur to develop a language translation device. This device helps refugees who do not speak English to share their concerns and needs with IJM and its partners - this will help protect women and children from trafficking. This unique device doesn’t transmit any part of the conversation, its location etc. and has no recording capability. Refugees have the confidence to talk openly and safely.

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Since the start of the conflict, we’ve protected thousands of children and women from trafficking in Europe. This device will help even more. Thank you, Equippers, for being part of this movement.”

Scan the QR code to view IJM’s Crisis Response Update from May 2022

UKRAINE

EQUIPPERS BUDAPEST

Earlier this year, we partnered with Pastors Miro and Marta who lead Equippers Budapest and are located very close to the conflict in Ukraine. We gave a portion of our special Ukraine offering to Ps Miro and Marta, together with donations from Equippers churches from all over the world. Using these donations, Ps Miro and Marta have been able to support and fund a number of Ukrainian bible colleges and churches to provide practical and emotional support to people in their region. One bible college alone is already supporting 450 individuals and families who are seeking safety.

EQUIPPERS BERLIN

We have also donated funds to Equippers Berlin to enable them to purchase a minibus. The purpose of the minibus is to transport people out of the war zone into Western Ukraine as well as to deliver essential goods and food to support people in the war-torn regions.

CHURCH DEVELOPMENT

Impact Offering allows us to continue investing into emerging church plants as well as many established churches both in the UK and around the world. It enables us to resource the many practical needs churches have, as well as funding outreach programmes, sowing into the vision of reaching people for Jesus. We believe that significant ministry flows from significant relationships.

As part of Impact Offering, we have the privilege of supporting pastors around the world in practical ways, such as bringing those to Shout Europe who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to attend. There they can receive fresh vision, make great connections with other pastors, encourage one another, and be strengthened and inspired to lead their own churches!

EQUIPPERS GHANA

For a number of years, we have had the opportunity to support Equippers Ghana, led by Ps Stephen and Eunice Nortey. We helped them lay the foundations of their new building a few years ago and this year we have contributed towards the completion of their new building.

We are excited to announce that their new building is complete - and Equippers Ghana has officially launched!

Already making kingdom impact, the official launch event in August 2022 welcomed 500 people from

the area. Since then, they continue to see many more new faces, with over 164 visitors, of which 72 have made a decision to follow Jesus, followed by 12 baptisms.

Ps Stephen says,

“

It is thanks to God’s goodness, but also through the support from our church family. We want to take this opportunity to say Thank You and God Bless You for your sacrificial giving. Thank You again from Ghana!”

Scan the QR code to take a tour of the brand new Equippers Ghana building!

EQUIPPERS WELLINGTON

Equippers Church in New Zealand have purchased a fantastic new church building in the capital city, Wellington. The building is on a hill that overlooks the main state highway and can be seen by approximately 60,000 commuters every day! The venue can seat over 500 people and has great purpose-built kids rooms ready for use by kids ministry.

We are so excited to see that Equippers Wellington is growing! In the few months they have been in their new building, their weekly morning services have grown from 150 to 230 people. They are holding baptism services every three weeks to accommodate the growing number of people saying Yes to Jesus!

Our £10,000 donation contributed to the deposit for the new building. Here is what Byron Marchant, Location Pastor, says:

“

When the previous owners approached us to purchase the building, we had $495,000 in the bank account and not enough of a giving level to service a mortgage to loan the rest of the money from a bank. However, since we decided to buy the building and go on this journey, our giving has close to doubled, and through the generosity of Equippers Churches globally, we were able to raise a significant deposit to secure lending from banks and renovate the building so it was ready for us to use.”

EQUIPPERS FIJI

In 2021 Equippers Fiji launched and in 2022, they moved into their new venue, which was made possible thanks to our Impact Offering donation. The new venue is situated in central Suva, is easily accessible to many and allows the church to grow and connect more people to God’s mission and vision for Fiji.

This is what Ps Tiko Toganivalu says:

“

We’re seeing people reconnect into faith and community after Covid lockdowns. We’ve seen over 50 people recommit their lives to Christ since we started gathering together in April this year. Thank you to our Equippers family. We love and appreciate your generosity and prayers.”

CHARITIES & MINISTRIES

Through Impact Offering, we’re able to partner with many charities and ministries around the world to bring the hope of Jesus to the marginalised, poor and down-trodden. Your giving has helped to meet people’s basic needs and brought hope to people’s lives!

MARK RITCHIE

Mark Ritchie is a long time friend of Equippers and a familiar face to many. An international speaker, podcaster and evangelist, Mark is uniquely gifted at communicating the message of Jesus in a relevant, humorous and clear way.

Our Impact Offering donation of £5,000 went to 73rd Trust, the charitable trust that supports Mark’s ministry as he takes his shows across the UK. This donation will go towards Mark’s comedy performances at universities, schools and other locations across the UK that would otherwise not be able to fund his ministry

Here’s what Mark says about his recent experience of performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival:

“

We have been placing the cross right in the centre of this arts festival! Every night we’ve had between 30 and 40% of unchurched people coming in and I have been communicating the gospel. And you guys have been making that happen! You guys giving that missions fund has really helped me to make this happen. We’re bringing light to a dark place, so thank you guys!”

EAST TO WEST

East to West is a local Christian charity based in Egham with the vision to bring hope to young lives across Surrey and Berkshire. They support hundreds of local children, young people and their families who struggle with issues such as self-harm, bullying, broken family relationships, abuse and homelessness.

The charity’s Emerge Project responds to the needs of young people aged 10 - 25 years who are admitted to the emergency department of St Peter’s Hospital because of self-harm injury, overdose, or attempted suicide.

The Emerge Project volunteers get to know the young people in hospital, giving them time and space to express their feelings and circumstances. They work alongside the hospital’s clinical team to provide practical information about the processes and assessments. In addition, they provide ongoing support for each young person after they leave hospital. Our Impact Offering donation of £6,000 helped the Emerge Project increase its crisis response from four to six days per week in the hospital. We have helped to support this development by enabling the team to increase in number and to provide team training and support.

IJM

International Justice Mission (IJM) is a charity whose

aim is to find and free women and children trapped in slavery. For many years, our Impact Offering donation has been put towards their work in the Philippines to end the online sexual exploitation of children.

This year, we made two Impact Offering donations to IJM: £10,000 to their Ukraine Crisis Response (seen on page 14) and £10,000 towards their work in the Philippines.

The story below is an example of the work that our Impact funds have helped to support, protecting vulnerable children who have been rescued by IJM and partners:

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Police brought two children to safety and arrested one suspect during an operation against the online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines late last year. The operation was conducted by several partner organisations and supported by IJM and the FBI, and the two children brought to safety are believed to be the suspect’s 16-year-old cousin and 8-year-old niece. FBI agents were also able to arrest an American national on suspicion of facilitating cybersex crimes involving children. The female suspect arrested at the scene is now in police custody, and the children are safe and receiving the necessary trauma-informed care needed for child survivors of online sexual exploitation.”

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS GIVING!

Impact Offering generates a resource for us to draw upon, enabling our church to respond to emerging opportunities as well as urgent needs as they arise.

WHERE

HAVE GIVEN

Figures are as of 3rd October 2022. Where the spend exceeds the income for 2021/22, this is covered from unspent funds brought forward from previous years.

EQUIPPERS COLLEGE UKUKRAINE CRISIS RESPONSE *

International Justice Mission 10,000

Minibus purchase 1,690

Total

Plus Ukraine Crisis

Fund

CHARITIES & MINISTRIES

11,690

Building Renovations 72,022

Equippers College UK setup 38,562

Total

110,584

International Justice Mission - Philippines 10,000

East to West 6,000

73rd Trust (Mark Ritchie) 5,000

Foodbank 1,024

Good News for Everyone 1,000

Emmaus Transformation Trust - Jigsaw Project 1,000

Woking & Sam Beare Hospice

Acts Churches UK 500 Riverbank Trust 250

Total

25,501

CHURCH DEVELOPMENT

Providing support to pastors 18,258

Shout Conference 17,597

Equippers Church Dubai 12,500

Equippers Church Ghana 11,407

Equippers Church Wellington 10,000

Equippers Church Budapest 9,335

Equippers Church Fiji 7,530

Lighthouse Church New Malden 6,000

Total

92,627

PLAYING YOUR PART

IMPACT OFFERING IS OUR ANNUAL COMMITMENT TO GO OVER AND ABOVE OUR REGULAR GIVING.

This year we will receive our Impact Offering pledges on:

SUNDAY 30TH OCTOBER

This is an annual pledge, meaning once you have pledged an amount you can fulfil this at any point over the course of the next 12 months. We offer the option of fulfilling your pledge in one lump sum or in monthly instalments over the year.

Once you have pledged, you will receive details on how to give (by email), based on your location and your giving preference.

1. PRAY

Over the coming weeks, allow God to guide you as you prayerfully consider your contribution in what to give. If you are married or have a family, why not do this together and come into agreement on how much to pledge.

2. PLAN

Once you have agreed in your heart how much you would like to pledge, plan how you can fulfil it over the next 12 months.

3. PLEDGE

Finally, submit your pledge by completing the enclosed form! We’ll receive our Impact Offering together, as a church family, on Sunday 30th October during our church services.