2020
Never gonna be the same
The WayMaker Initiative
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.� M ATT H E W 2 8 : 1 8 - 2 0
Th e Way ma ke r I n i ti ati ve at Highpoint Church encompasses the desire to reach people globally, to advance the mission locally, and to set up future Christian leaders to continue the fulfillment of the great commission. This becomes a reality by individuals and families prayerfully committing to give above and beyond their tithes to fulfill this great commission.
T he w ay m aker initiativ e 2020-2021 Project Guide
W H AT I S T H E WAYM AKER INITIATIVE ? Imagine for just a moment when you gave your life to Christ. Do you remember the place? Can you recall the freedom that you felt? The joy it brought to your life?
intentional effort to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to know God and hear the good news that Jesus made a way when there was no way.
At one time, we all were far from God. And without that moment of making a decision to follow Jesus, we would still be far from God. But Jesus made a way when there was no way.
Now think. 42% of the world does not have access to the knowledge of who Jesus is. There are over three billion people who aren’t even aware that true hope, restoration, and peace with God can only be found through Jesus Christ, the WayMaker. So what are we going to do about it?
He brought us out of the darkness and into the light. He gave us a fresh start. He forgave us of our sins and made us right with God. And we are never going to be the same again. This didn’t happen by accident. This was an intentional act to display love and kindness before we even took our very first breath on this earth. The forgiveness and peace that God offers is life-changing. We as believers must make
We must recall the greatest act of generosity that has ever been shown. Jesus Christ, the WayMaker gave up his life so that every boy, girl, woman, and man, all of mankind may have the opportunity to know Jesus personally. That is why we have created the way maker initiative. So that all may know Jesus Christ, the Way Maker.
The WayMaker offering is the way to express that over and above generosity at Highpoint Church. The same type of generosity Christ extended to us. Highpoint is a generous, life giving church that has a rich history of supporting local and global partners. And though we have a rich history, we believe our best days are still ahead of us. Highpoint currently supports and will continue to support our partners, both locally and globally. But we believe that God will use us to plant a seed of generosity in the lives of other people to help fulfill the commission that Jesus gave us all to change the world!
MATTHEW 28 : 18 - 20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.� The WayMaker initiative at Highpoint Church encompasses this desire to reach people globally, to advance the mission locally, and to set up future Christian leaders to continue the fulfillment of this commission.
TITHE IS ABOUT OBEDIENCE. THE WAYMAKER INITIATIVE IS ABOUT GENEROSITY.
W H AT H A PP ENS WH E N I GIVE TO T H E WAY M AK E R INITIATIVE ? At Highpoint, we believe in the tithe - giving back to God the first 10% of our income. The tithe is used for the operations and day-to-day ministry at Highpoint Church. When you give to the WayMaker initiative, above and beyond the tithe, we come together as the body of Christ, each doing our individual part to rise up and be a part of seeing the extraordinary take place. By God’s abundant grace and blessings, and through the intention and sacrificial living of many, we as a church family can give away thousands of dollars so that many can come to know Jesus personally. These funds will be distributed to world-class organizations and partners working to expand the kingdom of God in our community, our nation, and all across the globe. If this seems like a big task and responsibility, that is because it is! But with the help of the Holy Spirit, and us working together, we can and will make a difference. When you catch the heartbeat of generosity at Highpoint, you can see beyond a giving initiative to realize that you are building the kingdom of God so that everyone may know Jesus Christ personally.
HOW D OE S T H E WAY M A K E R INITIATIVE WO RK? After all of the information is presented to our church family, we will ask everyone to pray and ask God how they should participate. Then on December 13th, we will give in the year-end miracle offering. This is the seed offering for this initiative. This will be Highpoint’s only special offering that we will be doing every year, so please pray and ask God how you can participate. On that same day, we will be asking you to consider making a faith pledge for 2021 for the WayMaker initiative. A faith pledge is a commitment to support this initiative above and beyond your tithes throughout the entire year. We are committed to staying focused on this initiative, so we will not be reintroducing new projects throughout the year. All of our missions, global partnerships, local outreach, and investment in future Christian leaders will be funded through this annual initiative. Every month you will receive an update on the progress of this initiative and celebrating what God is doing through our community of faith.
G LOBA L PA R T N E R S AFRICA Undercover Partner - Chad/Sahara Desert Undercover Partner - Senegal Undercover Partner - Niger Undercover Partner - Burkina Faso Undercover Partner - Africa ASIA PACIFIC Undercover Partner - Mongolia Undercover Partner - Thailand Undercover Partner - Thailand Undercover Partner - Thailand Undercover Partner - Laos Undercover Partner - Cambodia Undercover Partner - Vietnam Undercover Partner - India EURASIA Undercover Partner - Egypt (Cairo) Undercover Partner - Moracco (Cairo) Undercover Partner - Cairo Undercover Partner - Georgia Undercover Partner - Ukraine Undercover Partner - Russia Undercover Partner - Turkmenistan Undercover Partner – Estonia Undercover Partner - Nepal Undercover Partner – Jordan Undercover Partner - Quatar Undercover Partner - North Africa
Undercover Partner - Turkey Undercover Partner - Israel Undercover Partner - Lithuania Undercover Partner - Israel Undercover Partner - Turkey Undercover Partner - Turkey Undercover Partner - Turkey Undercover Partner - Azerbajan Undercover Partner - Azerbajan Undercover Partner – Oman Undercover Partner – Tajikistan Undercover Partner – Agmena EUROPE Undercover Partner - Spain/Morocco Undercover Partner - Albania/Balkans LATIN & SOUTH AMERICA Bob & Lisa Holloway - Venezuela/ Amazonian Peoples Joil & Leah Marlburt - Ecuador/Shuar Peoples Ecuador Hope House - Ecuador James & Ester Mazurek - Chile Steve & Rhonda Wilson - Petagonia (Chile) NORTHERN ASIA Undercover Partner - Northwest China Undercover Partner - China Undercover Partner - China (inner Mongolia)
Undercover Partner - China (Amdo Tibetan) Undercover Partner - China (Tibetans) Undercover Partner - Northeast China Undercover Partner - Southwest China USA Tyler & Paige Staton - Chi Alpha Isaac Olivarez - Denver Inner City Church Plant Steve Pike - Urban Island Project Wilkinsons - Urban Island Project Convoy of Hope Convoy of Hope is a faith-based, nonprofit organization with a driving passion for feeding the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreaches, and disaster response. Speed the Light Speed the Light is a studentinitiated program to help provide the “essential transportation and creative communication” equipment that our missionaries need for evangelism. Our missionaries can help make Jesus known through modern transportation, radio, television, print, audio, and digital equipment.
A DVAN C E TH E MISS I O N LOC AL LY
Christmas Eve, and new youth and children outreaches that will be introduced in 2021.
HOUSE OF LIGHT Empowering families to turn a house into a home for families re-entering society with nothing.
FREEDOM FUND This fund is to help reduce the mortgage on Highpoint’s facility to free up funds for ministry departments and community outreach.
CHI-ALPHA Reaching University College students for Christ, equipping them through Spirit-Filled communities of prayer, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and mission to transform the university, the marketplace, and the world.
PRODUCTION AND ADULT WORSHIP EXPERIENCE Updating and improving A/V equipment in the main auditorium to creatively and clearly communicate the gospel. Also, creating a distraction-free environment.
CHURCH PLANTING Equipping and funding leaders to plant healthy, spirit-filled churches. FREE INTERNATIONAL Working to End Human Trafficking In the U.S. COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS Serving our community through existing outreach events such as our annual Easter egg hunt, Trunk or Treat,
FUTURE C H R I ST IAN L E A D E RS 180 MINISTRIES ADULT & TEEN CHALLENGE A Christ-centered organization focused on helping people gain freedom from chemical addictions and other life-controlling issues.
CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENT UPDATE Refresh our children’s and early childhood area with a themed design and teaching environments. FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES FCA is a Christian sports ministry designed to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. We will be partnering with them to adopt local teams to serve future leaders. YOUTH CAMP TRANSPORTATION Summer camp is a lifechanging experience for every student who attends. We have the vision to supplement the costs for transportation so that more students can afford to go to youth camp. YOUTH & CHILDREN’S WORSHIP EXPERIENCE Investing in and equipping our passionate and skilled staff and volunteers to lead effectively in our youth and
children’s faith experience so that they may be raised up to change the world. KIDS MINISTRY SUMMER INTERNSHIP There is a shortage of Kids Pastors around the country. Many churches are searching for passionate, anointed, and gifted kids ministry leaders. We believe that part of our call is to help raise up a new wave of leaders to change the tide. To start the shift, we will be hosting a 6-week internship in the summer of 2021. During this time, they will learn how to run and lead effective and interactive kids services, plan and conduct kids ministry outreaches, and learn what it means to be vested in this generation’s life. YOUTH ALIVE Youth alive mobilizes students to reach other students on their school campuses and empower churches to connect with their local schools!
G LOBA L I M PAC T
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
“We serve in the heartland of Islam, the Arab Peninsula, in a country where local believers number just 30-40 out of three million people.” For over 25 years now, two of Highpoint church’s partners, a missionary couple whose names are undisclosed due to their sensitive location, have responded to the Great Commission to “go and make disciples.” They are called to a region of the world that is a new frontier for the gospel message. “We serve in the heartland of Islam, the Arab Peninsula, in a country where local believers number just 30-40 out of three million people.” With the emergence of Covid-19, many “challenges” have presented themselves to servants of God across the world. However, these “challenges” have produced God-given opportunities through new ministry-mediums for the couple. One of the ways that the couple has sought to make an impact in the lives they serve is by creating and translating devotional books to train and equip the families they have reached. In a letter to Highpoint church, they describe the writing of the fourth book: “This last book is currently being translated into Arabic. It has come out of ministering to three families we know who have faced tragic bereavement over this last year. One young mother lost her husband. Another lady lost her younger sister in a car accident. And a third family with an underlying health problem lost a daughter and two sons, the last to Covid-19 only a month ago.” While the Covid-19 Crisis has caused varying levels of loss for families across the world, these exceptional partners have responded strategically: “We were able to visit this last family earlier this month in-between lockdowns. The father speaks English and I left a copy of this book with him. I also went over the story of Job and talked about what happens when we face
tragic losses, the shock, the questions, and what can help us process the grieving. Because of the faithful giving of partners like you, we are able to minister to people like this.” By sharing these powerful resources, these partners have ministered to families that don’t know Jesus facing unfathomable circumstances—and more families to come. In addition to these life-changing efforts, the couple has a passion to train Godly leaders to go out to surrounding regions to impact the unreached. They have been able to see five families graduate from their ministry-training program and saw them placed successfully in surrounding countries amidst travel restrictions. As partners through The Waymaker Initiative, these two powerful missionaries not only fulfill Highpoint church’s desire to reach people globally but to raise future Christian leaders. Your continued “over and above” generosity allows for the kingdom of God to expand in the Arab world. “Because of the faithful giving of partners like you, we are able to minister to people this.”
A DVAN C I N G T H E M I SS I ON LO CALLY DINNER DRIVE THRU & BOXES OF HOPE
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in April, the city of Aurora, CO like many cities in the United States, faced great uncertainty amid many new challenges. Many residents of Aurora and the Denver metro area faced layoffs in their occupations, businesses and restaurants were shut down, and economic security was lost for many families by the quarantine order. With the unprecedented difficulties of a global pandemic, a community response to the growing crisis was greatly needed. With many across Aurora in need of the basic home supplies and meals, the people of Highpoint church saw this need as an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. This opportunity was able to take form when the City of Aurora, Stanley Market, and the Colorado Restaurant Response reached out to Highpoint church with an initiative to assist struggling restaurants during the pandemic. This initiative would help restaurants but would assist those in need due to unemployment or other crisis-related issues through serving free meals. Highpoint church’s role in the response initiative would be by becoming a serving location of these free meals. An idea quickly became a reality as community partners stepped up to meet these growing needs. Forrest Bridges, the Youth and Outreach Pastor at Highpoint church describes what materialized from these early conversations: “After our pastor, Caleb McNaughton was contacted by the Colorado Restaurant Response to partner as a meal delivery location, we knew we needed to meet this need promptly as a church. We immediately came together and organized “Free! Dinner Drive Thru” by the generous volunteers of Highpoint church to serve meals to those in our community.” Highpoint Church’s “Free! Dinner Drive Thru” served meals from April 23 rd through June 30th. Over the course of those 45 days, Highpoint church served 6,750 meals volunteering a total of 1,100 volunteer hours. Because of the
generosity of Highpoint Church, stories like that of a local single mom named Keri from a nearby apartment complex and a regular of “Free! Dinner Drive Thru” came about. In a letter to Highpoint, Keri describes what Free! Dinner Drive Thru meant to her family: “Dearest Highpoint church, words cannot express the heartfelt gratitude we have for all you have done to serve our community. The love and care you have given my family and I will bridge us to the next page of this chapter. I’m a single mom of two kids and I lost my job and have some health issues. Thanks to all of you and your delicious meals, we were able to make it. Many of my neighbors ate well because of your amazing meals in a time we had nothing. Thank you for being blessings in our lives!” Every number has a name and Keri represents 1 story of those 6,750 meals served for the glory of God. Keri informed our volunteers that she was able to pick up meals for other single mothers in her apartment complex helping further spread the generosity and love of Jesus.
Another way Highpoint was able to serve our community during these months was through an initiative called “Boxes of Hope.” Pastor Forrest Bridges comments on the outreach of Boxes of Hope: “Boxes of Hope is another example of the generosity of the givers of Highpoint Church wherein a time where hope was scarce, volunteers donated and assembled literal ‘Boxes of Hope’ to provide, canned goods, paper supplies, children’s materials, and Bibles to the Aurora and Denver Metro Area.” One of Highpoint Church’s core values through the Waymaker Initiative is to advance the mission locally. Because of Highpoint church’s faithful givers, we saw 344 Boxes of Hope delivered to those quarantined, laid off, or unemployed. Free! Dinner Drive Thru, along with Boxes of Hope started as a dream to meet needs in our community during crisis but was able to materialize because of faithful givers committed to advancing the mission of God locally. “I’m a single mom of two kids, I lost my job, and I have some health issues. Thanks to all of you and your delicious meals, we were able to make it.”
F UTUR E C H R I ST I A N L E AD E RS JONATHAN M.’S STORY FROM 180 MINISTRIES:
I started dabbling in drugs when I was about 14 mainly with marijuana and alcohol. I struggled in school and did not really know what I wanted to do with my life. Right after high school in 2009 I decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. In October of 2011 while intoxicated I was sexually abused by 3 other marines. After that happened, I dove deeper into addiction with spice which I was both using and selling to other marines. Eventually I was arrested for selling spice and failing a drug test. I was then charged with possession and intent to distribute drugs and was court-martialed receiving another than honorable discharge which carried two months in military jail. After being kicked out of the military and coming home I once again had zero idea with what I was going to do with my life. I was quickly introduced to heroin and methamphetamine which caused me to start doing things I never thought I would do. I started stealing from my family and friends, robbing people and doing whatever I had to do to get my fix. Eventually my addiction caused me to lose everything. I lost my relationship with my parents, brothers and my fiancé. I lost every job I ever had and then lost my apartment as well and became homeless. I was in and out of jail for controlled substances but when I was in jail this last time my mom found the program Teen Challenge of the Rocky Mountains. Since entering the program, it has been the most difficult but awesome journey I have ever experienced. I had no relationship with God and thought long term recovery was not possible for me. This program has taught me how to deal with my emotions in a healthy way by turning to God. Instead of keeping pain, anger and fear buried inside me I have learned how to be vulnerable and honest. I have learned how to be humble and ask for help when I am struggling. I know that God is faithful, and he is as close to me as I want him to be. A scripture that I have held on to through my entire program is Deuteronomy 31:6 which says: “Be strong and courageous,
do not be afraid and do not panic before them, for the lord your god will personally go ahead to you. He will neither fail your nor abandon you.� Trusting in God is an extremely hard process and it takes an everyday commitment to do so but this program has shown me how important it is to let go of my life and let God be in control. This program is not easy and there are a lot of times I want to leave but I truly believe God has me here for a reason and I am determined to finish. I am writing this testimony after 11 months clean and am living proof of what can happen by trusting in God. I am so grateful for the hope that God and 180 ministries has given me. I do believe God is calling me to be a part of Teen Challenge so I can give the same hope to other addicts that was so graciously given to me.
PL AN . V I SI O N . D R E A M .
HOW DO YOU MAKE A COMMITMENT TO THE WAYMAKER INITIATIVE?
Raising over four hundred thousand requires a generous sacrifice from us all. Some giving sacrificially and some from great abundance. If this is your first time giving, or if you are looking to increase the level of your generosity, here are some ways to help you succeed. First, make a plan to give.
When you have plans and are diligent, it leads to plenty. (Proverbs 20:15) God is excited when you have a plan. Whatever the amount is, plan with it - and be obedient to it. Next, ask God to give you a vision for what you could do with his help.
Habakkuk 2:2 tells us to write down the vision and pray about it! This is a step of faith for everyone in the Highpoint family. But with God’s help, we are able to see our faith not only at work but to see something amazing done when everyone asks God what they should do. We will never pressure or make you feel like you should give a specific amount, but we will ask you to pray and ask God how you can be part of advancing His kingdom. Stepping out in faith pleases God.
Lastly, what would be a dream amount you could give?
Hold on to that thought. This is only between you and God. But pay attention to what God can do through you as you stay obedient to whatever he has asked you to do. Give all the glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20) There will be hundreds of people who participate in the WayMaker initiative. It is important to remember that it is obedience to what God speaks to you, not the size of the gift that matters. Our commitment is to move at the pace of the generosity of the people, so we will not be taking on any new debt to accomplish these projects. We believe this is God’s church, and our job is simply to steward resources provided. So be encouraged, with God all things are possible. Our 2020-2021 goal is to raise $439,000 above our tithes and offerings.
“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” Hudson Taylor
H OW DO I G E T IN VO LVED ? Learn more about the projects we are giving to by visiting us online at www.highpointchurch.us/waymaker Follow us on social media at @highpointaurora
Until all know. HI GHPOI NTCHURCH.US