WE SEE A CHURCH WHERE
GENEROSITY GETS UNLEASHED.
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver”
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
Weekend of Hope highlights Forest City Church ministry plans and how you can invest your resources and wealth into speeding the vision we believe God is calling us to in 2023.
We are focusing on the advancement of the gospel through involvement in the cities of Elgin and Rockford. We are committed to a ministry philosophy that says “that our goal is not to own or control anything as ours” We want to hold, with an open hand, all that God has entrusted us with so that real needs are met in our cities and the Good news of Jesus is shared.
Our Cities || $160,000
For kids at the bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum, there is a huge need for men and women to come alongside these kids, help them learn, believe in them, give them hope that they can amount to more than they believe and cheer them on. What they don’t get at home can come from God’s people who invest in them. We are already working on partnerships that include mentoring programs and we see this as an integral part of the future ministry of Forest City Church.
Mentoring Program | $25,000 (Rockford)
We are excited to begin the process of adding ministry space and equipment for those in our church family who have special needs. WE hope to see the FCC Friends ministry launch in 2023 to serve children and families with special needs on Sundays.
FCC Friends | $60,000 (Rockford & Elgin)
One Collective is already working to bring together community members, social services, faith communities, business leaders, education experts, government employees, and elected officials to collaborate to solve issues of homelessness, human trafficking, community disunity, and youth disengagement.
One Collective | $25,000 (Elgin)
We have a deep heart to partner in ministry with minority churches in Rockford and Chicago to bridge the divide between those minorities and the white population. As part of this effort we are engaging in partnerships with specific churches where there are common goals of meeting the real needs of the community. One of these is Providence Baptist Church in Rockford and Just Christ Ministries on the South side of Chicago. While we anticipate partnering with them on ministry efforts, we desire to minister to them by helping them renovate a key ministry building on their property and expend feeding and after school programs.
Providence Block Party 2023 | $25,000 (Rockford)
Just Christ Feeding Program | $25,000 (Elgin)
The Global missions lane focuses on the advancement of the gospel through reaching our world global missions as the resourcing of life-giving churches in our nation and nationals around the world. We have passion to see people of all nations come to Christ and for the nations to be transformed by the power of the gospel.
Global Missions || $160,000
Last year we started a new relationship with Food For the Hungry in the country of Rwanda & the Dominican Republic. We will be sponsoring children for two specific development centers and as part of our relationship we are raising money to help support specific needs of these development centers that “our” children will be attending. These could include new toilet blocks, security fencing, playground equipment and more. This is a huge opportunity to change the lives of the least of these and give them a hopeful and God filled future.
FFH DEV Center | $50,000
Empart ministries works on the front line of church planting in India, a place where 25% of the world population that does know Jesus lives. In 2018 alone they released 1,110 new pastors into India to plant churches. There are 54 such training centers across India training new pastors and we at FCC have the opportunity to partner in supporting one of these Training centers. For roughly $30k a year, we can support the operations of _______(insert training center specifics). And see the Gospel planted through local churches by the hundreds, impacting thousands.
Empart ministry center | $35,000
Convoy of hope is an exciting new partnership that will allow us to not only respond to issues of global poverty and education, but also disaster recovery and relief. CoH is always first on the ground for any natural disaster and currently is one of only a handful of NGO’s feeding the country of Ukraine. Our partnership will bring help and hope to those in the middle of a disaster.
Convoy of Hope | $50,000
This year as we continue to build strong relationships in a country we will be targeting over the next decade to support, Our team has been invited to attend and Lead worship at the National Prayer Breakfast in Kigali, Rwanda. The prayer breakfast is attended by congress and the president and gives us an opportunity to sit at the table with leading policy makers and decision makers inside Rwanda.
Rwanda Strategic Partnership Development | $25,000
Our Home || $680,000
Elgin Expansion | $160,000
We desire to provide the very best development and training to our staff to maximize their contribution to Forest City church ministry and to steward the gifts God has given. In addition, benefit upgrades for staff are critical if we are going to attract and retain staff.
Talent Acquisition & Development | $160,000
We are committed to making Jesus' name known and creating 7th floors everywhere, and the digital frontier is a space we feel called to do this. We plan to invest in tiny churches and tools for digital discipleship and physical tiny churches around the globe.
Tiny Church & Digital engagement | $100,000
We want to be able to meet the needs of our church family when those needs are made known. Acts 2:42 reads “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
We are called to care for those in our midst and we intend to make more needs in 2023 than ever.
Increased Benevolence Fund | $100,000
Much of our technology used today is two decades old in Rockford and and are in need of new equipment we don't have currently in Elgin. With the need to provide services digitally we must upgrade much of this technology.
Tech Upgrades | $160,000