Two Big Christmas Gifts (Todd)

I read two newspapers every day - the Charlotte Observer and the Wall Street Journal. To be a missional pastor in Charlotte means you need more than a passing acquaintance with the worlds of banking and finance so the Journal is essential reading for me.

These days during the downturn the Journal is relentlessly brutal to read - story after story of companies missing earnings targets, widespread layoffs in the financial sector, grim retail reports, Chapter 11 filings, a fifty billion dollar Ponzi scheme. Tough stuff. And, of course, all of this affects regular men and women like you and me and families like ours in some pretty scary ways.

But historically it is in tough times that the church excels. And in the face of all the concern and panic, I wanted to remind you about two great gifts coming at Next Level in the next week.

First, tomorrow, we will give away more than 500 gift bags to the kids at Rock Rest Elementary as part of the Give:Love Project. You will read much more about that in days to come!

Second, on Christmas Eve we are issuing a challenge to those of you who have been blessed this year financially or who are simply doing OK. Perhaps you are someone who took the Four Month Tithe Challenge and have seen God show up big time.

Whatever the case, we want to give our single biggest offering of the year during the Christmas Eve service.
It will go for two things:

-To help others who are struggling in the downturn. We always want to be able to help in big, over the top ways!
-To finish getting us in the new auditorium on the Matthews Campus.

If you have been blessed, if your situation is better than it might have been - I am looking forward to giving generously with you on Christmas Eve!