There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t hear someone say, “Can you believe it’s already (insert date here). And they always say it as though it snuck up and surprised them. I’m well aware of the days and seasons that pass by. But today, indulge me as I write, “CAN YOU BELIEVE that it’s already July 18!” It is the perfect time to look back and reflect in wonder on God’s goodness. To reflect on the corporate impact when a people of faith partner in obedience with the Lord of faithfulness, who said, “I will build My Church”.
Here are just a few financial highlights from the past year.
- Last summer we began the first phase of replacing the flat roof of the main building. The cost was just under $90,000. Paid in full!
- We launched the Abbotsford Campus in the Fall under Pastor Bryce Lefebvre’s leadership. This young campus is coming together and making an impact. Start-up costs for this “portable church” that meets in a gym was over $250,000 and has been paid in full!
- This past May we paid off the Conference Hall renovation mortgage, 4 years before the mortgage was due. Conservatively, that’s a savings of between $600,000 to $630,000.
- Our giving projections for the Langley Campus were surpassed by 5%.
While these numbers are amazing, they don’t reflect the people impacted by your faithfulness – the fruit. Children taught the life changing truths of Jesus, youth being transformed, people receiving Christian witness and the gospel shared with dozens of people at ESLC classes, vibrant Alpha courses, marriages enriched and filled with hope, seniors gathering to grow and fellowship, men sharpening men, life giving church services, and the list goes on.
As I reflect on this year, I realize that the best gift that God gives us is people. One group of people on our CLA staff is the facilities team. This quiet and faithful team love Jesus by serving you. They ensure rooms are set up so ministry can happen. In a normal month, they set up, tear down and clean 400 rooms. They make sure the building is clean and ready for you. These people are amazing gifts to us. If you notice one of our facilities staff (dressed in a black “facilities” team shirt) – give them a high-five.
God is inviting us all to continue partnering with Him and His purposes for CLA. Let’s do it again this year, because “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10 NIV).
