We are deeply grateful to be celebrating our sixth year together! I want to thank you for your faithfulness in supporting your spiritual home, Rise Community Church. It has been a challenging and complicated year as we have lived together through the Covid-19 pandemic. We have mourned with our brothers and sisters through the loss of loved ones dear to us. We have continually prayed together during the social and political upheaval in our country. We have coped in creative ways as we have been unable to gather regularly as a church family. We are all in agreement that this year has been like no other. However, in the midst of our struggling God remains faithful! We remember what the Apostle Paul has taught us: Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23
As Christ followers, we must look towards God’s truth and trust the Spirit to guide us through these troubled waters, not sitting still but living in the confidence that God is at work and that His will for us is good, pleasing, and perfect. During our struggles, I have witnessed increased spiritual growth, a reinvigorated passion to reach the lost, and more focused attention on Jesus and His kingdom. I pray that whatever this year has brought, each of us has drawn closer to God than ever before. Our community, now more than ever, can see the need for the hope of Jesus; the only true hope for this lost world. We as his followers have a unique opportunity to raise the banner of Christ as we love and serve those around us.
Time to Restart
The pastors and leaders are overjoyed to announce that God has opened a door allowing us to restart live Sunday services at the Old Davie School. We will be having our first in-person service on February 21st at 10:30am and we are so looking forward to seeing all of you! We will continue to broadcast our services live on our website and Facebook for those who are unable to attend. We continue as a family to place the emphasis on what is essential to our faith, growing deeper, serving others, and living out our faith. Remember God brought us together to pursue an authentic faith, authentic fellowship, and to rediscover the church God has called us to be.
Permanent Home
A big change for this year is our relocation to a new warehouse space that was more economical and provided us with a better space to have our small groups and offices. Also, after several closed doors, we continuously push forward prayerfully in pursuing a permanent home for ourselves. We are taking significant steps toward having a permanent home that will serve as a Christ-centered community providing counseling, teaching, and spiritual support in our neighborhood. As a result of your obedience and response to the call from God, we have raised a total of $274,361 in direct giving and commitments to our permanent home. We are well underway to reaching our $400,000 goal as a down payment on our home. Having a permanent home will allow us to advance our ministry and allow us to increase our focus on serving the community.
Love & Serve
As God’s people we live out our faith with obedience, Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. Galatians 6:10 That’s why I am excited that as a Church we have given over $19,000 dollars in Missions and Benevolence, provided Christmas gifts, and met the needs of Haiti’s Hope and local families in our own congregation and community, provided support to those called to the mission field, and supported Pastor Reggie Constant in Haiti. How we respond to the needs God places before us is a great witness of our faithfulness to God especially in the difficult season we are in! As we continue to love and serve others together, we will continue to support families enduring difficult times, brothers, sisters, and neighbors with tangible needs as Christ has called us to!
Looking Ahead - 2021!
As we look ahead to 2021 the Lord’s call to community is even more urgent! It is my great honor to serve you as your pastor and I believe God continues to have so much more for us! On behalf of the entire leadership here at Rise Community Church, I would like to express our deepest appreciation for your faithful and sacrificial giving to the Lord through this ministry even in a year where so many of us have struggled financially.
We thank you for your faithful giving to the Lord and to the furthering of His Kingdom. May God continue to richly bless you!
In Christ,
Pastor Peter Pera