This year we celebrated 5 Years as a church, and I still believe what I said at the 5 Year Celebration, “God is up to something special at Phoenix Bible Church.”
With that, you need to know: What’s special isn’t the 4 walls at 4002 N 18th Ave. What’s special isn’t the church organization or name. What’s special is the people of God, moved by the Spirit of God. What’s special is you. You make Phoenix Bible Church what it is and as your Pastor, I’m so glad to be a part of the love of Jesus moving in and through you.
And as we approach the end of 2019, I’d like to recap just some of how the love of Jesus has moved, and also look forward to 2020.
2019 – Looking Back
Celebrated 5 Years of PBC!A Year of Growth:18 months ago we moved into 4002 N 18th Ave averaging around 110 people on Sundays. Currently we average 170-215 people on Sundays. We are so thankful for the names, stories, and souls represented by this growth and the opportunity to help them become fully devoted followers of Jesus.Growth in Life Change – Celebrated the 40th Baptism in the life of our church! Why we do what we do!Growth in Teams – 122 people serving across teams and ministriesGrowth in CommunityCompleted our first 4-Week Community Class to give people a first step before entering a Community Group during the weekAlmost all of our community groups are full (12-20 people in each group)Growth in Outreach:Spring Break VBS – ~60 kids with crafts, sports, and the GospelSummer VBS – ~35 kids with crafts, sports, and the GospelCold Brew Coffee & Church Invites to all the faculty and families at Phx Christian on their 1st day of SchoolServing students & parents at GCU during their “Welcome Week”Hosting the “PBC Kids Zone” at Phx Christian Homecoming Football Game and serving ~70 students and families Sponsoring and Serving the Phx Christian Fall Festival (PBC supplied all the food, food preparation, and a video game truck for the kids!)2 Boxes full of Christmas Gifts for underpriveleged kids in urban Phoenix at the “Christmas in Phoenix” eventGrowth in Generosity:2019 Monthly Budget = $21,3002019 Avg Monthly Giving = $21,528.60 (through Oct 2019) 2019 Easter Offering = $7,599.45 (Every year we give our entire offering on Easter away. This year we gave it to Phx Christian School for their Cafeteria renovation) Thank you for giving sacrificially!
2020 – Looking Forward
In 2020, we hope to grow in caring for and equipping the people who are here, and also the people who are not here yet.
People Here Community Groups – We hope to start 3 New Community Groups to broaden the opportunity for community. Teams – We hope to strengthen our Teams with trainings specific to each area and a “Team Fair” on January 26th. Studies – We hope to have 3 Main Studies: Marriage Study – SpringWomen’s Study – SpringGospel of Mark Study & Discipleship Journey – FallPeople Not Here Yet PBC Youth Expansion – We hope to multiply PBC Youth into 2 age appropriate classes, Middle School & High School. To do this, our goal is to grow from 10 to 18 volunteers total.2 Services – We will again have 2 services on Easter Sunday to accomodate attendance on that day, but also as another test case for doing this in the future on a consistent basis.Sanctuary Renovation – We are planning to partner with Phx Christian to make minor, but important updates to the sanctuary (carpet, paint, etc) Local Missions – We will definitely to continue to serve the diverse population at Phx Christian School across the street. In addition, in a study of the 4 miles surrounding our church, we found that some of the top needs are companionship, recreation, and crime. We hope to offer community events in the neighborhood (outdoor movie night, Spring VBS, etc) to help meet these needs, and also partner with other organizations who are already meeting these needs. Global Missions – Our hope is to take a vision trip to a Latin America country that we can begin to invest into over the next 5 years through short term trips, child sponsorships, and monetary donations.
End of Year Giving
Right now these are plans and dreams, but we invite you to pray, serve, and give toward making them a reality. In particular, as we approach the end of the year, this is an important and impactful time of giving for churches, non-profits, and charities. We’d love for you to consider making a year-end gift to Phoenix Bible Church.
Church, I can’t wait to see how the love of Jesus continues to move in and through us in 2020.
Pastor Tim Birdwell
The post Looking Back & Looking Forward appeared first on Phoenix Bible Church: A gospel centered church in central Phoenix.