Liberty Vision Month
So you went to church in October and heard Pastor David and Pastor Stephen talk about the series, “On Purpose, For a Purpose.” Great. Cool, you think. But like, can we get back to talking about things that affect me and my relationship with Jesus? Or maybe you’re thinking, can we stop talking about money and finances? It just makes the church feel like it’s begging.
What in the world is Vision Month, why is there a separate “Vision Offering” being collected, and why in the world should I care?
It’s easy to feel that way, especially when you feel less than knowledgable about these things. So before you think okay, I’m outta here, give us the benefit of the doubt first and let’s get into the nitty gritty of all this.
The Cornerstone
At Liberty Church NYC, our vision is for every New Yorker to encounter Jesus through the local church. To pursue this vision we aim to do the following 4 things:
(1) Follow Jesus
(2) Find freedom
(3) Discover purpose
(4) Make a difference.
These have always been our goals, from the time we were a tiny group meeting on a park bench in Central Park to our new multi-service home at the Mezzanine. We have achieved so much while working towards these goals throughout the years — we’ve raised money for families for the holidays, we’ve had church picnics at the park, we run biannual community groups, we have meet-up sessions for professionals in our church congregation and more.
And these things are not going to change. However, we’ve always been limited in what we could do, and one of the main obstacles in our way was location. There were only so many events you could host, support you could provide, and organizations you could connect with when you don’t have a permanent space.
Building a Home on the Rock
By the grace of God, Liberty has finally found a permanent home at The Mezzanine (55 Broadway). Yaay, so cool and exciting!
Now that we have a permanent home, we want to commit this space to furthering the Kingdom and to the mission He has set out for us. In New York City as it is in Heaven!
So with the Mezzanine as our new home, we have the capacity to do so much more in the lower Manhattan community and all across our city. Here are some of our new programs/offerings:
On Sundays after our 10:30am service, Ignite Church NYC uses our space to host their own service
The Dream Center
Hosting outside events and using this as a rental space
Hosting free events for christian purposes
Supporting church plants/global missions
We are so excited about the new and continuing opportunities the Lord has appointed to us, and we can’t wait to see what other doors He opens for us in the future.
So that’s the vision. You can see it; it’s clear as day. However, the programs within our vision require funding to complete them. And that’s where the Vision Offering part comes in.
At the beginning of the year, several people including Pastor David and Pastor Carrie, as well as Pastor Stephen and Pastor Jasmine, prayed to the Lord and asked how much money they should try to raise in 2024. And they heard back an answer: $180,000.
Okay, but what else are you going to do with my donation? you think. Because $180k is a very large number.
Well, in addition to supporting our current and upcoming programming, we are also funding our missionaries and church planters, maintaining and improving our home at the Mezzanine, and dedicating ourselves to Empower[ing] Leaders by fostering the Impact Collective and the City Pastor Network.
We want to help the helpers and make a difference in people making a difference. New York City as it is in Heaven.
The total costs will include access to a space for these missions to meet, supplies, and providing pastors with cohorts, mentoring, and spiritual mentorship for them and their families.
To break it down even further, giving $1,500 will allow us to offer a scholarship to a pastor for cohort coaching (we have a goal of offering 30 scholarships) and giving $2,500 will allow us to sponsor an event for an nonprofit organization who is contributing to the missions and service of our New York City community (our goal for this is 12 scholarships).
So there it is! That’s the Vision and why we’re gathering a Vision offering.
We know that money is a complicated topic. And we know it is not evenly distributed. So we honor whatever commitment you decide to offer us—be it through your prayer, your time, your service, or through your finances.
We know God will provide for us; He always does. So what we’re really asking you is: Do you want to partner with us in furthering God’s kingdom in New York City and in the world?
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“God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
-2 Corinthians 9:8
