We Praise our God for His Provision!

Campaign Summary:

The following announcement was delivered by Pastor Matt on August 30, 2020, at the close of our Kingdom Vision Campaign. Below this announcement, you will see some of the materials we used when we launched the campaign in September 2019. 

Back in September 2019 (a small lifetime ago), we launched the Kingdom Vision for God’s Glory campaign. We prayed that this campaign would expand our hearts for generosity, expand our hearts for fellowship with God’s people, and expand our hearts to reach the unchurched through church planting. 

Despite all that happened this year, you have contributed $330,523 to the Kingdom Vision Fund, which is over and above your general fund giving. It’s true, our initial goal was higher, but we are so pleased with the generosity you’ve shown this past year. (We’re especially pleased because you also gave over $40,000 to the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. Our deacons are standing by to assess needs and distribute those funds according to the needs.) We’re also pleased because 61 out of our 106 regular givers gave to the Kingdom Vision Fund, in addition to our General Fund. Fifty-eight percent gave to both. 

In July, Session made some initial disbursements of those Kingdom Vision Funds. We allocated $200,000 to the FPC Church Planting Fund, most of which will go to our new church plant, led by Steve Stanton, launching in Fall 2021. We also allocated some money to our Capital Asset Replacement Fund. We nearly depleted that fund (and some others) to expand our lobby and do some other building improvements in the past two years, so we’re happy to be able to refill those funds partially. 

As you can see, God moved the hearts of his people to give towards the work of church planting, and God increased your hearts for generosity. Because not only did you give towards this campaign (again, over and above your regular giving), but your regular giving increased, as well. In June, we ended our fiscal year, and your general fund giving was more than we had budgeted. Praise the Lord and thank you for that. 

God also expanded our hearts for fellowship in this past year. He did that in an unusual, unexpected way – by hindering our normal ability to fellowship. He gives, and He takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. But despite the obstacles which have changed the nature of our fellowship, our fellowship has not been eliminated. In particular, you have so greatly desired to meet for worship with God’s people that you’ve been willing to meet outdoors, in large numbers, for many weeks. Friends, I did not see that coming. I’m grateful for it. And I’m still prayerful that ALL of our members who want to worship will be able to do so safely. And Soon. Let’s keep praying for that, and for those are at higher risk, and for those who are unable to worship with us right now. 

Expanded hearts for generosity, for fellowship, and for the unchurched. Praise God for that. And may it continue. 

When we launched this campaign, we envisioned a 1 - year initial campaign, ending in August 2020, followed by a 2nd Phase, more focused on building expansion, notably an expanded East Wing, and a bigger and better East patio. As we wait for the day when we can use our existing building to its capacity, we think the only wise choice is to delay that 2nd Phase indefinitely. But we do not want to overlook all the ways that you have been generous and flexible in the past year. 

It’s true, we have not spoken about the Kingdom Vision campaign as much in the past few months as we did at first. We wanted to be sensitive to the financial uncertainty that many were experiencing. While we’ve raised more than the amount that was initially pledged, there may be some of you who planned to make a gift and were unable to do so. Maybe you planned to make a gift and forgot. If so, don’t worry. We will still gladly receive gifts after the formal close of the campaign, which is tomorrow, August 31, and we will disperse those funds according to our original stated intentions. And if you were not able to fulfill those pledges, we trust that it was due to changes in your circumstances that were unforeseen. Unforeseen by you and by us, but definitely foreseen by our great, mighty and generous God, who promises to meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider, and His grace is sufficient for me. 

God has provided what Forestgate needed this past year. And more. And we trust that He will continue to do so in the future. Providing things such as these: Bigger hearts for generosity, bigger hearts for fellowship, and bigger hearts for the unchurched. AND – bigger hearts to love Him more, all of our days, in light of all that He has generously provided for us. 

Thank you, Forestgate. May God be glorified through us. May God continue to do immeasurably more than all we ask or think. To Him be the Glory. Amen. 

Below you will see some of the materials we used when we launched the campaign in September 2019. 

Pledge Cards

The idea of a pledge card comes from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, where he wrote about a generous church that had planned to help, but the time had not quite come.

We do not want you to feel under any compulsion but to freely give what God is calling you to give, over and above your regular giving. Pledge cards serve as a reminder for each person to pray that God would prosper them so that they may plan to give a gift in the future. We understand that life situations may change and that the ability to fulfill a pledge may not be possible.

This is not an oath and if circumstances in your life change you are not bound to give what you had planned. Please take 30 minutes to study 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 for Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian church on this topic.

Prayer is not an afterthought

An effective campaign will focus on the centrality of Christ and the principles of spiritual power found in His word. My opinion of one key to success will be God’s people coming boldly into the presence of our almighty God in corporate prayer. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (all scripture quotes English Standard Version) We enjoy His mercy and Grace and we need His help.

Willingness to pray should be strongly encouraged while being careful not to place spiritually abusive guilt upon people, even though it seems highly beneficial. Jean Calvin suggests that, “the only persons who duly and properly gird themselves to pray are those who are so moved by God’s majesty that, freed from earthly cares and affections, they come to it.” 1 Our theme verse support’s Calvins idea of God’s majesty and the freedom we can enjoy, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36 ESV

My sincere concern is that corporate prayer has gone out of fashion, because people do not pray privately, therefore, corporate prayer is an embarrassment to them. D.A. Carson says, “Public prayer ought to be the overflow of one’s private praying.” 2

I have often wondered why it is such hard work to pray? It is my contention, that Satan knows prayer informed by God’s word is a powerful weapon, therefore the world, our flesh and the devil conspire to keep us from this important work.

The post Pentecost church met daily for prayer. The church prayed as if their lives depended on it and often it did. The early church saw God work in ways that astounded and blessed the body of Christ and glorified God. We see the dedication to corporate prayer of the saints accomplished much (Acts 1:14, 2:42, 4:31, 12:5, 13:3 and 16:16).

My great hope is that God would call more men & women to wield the sword of the Spirit in prayer, igniting a greater zeal in our hearts and expecting God to open closed doors and go ahead of us for His glory. (2 Chronicles 6:32-35, Songs of Solomon 3:7-8, Ephesians 6:10-20, 1 Timothy 6:11-16 & 2 Timothy 2:15) The opinion of Charles Spurgeon was, “I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer.” 3

Joyfully yours in Christ,

Carl Bobb

 1 The Institutes of Christian Religion book III page 854 Westminster John Knox Press, December 31, 1961

2 D. A. Carson, Praying with Paul, 2nd ed. Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 1992, 2014 

3  Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 19: 1873, Baker Book House 1987

FAQ - Kingdom Vision for God’s Glory

1) How much are we trying to raise? And Why? And by when?

• Step 1 – For right now (September 2019 - August 2020), we would like to raise $500,000, for church planting and replenishing some of the funds spent on existing building projects. Any excess amount we raise will go towards 

• Step 2 – Eventually, we hope to launch a campaign to raise another $1.55 million for future building expansion. “UPDATE, August 2020: This Step is delayed indefinitely as we prayerfully respond to circumstances related to COVID-19.”

2) What do Step 1 and Step 2 involve? Objective: Two Step Financial Campaign over four years / Total campaign goal $2.1 million

Step #1 – September 2019 - August 2020

• Replenish reserves that were used to build space for expanding relational contact within the Forestgate community which includes work in that is completed or in process such as architectural & engineering costs, current East play area and Gazebo, Lobby Expansion & parking lot (2A) West Patio/Gazebo/Storage Shed, Lobby Expansion, Parking lot, West Patio, Gazebo, Storage Shed & East Building Expansion (2A & 2B)

• Ensure Steve’s Church Plant is off to a good start.

• Prepare financial foundation for East Building Expansion (2B).

Step #2 September 2020 - September 2023 ONLY IF GROWTH INDICATES NEED

• Phase 2B: Relational addition (east) for classrooms, fellowship space, office remodel (west). East patio, plus interior lighting, signage, welcome desk upgrades if money available.

• Church Planting Fund For next Church Planting resident.

• “UPDATE, August 2020: This Step is delayed indefinitely as we prayerfully respond to circumstances related to COVID-19.”

3) Why are we trying to replenish funds?

• We undertook some modest building projects that we believed would give us some much-needed fellowship space for our growing church. We had money on hand to undertake these projects, thanks to wise and careful spending by our leadership and thanks to your generous contributions. However, before we launch into any further projects, we thought it was best to replenish some of those funds. We have spent approximately $400,000 on existing projects, but we are only trying to replenish $300,000. Also, our church is in very healthy place financially, and we are currently debt-free and have been for a long time.

4) What about building expansion? Why aren’t we talking more about building expansion in Step 1 on this program?

• There are several reasons:

• If we had all the money we needed to build a proposed East Expansion right now, we would still need more time to complete existing projects and make preparations before we break ground.

• We have already made some building improvements, thanks to your generosity.

• We think it’s time to start church planting.

5) Why the emphasis on church planting?

• This has been a goal of Forestgate’s for a long time. That’s why we started a Church Planting Fund and joined the Western Church Planting Network in 2018. For more information (and more FAQs) about these efforts, please see our Church Planting page on our website: https://forestgate.org/church-planting.

6) Who will know how much I give?

• Our church treasurer who produces end-of-year giving reports. Our pledge cards will be anonymous.

7) Then how are you going to track what is given? 

• We plan to ask our treasurer for regular reports on how much has been given and how much has been pledged. We hope this will provide progress reports while maintaining confidentiality for individual givers.

8) How much should I give?

• “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

• We hope that you will give to this campaign, over and above what you’re already giving to the church, after prayerful consideration. We don’t want you to give to this campaign and stop/reduce your regular giving to the church, because that would be problematic. If you think that you’re giving as much as you can already, then simply remember Paul’s words above: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly, or under compulsion…”

9) What if I pledge, but can’t fulfill my pledge?

• We do not want you to feel under any compulsion but to freely give what God is calling you to give, over and above your regular giving. Pledge cards serve as a reminder for each person to pray that God would prosper them so that they may plan to give a gift in the future. We understand that life situations may change and that the ability to fulfill a pledge may not be possible.

10) What if I don’t want to fill out a pledge card but still want to give?

• Pledge cards will help us plan and track our progress, but no one is required to fill out a pledge card, which, again, is anonymous. We welcome any and all gifts to the Kingdom Vision Fund (see #10), regardless of whether you fill out a pledge card.

11) Should I write something different on my capital campaign check than what I write on my regular tithe check?

• Check written to Forestgate for the capital campaign should indicate in the check memo or on the cash giving envelope “Kingdom Vision Fund.”

12) Is it too late to give?

• No! Although the campaign officially ended at the end of August 2020, gifts are still welcome and will be used to further the original goals of the campaign.