WHAT IS PROJECT 21?

IT IS A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY WHERE GOD IS FURTHERING OUR VISION AND THEREFORE REARRANGING HOW WE DO FINANCES BY SPECIFICALLY CALLING US TO:

REACH OUT WITH COMPASSION TOGETHER

We are called to support select projects and increase our mission giving.

Since its inception, ECC has been a collection of people acting with great compassion in this world, yet perhaps mostly on individual or small group levels. We believe God is calling us to act in unity, going beyond what we ever dreamed by working together on several centralized projects.

Partnering with Opportunity International

This organization funds budding impoverished entrepreneurs in starting self sustaining business. It roughly costs 10k to fund 50 new entrepreneurs. We would like to support 250 new entrepreneurs over the next 10 years.

Continuing our church’s relationship with Ameya, Nicaragua

As we continue to send teams from ECC to Nicaragua we desire to have a larger scholarship base to defray the cost of a trip by up to 40%, facilitating more people to go and fund a variety of projects on site.

Continue to support our missionaries

We want to continue to love and financially support the missionaries we have embraced to help further Christ’s work across the globe.

Supporting the work of our denomination

The Covenant does a remarkable job of efficiently dealing with a variety of world needs, planting new churches and revitalizing existing churches. We would like to be consistently giving 5% of our income toward these efforts.

Partnering with the International Justice Mission

This group literally frees slaves. It is utterly disturbing to think that today there are an estimated 2 million people that are held as slaves for both labor and sex. The human trafficking network is said to be a billion dollar a year industry. For roughly 1k IJM can free one slave and provide aftercare. If we commit 50k over the next ten years, 50,000 slaves will be set free.

APPROPRIATELY FUND EXISTING MINISTRY

We are called to faithfully support what we have already committed to.

God has blessed us with several branches of long term fruitful ministry. Over the years we as a body have made decisions to continue to expand our ministries and staff beyond what we can now fund. In 2009 we had to make a painful 50% cut to all ministry expenses and missionary support as well as cut staff salaries by 5%.

There has not been a sense that God is calling us to eliminate any of our existing ministries. To the contrary, our call has been to appropriately fund what we are already committed to.

CREATE “HOUSE CHURCHES”

We are called to organize so that all who enter ECC will have the opportunity for community, service and outreach.

For several years God has continued to bring a steady stream of people looking to connect with our church. It is time for us to ask the question, "Should we act now to better give each person a place to connect relationally, use their gifts and intentionally invite those beyond our ECC community?" Leadership is answering with a resounding "Yes!"

To do this we are being called to introduce a concept called "House Church." This is a mid-sized group of roughly 25-50 intergenerational people gathering once a month for the purpose of a pot luck dinner and engaging communal worship. The hope is to create an accessible welcoming space to get to know people, serve, and reach out to others by inviting them to be a part of this home based community.

WHY NOW?

Why not wait until the economy completely recovers?

In 2009 we passed a barebones budget and we still may need to draw from savings. 2010 is shaping up to be the same. When the savings run out our options are to cut staff or generate a greater income.

Perhaps this is precisely where God wants us to be. By most standards we are a fairly accomplished group of people, well educated, and candidly, accustomed to being able to arrange life through the power of our own resources. Maybe this challenge is so large that God has positioned us to act in complete reliance upon him. It is too much for us to 'manage' and will require us to act in greater faith.

Perhaps God wants to show us just how BIG he is and that ultimately it is about what God is doing, not what we can do. Perhaps God is teaching us that a life surrendered to him would move form thinking "Ok, here is what is left over after paying the bills and what I can afford," to thinking, "Ok, God, everything here is yours, what are you asking of me?"

WHAT IS BEING ASKED OF ME?

Join in the journey.

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