Dear Sunnyside Community Church,
I hope and pray you are all doing well and managing through this difficult time we are in and trusting God through it all. I miss seeing everybody every Sunday, worshipping together, fellowshipping, and being fed the Word as a church body in the presence of one another. Pastor and family are doing a wonderful job supplementing our routine every week to stay connected, not to mention Brent with his exceptional IT skills to make it possible and Julie’s faithfulness putting all the communication pieces together for us. A big “THANK YOU” for it all and giving us a sense of togetherness in today’s world that is full of isolation.
Fundraising at the best of times can be intimidating. Even more so in the middle of a pandemic! Asking people to give in times like this may feel daunting, or even insensitive. In the midst of uncertainty, our natural response is to pull in and hunker down. And, for the sake of our vulnerable neighbors, we are being asked to do exactly that.
At the same time, we know that generosity is an antidote to anxiety. It unlocks our joy and shifts our attention to the generosity of God in Christ toward a world He loves. We are already seeing this crisis inspire incredible acts of courage and self-giving.
The “why” of giving is never clearer than in a crisis. There is a continued crisis/need every moment of every day, even during this pandemic. We have to remember the unborn lives that are at risk constantly.
“Steps For Life” gives us that opportunity to shift our focus from all the uneasiness we may feel and show our love of Christ to the ongoing need of the unborn through giving to the “Pregnancy Resource Centers” where women get the chance to see their baby on an ultrasound and choose life because of it, where the broken who need to know forgiveness and healing from a past abortion decision go through the biblical recovery group “The Heart”, and for those who have experienced sexual brokenness and need to know Jesus through “The Reality Project”. These three programs through First Image focus to not only encourage women to choose life, but to minister and guide the lost to choose JESUS, then impacting their lives and the lives of the unborn today and the ones God already knows because HE is great!
Even though there will not be a community walk/run event this year as in years past due to our current circumstances, there will be a webcast on May 23rd at 10am followed by your personal walk/run with your family AND the fundraiser is going on now!! I have created a church team titled SUNNYSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH. I think this is the easiest way to let everybody have the opportunity to get involved and/or donate!
To start, simply go to https://fundraise.first-image.org/event/steps-for-life-run-walk-2020/e271178 and choose “register today” or “sponsor a participant”. If you want to register to fundraise and be eligible for prizes, choose “join a team”, choose our church name, choose a walk or run (there is not a charge), follow the prompts and fill out the form. Let the fundraising begin! At this point you call, text, IM, Facebook, Instagram, etc. OR whatever you kids are doing these days to reach out and encourage your friends and families to support you in supporting this great cause!
To simply make a donation after going to the same link, choose “sponsor a participant”, choose our church name, follow the prompts and fill out the form. If you don’t have access to a computer and want to donate, please contact me). You can also encourage friends and family to support the cause and send them the link to donate, just tell them how! There are no limitations on giving!
I really do encourage you to pray about this and donate as you are led. Thank you for your support in the cause and making it a success! Stay safe and healthy!
Blessings,
Angel Powell
STEPS FOR LIFE 2020
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matt 25:40
