Vision 2015

Dear CCC Family,

Exciting days are HERE, and exciting days are AHEAD!  Many are growing in faith, and the community of faith is building in the Conifer area.  Each week we are seeing new faces, and each week more people are making CCC their home church.  With this momentum building, it is important that we keep our eyes on Jesus, and that we continue to work toward the vision to which he has called us in Conifer!  This Sunday, February 1 after church, we will hold our annual meeting to set the stage for 2015.  This meeting will have two main components, vision casting and budget approval.  Through the vision we will dream about what God wants us to accomplish in 2015, and with the budget we will say in dollars and cents how much we really believe God wants to accomplish through us.  

Where we have come together...

Four and a half years ago, I began my casting of vision with the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.  “I have a dream!”  In the time since that meeting we have seen many dreams come true for the church.  We have seen spiritual and emotional healing from difficult days.  We have renovated key areas in the church.  We have launched Compass Groups, Conifer Kids 4 Christ as our children’s ministry, Ignite Student Ministry, and Church Family Night.  We have invested in our community through firewood ministry, Christmas lights, Back Pack Project, Elevation Celebration, Easter Meals, Angel Tree, etc.  We have supported missions through giving and the first mission trip in years to Honduras.  We have opened our doors to the community through facility use.  We have seen people come to faith and grow in their faith.  We have celebrated 60 years of ministry in the Conifer area.  And we have begun a ministry to the Cowboy culture in the Conifer area.

Where we are together…

All of the things listed above and countless other things have placed us in a position of influence in our community like no other time in our church’s history.  With that in mind, here are a few things that I believe we could accomplish THIS YEAR as we strive toward our vision of Real People, Real Peace, Reaching Our Community for Christ.  1) As we continue to reach new people with the message of the gospel, we need to make room through overflow seating and expanded parking.  2) Continue to present our facility as a resource for the congregation and community through a renovation and update of our kitchen facilities.  3) Organize ourselves in a way that allows ministry teams to grow and new people to get involved easily.  4) Continue to develop a growing staff team in order to shepherd our community well.  5) Pay off existing debt, and begin to expand our facility to accommodate continued growth and outreach.  6) Complete funding of CCC ministry teams. 

Where will we go?…Together…

The answer to this question will begin to be answered through the approval of a budget.  Detail of the budget proposal can be found at conifercc.blogspot.com.  Within that budget there are three levels defined, bronze, silver, and gold.  In an effort to be both responsible and recognizing the growth God is providing, the elders and trustees wanted to make sure we are all moving together in the same direction.  Here is the breakdown of response needed at the annual meeting.  Acceptance of the “Bronze” level says we are ok with the status quo.  Moving to the “Silver” level would say that we are looking ahead to the immediate future with hope.  The “Gold” level will communicate to the leadership that the church is ready to see BIG things in the vision God has called us to accomplish.  The “Gold” level is left undefined as far as dollars and cents.  This would push the Trustees and Elders to prayerfully dream about where God is leading us.  The approval of the “Gold” level does not sign a blank check, but approves the numbers presented and call for further action from the leaders.  It will communicate that the church is READY to give sacrificially and REQUIRES the leaders to present the next level within six months of approval.  As your pastor, I am asking that you prayerfully consider the “Gold” level as we consider the increased influence in the Conifer area.  

As Nehemiah said, “We are carrying on a great work, and we cannot come down.”  Let’s come together this Sunday in order to reach out in a greater way in 2015.

By God’s Grace,

Pastor Lance