It was a very big week for Connections. Monday we received word our Church Multiplication Network (CMN) funding request was approved by the by the Executive Leadership of the Assemblies of God. Thursday we completed an application for a sizable federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The CMN approval will provide much needed funding and equally important, it marks the final launch hurdle. We are now clear for our August grand opening. It also marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. I have been a "pastor in training" for a long time and I still questions whether I am ready for the big leagues. However, I am comforted by the distance God has already brought me. Somehow, against long odds He has refined me and equipped me for service. My confidence is in Him, not my own abilities.
Our Federal grant application is a testament to God's greatness. The amount of bureaucracy and minutia applicants are require to navigate to apply for a Federal grant leaves Satan plenty of room to work. If Connections Church is awarded the grant it will provide funds to pay staff, lease space, and provide for the basic needs of those we serve. The grant was offered at the end of June and the application deadline was Thursday.
After reading the grant details at the beginning of July I felt defeated by its bestselling novel length. My head could not even comprehend the amount of work which laid ahead but God encouraged us forward. It was God who created the outline. It was God who named the project. It was God who shaped the narrative through the gifts of our leadership team. By Thursday morning, after one last push, the application was ready.
The final battle came two hours before the deadline. The process to electronically file a Federal grant is equally mind-numbing. I thought I had completed the process weeks earlier until I entered my password and hit send. It turns out I had only completed half the process and needed yet another account and password. I felt Satan sneering with satisfaction, but God was not done. Despite our stress, fear, and frustration God helped Deniz navigate the last steps and thwarted the enemy by clearing the last bureaucratic bariers in record time.
Regardless of whether we receive grant, victory has been won. Connection's ability to collaborate, willingness to trust, and faith in God was tested. Our confidence in God has grown. Nothing is too hard for the Lord, not even government bureaucracy.
The CMN approval will provide much needed funding and equally important, it marks the final launch hurdle. We are now clear for our August grand opening. It also marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. I have been a "pastor in training" for a long time and I still questions whether I am ready for the big leagues. However, I am comforted by the distance God has already brought me. Somehow, against long odds He has refined me and equipped me for service. My confidence is in Him, not my own abilities.
Our Federal grant application is a testament to God's greatness. The amount of bureaucracy and minutia applicants are require to navigate to apply for a Federal grant leaves Satan plenty of room to work. If Connections Church is awarded the grant it will provide funds to pay staff, lease space, and provide for the basic needs of those we serve. The grant was offered at the end of June and the application deadline was Thursday.
After reading the grant details at the beginning of July I felt defeated by its bestselling novel length. My head could not even comprehend the amount of work which laid ahead but God encouraged us forward. It was God who created the outline. It was God who named the project. It was God who shaped the narrative through the gifts of our leadership team. By Thursday morning, after one last push, the application was ready.
The final battle came two hours before the deadline. The process to electronically file a Federal grant is equally mind-numbing. I thought I had completed the process weeks earlier until I entered my password and hit send. It turns out I had only completed half the process and needed yet another account and password. I felt Satan sneering with satisfaction, but God was not done. Despite our stress, fear, and frustration God helped Deniz navigate the last steps and thwarted the enemy by clearing the last bureaucratic bariers in record time.
Regardless of whether we receive grant, victory has been won. Connection's ability to collaborate, willingness to trust, and faith in God was tested. Our confidence in God has grown. Nothing is too hard for the Lord, not even government bureaucracy.
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