Acts 28:31
Hey, everyone, thank you for your support and prayers in this journey. I wanted to share an update about how far we've gotten this far! So this wraps up the first month of support raising roughly, and it's been a busy month! Thank you for all of your support in helping me get this far! Praise the Lord for the work He has started and is completing in you. So after this first month, the Lord has provided through you all, $3,737.37! Praise God for His providence! This is about 11% of the total $30,000 we're on this journey to raise! Praise God for his providence and for the people who’ve come alongside in support!
Coming into this next month, I plan to keep up this level of support raising, setting up more meetings with people, and sharing what God is doing in Calgary. I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve probably reached all the closest people and they offered multiple forms of support for me moving and many offered to buy shirts. And I’ve gained valuable ministry partners who are supporting monthly. So with that, I plan on reaching out to more people that I know, but may not have as deep a relationship with and looking to develop those relationships and whatever support that can be offered will be readily accepted. Below is the amount that I have raised so far, I will update this at the end of each month to show the progress made! I will continue to post once every other week giving updates about where I'm at in this process, and what you all can be in prayer for!
0 Comments
Hey all, thank you so much for your encouragement, support and prayers! I’d like to give a special thank you to the people who are financial partners with me in this work. It is humbling to see and know your generosity and support in this ministry journey the Lord has started me on. If you’re considering becoming a financial supporter, with whatever gift you can give, I would love to connect with and discuss in person more about this process and what it could possibly look like to partner together in ministry. Last week was a big week, my sending church Edgewood Baptist Church, setup up a financial giving option for me until I get my MSC, number from NAMB. That Wednesday I shared with my students about my plans and then Sunday I presented to the church my plans. Both were bittersweet because I’ve spent so much time at that church and I’d like to say that it was a mutual encouragement on both ends of support, love and encouragement. I also shared a few thoughts about how the Lord is working in me and in Edgewood through this entire process. After presenting to Edgewood (I’ll have it posted at the end of this post), I’ve have a few people committing to being supporters, and four monthly supporters! I’m still working out the kinks in presenting, discussing, my vision, but I’ve gotten a lot of help from friends, and mentors. And for the most part, this entire thing is coming together nicely. I still have a few ideas that i haven’t explored yet, and there are a few people that I haven’t contacted, but I hope to soon. Some of the new things about my presentation include the overarching vision for me moving up there with an emphasis on this only being the first step in the entire process, as well as, the breakdown of what would help me get there on a month to month basis. Those are going to be included in this post as well. If there are any questions please feel free to comment or reach out to me personally about them! Below is part of the slide show that I put together, hopefully to begin sharing with people and other churches who would prayerfully consider partnering with me. These slides are the “meat and potatoes” of the presentation, detailing my vision, purpose, budget and what the budget is built on. I will go into greater detail next week about the breakdown of the budget and vision. The budget is built on four things; selling some of my personal possessions, fundraisers like the T-Shirts and partnership with Amber Blue Avenue (Check out her website at in Aug. 30th post!), which those are great but where the majority of the support comes from will be support from other believers that want to see the Gospel spread to this corner of the world. The one-time gifts and the monthly supporters. Down below in the monthly supports you see three different types of supporters. I'm not seeking all of these at one time more so like an "either, or" type of breakdown. Based on my monthly budget what I would live off of is $2,500. That would make up either 3 families giving $1000, or 6 families at $500 a month, or 12 families at $250. One of those paired with the former mentioned items will help provide the resources from the budget. Thank you for reading this week's post, I hope that this communicates the vision, purpose and mission of this move! I look forward to filling you in next week and if there's anything I could be praying for you about please let me know! Hey all! Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support it is much appreciated during this journey! If this is your first post you’re reading, welcome! To get caught up, visit the previous posts I’ve made, and to know more about what the purpose of this page is and who I am, visit the “Who I Am” and “Get in Touch” tabs. Last week I shared about preparing to present to my sending church about this last trip to Calgary and officially announcing my plans to move to Calgary with a brief mention of timeline, and and budget. Overall this may be about a 15 minute presentation. Wednesday, I shared with my students my plan to move to Calgary, it was bittersweet, I actually started tearing up about the whole thing! These past 3 years being their Student Pastor has been great, ups and downs I’d like to say that I’ve learned and grown from them as much as I’ve seen them learn and grow! A mutual encouragement has definitely been expressed here. I love these students that the Lord has given me the opportunity to share and disciple. Over this year, I plan on turning up the discipleship as much as possible. And honestly this reminds me of Jesus’ ministry. He spent 3 and 1/2 years preparing his disciples for life without him. In particular, Luke’s account, tells of him sending out the 72 (Luke 10:1-12; 17-20). At some point they will have to adjust to life without Jesus being physically present and know how to minister how Jesus showed them. For my students it’s a similar thing. Just as I had to learn how to be a minister of the Gospel, I’m training them to be, maybe not vocationally, but we are all given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:20). I’ve wanted them to know how to intentionally live out their faith, I’ve tried my best to display that, and I’ve dropped the ball at times, but they showed grace and it’s apparent that there is a deep mutual affection, like one from Paul to the Philippians church, where he says, “Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace...in defense and confirmation of the gospel.” Philippians 1:7 I’m finding that the process of discipleship as Jesus commanded the disciples directly (and subsequently, us) in the Gospel Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). “Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I’ve commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (CSB) There is a major sense of urgency for the disciple-maker, the importance of building up more devoted Christ followers is modeled by the Perfect Disciple-Maker. Jesus taught with urgency of the Missio Dei (the mission of God), by example as well as with lessons knowing the goal and prize set before him. After buying us back with his blood, and upon ascension, Jesus commissioned the 11 disciples to make more disciples (the aforementioned text; Acts 1:8). They waited until they were sent after the coming of the Holy Spirit in (Acts 2) and the church was born as the now apostles made more disciples and formed the church. What I'm doing here with these students and the person who has stepped up to help me. There is an urgency to this process. As I write this I prepare my presentation for the church to share with them my summer, and officially announce my intent to move to Calgary. As I go through this process, I'm unsure what's next but what I am sure of is that the Lord will use this time to build me up more, and make me trust him more. I'm uncomfortable, but I've found that in my discomfort is where the Lord does the most work in me. Below is the link for the online giving option. I will also put this link in the "Get in Touch" Tab. Thank you for reading this week's blog and for your prays and support! By God's grace, He will see me to Calgary. And the work he is doing in you, will be completed at the day of Christ Jesus. |
AuthorMy name is Nokomis Gregory. I'm a native of Winston-Salem, NC. After graduating from Piedmont International University I moved Calgary, Alberta as a church planting team member, with the hopes of planting a church in Calgary. Archives
September 2023
Categories |