Can you hold the rope?
When William Carey went to India, his friend encouraged him with these wonderful words: “You go down into the pit, and I will hold the rope.” That was a task he did faithfully in praying and in reminding others to pray!
Prayer is essential!
If you would like to see this work begin, perhaps you would partner with us in prayer. We know that we are completely dependant on the Lords grace and enabling, and can do nothing of eternal significance without Him, so we are so so thankful for your prayers.
Prayer is essential!
If you would like to see this work begin, perhaps you would partner with us in prayer. We know that we are completely dependant on the Lords grace and enabling, and can do nothing of eternal significance without Him, so we are so so thankful for your prayers.
Finances also needed!
As far as financial support is concerned, we are praying for sufficient funds for our team to continue to live and work in London for this next year, enabling us to concentrate wholly on the church-planting work.
Budget
Expected needs for the next year (allowing for the projected local giving as the church grows): £131,000 or $220,000 (making £2300 per week plus tax benefits received from charitable giving in the UK )
As you can see from the chart below... PRAISE GOD our internal giving is now exceeding our external support... but we do still have quite a shortfall, which leaves us with some real need.
Budget
Expected needs for the next year (allowing for the projected local giving as the church grows): £131,000 or $220,000 (making £2300 per week plus tax benefits received from charitable giving in the UK )
As you can see from the chart below... PRAISE GOD our internal giving is now exceeding our external support... but we do still have quite a shortfall, which leaves us with some real need.
How to support us from the UK
Click here to visit our website and donate through there.
You can now also donate via the paypal donate button at the bottom right of the page.
Support from the USA
If you live in the USA, you can mail a check or give online:
Check payable to: Grace Ministries International,
Memo line: GraceLife London
Mail to: Grace Community Church, 13248 Roscoe Blvd, Sun Valley, CA 91352
To donate online follow this link to the Grace Community Church website and click the Donate button.
Thank you so much for your friendship in the Savior.
You can now also donate via the paypal donate button at the bottom right of the page.
Support from the USA
If you live in the USA, you can mail a check or give online:
Check payable to: Grace Ministries International,
Memo line: GraceLife London
Mail to: Grace Community Church, 13248 Roscoe Blvd, Sun Valley, CA 91352
To donate online follow this link to the Grace Community Church website and click the Donate button.
Thank you so much for your friendship in the Savior.
Yours in His grace,
Tom and Ross
USA Supporters: Donate via the Grace Community Church website
UK Supporters: follow this link to GraceLife London's website
FOOTNOTE:
Why do you need so much support?
That's a reasonable question to ask, since yes, we are asking for quite a lot of support!
Actually the figure needed is quite a bit higher than the sums listed above, but we are trusting that as the Lord blesses the church and it grows, internal giving will provide for the rest of our needs.
The reason for the high figure is quite simply the cost of being in central London.
We are very blessed indeed to have been given a church building right in the centre of that great city! That means that our support can be almost entirely devoted to paying for people to be doing the actual work of church planting, and not poured into property costs!
The high cost of living in London
The area in which the church is located is a residential area just on the edge of the "City of London" which is the financial centre of the capitol. This makes the cost of living and working locally quite high.
Time is what people need!
Another reason for the high costs is the fact that we are seeking to have three full time staff from the very beginning. The model we see in the Bible is that the workers who were sent out were typically supported, and went in small groups, not as individuals. The effective church planting models we have studied in our own day have also sought and received sufficient support for a small team, enabling them to concentrate on the labour intensive task of meeting and reaching out to many different people.
We're quite committed to doing whatever is necessary to see the church planted, and if that means living further afield where the rent is lower, and working to support ourselves, we will do that. The Lord knows what we really need, and we have tried to be conservative as we set out what we think we need in a proposed budget to the elders of Grace Community Church. They have approved that budget as being appropriate.
Our external support needs will hopefully come to an end soon!
London is not a poor city! Although the congregation we have at present is not at all wealthy, it is growing well, and it shouldn't be too long before the church is self-sufficient financially. We're hoping by about July 2014. This is quite a bit longer than we initially expected, but then we didn't exactly know what to expect! :-)
A little times a lot goes a long way!
Though it seems like a huge sum for any individual or a single church, the total sum needed will take only two hundred churches to give $1000/£750 or a two thousand individuals to give $100/£75. With co-operation like that, we believe a repeatable model for church planting in city centres can be initiated, and certainly it would be something we would like to sponsor ourselves and see done again in the future.
Please do pray with us that this venture would have God's approval, and that we would see his blessing on it spiritually, as well as financially. If you know of other individuals or churches that might consider supporting us, please do let them know about the need! :-)
Many thanks again
In His love
Tom
That's a reasonable question to ask, since yes, we are asking for quite a lot of support!
Actually the figure needed is quite a bit higher than the sums listed above, but we are trusting that as the Lord blesses the church and it grows, internal giving will provide for the rest of our needs.
The reason for the high figure is quite simply the cost of being in central London.
We are very blessed indeed to have been given a church building right in the centre of that great city! That means that our support can be almost entirely devoted to paying for people to be doing the actual work of church planting, and not poured into property costs!
The high cost of living in London
The area in which the church is located is a residential area just on the edge of the "City of London" which is the financial centre of the capitol. This makes the cost of living and working locally quite high.
Time is what people need!
Another reason for the high costs is the fact that we are seeking to have three full time staff from the very beginning. The model we see in the Bible is that the workers who were sent out were typically supported, and went in small groups, not as individuals. The effective church planting models we have studied in our own day have also sought and received sufficient support for a small team, enabling them to concentrate on the labour intensive task of meeting and reaching out to many different people.
We're quite committed to doing whatever is necessary to see the church planted, and if that means living further afield where the rent is lower, and working to support ourselves, we will do that. The Lord knows what we really need, and we have tried to be conservative as we set out what we think we need in a proposed budget to the elders of Grace Community Church. They have approved that budget as being appropriate.
Our external support needs will hopefully come to an end soon!
London is not a poor city! Although the congregation we have at present is not at all wealthy, it is growing well, and it shouldn't be too long before the church is self-sufficient financially. We're hoping by about July 2014. This is quite a bit longer than we initially expected, but then we didn't exactly know what to expect! :-)
A little times a lot goes a long way!
Though it seems like a huge sum for any individual or a single church, the total sum needed will take only two hundred churches to give $1000/£750 or a two thousand individuals to give $100/£75. With co-operation like that, we believe a repeatable model for church planting in city centres can be initiated, and certainly it would be something we would like to sponsor ourselves and see done again in the future.
Please do pray with us that this venture would have God's approval, and that we would see his blessing on it spiritually, as well as financially. If you know of other individuals or churches that might consider supporting us, please do let them know about the need! :-)
Many thanks again
In His love
Tom
