Vision Builders Magazine 2011
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Transcript of Vision Builders Magazine 2011
VISIONBUILDERS
Arise, shine, for your light hAs come
See, darkneSS coverS the earth andthick darkneSS iS over the peopleS...
and the glory of the lord rises upon you. and the glory of the lord rises upon you.
but the LORD Rises upOn yOu anD his gLORy appeaRs OveR yOubut the LORD Rises upOn yOu anD his gLORy appeaRs OveR yOu...
nAtions will come to your light and kingS to the brightneSS of your dawn.
Isaiah 60: 1-3 NIV
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This year we are stepping out once again with great faith for the future.
Isaiah tells us to ‘Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness
covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears
over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to
the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60: 1-3
NIV). From the day we met Jesus Christ our lives have
been radically transformed and raised to the highest level
possible. We have been raised not for ourselves – but to
build the highest cause – His Church. You have been
a team of absolute champions in the past. I know we will
rise even higher as we step into the future, lifting those
around us – our families, our friends, our community,
our city and our nation. Our city is powerfully
touched by the rising Church as one life meets one life. I see a future full of smiling faces worshipping God
– servant hearted because they have been transformed by
the power of God. Reaching out and helping people who
are struggling, bringing hope and love to nations and
faithfully providing relief in the face of disaster. We have
seen thousands and thousands of lives transformed in the
past. We will see this happen even more in the future.
Looking forward to rising with you as we rise and build.
– – Phil and Chris
Bev's story.
“From the moment I stepped onto C3 Oxfords
Falls in 2010 to this very minute, God has just
taken my breath away with His goodness. C3
Church is such a place of faith, love and hope. Here I have
found unconditional love, acceptance and a home where
I can do life authentically. God has changed some very
deep issues that I thought were unmovable, and would be
with me forever, but in Him I have found that wholeness is
possible. Since moving here I have found the best connect
group on the planet. They have loved me and cared for me,
and helped me in so many ways. I hadn’t been a part of
a connect group until I came here, so when I was invited
to join Tony and Sue’s group I was tentative and nervous,
but I went, and God broke through in my life. It’s the best
thing that I have ever done in my life. In this safe place I
have learnt to trust in people again.
I arrived here in Sydney from New Zealand in obedience
to God to come. Upon arrival some church members gave
me a place to rest my head, and then some other wonderful
members gave me a car! I couldn’t believe it! Just before
Christmas last year my grandchildren were due to arrive
from New Zealand to live on the Gold Coast. Unfortunately
the company I was working for closed down unexpectedly.
I didn’t know what to do. With no income and my family
arriving, I was stuck. This is when my connect group
kicked in. At that stage I really didn’t even know some of
them that well at all, but they overwhelmed me with their
love and generosity. The day before I left to drive to the
Gold Coast I had to get the brakes on my car fixed and I
didn’t have the money. So I booked my car in to get fixed in
faith that the money would turn up. Just before I left to take
it in, a couple from my connect group turned up and paid
for it all! Someone else gave me petrol money, and another
person gave me the most amazing food basket. I was so
blessed. During this time I needed a more permanent place
to live so someone from another connect group that I go
to (I know, it took me long enough to get to one and now
I belong to two!) heard from God, took me in, and now I
have the most amazing home to live in. God keeps taking
my breath away. Just when I think I’ve come to the end, He
uses my connect group to bless me continually!
I can’t express in words what being in this incredible
Church means to me. Every Sunday is the best day! The
worship is the best in the world, and there hasn’t been a
Sunday that I haven’t heard from God and left Church
inspired, knowing God better and growing even closer to
Him. It really is possible to live your best life!”
We see our future in buildings that glorify God and provide
a place for people to experience Jesus and to be trained
and equipped in His service. With the continued sacrifice
and commitment of C3 Church members we are poised to
provide more places where increasing numbers of people
can be transformed by Jesus Christ. We dream of places
where our children will follow in the footsteps of their
predecessors. We can provide places where they will grow
and develop their life in Christ. Our campuses are continuing
to grow in numbers and diversity. We are responding by
planning facilities and resources that meet people’s needs
and provide a House to fellowship, worship together and be
educated in our service to God. We are not only building
facilities, we are building people, lives and ministries to
carry on the work of the Church for generations to come.
As we join together in sowing the seed God has given us,
let’s also lift up our eyes and see the harvest set before us -
Sydney a City for Christ.
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Transforming lives in the House of God.
eddie's story.
“Only five years ago our life looked something
like this: We were newly married, running
our own very profitable business, healthy,
and owned our house, a boat, 2 cars, a motorcycle and more.
Although everything looked great from the outside, on the
inside I felt like something very important was missing and
that life was not fulfilling at all. What happened from there is
this: I lost my wife through separation, my business fell apart,
our money disappeared and I couldn’t find work for months on
end. Consequently, the toys went, the boat disappeared, and
I got down to my very last $3000 on my credit card. With a
mortgage to pay and no income, I was broke. In my desperation
I turned to God and started arguing with Him about the way
I had been treated by my wife, colleagues and basically the
whole planet. I felt like God was not listening. But whilst I was
in prayer the Lord said the following things to me: 1. Forgive
your wife and ask her for forgiveness for all that you have done
wrong. “LOVE HER”. 2. Give the last of your money from
your credit card to the poor. 3. Find a church and connect
with the body of believers. 4. Lean on Me. Trust Me and I will
look after you. So I gave in and did what He asked. I gave my
last $3000 to the poor. I needed approximately $4000 a month
to pay my mortgage and basically survive. I had not been able
to find work for over seven months, but within three weeks of
me giving away my last $3000, I found a new job, one which
offered a salary of $130,000 a year PLUS a $30,000 bonus for
signing onto the firm. That bonus alone was ten times what
I gave, praise God. About three weeks after giving all of this
money I went to bed one night and woke with a broken neck.
I had no idea how this could have happened, as it certainly
wasn’t broken when I went to bed. After an MRI, a CT scan
and an X-ray, two separate neurosurgeons recommended
that I needed life endangering surgery ‘immediately.’ I went
home, fell on my knees and prayed out loud to God. The
only word I could get out of my mouth was “HELP!” With
tears running down my face, I heard a small voice in my head
from the Lord saying, “I am a healer and I will look after
you. I have heard your prayer. Don’t take your pain tablets
tonight.” By this time I was already taking extremely strong
painkillers and had not slept for about four weeks from the
pain. I was scared not to take the painkillers, but I had to
trust that I had heard from God. The next morning I woke
up, without pain. Praise God!
I returned to the neurosurgeon. He asked me why I hadn’t
come in for my scheduled surgery and I told him that Jesus
had healed me. At first he smiled and then he checked my
arm and neck movements and realised that I was no longer
constrained in movement or in any pain at all. Within minutes
I was out of his office. I started looking for a church where I
could connect with a body of believers. So I visited five or six
different churches, which all left me dry and thinking that
church was a waste of time.
The next church I visited was C3 Church Silverwater and
initially I didn’t like it at all. However, for some reason I
visited a second time. Pastor Simon McIntyre preached a
sermon, which was basically my whole life story in 45 minutes.
Afterwards, I spoke to him telling him how depressed I was
after separating from my wife. I then realised that he had just
finished telling everyone that his wife was terminally ill and
I started to apologise for being so inconsiderate. He stopped
me immediately and said, “NO, you’re in a much worse place
than I. We are going through this together, my wife and I.
You have had something torn away from you. Jagged edges
like that hurt.” At this point I was in disbelief that a person
could even think so selflessly. Only through God does this
happen. He offered to pray for me and I accepted.
I started frequenting the services at C3 Church Silverwater
and felt the presence of God in the worship, the sermons, and
interactions that I had with all of the people there.
About this time, I approached my wife after one and a half
years of separation and asked for her forgiveness. Her response
was filled with anger and disappointment. As I kept trying to
reconcile with my wife, we attended C3 a number of times.
We attended the Silverwater marriage course, and after a lot
of prayer and journeying together, my wife moved back in. She
had seen how much I had changed; it was hard to recognise the
new me from the man that I was before.
Since then, our first child was born, we have a new (more
profitable) business, I have been attending C3 night school
for the past 2 years and we attend both services at C3
Silverwater on Sundays. I also attend two men’s connect
groups regularly, and I’ll be starting a new connect group
this year. God is great and we are grateful. We love being
active in Church and have made many new and dear friends
in Christ. I have one last thing to add: the story will not end
here. I know that God will use what he has done for us to
bless others, through us and in many other ways.”
I returned to the neurosurgeon. He asked me why I hadn’t come in for my scheduled surgery and I told him that Jesus had healed me. At first he smiled and then he checked my arm
and neck movements and realised that I was no longer constrained in
movement or in any pain at all. Within minutes I was out of his office.
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“Beyond inspires us to look outside the walls of our
personal needs and extend our reach to the needs of others” Chris Pringle.
Beyond – Transforming Lives... Transforming Families... Transforming Communities
Josie's story.
“I first met Nicole at a mums group in the Dee Why
community in 2010. After hearing about her situation
I committed to provide her with support and practical
help. The first thing I did was connect her to the Christians Against
Poverty (CAP) service which also helped pave the way for her to
come along to C3 Church Oxford Falls. Eventually Nicole came
to church one cold winter morning but was reluctant because she
was still trying to make her own way with God. During this service
Nicole went forward on the Altar Call and connected with Christ for
the first time. Nicole said, “When I made that connection with Christ I realised that this is what had been missing my whole life.” Nicole and her family are amazed
by the support they’ve received from the C3 Church community.
Once Nicole’s finances were taken care of with the help of CAP, I
then worked with her on her housing situation. We prayed together
asking God for relocation to better accommodation and a miracle
occurred. She was given the opportunity to move from a 2-bedroom
unit into a 3 bedroom house. I was then able to call upon our amazing
members that volunteer, and they were available to assist her move,
mow the lawns and to even fill her cupboard with food. Many paths
have opened for Nicole since coming to Christ. She has completed
the Christian Essentials Course, been water baptised, and currently
attends a Connect Group.” The greatest end to Nicole’s story is she is now serving by helping me to deliver bread to other mums in need in our community.
Through Beyond we go together into other nations, into
our nation, and into our own backyards, touching people’s
lives with the love of Jesus Christ through practical help.
As we band together, each supplying their part, we can
experience the power of community and realise our
potential to help a hurting world.
together, through Beyond and Missions, we have given over $700,000 this past 12 months.• Men of Honour event – 600 year 10 male students
empowered and equipped to make great choices.
• Church planting and development in Asia/Africa –
conferences, training intensives, and ministry visits to
connect, equip and build over 700 church leaders representing
almost 100 churches.
• Love Bali – Over 3000 attended, 200 salvations and
$12,000 invested to provide fresh water for a local
community in Bali.
• Christmas Ministry – connect, help and celebrate
Christmas with those in our local community experiencing
challenges. Last Christmas we blessed over 1,000 families
through presents, hampers and celebrations.
• Christians Against Poverty – helping people struggling
financially through debt counselling & management and
empowering them through training.
• Every Woman Pader – a centre for single mums in Pader,
Uganda providing shelter, food, and vocational training.
Local community:
• Supporting Sunny Field
• Youth work
• Silverwater Food Bank
• Independent initiatives by church members
Love Sydney Offerings - $101,000:
• Mona Vale Hospital – purchase new essential equipment
• NSW Ambulance – ‘Peer Support Program’ helping
paramedics
• Alicia Martin – ‘Food Within’ helping low income families
Disaster relief – Partnering with ‘Feed the Hungry’
we recently assisted communities affected by:
• Flooding in Queensland - $90,000
• Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand - $30,000
School Scripture classes – teaching over 1000 primary
school kids each week about Jesus Christ.
Child advocacy:
• Helping street kids in Sri Lanka – food, healthcare
education.
• Nias, Indonesia orphanage.
• Child sponsorship through ‘Compassion’
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‘C3 Media’ produces "Your Best Life with Phil Pringle",
which is broadcast weekly throughout Australia, Asia, Europe
and the United Kingdom. Media teams also film our weekend
services, making way for our ever-growing Internet Campus,
with up to 7000 viewers per week. Over the last 12 months,
the Vision Builders program has enabled us to implement
an extensive upgrade to our C3 Media facilities. Enhanced
equipment will enable C3 Media to provide broadcast content
to TV networks across the globe. The upgraded equipment
will also enable our C3 College students to be trained on
professional broadcast grade equipment, so that the students
can take what they learn at C3 College back to their home
churches and impact their communities, through media,
wherever they are in the world.
$428,410 was invested into the C3 Media facility, including
a complete upgrade of the control room, incorporating a Full
HD Panasonic Vision mixer, 4 x Sony Full HD Broadcast
Cameras, and substantial upgrades to our audio facilities
and facility infrastructure. One of the advantages of the new
equipment is the ability to create different TV “cuts” for our
auditorium, internet campus, and broadcast record, all at
the same time, to better meet the individual needs of these
different communities.
For the first time ever, our Presence 2012 conference was
streamed live to our internet campus, enabling people from
across the globe to experience Presence even if they were
unable to attend physically. Over 20,000 people, plus several
entire churches, tuned in to watch Presence online, allowing
us to reach thousands of people who would otherwise have
been unable to attend.
People are watching more TV than ever before and we want to
reach them with the message of Jesus Christ and point them
towards their local C3 Church. Every week around the world
people come to Christ in our services after seeing our church
on television. Through broadcasting a church that is alive and
bright, we show believers and unbelievers worldwide that God
is alive, the Church is alive and that He desires us to live our
best life for His glory.
Television is just that, it’s‘Tel-EVERYONE- YOUR VISION’. As technology becomes more affordable, our capacity to reach millions of households with the message of Faith, Hope & Love is forever increasing.
ash's story.
“As a young girl growing up in Ipswich, I was quite
confused about life. I was living in an unhappy
situation and feeling as though there was little to
look forward to in life. One day I was flicking through the channels
on TV. I stumbled across the Australian Christian Channel and
started watching "Your Best Life" with Ps Phil Pringle. The man I
was watching instantly struck me – I kept thinking he was a bit too
excited about something. I had never heard of C3 Church before
and didn't really have an opinion on God or whether or not He was
real at the time. As I continued to watch, I was intrigued by what
Ps Phil was saying. At the end of the show he asked if anybody
would like to accept Christ and begin a new life - an exciting life,
one with a future and a hope. Not really aware of what I was doing
I said the prayer of Salvation, inviting Christ into my heart. I didn’t
really think much of it at the time. About two years later I decided
to make the move to Sydney to find something new. On my very
first night here I was invited by a good friend to attend a women's
night at her church. This just so happened to be C3 Church City
Campus, previously known as God In The City. So I went along,
partly to be polite and partly because I was still a little interested
in this "God thing". When I got there I instantly felt the Presence
of God, and somehow I knew it was the Presence of God. I ended
up having a great night, met some amazing people and decided
yes, I would be coming along on Sunday. After attending for three
months and nervously ignoring the altar call at the end of every
meeting, I decided that if I was going to believe for real then I
would have to say the prayer again, this time understanding what
it meant and who I was really praying too. It has now been five
years since making that decision and hearing about God on "Your
Best Life". I have become a member of C3 Church City Campus,
served on the welcome team, run a connect group, and have been
P.A to Ps Tim Lowe. I currently lead at Imagine Nation Kids and I
have just started studying full time C3 College. I'm so grateful that God used the TV show to get my attention and draw me into His house.
and how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?
But how shAll they Ask him to sAVe them unless they BelieVe in him?
and how can they hear about him unleSS Someone tellS them? Rom 10:14-15 The Message
and how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?
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Every year we jointly commit to the task of resourcing the vision that God has given us. When we work together in unity we can build something that enables God to reach the world and be reconciled to Him. We are convinced that giving to God through Vision Builders secures a strong and exciting future for our church.
how you can you be a part of vision Builders 2011?
• Prayerfully consider the level of giving that you feel is
appropriate for you. Your decision should be based on
wisdom, prayer and faith. Remember, the philosophy of
Vision Builders is equal sacrifice, not equal giving.
• Make a formal commitment to give on a Vision Builders
commitment card throughout June 2011. Alternatively,
you can obtain a commitment card at any time from the
information desk in the church foyer.
Choose your method of fulfillment
Regular payment: This is one of the most successful ways to
fulfil your commitment by making a regular weekly or monthly
contribution. Regular giving is rewarding and quickly builds
as illustrated in the table below:
Weekly Monthly annually
10 43 520
20 86 1040
40 173 2080
80 346 4160
150 650 7800
300 1300 15600
500 2166 26000
1000 4333 52000
Salary sacrifice:You can arrange with your employer to make a
deduction from your salary each pay before tax.
Direct transfer: This can be arranged through your employer
or bank. Your bank can arrange regular transfers to occur
automatically. You can also arrange regular payments via
Internet banking. Alternatively, you can choose to make a
payment from money currently available or when you receive
a work bonus, tax refund or via an asset sale.
Online donation: This is a popular way of giving. Please visit our
website at www.myc3church.net. Then use the ‘Online
Giving’ link, complete the information required, select
the ‘Vision Builders’ field and continue with ‘Next’.
Bank details: for use with salary sacrifice and direct transfers
Name of Account: C3 Vision Builders
BSB: 062127, Acc: 10189658
Taxation benefits: All donations in excess of $2 given to C3
Vision Builders ABN 95 002 558 134 are tax deductible. The
real cost of your contribution can therefore be significantly
less than the amount donated, however, please seek advice
from your financial advisor. A Tax Receipt will be issued after
the end of the Financial Year.
Trust Funds: Two Trust Funds that do not have tax deductibility
status have been set up for those who do not need or wish to take
advantage of the taxation benefits. Money given to these trusts
can be used for expenditure beyond the purposes approved by
the Australian Tax Office but within the Trust Deed.
The Trust Fund details are as follows:
• Oxford Falls and Silverwater Campuses:
‘C3 Church Building Trust’
• City Campus:
‘God in the City Rise and Build General’
Frequently Asked Questions
Q / What is the Vision Builders program?
A / The Vision Builders program is the overarching banner
for our Rise & Build, Beyond, and Media and Television
initiatives. Vision Builders is responsible for raising the finance
needed to facilitate all of these areas of our Church life.
Q / Are my Vision Builders contributions tax-deductible?
A / Contributions of $2 or more are tax deductible.
Q / Can I give to Vision Builders instead of Tithing?
A / Vision Builders giving should be seen as giving ‘over and
above’ the tithe.
Q / What if I can’t fulfil my pledge?
A / Firstly, we encourage people to make realistic pledges.
Having done that, we understand that sometimes unexpected
events happen and for whatever reason people find difficulty
in fulfilling their pledge within the timeframe. We suggest
that you may still want to fulfil your pledge by breaking it
down into smaller amounts over a longer period of time.
Q / I am in significant debt, should I pay off my debts or give to
Vision Builders?
A / If you are in ‘out of control debt’, after your tithe the
debt should be your next priority. Reducing the debt to a
manageable amount (or even clearing it completely) should
be attempted as you also make a manageable gift to Vision
Builders. Remember no amount is insignificant.
Q / Do you need my details? I wish to remain anonymous.
A / You may remain anonymous if you wish, and all details
of your giving will be kept confidential, however you will not
be able to claim tax deductibility for your giving as we will be
unable to give you a record of your giving which you will need
to submit to the Australian Tax Office.
Q / How do we know where the money goes?
A / Funds are spent in accordance with the initiatives
presented in this brochure and as updated during the year.
All our accounts are independently audited annually to
ensure compliance and lodged with ASIC.
Q / I am only new to church, should I be giving to Vision Builders?
If so, why?
A / There is no pressure for anyone, new or old to give to
Vision Builders, nor is there any minimum requirement. New
people who would like to give are most welcome, as is anyone
who resonates with the vision we have for The Church.
Q / How should I determine how much to give to Vision Builders?
A / A combination of wisdom, prayer and faith should be
used in determining how much to give. Proverbs 24:3 (TLB)
says, “Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes
strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully
by keeping abreast of the facts.” If in doubt, please seek
counsel from your pastor.
Oxford Falls|Silverwater|CityLocked Bag 8, Dee Why NSW 2099P +61 2 9972 8688 F +61 2 9975 6223E [email protected]