In September, Jessica walked into Real Life for the first time since the pandemic. She was angry and frustrated; she didn’t even know why she had come to church but something inside led her to come back.
With tears streaming down her face she told Terry, the Director of our Life Care team, her story. Jessica’s husband, Mike, had been admitted to the hospital with COVID and was rapidly declining. In face, he was being moved to the ICU and placed on a ventilator that morning. Things were going downhill fast and it was hard to get information from the doctors and nurses.
Just then, a second woman left the auditorium in tears. Terry connected with Joanna, a nurse who specializes in PTSD treatment, who never felt like she belonged or was needed at church. But as you know, everyone belongs at Real Life.
Immediately, Terry knew that God had led Joanna to come to church on the exact day that Jessica needed somebody with medical knowledge to speak to about her husband’s situation. The two ladies connected and Joanna was able to bring her expertise to minister to Jessica; in turn, the Lord ministered to both women that morning!
Real Life’s vision is Changed Lives. So many lives have been changed at Real Life this year and we celebrate that – we’ve seen 200+ baptisms; our Young Adults ministry is thriving; more people are connecting in teams; and our Hope Centers have helped people through counseling, job placement, and have provided over 450,000 meals in 2021. God is doing this and so much more through our church.
Fortunately, Jessica’s husband recovered from COVID, but not every story turned out that way. During August, our Life Care team hosted a average of 3 funerals a week but also assisted in practical ways to those who experienced unexpected loss or sickness. We delivered meals, helped with transportation, grief counseling, memorial service costs, medical bills, and so much more.
For all that we’ve been able to do, there is so much more we wish we could do. We want to grow this important ministry and prepare for anything 2022 throws at us. Would you join me, my family, and our leadership team as we “Double Up December”? Our goal this year is to double our regular monthly giving to reach $1.2M for the month of December. If we reach that goal, $250,000 will be designated to our Life Care ministry, directly benefiting Real Life Families and neighbors going through difficulties, in many cases due to the ongoing ramifications of the pandemic. The remaining funds will be added to ongoing ministry budgets to set us up for thee greatest impact in 2022. As you give to Real Life, you’re giving through Real Life: together, we can Change Lives.
Thank You for being a Change Maker!
