December 3, 2022

Our beloved former Saints Quarterback Drew Brees published a book in 2011 titled, Coming Back Stronger. In that book, Drew wrote about “the hidden power of adversity.” If there is any group of people that ought to know about “the hidden power of adversity,” it’s our Celebration family. We’ve been through so much in the past 3 years - from the tragic death of one of our Campus Pastors to the Covid19 pandemic and its effect on people in our region, to the damage caused by Hurricane Ida in 2021 to 5 of our Celebration campuses and to many of our people’s homes, to the sharp rise of inflation in our nation and world. And the list of challenges goes on and on. Yet the majority of people in our Church family keep “coming back stronger” - determined to overcome these challenges and do whatever they can to serve the Lord and bring His message and ministry to people in our region and all around the world. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of the faith, faithfulness, and resiliency of our people.

As a result of the Lord’s help and the faithfulness of our people this year we’ve been able to:

• Lead 782 people to pray in our Worship Services and Ministries to receive Jesus as their Savior, with 319 of those people taking the discipleship step of baptism. 

• Serve the hurting people of our city through our Serve Our City emphases and involvement in local compassion ministries.

• Give benevolence support to hundreds of elderly and hurting people and families.

• Continue supporting hundreds of missionaries nationally and around the world.

• Help hundreds of people throughout our region through our counseling and pastoral ministries, and thousands of people through our various discipleship ministries.

• See countless numbers of People in our Church family experience transformation and restoration in their lives, circumstances, and relationships.

• Provide training for almost 1000 Pastors in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic

• Finish repairing 2 of our Campuses that were damaged by Hurricane Ida, and work extensively on rebuilding two of the other Campuses. 

Here is one story that typifies what people have experienced through our Church’s ministry this year.  Elam and Rosalind are a couple who began attending our church in January. He had been a Christian for some time, but she was not. They began attending because Rosalind became aware of an addiction Elam was struggling with and was willing to do anything to help him. They began attending a Life Group and Celebrate Recovery. Sometime in Spring Rosalind made the decision to give her life to Jesus. In August they were both baptized together. Since then the Holy Spirit has worked to heal their marriage when it seemed hopeless. He's given Elam freedom and has given Rosalind enormous strength and grace. They're both doing a great job growing in their walk with the Lord and encouraging others along the way.

Elam and Rosalind’s story is just one of the hundreds of testimonies we have received at Celebration this year of people’s lives, circumstances, and relationships being transformed by the Lord’s grace and power, and because of the generous giving of our people.

To help us continue God’s work and see transformed lives in a strong way in 2023 and beyond I’m asking you before the year ends to give generously to Celebration. Your gifts will enable us to continue to help others, advance the Lord’s Kingdom, and transform our world. Your tithes to our regular Church offering support the ongoing work we’re doing to help, reach, and disciple people locally and around the world. And your gifts to our Everyone Needs Jesus Christmas Offering goes to support Missionaries and Missions projects locally and around the world (www.celebrationchurch.org/christmasmissions).

Here are some ways you can give to support God’s work in these last weeks in 2021.

• Give Online - go to celebrationchurch.org/give (and specify your Campus)

• Give In Person - in our services or by stopping by our Campus offices

• Give by Snail Mail - mail gifts to Celebration at 1915 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA 70001

• Give through our Celebration Church App - Press “Give” at the bottom of the screen.

Also, gifts of stocks, property, jewelry, etc. can also be given as well. Make sure to give your gifts by midnight on 12/31 in order to receive Charitable Giving contribution credit for 2022.

A tax accountant friend of mine reminded me several years ago that charitable deductions are one of the items that were enhanced with our nation’s most recent tax reforms. Most people can continue to get the full deduction if they itemize and some people can even go further than the normal deduction limits, and in either case, any excess would roll forward to future years. Check with your tax advisor to see if you could qualify.

   
Gratefully yours,

  
Pastor Dennis Watson
Lead Pastor, Celebration Church
dennisw@celebrationchurch.org