Elevation Outreach

Code Orange can mean lots of things.  This week at Elevation Church, it means a sense of urgency, and the incredible gratitude we share in the knowledge that God has rescued us in our desperate need.

Tonight, at two Elevation Church locations, Pastor Steven Furtick delivered an incredibly powerful, emotional Christmas gospel message that had 137 people jumping to their feet to make public their decisions to receive Christ for the first time.

Two of those people were friends Bill and Michael from Charlotte Rescue Mission.

Two others were seniors who were VIP guests visiting for the first time.

Another was our sweet young friend Hannah, whose parents serve on the front row as faithful volunteers every single weekend.

Tell us your stories of how the friends YOU invited to church had a Code Orange encounter with Jesus.  We’ve got 28 worship experiences to go.  We are so grateful for the opportunity to see God move in such a powerful way.  The best is yet to come.

Merry Christmas Elevation!  We’ve released more tickets, and you can get them online here.

Above are scenes of rehearsal taken by Sean Lyon of before Wednesday’s worship experience.

You can follow all the Code Orange Christmas action by searching for #codeorangechristmas on Twitter.  Here’s a snapshot of recent tweets.

Tags: Code Orange Christmas, Elevation Church
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Thanks to your generosity, Elevation – we’ve given away more than $525,000 in this past three months alone.

We gave a $45,000 check to our outreach partner, Communities in Schools, Safe Journey this week.

As you are seeking God’s favor for your life in 2012, and thanking him for all he’s done in 2011, you can feel great about your gifts to Elevation Church.  This video tells you more about Safe Journey.

Tags: Elevation Church, Elevation Outreach, Parenting, Safe Journey
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We are excited about what God will do through you in our city in 2012.  As we anticipate seeing God move we wanted to share this photo from outreach volunteer Bruce Bloomquist.

LOVE Week Charlotte, today – LOVE Week all over the world, tomorrow.  We look forward to keeping up with this movement of service God started here in Charlotte in 2009.  Click on the LOVE Week link to find out more and join us!

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Pastor greeting volunteers

Sometimes, you wonder – can it get any better?

Seriously.  If we are looking for God’s favor in our lives… and if we are choosing to “not dwell on what was lost but to build on what remains”… when you think about what we were able to be a part of in outreach this weekend at Elevation Church - it just doesn’t get any better.

(If you’re wondering what in the world we’re talking about, you must check out the sermon archive at ElevationChurch.org)

You’ll see more during Code Orange Christmas – but we wanted to share just a few details and photos from Saturday’s dedication of Elevation’s first-ever Habitat for Humanity home.

We’ve been a part of building many homes in the past – but this is the first one entirely paid for and built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity by the generous, hard-working, Jesus-loving people of Elevation.

Pastor Steven joined us to meet the family who worked hard to get this home, and to celebrate with those who played a role in building it.

93 volunteers blitzed the West Charlotte neighborhood before the dedication.  We mowed and raked lawns, we picked up and hauled away a truckload of trash, and we completed minor fix-up projects for the neighbors.

Thank you for being generous with your time and your resources.

If you’ve ever given to the mission and vision of Elevation, YOU are a part of this new home and all it means to Jamicka and her daughter Armani and her family.

So if you ever wonder, what does Elevation Church do to serve in this community… Saturday was a perfect snapshot.

We sweep.  We build.  We paint.  We clean.  We pray.  We serve.  We give.  We love.  Because Jesus first loved us.

Original Art by Kent Youngstrom

Moments of peace and pampering before the dedication

Photos by Sean Lyon

Tags: #homefortheholidays, Habitat for Humanity
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Because of your generosity, we were able to bless our outreach partner Urban Ministry Center with a BIG check Tuesday.

We were there to celebrate the first-ever CD release of the “Voices of Love” choir.

Listening to those gorgeous voices makes you feel like you’re in heaven.

They are truly angels and it was a blessed moment.

I purchased two of their CD’s last night and need a dozen more to give away!  You can get them on their website.

This morning, I received a beautiful “Thank You” from Urban’s development director, Lauren Cranford. I wanted to share it with you – because YOU are the ones giving, sacrificing, serving.

Thank you for all you do church!  Below you’ll also find a short video that shows a little about what Urban is all about.

Dear Tonia:

I am not sure where to start. Clearly, your gift will have a huge impact on what we can accomplish over the year. I know that our increased focus on permanent housing could not happen without our partnership with Elevation. I am so excited about the coming year. I think about the faces I will see transformed from dealing with the harsh life on the streets to seeing the smiles of finally returning to their own home. That is what your gift means to me and thank you does seem enough. God has blessed us in so many ways but Elevation is one of our greatest blessings.

I also want to express my gratitude for you and all your Elevators coming to our Artwork945 open house. Because of your presence, it was a huge success not only for UMC but for the Choir and artist for whom this was a very special event. Your presence made it truly special for us all. I am not sure if you saw this channel 9 story but Elevation is mentioned. Your huge help with the CD has lifted us the Choir and Philip. I have seen a big change in the confidence and pride of the members of the choir.  Here is the link to the Channel 9 story.

Last night, William, who is featured in the story, actually had his daughter here after years of separation. It was a glorious night. Please pass on my gratitude.

I am looking forward to working with you closer and getting to know you better in 2012. Thank you for being so committed to the Urban Ministry Center.

Gratefully,
Lauren Cranford

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