On November 14th we are celebrating our 32nd anniversary as a congregation. This year, just as was the case last year, we are going to focus on the vision of Westheights church. 
No special speaker, no special music. Those kinds of celebrations seem artificial. I would prefer that we celebrate our faith community among ourselves and not with a group of invited guests.
As I often say, because I thoroughly believe it, you are a truly generous congregation. Your consistent gifts of time, talents and tithes make all the difference for our church. Your sacrifice keeps this ministry fulfilling its vision of helping people to find and follow Jesus. Nothing is more important than this vision. This vision keeps us focused on the purposes of the Bible. This vision reminds us that as we sacrifice together, and people find Jesus, they receive the promise of eternal life. And as we all follow Jesus, we experience the path of abundant life. Both of those have eternal implications.
The church has practiced the tradition of collecting a special offering on Anniversary Sunday since it’s inception. Last year, the congregation gave an amazing $20,000. I was moved by the generosity. In fact, before the day was over, someone gave the church an additional $50,000 to reduce the mortgage. What an amazing act of generosity. These additional generous gifts allow us to more quickly reduce our mortgage that we financed just about four years ago. That mortgage financed facility upgrades and a new building that provided significant improvements to the Finders Keepers Children’s Ministry, a much bigger and brighter foyer that has been transformed into a fellowship/coffee area that also serves as a meeting area for the senior highs on Thursday nights, a constantly used new mid-sized meeting room, a large meeting room for the expanding junior high ministry, and offices for the staff. It is now hard to imagine doing ministry at Westheights without the addition of these valuable spaces! As you have probably witnessed, our children’s ministries and youth ministries have grown significantly over the past few years and this additional space has been very valuable.
When it comes to asking for money I want you to know something important: All I will ask is that you ask God. If God says give nothing, then give nothing. If God says, give $50,000 then do so. Just pray and trust God with whatever he asks of you.
Please pray and ask God what part He would have you play in this year’s financial efforts. And be reminded “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”