Give So Others Live!
These are both exciting and trying times here in Come&Live! world.
I recently wrote the following for my families support team:
“This February we’ll be celebrating three years as a developing 501(c)3! One thing is certain, our identity has finally found us. Much of our labor in 2012 will be ensuring we accurately communicate this shift. How simple yet incredibly challenging to realize we can, with confidence, now call ourselves a “non-profit Missions organization.” Our mission is to establish the kingdom of God and awaken the world to the love of Jesus. One of our endeavors in 2012 is to launch C&L!’s first-ever monthly donor campaign, titled “I Give so Others Live!“…..”
This journey has been equal parts faith and foolishness. We’ve learned so much over the past three years – many times by the mistakes we’ve made along the way. In the past several years, Come&Live! has been all over the map internally, trying to figure out exactly what we’re called to and how to pull it all off. When the #NZDOC came out early last year, it felt as though we had finally begun to communicate the heart God had given us, at least a bit more clearly. God is faithful.
It’s important for you, as existing (or prospective) supporters to know how things work here. As a staff we raise our own funds by asking close friends or family members to join our support teams. The concept is that funds contributed to Come&Live! would not instantly be converted into groceries, gasoline and insurance payments. It’s also important that we set the stage for the artists we work with. It’s vital they know that gifts received by the body are not being pocketed and spent by the staff but are rather being allocated to best serve the community as a whole. This may or may not be more information than what you wanted, but there you have it – a little insight into the mechanics of this humble non-profit.
Though finances have always been a challenge – especially considering we launched in 2009, year of “The Great Recession.” Even so, God has always amazed us. He has always come through for us, always making a way. I could go on for hours on many of the wonderful ways His hand was made clear in providing for the needs of my family, and in the grander scale needs of this Come&Live! family. I love watching God move! I’m learning to love the fight against fear. He hears us.
I believe God gave me a dream right about the time Come&Live! launched. That dream was that someday we would be funded by 5,000 generous givers who gave $20 a month (on average). In the midst of the chaos and the beauty, the dream was placed on the back-burner. I’ve found that many times God gives us a dream that, like Joseph, isn’t meant to be instantly fulfilled. Towards the end of 2011, I felt God urging me to begin placing this dream in motion. I Give So Others Live! (“IGSOL!”): the dream now has a name. It’s important for you to know that I/we don’t despise early beginnings – nor does God! We all have to start somewhere. Our ambitious goal this year is 500 new IGSOL! members, approx. 40 members per month. This would provide us with an unprecedented level of support that we have never known and would allow us to begin moving away from a mostly project-based (i.e. Kickstarter) fundraising model. Long-term, I believe we won’t need websites like Kickstarter to fund the doors God opens. People like you, committing to support us with as little as $10 a month, have the power to help us change the entire way a music industry was formed.
All this to say, I am humbly asking you to pray about joining I Give So Others Live!. Every ounce of passion here at Come&Live! is aimed at helping others truly live. A generation desperately requires the liberating love of Jesus. It is a daunting reality that we were not meant to do this alone. Join us. Invest in fruit that lasts.
Click here to sign up and receive some exclusive perks as our small way of thanking you.
Grateful beyond words for what God is building in each of us,
Chad Johnson/Servant Leader – Come&Live!