COMMITMENT WEEKEND
November 18+19
OFFERING WEEKEND
December 9+10
DEAR CHURCH,
I love when the seasons change at this time of year - cooler weather, lots of football, family holidays, and celebrating another year of God’s grace at Elevate Life Church. It’s hard to believe that it’s been thirteen years since we started with just a handful of people, hardly any money in the bank, and a dream of helping Jacksonville know Jesus! And as we look back again on another year of grace, growth, and gratitude, I am still as amazed as ever at what God has done here.
The last few years for our church and others have been about recovery. We came through challenges no one in our generation had ever seen and many churches didn’t make it through. For those that did, they faced a steep climb out of all-time lows in church attendance and engagement, all while the world around us was in greater need than ever before.
It reminds me of a moment in David’s life when everything hit rock bottom. He returns from being rejected by a foreign king whom he had helped for years, only to find his town raided, its homes burnt, and its families, including his, taken. This was David's darkest moment. But instead of sulking in disappointment, he seeks God’s direction. And God’s response was to the point - “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” And recover all, they did!
But simply recovering what he already had wasn’t God’s ultimate goal for David and recovery isn’t the finish line for us either. After we recover what we lost, it’s time to claim what God promised. For David, immediately after he recovers his family and possessions (1 Samuel 30), Saul, the tyrant king who spent his life trying to destroy David’s, is killed along with all his sons (1 Samuel 31), opening the door for David to finally become king as God had promised eighteen years earlier.
David’s most painful moment was ONE CHAPTER away from his most purposeful! In one chapter, his own men are calling for his life, but in just a few more, they are calling him king. Because the recovery was just the beginning. It signaled the start of a season of greater growth and influence than any in David’s life.
And I believe the same is true for our church and its people. After years of building back, we are stronger than ever - today we have more campuses, more people attending and serving, more giving, more salvations and baptisms, and more impact than ever before. But recovery is just the beginning. I believe that this new season is a season of expansion. We’re not just getting back all that we lost, we’re claiming all that God promised. And as it was for David, I believe it will be for us in this new season: God will taking care of our enemies, open new doors, and release a fresh anointing for His purpose on our lives. And I can’t wait to experience it together with you!
Let’s go!!!
We launched our Macclenny Location this year! There were 846 first-time guests in attendance and we have seen 371 salvations and 48 baptisms since launching.
This past year we hosted our third free Summer Blast Vacation Bible School with 495 kids in attendance, 144 volunteers, and 117 salvations!
We invested in the next generation of Elevate College leaders through the launch of new apprenticeship and internship programs, with a total of 66 interns and 8 apprentices. We’ve also provided 33 students with scholarships!
Over the last 12 months our Correctional Facilities Ministry has been so fruitful. We launched Duval and Baker County locations and have seen a total of 993 salvations across our men and women’s jails!
According to Outreach Magazine we are the 7th fastest growing church in America! What’s happening here is rare and is nothing short of a modern-day revival. Thank you for helping us create a place where people can experience Jesus for the first time.
As a church in the last 13 years, we’ve celebrated with more than 4,000 people as they took their next step in baptism and over 20,000 people will have given their lives to Christ by the end of 2023!
As we look ahead to all that we have committed to do as a church in 2024, begin to ask God to show you ways in which you can personally contribute to Above + Beyond.
Make plans to attend our upcoming Commitment & Offering weekends. Show your support as a vision carrier and share with others what God is doing at Elevate Life Church.
No matter who you are, no matter what your level of current engagement, take a step toward greater generosity. Put God first and be a part of all that God is doing both in our city and around the world.
Jesus is building His church, and He is using every one of us. While we’ve accomplished so much together, God is giving us more vision and opportunities than ever before. As we continue to build God’s Kingdom, you have the opportunity to help share the love of Jesus with even more people in our community, our state, our nation, and our world. Our church vision focuses on five areas of giving which we call our five Legacy Lanes. These five areas of Above + Beyond giving include Expansion, Next Gen, Local Missions, National Missions, and Global Missions.
Through expansion we are able to strengthen our community and advance the gospel within our city and the surrounding communities.
EXPANDING OUR DIGITAL PRESENCE
ONLINE PLATFORMS
When we think of expansion, we tend to think of new locations, new buildings, or something along those lines, right? Now more than ever, we are seeing a demand for more streaming as online platforms continue to expand. In the last year we have had 53,334 unique viewers join our weekend experience with us online! We’re currently broadcasting in 47 states and 9 different countries through our online platforms.
As our reach continues to grow, so does the need to equip and outfit our Broadcast Team with the tools needed to do the job well. With the help of Above + Beyond and your generosity, viewers on the other side of the screen will have an amplified experience and our reach online will continue to expand.
Our Goal : To expand weekly online reach by 50% and increase the excellence of our broadcast experience for all viewers.
We will move God’s mission forward by equipping leaders of future and current generations.
EKIDS
SUMMER BLAST
In eKids we believe that God has big things in store for every child. We partner with parents to see kids know and follow Jesus! Our goal for every child who steps into our eKids environment is to have a genuine relationship with God, built on solid Biblical foundation. In the last 12 months, we’ve ministered to 4,734 unique children through weekend services, special services, and Summer Blast.
For three years now, we have hosted a completely free, the-day kids’ conference called Summer Blast! Summer Blast helps children discover God’s Word in an exciting and unforgettable way, and it is completely through your generosity and Above + Beyond that we are able to host this dynamic kids conference each year.
Our Goal: To host Summer Blast in two locations and to help more than 5,500 children experience Jesus through our weekend experiences.
YOUTH
GROWTH + EXPANSION
Our Youth ministry is growing and we anticipate BIG things in 2024! We are breaking attendance records in our Youth Ministry nearly each weekend, and we want to expand our reach to grow this ministry to its fullest extent to reach more youth in our communities than ever before.
We are so grateful to the generous givers of our church that help us invest in this generation of future leaders. We are expectant to see God move in the lives of our students this year.
Our Goal: We will fund staffing for more Youth leadership throughout our church.
ELEVATE COLLEGE
SCHOLARSHIPS + APPRENTICESHIPS
Elevate College is a comprehensive leadership development experience that will challenge students with the practicalities of doing ministry in a contemporary, fast-growing church context. The mission of Elevate College is to connect people with purpose, and it is our goal for students to grow closer in their relationship with Christ while they are developed as leaders. Our two programs, combined with our immersive training, go beyond a standard curriculum to prepare students to lead the next generation.
This past year we launched a new internship and paid apprenticeship through Elevate College, and we look forward to the continued success of both of these programs in cultivating ministry leaders. Above + Beyond has always been vital to Elevate College and students in need of financial assistance, providing the curriculum and tools they need to become strong ministry leaders.
Our Goal: To provide scholarships for 50 Elevate College students and 25 interns, and to fund the salaries of 7 apprentices.
We will move God’s mission forward through loving our city and by being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Our first priority, when it comes to missions, is our own city and the communities right here within our reach. Above + Beyond provides us with the essential resources we need to go out into our city and minister to those who need Jesus. Through local hands-on outreaches and by partnering with local organizations we are able to serve our city in the best way possible.
We are able to give groceries to those less fortunate through Pop-Up Pantry, backpacks to those who need school supplies through our annual Backpack Drive, put Thanksgiving dinner on tables through Giving Hope, and so much more. We would not be able to accomplish any of this without the generosity of this church. Thank you for helping us serve our city!
Correctional Facility Ministry at Elevate Life Church is taking the local church inside the walls of correctional facilities, providing the same weekend service and small group experience you would find at each of our locations. Over the last few years we’ve had the incredible opportunity to take our weekend experieces into a few of the local jails here in Jacksonville, including those in Baker, Clay, and Duval County. We’ve also had the opportunity to offer assistance in sober housing, employment, and food needs to any and all released inmates who have asked for it as they re-entered their communities. Our Correctional Ministry has been so fruitful over these few years and we are in awe of what God has helped us to accomplish in these facilities!
We are so grateful to our givers for allowing us to grow this ministry as we continue pouring into the lives of these men and women who need Jesus more than ever, right where they are. We are able to meet them, sometimes in the lowest points of their lives, to help them find hope and discover freedom through Christ. We are able to show these men and women that they are loved and that they have a purpose.
Our goal in doing this is that these men and women will leave their time in jail different than when they entered. All of these men and women were a part of these communities before they entered these facilities and will re-enter their communities upon release. These men and women will once again become contributing members of their community and we pray that our positive influence on their lives will help them make better choices toward a brighter future. With the continued help of Above + Beyond, our Correctional Ministry will continue to grow and we will have the opportunity to minister to more inmates than ever before.
Our Goal: To launch another location inside one of our local jails or prisons. We will also assist 100 inmates through our re-entry program as they strive to live a changed life.
We will move God’s mission forward through shining a light in our nation.
Our nation, now more than ever, needs message of the gospel and the hope that a relationship with Jesus can usher into their lives. The key to spreading the gospel here in our own nation is through the development and strengthening of churches and by raising up successful leaders within the ministry.
We have cultivated relationships and partnerships with organizations that have a like-minded mission. Through our partnerships, we will plant churches across the United States, reach more inmates than ever before, provide struggling pastors with the therapy they need to lead their churches confidently, and train up dynamic leaders in ministry who will lead a new generation of churches.
Through Above+Beyond, these partnerships, and your generosity we believe we can be the much-needed light in a nation that continues to fall away from Jesus.
We will move God’s mission forward through planting seeds through generosity and empowering missionaries around the globe to reach farther than we ever could on our own.
Our nation, now more than ever, needs message of the gospel and the hope that a relationship with Jesus can usher into their lives. The key to spreading the gospel here in our own nation is through the development and strengthening of churches and by raising up successful leaders within the ministry.
We have cultivated relationships and partnerships with organizations that have a like-minded mission. Through our partnerships, we will plant churches across the United States, reach more inmates than ever before, provide struggling pastors with the therapy they need to lead their churches confidently, and train up dynamic leaders in ministry who will lead a new generation of churches.
Through Above+Beyond, these partnerships, and your generosity we believe we can be the much-needed light in a nation that continues to fall away from Jesus.
Expand the items below to learn more about our Local Partners and how we will make a difference together this year right here in our city and surrounding communities.
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Better Together keeps families together and children out of foster care by providing children with a temporary loving home and helping their parents work to build a better life.
Our Goal: To provide support and practical needs to help 34 children stay out of foster care.
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The Child Cancer Fund partners with Nemours Children's Health and Wolfson's Children's Hospital to walk side by side with local families in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia as they walk through the challenges of childhood cancer.
Our Goal : We will restock their space at The Players Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health with new crafts, games, toys, and more for children battling cancer.
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CRM provides food, clothing, shelter, emergency services and residential recovery programs to homeless men, women, and women with children.
Our Goal : To provide complete meals and shelter to 1,000 people in need.
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Family Promise delivers innovative solutions for family homelessness including prevention, shelter, and stabilization services.
Our Goal : To provide personal hygiene products and other basic necessities to 125 women or families.
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Feeding Northeast Florida is the largest, most efficient food bank serving several counties across Northeast Florida.
Our Goal : We will help feed 5,000 families in Baker, Duval, and Clay counties.
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Food Pantry provides emergency food for the working poor; to act as a stop gap in times of crisis, such as illness, injury, abandonment, or those awaiting food stamps.
Our Goal : To provide food for 100 families.
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Foundations of Freedom is a Christ centered recovery and sober living housing program that combines the practical application of biblical principles along with the 12 steps of addiction recovery.
Our Goal : Help Foundations of Freedom launch their fifth sober living and recovery house here in Jacksonville.
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The Hands and Feet Foundation helps those suffering from homelessness with various services including rehab facility transitioning, supplying food, etc.
Our Goal : We will provide transitional housing, support, and faith-based rehab classes.
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Hubbard House is a full-service certified domestic violence center serving Duval and Baker counties serving victims of domestic violence and their families.
Our Goal : To provide 60 women and their children with personal hygiene products and other basic necessities.
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Hungerfight exists to provide weekend nutrition to children who are enrolled in the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Plan at school.
Our Goal : To provide weekend meals to 25,000 students.
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Isaiah 117 House provides physical and emotional support in a safe and loving home for children awaiting foster care placement.
Our Goal : To help stock their new home with essentials needed by the children.
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Kim’s Open Door works to provide a safe place where refugee children can experience transformation through education, the arts, nutrition, and strategic events.
Our Goal : We will restock crafts and games for their afterschool program.
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Mercy Support Services works to coordinate various components and services that are needed to transition people to self-sufficiency, empowering individuals to utilize their own skills and abilities to care for themselves and their families.
Our Goal : We will help transition families to self-sufficiency.
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One More Child works to provide clean diapers to newborn babies, food for hungry children, safety for abused children, and foster care or adoptive homes to children in crisis.
Our Goal : To provide 10,000 diapers to single moms and foster parents who otherwise would not be able to afford these basic needs.
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Quigley's mission is to educate, equip, and empower survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault while providing awareness through community education.
Our Goal : To help provide 30 survivors of domestic violence with shelter in Clay County.
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Rethreaded works to provide jobs, career developement, and support for human trafficking survivors.
Our Goal : To provide 100 survivors with employment, holistic care, and essential services to get back on their feet.
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Saved2Serve spreads hope and the love of God to North Florida's homeless population through bi-weekly outreach events providing much needed food, clothing, and hygiene supplies.
Our Goal : To provide a warehouse/storage space so families in need can come select their kitchen, household and furniture items. We will also provide an organized pantry area along with fridges and freezers to supply those in need with food items.
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Seeds of Love Ministry serves and meets the real needs of individuals in our community and hosts outreaches and events for those in need throughout our city.
Our Goal : To provide 120 students much needed brand new items of clothing.
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Stock The Pantry provides easy take-home meals to students who suffer from food insecurity.
Our Goal : To provide 3,300 meals to local high school students in need.
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The Healing Hearts Project exists to support patients and families from Wolfson Children's Hospital and UF Pediatric Cardiology who are affected by congenital heart disease.
Our Goal : To provide surgery care packages for children and families to provide comfort and entertainment during the waiting and recovery period.
One of the most impactful ways we can reach our city is through hands-on outreach. There are a variety of local outreaches we host or participate in, whether it be Pop-Up Pantries, our annual Backpack Drive, Serve Day, and more. Through these local outreaches, we are able to go out into our communities, serve our city, and see God work in the lives of our neighbors firsthand. In 2023, we witnessed joy and gratitude replace hopelessness over and over again. Take a moment to look over these outreaches and the ways we’re tangibly able to impact our city this upcoming year.
Expand the items below to learn more about our Local Outreaches and how we will make a difference in our communities together this year.
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Every year, hundreds of kids in our city can't afford to get the supplies they need to succeed in school. The Backpack Drive is a back-to-school project that equips local students in need for the new school year.
Our Goal : To provide over 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to students in our local communities.
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Through our Easter Outreach, our local partners, and Wolfson's Children's Hospital, we get to love on local children and their families through a simple gift of an Easter basket filled with treats and toys to at-risk and sick children and their families.
Our Goal : Provide Easter baskets and treats to 500 local at-risk and sick children and their families.
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Our first responders in the line of duty truly care for this city, and we have partnered with our local fire, rescue, and police departments to provide a fresh meal to these individuals.
Our Goal : Provide 1,000 meals to first responders.
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Through Giving Hope Christmas, parents in need are given the opportunity to select Christmas gifts for their children and have the shopping experience at no cost.
Our Goal : Provide gifts for 300 children this Christmas.
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Through Giving Hope Thanksgiving, we have the opportunity to make the holiday special for families in need by providing them with an entire Thanksgiving Dinner.
Our Goal : To provide turkey and sides to over 700 families in our local community.
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Pop-Up Pantry Outreach provides bags and meals with fresh produce, meats and non-perishables to people suffering from food insecurity in our communities.
Our Goal : To provide a week’s worth of groceries to 3,000 local families.
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Serve Day provides churches across the world with opportunities to serve their local communities and share the love of God through practical acts of kindness. In July 2024, we will join hundreds of churches across the nation to serve our local communities.
Our Goal : To provide for over 30,000 people in our local community through tangible services and meals.
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For Teacher Appreciation Week, we will partner with our local schools to serve breakfast to teachers across our city.
Our Goal : To provide 1,000 meals to local teachers in our communities.
Expand the items below to learn more about our National Partners and how we will make a difference together this year.
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Our nation needs God more now than ever, and we believe the best way to reach it is by starting local, thriving churches. ARC works with church planters and church leaders to provide support, guidance and resources to launch and grow life-giving churches. Through these newly-formed church plants, thousands of people have given their lives to Christ.
To date, ARC has planted 1,079 churches across the United States with $72 million invested in church planting. This number has multiplied into hundreds of millions given to global missions! Elevate Life Church was funded through ARC in 2010- we would not be here without the generous individuals that sacrificed financially so that we could plant our church here in Jacksonville, Florida.
Our Goal : To provide funds that will assist in planting 120 churches across the United States this year.
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During times of natural and humanitarian disaster, Convoy of Hope responds with tangible aid and compassion.
Our Goal : To help procure, transport, and distribute one load or one container of critical relief supplies where it's needed most.
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Mental illness, divorce, and addiction are some of the leading causes that take pastors out of ministry. FTAJAX provides anonymous care at little to no cost to pastors who are struggling.
Our Goal : We will help to provide 350 counseling sessions to pastors.
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God Behind Bars, Inc. connects prisoners and their families to Christ by streaming worship services inside prisons.
Our Goal : Provide 1,000 tablets and stream our worship services to over 500,000 inmates across 31 states.
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We will bring in some of the most dynamic leaders in the church today to teach, train, and develop pastors and ministry leaders.
Our Goal : To provide teaching and training for over 70 churches and 500 ministry leaders this year.
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Through our partnership with Soles4Souls, we can offer homeless children across the U.S. a new pair of shoes.
Our Goal : To provide brand new shoes for 500 homeless and at risk kids.
Expand the items below to learn more about our Global Partners and how we will make a difference together this year.
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A21 provides a safe environment for children coming out of exploitation that provides holistic aftercare services and uses a child-victim centered approach to collect a child's testimony for court that avoids additional trauma to the child.
Our Goal : To provide aftercare services such as psychological support, access to medical supplies, finances for rent and utilities, necessities, including food, and assistance in relocating to safer areas of Ukraine or other countries.
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YOUTH GAME DAY
The Youth Game Day event brings together the CarePoints and other local teams to participate in a sports tournament. It will include guest speakers, devotional time, and outreach opportunities.
Our Goal : To provide this GameDay Event.
TREASURED ONES
Through Treasured Ones events we spend time honoring children with disabilities while also offering a community of support for their caregivers. We aim to provide education, promote inclusion, and strengthen community.
Our Goal : To provide this Treasured Ones event for special needs children.
FOUNDATIONS RETREAT
This will include the costs for the Foundations Retreat at the end of the program for students from all CarePoints.
Our Goal : To provide this Foundations Retreat.
DINING STRUCTURE
Construction of a dining structure would allow Children’s Cup to expand their facility to serve more children in need.
Our Goal : To provide funding for a dining structure.
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Convoy of Hope has a passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response.
Our Goal : To provide meals for 500 children.
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Destiny Rescue rescues children from sexual exploitation and human trafficking and helps them stay free.
Our Goal : To fund a raid, which will rescue at least 13 and arrest 1 trafficker.
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Mercy House Global provides homes for pregnant teens surviving in unthinkable situations.
Our Goal : We will help pay for the maternity costs of new resident and their babies for one year.
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Happy Horizons Ranch is a place of healing and hope for rescued girls who have been trafficked and abused in horrific ways.
Our Goal : To provide meals to children that have been rescued from sex trafficking in the Philippines.
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One Hope provides a unique opportunity to take hope to the next generation in one of the most strategic areas of the world.
Our Goal : To plant 10 churches, translate biblical material for children and youth, and reach over 22,000 with the gospel.
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Paul is a missionary to the secluded and largely Hindu nation of Nepal. Paul ministers to locals and raises up pastors as well as helps with church plants in villages throughout Nepal.
Our Goal : To provide funding to support the spread of the gospel in Nepal. We fund a new church plant in Jaleshwor, Nepal.
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Samaritan’s Purse provides Christmas and the gospel to children in special access or gospel restricted areas.
Our Goal : To provide Christmas boxes for 1,000 children.
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The Tim Tebow Foundation works to fight human trafficking through creating support programs for families, responding to the crisis by partnering with those executing physical rescue missions, and by providing continued support and recovery to survivors.
Our Goal : To fight against human trafficking and child exploitation by training law enforcement and military all around the world to prevent and respond to this type of injustice.
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World Compassion has delivered over 100,000 Bibles to new believers and those seeking Jesus in Iran, a nation where Bible distribution has been outlawed for 40 years! Each Bible helps make a new connection in the underground house church where new Christians can find community, encouragement and discipleship.
Our Goal : To provide 1,000 Bibles to individuals in Iran.
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World Serve provides the dignity, health, and education every girl deserves. In East Africa, WorldServe distributes compostable sanitary pads along with a comprehensive menstrual health curriculum, and undergarments. Without this basic dignity, a girl can miss up to 4 days of school each month!
Our Goal : Provide feminine hygiene products to 330 teen girls in East Africa.