Does my sacrifice really matter?

At Celebration Church we hear a lot about how God calls us to sacrifice our time, our talent and our finances for the benefit of others.

While we all understand this concept, it can become easy to forget how God can use our sacrifices to impact those in need. We can find ourselves asking the question, “Does my sacrifice really matter?”

Here are just a few personal examples of how God has used the sacrifices of Celebration Church to make a huge difference in the lives of others:

“Steve” at Jax Beach

A gentleman named Steve, who was toothless, was part of those served at Celebration’s Jax Beach Homeless Outreach. Steve had an alcohol addiction and would often cause disturbance during the outreach. Pastor Wade and the team referred him to Gateway Community Services for rehab. Steve has since returned and is sober, has a full-time job, and his own place to live. With help of I.M. Sulzbacher Center, Steve also has a full set of new teeth! He is now comes back regularly to help the team serve and give back to the homeless.

“Sharon” in North Jacksonville

A team of more than 100 volunteers from Celebration Church, in partnership with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, spent a Saturday morning painting and repairing Sharon’s home, along with three other North Jacksonville neighborhood houses. The outreach team also painted over graffiti in the area and picked up trash along the streets. The outreach and beautification effort renewed hope for Sharon and the Eugene Butler community.

“It takes a good-hearted person to volunteer their time, even on a Saturday, to come help someone else,” Sharon said. “It’s a blessing.”

“Jorge” in Costa Rica

Celebration Mission team members were able to bless Jorge and his family by helping them move into a new house, thoroughly cleaning it, and purchasing supplies. They found out later that it was a fulfilled promise the Lord had given Jorge several years ago. Jorge and his wife lived with their 4 children in a 2-bedroom house where dirt and water often came through the ceiling from the house above them. All of their housing supplies were old and worn out including 22-year-old mattresses that were bug-infested.

The team pitched in and purchased the family new kitchen supplies, a bed frame, and new mattresses for their 4 children. The team was also able to thoroughly clean the very dirty house. Jorge works as an associate pastor for a church but earns his living through a struggling internet café. God told him to stay faithful and that he would bring them out the situation and that people from North America would come bearing gifts. Little did the team know that they would be a part of this promise’s fulfillment.

So does our sacrifice really matter? It certainly mattered to Steve, Sharon and Jorge.

These stories are just 3 of the thousands of examples of how God is using the time, talents and finances of Celebration Church members to make life changing impacts to our community and even around the world.

In Mark 9:41 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”

Thank you so much for your sacrifice! God is using it to make a difference in our hurting world!