We are quite sure that you, along with your family and friends, are all busy getting ready for Christmas since it is less than a week away. Can you believe how quickly this year has just rocketed by? If you are like us, the holidays kind of snuck up on you in the middle of doing life. Hopefully you can pause for just a few moments and take in our latest updates! Thanks for reading and watching the videos!
On November 14th, Cultivate held its annual event with the theme "Out Of Our Comfort Zone." A group of over 60 Cultivate friends and supporters gathered for a delicious dessert buffet and a few minutes of uncomfortable fun and games before we shared with them about what Cultivate has been up to and where we sense God is leading us in the coming year. The evening was hosted by Luke Ayers, a long time friend of Cultivate.
At this event, we shared about how - in the context of doing what Cultivate has been about from the beginning - it appears that God has invited us into several things out of our comfort zone. Most of the articles that follow here are related to what we shared that evening.
We opened up our annual event with a new explainer video to better communicate what we do and why! Feel free to share this video with anyone you think might benefit from knowing about the services we offer at Cultivate.
Thanks for watching the video! To date, Cultivate has been privileged to work directly with 142 people to help formulate a vocational plan through COMPASS. 60 individuals have received training in Christian apologetics through TRUE NORTH. We are currently working with our 35th young adult couple in pre-marriage counseling through SYMBIS with a waiting list. Hundreds more young adults have been involved in some kind of an EVENT, PROJECT, or a ROOTS STUDY GROUP designed to foster community, growth, creativity and/or purpose since we began in 2016. We are so thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in the name of Jesus!
Several Cultivate friends wanted to share about their experience with COMPASS this year. They sent in videos they made and here is a mashup of what several of them had to say. If you want to hear some examples of how COMPASS is making a difference just watch this video!
In this video, Kyrsten mentioned a project she helped organize for Cultivate back in the spring. It was the annual Easter Eggstravaganza event held by the Foster Care association of Coweta County. You can read about that here.
When Naoko Uechi asked Elise to take her two teenagers through COMPASS, she had no idea what was coming. As Elise explained to her what Cultivate does through COMPASS, Naoko said to Elise "Would you consider doing COMPASS with Japanese women?" Naoko shared a word about her experience working with Cultivate this year.
Please pray for Cultivate and GLOW as we seek God's will in how we can best partner together in the future If you would like to know more about the ministry of GLOW, click here.
In our summer update, we shared about how Cultivate became part of a team providing a weekly worship experience at our local Children's Home (you can read more about that here). A short while after this service was up and running, Rhonda Skinner asked Elise if she could come and get involved. Since that time, we have watched Rhonda come alive by being around these kids. She has already led several of the girls there to Jesus and is now on campus several days a week spending time with them. Please pray for us as we continue to invest weekly in these young people who find themselves separated from, or without parents for reasons they did not choose.
In September, we sponsored two workers from our local Children's Home to join us at the CAFO (Christian Alliance For Orphans) Summit Conference hosted by Johnson's Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta. This was such an eye opening event! Attending the conference were professional staff and volunteers from hundreds of organizations helping to support the foster care needs of all age groups in over 40 countries around the world.
Backstory... In April, Cultivate once again provided support for the Coweta Foster Care Association's annual Easter Eggtravaganza event (you can read more about that here). During that event, one of the foster moms talked to Elise about the challenges of foster kids aging out of the system. We sensed the Lord leading us to attend this conference to learn more about this problem specifically and how Cultivate might potentially help in the future. Please join us in seeking the Lord's direction in this matter.
In the course of working in our four main environments - COMPASS, TRUE NORTH, SYMBIS, and ROOTS STUDY GROUPS, we are encountering young adults with very difficult issues that are directly related to the times in which we live. Their trauma and brokenness cause massive roadblocks for life. Although we do recognize that many struggling with such serious issues need dedicated professional Christian counseling, we also see the need for us to become better equipped in knowing how to be a bridge to their healing. Please pray for us as we determine the best training avenues for our team in the coming year.
THANK YOU!
Cultivate is committed to provide most of its services free of charge. This means our ability to continue to do what we do is wholly dependent on God raising up supporters who believe in this ministry and generously support this work financially.
So many of you already support Cultivate through your prayers and financial support. We cherish your continued support and cannot tell you how thankful we are for your partnership. If you aren't yet a Cultivate partner, we ask that you consider joining our support team.
The easiest way to give is to use our online platform, provided by PushPay. Click here or text the word "Cultivate" to 833-245-6481 from your mobile phone. You can also contact elise@cultivatenext.org for more information.