Grace Beyond GraceBeyondBrochure-Celebrate-Dec2017-web | Page 19

OPEN DOOR PROJECT For over 20 years, Calvary’s Open Door Project has given each of us the opportunity to partner with ways God is at work locally and around the world. This annual year-end focus has allowed us to participate with God in bringing the nations and the Grand Rapids area into His family. Did you know this proj- ect originally began because of a building project? This fund started because an anonymous Calvary member was led by God to use the monetary blessings he had received to bless the church. 21 years ago Calvary was complet- ing construction on the East End, including the Chapel and Gymnasi- um. Pledges were coming in slowly and the Board was struggling to make ends meet. They were faced with how to cut ministry back, both in our church and in our external outreach efforts. As the Calvary member mentioned above witnessed these plans, he was burdened at the thought that the obligation of our construction loan would keep us from ministering to those outside our walls. God gave this man a radical idea: what if from the blessing he had received through many years of faithfully walking with the Lord, he paid off the construction loan and remaining building expenses? Then the pledged funds could be used to support projects that ministered to those outside of Calvary. The idea was brought to the church leader- ship, affirmed, and the Open Door Project began. Calvary Church has been blessed for many years through this outreach. The purpose of Grace Beyond has been to improve our facility, to pro- vide accessible worship space, areas for fellowship and secure rooms for our children. Even more, Grace Beyond has been about establishing a solid base from which our church can continue to minister to others in this same vein. Over the past few months, God has made it clear that he has a new vision for Calvary Church. In God’s kindness, He has made it abundant- ly clear that the season for the Open Door Project has ended and we are now called to move forward in a new direction. A direction that has roots firmly planted in the rich soil of sacrificial giving and missional outreach that ODP has helped to establish in the Calvary DNA. As we close out this chapter in our church history, we want to celebrate the work that God has done through this project. Over $7 million dollars has been contributed to the Open Door Project through- out its history. Join us in praising God for the many ways in which His Word has been brought to the na- tions. Thank you for giving faithfully to see many come to know Jesus as Lord. nations touched by projects USA India Tanzania Nigeria Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan Egypt Morocco Algeria Tunisia Lebanon Syria Sudan South Sudan England Russia Honduras Poland Bangladesh Greece Albania Ukraine Mozambique China Ghana types of projects funded • Leadership development • Church planting • Orphan Care, Justice/ Anti-trafficking • Refugees • Persecuted church • Deaf Outreach • Bible translation, print- ing and distribution • Evangelistic media pro- duction and distribution • Camp scholarships 19