Merry Christmas, EastLake Family!
A Message from Pastor Troy
Christmas is a time for reflection. When we hear the carols and put out decorations, memories flood in.
As I write this letter I am reflecting on the past several years. Of course, the most prominent thing that has happened to me personally, the sickness and death of my wife, is never far from my mind. Oh how I miss her. But today I am not reflecting on what I have lost but rather on the blessings that God has bestowed upon us at EastLake.
God has done great things!
In 2018 this property was a hay pasture. The school was in its infancy and meeting in the basement of a church 9 miles away. The church was 30% the size it is today and the impact we were having around the world at that time was much smaller than it is today. We have seen hundreds come to Christ, sent missionaries, planted new churches, helped other local churches, supported pastors, blessed our community, built a home for a widow and graduated more than 140 young people from SMLCA. We have developed this property’s infrastructure and built or remodeled more than 135,000 square feet of ministry space. Each week we are reaching thousands of people both in person, online and through our daily devotionals.
When I reflect on the work of God here at EastLake, I am humbled, blessed and I am grateful for you.
What has happened here over these past few years is remarkable in and of itself, but when you realize that God accomplished all of this through incredibly challenging times it is even more amazing. While the world was in a pandemic and my wife was in the battle of her life, God did some of His most incredible work.
As I stand on the other side of those hard seasons, I cannot help but offer my sincerest thanks to God for His faithfulness and to you for your impact in His Kingdom.
EastLake could not have done this without incredible men and women like you. Your faithful service and financial support has been the backbone of all that is EastLake and SMLCA.
As we come to the end of 2024, I am looking forward to an even brighter future. I am excited about a Conference and Retreat Center that will be useful in this community and will enable us to bless thousands of pastors and church leaders. I am looking forward to new churches, sending missionaries, and a growing discipleship and ministry training program right here in this “hay pasture” in Moneta.
As I write this letter I am reflecting on the past several years. Of course, the most prominent thing that has happened to me personally, the sickness and death of my wife, is never far from my mind. Oh how I miss her. But today I am not reflecting on what I have lost but rather on the blessings that God has bestowed upon us at EastLake.
God has done great things!
In 2018 this property was a hay pasture. The school was in its infancy and meeting in the basement of a church 9 miles away. The church was 30% the size it is today and the impact we were having around the world at that time was much smaller than it is today. We have seen hundreds come to Christ, sent missionaries, planted new churches, helped other local churches, supported pastors, blessed our community, built a home for a widow and graduated more than 140 young people from SMLCA. We have developed this property’s infrastructure and built or remodeled more than 135,000 square feet of ministry space. Each week we are reaching thousands of people both in person, online and through our daily devotionals.
When I reflect on the work of God here at EastLake, I am humbled, blessed and I am grateful for you.
What has happened here over these past few years is remarkable in and of itself, but when you realize that God accomplished all of this through incredibly challenging times it is even more amazing. While the world was in a pandemic and my wife was in the battle of her life, God did some of His most incredible work.
As I stand on the other side of those hard seasons, I cannot help but offer my sincerest thanks to God for His faithfulness and to you for your impact in His Kingdom.
EastLake could not have done this without incredible men and women like you. Your faithful service and financial support has been the backbone of all that is EastLake and SMLCA.
As we come to the end of 2024, I am looking forward to an even brighter future. I am excited about a Conference and Retreat Center that will be useful in this community and will enable us to bless thousands of pastors and church leaders. I am looking forward to new churches, sending missionaries, and a growing discipleship and ministry training program right here in this “hay pasture” in Moneta.
But before we go forward there are some things we need to do. The elders and leaders have purposed to focus our year end giving on raising money to help us do some important things that will enable us to move forward.
With a portion of our year end giving we will also;
I am trusting the Lord and your generosity once again to help us reach this goal. Would you join me in making a generous gift as we come to the close of another incredible year. Your gift, whether large or small, is significant in helping us continue to do the amazing work of building God’s Kingdom.
Thank you for walking with me on the incredible journey of Multiplying Believers, Leaders and Churches at EastLake and SMLCA.
The best is yet to come!
All for Jesus,
Pastor Troy
PS. If you would like to chat with me personally about a year end gift feel free to email me at pt@eastlake-church.com
- We need to eliminate the debt on the education wing and the elementary building renovation. The new building was an 8+ million dollar project and we now owe just 600k in remaining debt. That is incredible!
With a portion of our year end giving we will also;
- Provide funding for church planting and expansion in 2025 (Danville, Dallas and Roanoke)
- Launch the plans and get the drawings and infrastructure ready for conference and retreat center.
I am trusting the Lord and your generosity once again to help us reach this goal. Would you join me in making a generous gift as we come to the close of another incredible year. Your gift, whether large or small, is significant in helping us continue to do the amazing work of building God’s Kingdom.
Thank you for walking with me on the incredible journey of Multiplying Believers, Leaders and Churches at EastLake and SMLCA.
The best is yet to come!
All for Jesus,
Pastor Troy
PS. If you would like to chat with me personally about a year end gift feel free to email me at pt@eastlake-church.com