2019 Year End Giving Campaign

As we approach the end of 2019, we want to say thank you to all of you who have supported the mission and vision of our church by financially partnering with us. On average, 36% of our annual budget comes in between October 1st and December 31st. And this December, we have a special opportunity to be generous to others.

Here’s the Short of It:

1. From our prayer meeting a few months ago, we heard clearly from God that one of the main focus areas for our church to be involved in regarding justice in San Francisco is at-risk children and youth.
2. We want to respond with more investment in this area of justice now as part of our year-end giving by giving $250K toward at-risk children and youth.
3. We will give $100K to Rise Prep and divide the remaining $150K among our existing Renewal Partner Organizations who work with at-risk children and youth.
4. We are looking to you, our church community, to be generous as we are seeking to raise $1.2 million in December in order to finish the year well. Over 20% of this amount will go to supporting at-risk children and youth.

 A few months ago, we called a prayer meeting to seek God about how we as a church should focus our efforts in local Justice & Outreach. It was an amazing prayer meeting, and what we heard very clearly from God was that one of the main focus areas for our church to be involved in regarding justice in San Francisco is at-risk children and youth.

The poor and vulnerable are deeply on God’s heart. And when we start to get close to God’s heart, we begin to care about the poor and vulnerable. So, one of the major areas we’ll be focusing our justice and outreach efforts on that next year is at-risk children and youth.

But we don’t want to wait until next year. We want to begin that investment now by generously supporting ministries with this focus through our year-end giving. God has been so faithful to always meet our needs year after year, so we want to bank on that hope in God and turn to give $250K of our year-end giving toward at-risk children and youth. Here’s how that looks specifically:

We’ll be giving $100K from our year-end giving to RISE Prep, an independent, 6th-8th grade school committed to educational excellence, equity, and reconciliation.

Rooted in the Bayview, Rise Prep is a non-discriminatory Christian 501(c)(3) nonprofit school that reserves 80% of their seats for students from the Bayview neighborhood or students who are low-income or first generation college-bound. To make quality education accessible, they work hard to fundraise 90% of the cost of education. Through close partnerships with churches, businesses, and other non-profits, they enfold their students in a community of care and support. 

So we want to partner with them as they embody what it looks like to bring renewal to the community of the Hunters Point/Bayview District.

For the remainder of the $250K raised this year, we want to split $150K evenly across all of our existing Renewal Partners Organizations who work with at-risk children and youth.

Those 10 Renewal Partners Are:

Because Justice Matters

Because Justice Matters is building pathways to brighter futures for women and girls in urban communities.

YWAM San Francisco

YWAM San Francisco (a local branch of Youth With a Mission) is on a mission to engage San Francisco with a loving God through discipling and serving the homeless and marginalized.

New Door Ventures

New Door Ventures helps at-risk youth get ready for work and life by providing meaningful paid jobs, training in work and life skills, individualized case management, and educational support.

Young Life

Young Life San Francisco is a local branch of the national organization focused on building loving relationships with kids.

SF City Academy

SF City Academy exists to empower inner-city children and release them to excel academically, physically, spiritually, and socially.

Mission Graduates

Mission Graduates seeks to equip K-12 students in San Francisco’s Mission District to graduate and succeed in college.

Old Skool Cafe

Old Skool Cafe is a faith-based, violence-prevention program that provides job training, employment, and a second chance at life by way of a jazz restaurant run by at-risk, formerly incarcerated, and foster-care youth ages 16-22. 

Mobilize Love

Mobilize Love deploys a fleet of outreach trucks to give underprivileged families access to basic human services such as laundry, food, and wellness, as well as mentoring relationships.

Sunset Youth Services

Sunset Youth Services fosters long-term stability and growth for in-risk youth and families through caring relationships and supportive services.

Schools for Justice

Schools for Justice Foundation provides educational opportunities and loving childcare to the community of New Georgia, Liberia, with a fully-funded adult night school and an orphanage.

Here’s How You Can Participate:

We are looking to you, our church community, to be generous this year as we are seeking to $1.2 million in December in order to finish the year well.

If you’ve never given to Reality, please prayerfully consider giving a one-time gift or signing up for recurring giving.

And if you do regularly give, please consider a year-end gift in addition to your regular giving. (for example, Ashley and I give here every month and will be giving a unique year end gift in December)

If you would like to stay informed about how your gifts are being stewarded by the church, you can always sign up for our monthly financial reports here.