DOORS OF HOPE 2024 Fundraiser Luncheon
Please be my guest at our “DOORS OF HOPE” 2024 FUNDRAISER LUNCHEON! It will happen at Grace and Life Church on Saturday, April 20, from noon until 2 pm! Your support will help us go and share the Gospel, just as the Lord prayed.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Mt 9:36-38
2023 Academia Mauricio Saravia Fall Presentation
Our 2023 Fall Session of the Academia Mauricio Saravia finished with a spectacular presentation night. Our cooking, kickboxing, and folklore dance class all presented and did a fantastic job!
Latin American Fiesta Celebration
Saturday, September 16, from 10 am to 3 pm
Join Jesus of Nazareth (JON) Compassion Ministries celebrated Independence Day with our Mexican and Central American neighbors in Westwood. We sold food, hosted children’s games, and played Spanish music! We also invited local businesses to set up a booth to sell/share their products and services. There is a small fee for this.
However, our main objective was to share the love and message of Christ! Thus, we also had people set up a free table and share their faith in Christ. Join us next time with your own booth for a free haircut and manicure, a listening or prayer station, or a free water giveaway station. It is a great way to spend the day and share the love of Christ!
Fundraiser Fiesta
FUNDRAISER FIESTA LUNCH
I want to invite you to our FUNDRAISER FIESTA lunch that will take place at Grace and Life Church on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at noon. We would love to see you and show you the dividends past investments in our ministry have produced. For more than 20 years, God has given us the vision of reaching children and youth in our community, and you will see what a generation’s time of work has done.
You can purchase your $25 ticket at http://gracelifechurch.betterworld.org/events/fundraiser-fiesta. You may also sponsor a half, three-quarters or full table to promote your business. We will promote your business with a table tent at the event, on our website, and on our ticket-selling platform. Those prices are visible in the above link. Just email your company’s logo to pastorcarranza1@gmail.com.
With every passing day, the urgency to reach children and youth increases. We strive to do our part, but we need partnerships with people like you who understand the need and can see our faithfulness. You may watch some interviews we did a couple of years ago of young people who grew up in our ministry at https://youtu.be/CGrNHxhVxWM.
Please consider attending our Fundraiser Fiesta lunch and learning more about our work. We can reach a new generation of children and youth in the Denver inner-city, and together we can make destiny changes in these young lives!
20-Year Anniversary of Iglesia Gracia y Vida
Please Join Pastor Scott and Sister Jackie Carranza as we give thanks to God for His faithfulness during our 20 years as Pastors of Iglesia Gracia y Vida! Sing with joy, hear testimonies of praise, and see the “new thing” God is doing in our church. God is wonderful and you will be amazed.
Refreshments will be served afterward. Click below to RSVP. We look forward to seeing you!
So much happens in 20 years: new beginnings and endings, births and deaths, wins and losses. These sound like cliches, but they aren't. We rejoice in the salvation of souls, baby dedications, marriages celebrated, new programs launched, and the growth of our ministry. However, like the Israelites in the desert, we have endured dire needs, rebellions, sickness, and death, yet always sustained by fresh manna from heaven. Our stories contain one unifying thread: God's faithfulness.
The following is a quote that I believe rings true for our ministry. "Seeing a miracle will inspire you, but knowing you are a miracle will change you" (Deborah Brodie). Our church's existence is a miracle of God's doing; through His supernatural power, the Lord has touched and changed countless lives! Our 20th-anniversary service celebrated the simple reality of God's sustaining and transforming presence within our midst.
God exhibits His faithfulness through the kindness of His people. Your gifts of prayer, service, friendship, and financial giving have sustained us through many trials and tribulations. Thank you to all who attended and have shown your belief in God's wonder-working Truth through your support of our ministry! The Lord shall undoubtedly repay you.
Love and Teach a Child
Prov 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
On Saturday, November 6, 2021, at noon, we will host our “Love and Teach a Child” Fundraiser luncheon and silent auction. It will occur at Denver First Church of the Nazarene, located at 3800 E. Hampden Ave, Englewood, CO 80113. This fundraiser will benefit our Children’s ministry and after-school program, the Academia Mauricio Saravia (AMS).
Pastor Janette Mikatich will be our keynote speaker. She served as the Mission’s Pastor for the Crossing Church of the Nazarene from 2007 to 2016. Fortunately for us, she has been actively involved in our ministry since 2008. She will inspire us as we raise $30,000 to strengthen and expand our children’s ministries.
Our Denver Westwood Neighborhood is home to more than 5,000 children ages 0-18. According to a 2017 Piton Foundation report, about 30% of Westwood families and 42% of children under 18 live in poverty. According to a 2021 Chalkbeat Report of CMAS testing, one of our community schools (Castro) only scored 11.5% and another (Knapp) just 14.3% on meeting or exceeding 3rd-grade literacy expectations. The need is dire on many fronts!
Funds raised from our “Love and Teach a Child” banquet will have a threefold purpose. They will: help us retain our Children’s Pastor, Rev. Eusebio Bermudez, strengthen our current AMS after-school program and empower us to open another night of AMS programming dedicated to academic tutoring. When we combine all three efforts, we will impact 50 – 100 unique kids per week!
Covid has exacerbated the emotional, social, and academic needs of the children. However, our ministry is placed strategically in the heart of Westwood, and together we will transform a child’s future.
Thank you for loving the children!
Keynote Speaker Pastor Janette Mikatich’s Photo & Bio
Married to my wonderful husband, Joe, for 40 years.
We have two amazing sons (Joshua & Jacob), an awesome daughter-in-law (Desarae) and two grandchildren who are the joy of our lives (Peyton, age 6, and Brock, age 4)
I have a BA in psychology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a Masters in Intercultural Ministries from Denver Seminary.
Work history: all of my work history falls in to the category of counseling/human services/social services/pastoral ministry. In other words, helping people. I've worked with abused and neglected adolescents, juvenile delinquents (minor offenses), felony offenders (juvenile & adults) and for the final decade of employment as a missions pastor.
As a missions pastor I developed and led local, national and international efforts. (examples: ESL ministry, Whiz Kids, Compassionate ministry, built homes in Mexico, dug and dedicated a water well in the Dominican Republic, annual Nazarene Navajo Nation Christmas ministry, Panama boat project, led Work & Witness teams in various projects to assist other District Nazarene churches, trained & led disaster response teams, etc.
Since retirement I've volunteered as a teaching assistant at a local elementary school working with ELL (English Language Learners) students and have continued my participation on the advisory board at Jesus of Nazareth.
I have a heart for all people but especially for children as I love making an impact on future generations.
Love and Teach a Child Needs:
On Saturday, November 6, 2021, at noon, a fundraiser luncheon will be held at Denver First Church of the Nazarene. The theme is "LOVE AND TEACH A CHILD," and our goal is to raise $30,000 to reach the children in our underserved community with programs during 2022. With those funds, we will retain our Children's Pastor, strengthen our current program, and extend our ministry to start a second night of academic tutoring for elementary-age kids. We need the following:
Table Sponsorships
Dear Friend,
I am sending you this letter to ask you to sponsor a table at $400 (table for 8), or $300 (table for 6), or $200 (seating for 4) and fill our event with potential new donors!
I trust that you will recognize the great need for this ministry in the Denver inner-city and will join us in supporting this effort. If you want to sponsor or partially sponsor a table, please send us a $400, $300, or $200 check made out to AMS at the address located in the heading, donate online by clicking on Love and Teach a Child.
We will mention your business as a sponsor on our website during November & December 2021, and with table display stands at the event. To facilitate this, I request that you email me your logo in digital format. Please keep in mind; all donations are tax-deductible.
If you have any questions, please call me.
I appreciate your support!
Rev. Scott Carranza
Executive Director
303.949.4674
Auction Items
Dear Friend,
We hope to raise $7,500 of our $30,000 goal via our online auction! This auction will start at 3 pm on Monday, November 1, and finish after our Saturday, November 6, 2021, event at 3:00 pm. I believe that you will recognize the great need for this ministry in the Denver inner-city and will support this effort.
We are writing this letter to ask you for donations of gift merchandise for our silent auction. Gifts may include vacation getaways, dinner for two, tickets for sports/cultural/music events, tablets, TVs, holiday gifts, jewelry, artwork, etc. Before October 30, 2021, please submit a photo, description and valuation of your donated item to us at: http://gracelifechurch.betterworld.org/donate-an-item.
IMPORTANT! Starting bids are generated at 27% of the item’s assigned value. If you want to start the bidding for your item at a specific price than follow this formula to calculate the value you need to give your item: Your Minimum Price x 100/27. For example, if you want bidding to start at $50, calculate your item’s value like this: $50 x 100 = $5000/27 = $185. Now enter $185 as the item’s value.
Please contact Steve Burdick at sburdick55@gmail.com to setup physical delivery of your item.
We appreciate your support!
Allie Bess
Auction Co-Director
abess30@gmail.com
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Auction Co-Director
Tel:
RSVP
Tickets for the Saturday, November 6, “Love and Teach a Child” Fundraiser Luncheon cost $15 per person. Please fill out the form below and hit SUBMIT then click on DONATE to secure your spot(s). You may also just make a donation if you cannot attend. Thank you for loving the children!