Holly Furtick

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Check out Erin’s story….

When my husband and I joined Elevation it was after a period of time when we were watching it online and hearing the sermons through the app on our phones. We knew this was the church we were to be a part of. After I graduated from WCU my husband and I felt the peace to move back to Clover, SC. Something kept us from deciding to stay in the mountains as our first choice. I see now a glimpse of why we were to be down here.

When we moved down in May of 2012 neither of us had jobs. I immediately got a job at a children’s fitness center and my husband got a job at a local restaurant. Both jobs were more out of necessity rather than trusting that God would provide. Though I liked my job something was telling me this wasn’t it. I happened to run into a few guys that were members at Planet Fitness. We talked about their new location in Gastonia, NC. We went by, toured, and signed up for a membership. During the tour I saw resume signs up looking for personal trainers. I majored in Health and Physical Education at WCU. We went back on another day to work out and the manager was there; something prompted me to ask her about the job. It was only part-time and I figured if that was the case I would keep my other job. I went home and contemplated it a little more and felt like I had nothing to lose in putting in a resume. So I did that week. I heard back a few days later that I had an interview. I interviewed with all the managers. I had such a peace about it all and had such confidence in my answers. Within 30 minutes of leaving the interview I heard that I got the job!! I have felt so truly blessed with this job that it could only have been God that opened the doors.

The job I had prior to this had me working on Sundays and we couldn’t go to church. Elevation Gaston launched in September and I got the job at Planet Fitness October 8. Our first Sunday at Elevation Gaston was October 21. We knew the second we walked in we were supposed to be there and not just be there taking up a seat but be there involved and volunteering!! We both have had calls to ministry in different capacities. Mine came in 2005 and I was unsure of for a long time but I know whatever it is it’s starting with Next Level and preparing me for the next place He is taking me individually and us as a couple. We signed up to volunteer for the November 4th boot-camp. When we first shadowed neither my husband nor I had a peace about the place of serving. We prayed about it, talked and prayed with Pastor Ken. The next week we had the answer of where we were suppose to serve.

Since joining the team God had opened so many doors for us!!! I can’t even start to describe the power and joy I feel. I volunteer with Next Level and so many things have changed for me since coming to this church and serving. I have a sense of community and love. God is developing and building my prayer life. He is changing my love relationship for Him to a deeper more powerful one! He is teaching me the power of faith and trust! He has opened the doors for us to be part of an eGroup. So many things have begun to stir.

In November God told us that we needed to take a step of faith and have my husband quit his job at the restaurant for something bigger and better. We had no idea what but we took the step of faith. In that step of faith He has provided for us above and beyond. We have continued to tithe each pay period as well as stepping out in putting 10% into a saving account. I am seeing God in the small stuff and He is beginning to teach me contentment. For the first time I was able to see God’s true blessing in providing for us on something as simple as the grocery bill. I was able to get all we needed plus some and come under budget. Our fridge is full and we are covered till next pay day. I have calculated tithe and savings plus bills for the next couple of weeks and God’s math is awesome. I somehow have just the right amount after everything to cover gas and groceries. Just today I got the official word that I will be going to full time at Planet Fitness.

For the first time in my 28 years of life I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am smack-dab in the middle of God’s will!!! I know God is with me, guiding me, blessing me, showing me, strengthening me, preparing me for His plan and I am answering the invitation to His calling and meeting Him where He is working. Through Banner Year celebration at the end of 2012 I looked at my husband with tears of joy and said this 2013 will be our Banner Year and if it ended today it has been if we are blessed throughout this year with health, provision, and love it will continue to be a Banner Year. Thank you Elevation for answering the calling and being a part of bringing my husband and I back to our callings!!! And the story isn’t over!!! Tomorrow is yet to be seen!

Erin

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Check out Mark’s story….

Dear Pastor Steven,

I am a fairly reserved person so I’m not sure why I’m writing this other than I feel that God is calling me to do so. My family and I have been attending Elevation for about a year and a half now.  I can honestly say that I have never felt closer to God, a feeling shared by my family.

Your sermons have had such a tremendous impact on my life. I’m writing now to let you know how much Elevation Worship, and the other incredible musicians that you have had at Elevation, have impacted me. Given the recent success of the album Nothing Is Wasted, I wanted to share my gratitude with you.



Last September, the same week that you released your book Greater, my dad passed away. I have often times thought of you, and prayed for you and your family, knowing that your dad is also ill. Your book was such a comfort to me that last week that I was with my dad as it kept my focus on God and how great He is. At that time, I had also recently downloaded Israel Houghton’s album Jesus At the Center. Had it not been for you bringing Israel Houghton to Elevation on many occasions I would have probably never heard of him, and most certainly never ended up with some of his music on my iPod. The night that my dad passed away I repeatedly listened to his song Your Presence is Heaven. HIS Presence was definitely with me and I am certain that Jesus accompanied my dad to heaven that night. I could feel His comforting presence all around for me as I prayed for our Heavenly Father to ease my dad’ s pain. 



The power of music that comes from Elevation Church continues to comfort me and drive me to do Greater things in my life so that I may give glory to God. My running playlist is filled with music from Elevation Worship and Isreal Houghton. I always run further, stronger and with greater purpose when I listen to them while I run. I’m sure that there are more than a few people that drive by me that think I’m a little crazy as I have my hands stretched to the sky giving praise to The Lord. 

Please keep encouraging others to find strength in The Lord through the music in your church. The power of your music has greatly impacted my life and I’m hoping that it will have a similar impact on others.

Faithfully,

Mark

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Check out this story….

Addie joined the eGroup I led.  She was not like the rest of our group. Most of us were in our late 40-50′s, but Addie was a young 30-something nurse & Zumba instructor. She and her 2 year old son had just moved back into her parents house to get on her feet. She came to the first meeting clearly mad, hurt, and broken. I thought by her attitude that someone made her come. I later found out that she decided to return to church to help get her life back together.

She was forced into a rough lifestyle of drugs and abuse at the hands of her spouse. She had a front row seat to a life she would never chose for herself and especially not her son. When we met, her husband had just entered rehab. As the weeks passed, Addie began to open up and share her story. At first, she was rough, and honestly, as a leader, I thought the other members would shy away from her. I thought they would say, “we’ll pray for you, throw up a quick one, and do it again the following week”.  Never to put feet to their faith.

I was a new eGroup leader and clearly underestimated these Elevators. These “church ladies” embraced her. Some helped financially, some gave her son gifts, one member took her in, and Addie lived in her basement for a few weeks.  They all prayed for her! We watched this broken soul lean into God and us. First hand we witnessed His healing power over this family. We watched our Sun Stand Still prayers come alive.

Fast forward 2 years. Rehab worked. Her husband has FULLY RECOVERED and has a wonderful job. They moved to Tennessee and have made a great life! They have worked hard to restore a marriage that was a certain divorce, and now they are living happily ever after. Today their fairy tale got a little sweeter as they welcomed  baby Ellie into the family! God is Good! God is Good! 

Thanks Elevation for eGroups! It was such an honor to be a part of something God orchestrated so beautifully! Our group didn’t just change Addie’s life, but every member involved!

Tina

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Check out Steve and Lisa’s story….

Dear Pastor Steven and Elevation staff,

Why is it that sometimes giving to God can be filled with doubt and apprehension?  Intellectually, we know all our material possessions and money are blessings from the Lord, but sometimes it can still be hard to increase our giving.  In 2012, Lisa and I decided to take Pastor Steven’s challenge to give the full tithe to Elevation and increase our monthly giving to 15%.  During the Banner Years campaign, we were excited to give the largest single donation check we have ever written to the Banner Years campaign.

We also had an underwater mortgage that was keeping us from being able to sell our house.  Analyzing our income, it was going to take approximately 3 years to pay off the loan deficit.

We could not think of a better place to invest our money than Elevation where every week people far from God are being filled to Life in Christ.  We love Pastor Steven’s heart as he keeps the focus on the LOVE of Jesus and Holy Spirit as the true and powerful life changers.  My walk with the Lord is closer, marriage healthier, and less sin-entangled than ever before – thanks to Elevation.  Thank you Pastor Steven for “keeping it real” and preaching Truth in a way both church and nonchurch goers can relate to. The friends we bring to Elevation always enjoy their experience and many have started a relationship with Jesus.

If I stopped here, I think this would still be a good praise report.  BUT, here is the “rest of the story”…  Amazingly, due to unexpected revenue and gifts, a few days ago we paid off the significant mortgage deficit which will allow us to put our house on the market.  Upon writing this praise report, I realized that our loan deficit had been 8 times larger than our Banner Years offering.

The number 8 – where have we heard that that number before:):)?!?!

In humility and awe, we want to thank and praise the Lord because there is absolutely no way we could have paid the loan deficit by ourselves in 3 months.

We truly look forward to seeing what God is going to do in our new Elevation Church in 2013 - a new beginning in year 8 !!!

Sincerely,

Steve and Lisa

P.S.  A couple  weeks ago at the Uptown campus, I was sitting next to two very sweet ladies - VIP’s - that heard about Elevation at the woman’s homeless shelter.  I enjoyed our conversation and hope they felt loved and appreciated for joining the celebration.  It is so cool to go to a church where people of all ages, races, and economic backgrounds can meld seamlessly in worship together.

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Check out Melody’s story….

During the sermon The worst greatest story ever told, God opened a new door for me. Last summer, I had an abortion and didn’t think of it after. July, I got saved and questions arose. Does God hate me? Can I be forgiven? How do I deal with this? After that sermon, there was a video shown. Caitlin Davidson told her story. She went through the same thing. That day, I took the first steps needed to find healing through Christ. Its amazing how one person, through one church can impact one life so greatly. I contacted this young lady, and told her my story. She is helping me take the steps to find healing. I learned not to put a question mark, where God put a period. Yes. I AM FORGIVEN. If it wasn’t for elevation church I would have struggled with this battle much longer. Because of God’s faithfulness he can heal me and restore the broken and make me new.

Elevation is changing my life.

Melody

Wasn’t that awesome? I’m so glad Melody shared her story! Check back later this afternoon to see who won our eggcellent give away!

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Lisa, we are praying for you and your son.  Thank you for sharing your story….

I wanted to share my story of life change. At age 28, I was divorced and raising an eight month old boy by myself. I blamed God for my marriage ending and leaving me to be a single mother. I kept on asking what I did to deserve this; why would he put me through this. I quit believing in him and sunk into a depression. The only thing that kept me going was my son. I was hit with another blow when at age 2; my son was diagnosed with autism. I struggled with this for two years, while still blaming God for it. For the past year and a half a close friend has been trying to get me to come to Elevation and I would always find excuses not to go. One Friday this past August, my life changed. I was at work and my patient’s visitor (who didn’t know me) looked at me and asked out of the blue, “do you go to church.” I responded with no and she replied, “You look like you need God.” At that moment, I felt like God put this woman in my life at that time when I needed it most. The following Sunday I attended church and haven’t missed a Sunday since. My relationship with God started to grow, but I was still frustrated at the fact that I was a single mother and I longed for someone to share my life with. A friend said to me “Lisa, instead of telling God what you want, pray and ask him to send the right man to you when he thinks the time is right, and then thank him for what he will do.” So, I got down on my knees and prayed for the first time in years. Now, months later, God has decided that its my time to find love (a love that I never knew could exist between two people). I truly believe that God brought me this amazing man at the perfect time in my life. I needed to love God and myself before I could love anyone else. The best part is that we have kept God at the center of our relationship. I now see that the struggles, tears, and heartache were all part of his plan and purpose for me. I have given my life to God and trust him with my future. I am finally at peace knowing that “God has my back.” I have continued to speak with God every day and thank him for my blessings and seek his guidance when I don’t know which path to take. And each week, I learn something new from your sermons and gain a little more faith and trust in God. God never gave up on me even though I wanted to give up every day. My life has forever been changed and it’s only going to get better because I have God on my side!! Thank you for listening to my story!

Lisa

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Check out Heather’s story….

Dear Elevation,

I wanted to tell you about the journey that my husband Travis and I have been on lately.
 Last September my husband got a job with a company in Midland, NC which meant we had to move away from our family in Georgia. It was exciting and scary at the same time. Not long after we moved we began attending Elevation University. We realized right away how special and different this church was. We joined the Purvis eGroup. They welcomed us with open arms, which was important to me because I was having a difficult time adjusting to being away from my family and friends back home.

A storm began just after Christmas. On January 3 my husband came home and informed me that he had been fired. Initially I kept myself together, but in the days that followed I began to break down. I know deep in my heart that God sent us here for a reason and that He didn’t call us here just to turn around and leave. 
As Travis and I talked over the next few weeks he continued to reassure me the he knew without a doubt that God called us here to be a part of Elevation Church. We had just started volunteering the weekend he lost his job. The day after we talked about that Travis received an offered for a job in New Orleans but he would be on the road all the time. 
 Travis used to travel for work. He was gone for a week or two week at a time for about 5-6 years. It was very hard on our marriage and his walk with God. He was not leading our house and was doing things that kept him not only far from me but from God. So when my husband was tempted to say yes to the job but said no because he was going to listen to God and know that God was going to take care of us I realized something that day, God is growing my husband’s faith. He has changed so much in the past month. Travis was standing on Gods word while I was crying about not knowing what was going to happen.

Our eGroup has also been wonderful by supporting us with their prayers and encouragement. On Wednesday Travis 
 started his new job. Praise God for answered prayer. Praise God for a husband that held me and told me that God was with us and was going to take care of us. Praise God for the work He is doing in my marriage. Praise God for Elevation Church. Praise God for Pastor Steven and Holly for putting so much into the calling on their lives, for being the example that my husband sees. I don’t think I could be more thankful for a church then I am for this church. Wonderful things are in store for 2013. I am so excited to see what God is going to do to grow all of us.
 We love you all and pray for Elevation Church. 
Praise God because angels are watching.

-Heather

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Check out this story….

During the Banner Years series my husband and I prayed about the amount we were to give for the expansion of Elevation Church. We came up with the amount that we felt we should give although I admit I was not comfortable with it. We have a child in graduate school, another a sophomore in college, and a third finishing her senior year of high school and going to a private college next year. Our expenses are high at this point in our life, but Pastor Steven and Pastor Morris challenged us to give our first fruits to God so we did. We trusted that our needs would be taken care of. During this series, our daughter had been given a small merit scholarship towards college with her acceptance which was nice. Then this week she got another letter from the college saying they had reevaluated her scholarship and increased the scholarship amount considerably. Wow! We have to believe that God has been faithful to us once again and we are truly blessed.

Sincerely,
Elaine and Benny

It’s Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified. People often write in to Elevation and share the work God is doing in their lives through our church. When I read these stories, I am reminded that we serve a powerful God who still works miracles in the lives of everyday people. These stories inspire me to keep giving, keep serving and continue praying for those who are far from God. I hope they will do the same for you.

If you have a story you would like to share, email us at amencorner@elevationchurch.org

Here’s Julia’s story….

I definitely have a story to tell. Growing up in an alcoholic home, mom and dad fighting all the time, and in and out of a foster care–this is just the start. By the time I was 18 I was pregnant with my 3rd child and wondering what the next step in my life would be. I had every reason to fail–to walk down the wrong paths as it was all I’d ever known. I was introduced to Elevation two years ago by a friend. From the first worship experience I knew it was something different. I love attending and hearing Pastor Steven and I feel like so much weight has been taken off of me. Living in Christ helps me live my life so much better. I am blessed because I believe. I have found what I need in Jesus and am able to TRUST him with my burdens. In the last 2 years I have gotten married, purchased my first home and celebrated the birth of my 4th child (1st daughter). I am truly grateful for the blessings God has provided me and finding Elevation is at the top of the list!

Julia