2022 marks the time of leaving all of the pandemic restrictions and moving forward with the freedom to run services and programs at full capacity. Thankfully that happened early in the year and the result of it was seen in the fruitfulness of the church.
There is much to celebrate and much to be thankful for. The whole experience of coming back together once again reiterated the importance of the church in our personal walk with Jesus. Can you recall seeing people you didn’t see for months or possibly the past two years? Do you remember how refreshing it was to once again worship together? If we ever took relationships for granted or became familiar towards corporate worship experiences, then this was a moment to acknowledge their true value in our lives.
"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."
Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
What we can do together is so much more than what anyone of us can do alone. The importance and impact of a community can be measured through one thing - changed lives. That’s why we are taking this opportunity to share some of those stories from 2022. Keep in mind that these stories are the story of us. What we did. What we provided. How we together as a church community have made a difference and for that we CELEBRATE!
JANUARY
We got together for the first time in two years to corporately pray together as a church during our week of Prayer & Fasting!
After experiencing a minor stroke, Kathy experienced loss of sight and movement in her left eye - she couldn’t drive, she couldn’t work. During our Prayer and Fasting week at Celebration Church, Kathy was encouraged in her faith. After one of the prayer nights, Kathy experienced God’s healing power and her sight and movement in her eye were restored!
APRIL
We celebrated a beautiful Easter Weekend together. We had over 2000 people attendance services that weekend and the hear the gospel!
This was Brayden’s story. He was lost and had no purpose, but when he ran out of options he went back to what he knew before, Jesus. He then found Celebration Church. Braeden accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, was water baptized, and now lives a life he never dreamed or imagined.
LOGOS CHAPELS
In 2022 we had the opportunity to host 3 chapels in public schools for the Logos Program. We were so excited to be able to strengthen students' faith and equip them to be the “salt” and “light of the world" in their schools!
We say it often at Celebration Church that "Church isn't just a place to attend, it is a place to belong." We found in our year-end survey that the people who felt the most connected - are in connect groups! Connect Groups are how we make sure that everyone has a group that they belong too.
FATHER'S DAY CAR SHOW
We hosted our Car Show for the first time since 2019! It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we saw over 20,000 people come out and attend! This event continues to be our largest outreach event and is such a unique way to connect with our city!
RIZN CAMP + KIDS CAMP
RIZN Camp had over 200 students in attendance and it was beautiful to see young people find a place they can belong, grow, and encounter God. We also had a week of Kids Camp and it was incredible to see future world-changers grow more in love with God and his house through worship, interactive lessons, and of course, fun!
Anger and rebellion developed over time in Daniel’s life, and he was heading down the wrong path. In 2020, his family discovered Celebration Church’s live stream. His view of God and church were transformed! Daniel attended Rizn Camp 2022 and accepted Jesus into his life. He’s been involved in Celebration ever since.
OCTOBER
RIZN Youth hosted its annual Fear Factor event and we saw 300 students come out and hear the gospel! Trunk or Treat had over 2000 children attend and it has continued to be such a fun way to reach out to our community! We believe that as we serve our city, God will change it.
Jyening’s been attending our church since it was called Church on 99, one of Jyenings daughters started volunteering for Celebration Kids as a Junior Helper. As she got involved, she started to grow in her relationship with God and having the confidence to speak about her faith to her friends at school and make Christian values important in her life. Jyenings youngest daughter has fallen in love with bringing all her friends to church and has helped her grow in her relationship with God. Through this Jyenings seen God’s providence in having a community that helps grow her daughters in their character, experiences and walk with God.
CHRISTMAS IN EDMONTON
Our Christmas Eve services were a beautiful way to close out our year together. We saw over 2000 people in attendance and celebrated Jesus' birth together with worship, candle-light, and a great message.
Thank you for your generosity in 2022. Together we have made a difference, seen life change, and experienced God moving in our church. As we look forward, we do so full of faith and vision for even greater days ahead of us.
