Meeting Recap – July 2022

More than 100 guests packed the West View Room at Christ Presbyterian Church for Amplify Mission Network’s July group meeting. With plenty to celebrate, including the 5th anniversary of Amplify, 25 new partners in attendance, and the amazing ministries we serve, the room was filled with energy. 

Lion’s Fire Pizza provided wood-fired pizzas in a true labor of love, with student workers and volunteers dishing out more than 50 pizzas in less than an hour! Thank you Lion’s Fire!

Business and ministry leaders also shared cake in honor of Amplify’s 5th anniversary while enjoying acoustic music from Hunter Fraser. 

And a very special thank you to ForwardByChoice for sponsoring this event.

GUEST SPEAKER

Aminta Geisler, affectionately known as the “crazy Jesus lady,” set the tone for the evening as she talked about taking “God-risks.” Pulling from her own personal life motto to chase Jesus with reckless abandon and the story of Esther, she asked our partners to consider, “What room is in front of you where you need to take a God-risk?”  

Geisler read from the Book of Esther, drawing attention to the risk in front of Esther and the truth spoken by Mordecai in verse 14, “ And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Partners and ministry leaders were challenged to consider what positions they’ve been placed in at this present moment where they need to take a God-risk. 

Aminta brought it home with a real-time risk, offering to take a pie to the face if she could raise $100 for each presenting ministry. She didn’t have much of a chance considering her husband brought both the pie and the cash! 

MINISTRY FLASHBACK 

Tim Owens, Co-Founder of the Redemption Project who presented to our network back in 2019, shared a video update thanking Amplify partners for the coaching, prayers, and support. 

“The work that Amplify does is meaningful and makes a difference in so many lives.” Owens extended a special thanks to partner Clinton Rooney who was an Amplify coach for Redemption Project and joined their Board of Directors after they presented to Amplify.

PRESENTING MINISTRIES

Dan McNeil, founder of PeaceMaker MN shared his vision for a world filled with peace and his organization’s mission to help schools be safer places, free from bullying and harassment. McNeil shared about a recently launched Peace Guide program placing guides in schools multiple days per week to work directly with kids on conflict resolution. With a desire to serve more students, McNeil asked for help identifying how to grow the Peace Guide program and influence school administration to see the program as essential.

Chris Bentley, founder of Wings for Widows, shared heartbreaking statistics and stories about widowhood and his mission to provide financial coaching to help new widows return to a state of financial wellness following the loss of a spouse. With current demand outpacing their availability of coaches, Bentley asked for help building a funding model that will allow Wings for Widows to create a needed on-line tool to facilitate on-demand coaching services.