Meeting Recap – March 2022

Meeting Recap – March 2022

Meeting Recap

MARCH 1, 2022
The room was buzzing as nearly 100 Christian business leaders gathered for our bimonthly group meeting at Christ Presbyterian Church, including 20 first time attendees. Thank you to all who joined us! In case you missed it, here is a quick recap of the evening and a way to connect further.

Spencer Grimes, worship leader at Church of the Open Door, shared his musical gifts and opened our evening in song.

John Trautz, Board Chair for Amplify and the sponsor for our meeting, welcomed guests with a message of thanks. He also presented an invitation for other individuals and business owners to partner with Amplify through sponsorship at an upcoming Amplify group meeting. For one partner in the room, this was a divine ask. As he handed us a check at the end of the evening to sponsor a future meeting, he shared God told him to grab a check on his way out the door that evening and when he heard the opportunity to sponsor, it was clear to him why.

The focus of our meeting was hearing from four nonprofit organizations, Hope Rides, Jesus Driven, World Encounter, and Ace in the City. Each organization shared information about their mission and invited the Amplify room to join them in brainstorming solutions to address a challenge they are currently facing.

Founder of Hope Rides, Vollie Heitkamp, shared the lack of purpose she felt in her own life that led to the founding of a horse based ministry. Seeking to help youth really understand who they are in Christ, Heitkamp’s programming weaves Biblical lessons and faith through every horse and husbandry program offered. Her ask of Amplify’s network was to help turn her 100% volunteer run organization into a sustainable model that allows her to hire staff and expand the number of youth she can touch.

George Gabrielson, founder of Jesus Driven, shared his mission of providing free vehicle repair services as a way to share the Gospel with families in Goodhue county. Gabrielson moved hearts in the room as he told incredible stories of the people he serves and the impact he has been able to have by being obedient in using his God-given skills. With a current waiting list and desire to reach more people with the Gospel message, Gabrielson asked for help identifying ways to expand his ability to repair more vehicles.

Executive Director of World Encounter, Emily Conroy, shared the heartbreaking impact COVID has had on the organization from losing an essential staff person in Africa to COVID, to 720 women in Tanzania defaulting on their microloan repayments, resulting in the loss of $70,000. Conroy asked business leaders in the room how to get loans back in the hands of 720 women fighting to get their families out of poverty and rebuild thriving businesses once again?

Founder of Ace in the City, Tim Anderson, shared thought-provoking statistics about the amount of underutilized physical space and land owned by the church. With a bold vision and collaborative mindset, Anderson invited the room to consider the impact of reimagining and repurposing underutilized spaces for the benefit of the church, community, and nonprofit sector. His question, “How do I approach and introduce churches to this vision of placemaking in a way that will engage them and lead to impact?”

Amplify President, Julie Eide, shared Amplify's theme for the year, The Sacred Present Moment and invited partners to consider how they can be more present to what God is doing right here, right now. Each guest received a small card that reads "Make me a student of this moment, a child of the formative now," to serve as a reminder. Julie left the room with the challenge to "make the face of God visible to others with our presence."

In Their Own Words:

"The Amplify theme for this year resonated deeply with me. I have a tendency to be an action taker and controller when things in my life are not moving forward. Last night's message gave me pause and had me reflect on how to faithfully sit in moments of waiting. Thank you!"
Amplify Partner

"Amplify has created a space of encouragement and really good questions."
Tim Anderson, Ace in the City

"I love Amplify's collaborative nature, bringing people together to use their gifts to build the kingdom. You not only implore people to use their gifts, but give them opportunities to do it. The whole evening was really about using your gifts, which I saw come through in every ministry and business leader in the room."
Vollie Heitkamp, Hope Rides

"Everyone here tonight was so excited, passionate, and motivated to help. Even without the presentation, the coaching process leading up to this evening was so helpful for me to think through what I'm doing and what I'm working towards. I feel validated and encouraged."
George Gabrielson, Jesus Driven

"The community Amplify has created is magic! Non-profit leaders often feel alone in trying to solve huge global problems, like poverty in World Encounter's case, and this community rallies around you to brainstorm, problem solve, and connect. I'm so excited to see how World Encounter can better serve women entrepreneurs in Tanzania from this opportunity."
Emily Conroy, World Encounter

AMP Sessions

Can you make it?
Partners are needed to help advance ideas that began at our dinner on Tuesday. Spend one hour in consultation with our ministry partner and meet additional Amplify partners. Together we’ll review the feedback forms and support the ministry in identifying next steps.
JesusDrivenBest

Jesus Driven   
Tuesday, March 8
8:00-9:00 am via Zoom 
RSVP TO ANNIKA

hoperides

Hope Rides
Wednesday, March 9
8:00-9:00 am via Zoom 
RSVP TO ANNIKA

World Encounter Logo - Primary - Color@2x

World Encounter
Thursday, March 10
8:00-9:00 am via Zoom 
RSVP TO ANNIKA

AceInTheCity

Ace in the City
Friday, March 11
8:00-9:00 am via Zoom 
RSVP TO ANNIKA

Mark Your Calendar

next event
Tuesday, May 10th
Bi-Monthly Group Meeting
Christ Presbyterian Church • 5:00pm