Dear Friends,
Praise the Lord! He did it! Charis Bible College (CBC) will move into The Barn
this month and begin classes on January 6, 2014! Thank You, Jesus! Over the
last three and a half years, we have received an additional $31 million on top
of our normal operating costs. We have less than $1 million to go. This is a
BIG DEAL!
The Lord spoke to me in early 2009 that I needed to start planning to
accommodate the growth that was coming to CBC. I prayed about this and sought
counsel from some of the mighty men the Lord has put in my life. This led to us
purchasing 157 acres in Woodland Park, Colorado, in September of 2009, which
Jamie was inspired to name The Sanctuary. At the height of a worldwide
financial crisis, we purchased the property at around twenty-five cents on the
dollar. It was a supernatural provision.
The journey had only just begun. As we began planning for the construction of
our new CBC campus, we had no money for this. I waited until the spring of
2010, when we had preliminary figures for construction, before I even presented
this project to you, our supporters. We faced delays, one after another, and
didn't start construction until September 2012.
The first building, which I call The Barn, was approximately $20 million. But
all of the architectural fees, permits, infrastructure, earth work, and
utilities for both phases, which had to be done in the beginning, brought the
cost of this first phase of construction up to $32 million. This amount of
money had to come in over and above our normal operating expenses.
This all looked impossible in the natural, especially when you consider the "Great
Recession" as many have called it. However, I felt confident that the Lord
directed me to do this and decided to believe Him to get this done debt free.
Here we are, just a little over four years after this process started, and CBC
is ready to move in next month. We are so close to completing this DEBT FREE!
At the time of this writing, we still have $976,675 left to pay. I'm believing
it's all coming in. Please pray and see if the Lord would have you to
contribute a little extra this month to make sure we meet the goal.
All the glory goes to God. This is the house that He has built. Thank You,
Jesus. Although I give the Lord all the glory, I want to say a very special
thank-you to all of you who contributed to this. I know the Lord uses people,
and He has used tens of thousands of you to make this a reality. Many people
gave sacrificially, and often. Only eternity will reveal the full impact of
your giving.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE BUILDINGS; IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE IMPACTED IN
THESE BUILDINGS.
One of our CBC staff was given a word from the Lord based on the scriptures in
2 Kings 4. This word said, "Get vessel; not just a few; and I will fill them. The
vessels are people, our CBC students. The Lord is wanting to pour out of His
Spirit, into these people, the Gospel truths that have so radically changed my
life and the lives of all our instructors. We are making room to fill lots of
vessels. I believe this is going to change the world. It has already begun.
We now have nearly 2,000 CBC graduates scattered all across the globe. They are
ministering to orphans and widows. They are reaching out to addicts and prostitutes.
They are sharing the Good-News Gospel with people who only know God as an angry
God. And they are seeing people saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and healed
by the thousands.
Our first day of classes in the new facility will be January 6, 2014. This will
be a red-letter day. It was nineteen years ago that we first opened our doors
to thirty students. Counting our thirty-nine extension schools, in-church
schools, online and correspondence students, and Colorado campus, we now have
over 2,500 current students. We also have one more extension school starting up
soon, in Australia. In many ways, we are just getting started.
We are planning a special Grand Opening day of dedication and celebration on
Saturday evening, March 22, 2014. It'll be held immediately after our annual
Campus Days meetings (March 20-22). I would like to extend an invitation to all
of you to come and join with us for this special day. This will also be the eve
of the forty-sixth anniversary of my miraculous encounter with the Lord in
1968. I am amazed at all the Lord has done since then. I want to give Him
thanks and would love to have you there. We have some very special things
planned. You need to come and see what the Lord has done. If the Lord has
placed a desire in your heart to learn more about the Bible College, then join
us a few days early for Campus Days.
After The Barn is finished and paid for, Phase II of this new Bible college
campus will be the construction of a 2,500 seat auditorium. It will also have
room for over a hundred prayer ministers in our Phone Centre, an office complex
for all our CBC staff, and will include a break area for around 2,000 students.
Although this second building will be 1.4 times bigger than The Barn, it will
cost less because much of the expense for this was paid in Phase I. So, this
second building will only cost $20 million to complete.
The start time of the auditorium's construction is still to be determined. The
actual construction time will take one year. The earliest it could start would
be in May 2014, and that would allow us to have the building completed in time
for the start of the 2015-16 school year. But in order to do this, I would have
to have a large increase in the money coming in designated for The Sanctuary.
In 2013, we averaged $834,000 per month coming into our building program. This
included some large single gifts, two of which were $1,000,000 each. Excluding
these large single gifts, we averaged $500,000 per month in 2013. I would have
to average $1,111,111 per month for the next eighteen months to have this
completed by August 2015. If I wait until May of 2015 to start Phase II, I
would have to average $670,000 per month for the next twenty-nine months.
Again, I plan on doing this DEBT FREE.
So, I'm in the process of praying about this and seeking the Lord's direction
on what He wants me to do. I would appreciate your agreement for His direction.
I'm not going to limit God, but I need to use wisdom too. Our Barn can
accommodate CBC's needs for a short time; therefore, the practical thing would
be to wait a year to build up our reserves. But is that what the Lord wants me
to do? I'm praying about it. I will hear from the Lord.
On January 31, 2014, it will be just a short twelve years since the Lord told
me I was limiting what He could do through me because of my small thinking. He
told me to take the limits off Him, and I did. Our 2013 income was sixteen
times more than we received in 2001 and now, we're ready to move into a new
beautiful facility to accommodate all the growth God is giving us. Only He
knows what the future holds.
I am convinced that the Lord has raised up this ministry to impact the world
and it's happening. One life at a time, we are changing the world.
This month on television, I'm teaching on one of my favourite subjects, The War
Is Over. The foundation of this teaching is Luke 2:14, which says, "Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men". You will love
the Lord even more as you get more revelation on the great price that was paid
to redeem you. These are some of the most impactful messages I have ever given
on what Jesus has done for you and how you are to respond. I know this will
change your life. If you haven't got the book, study guide, CDs, or DVDs of
this teaching, I encourage you to do so. Even if you do have them, get some
more and share them with others. This would make a great Christmas gift. To get
these materials, please go online: www.awme.net,
call our Helpline: +44(0)1922 473300, or complete and return the enclosed form.
Thanks for being a part of all the Lord is doing through this ministry. Jamie
and I couldn't do it without you. You are helping us with the greatest
endeavour on earth. Great is your reward.
Merry Christmas,
Andrew and Jamie
European Ministers Conference
Take a listen to Andrew and friends as they edify and encourage you who have been giving to the body of Christ.
View all products for European Ministers Conference