Annual Impact Report
More and Better Jesus Followers in 2020
2020 was a challenging year, but you chose to remain committed to Christ and his church. Thank you for investing in God’s work here at Berean. What none of us saw coming was that just 3 months into the year, COVID 19 would trigger a government-ordered shutdown lasting months and creating an atmosphere of uncertainty across our nation.
And we watched in awe as the generosity of Bereans and the power of our God never missed a beat.
Our mission is to make more and better Jesus followers.
2020 may have looked a little different than what we’re used to, but we were still blessed to see God use Bereans to change lives. One of those lives was Maria. In her early 20s, Maria began to realize that something was missing: “There was a gap in me that the culture and the society I was in…nothing was doing it for me.” When her friend Alex invited her to Berean, she accepted… and she loved it! In the months that followed, she took a step of faith and joined a connect group. In August, she was baptized by her connect group leader in front of her friends and family, because she wanted everyone to know that she’s found what she was missing in Jesus. She’s now thrilled to have her parents joining her on Sundays and even had the privilege of baptizing her sister this January!
Here are a few more reasons we’re grateful:
$500,000+
That’s the amount of money we paid in cash last year for the construction of our new Bainbridge campus. The project is now half completed! This was the first year in Berean’s history that giving exceeded one million dollars, allowing us to plan major projects at each campus and move forward with our Fuel campaign goals.
217
Next Steps
Despite a shutdown that stretched for months, people continued to mentor and grow. Last year we cheered as 60 people graduated 101, 73 people graduated 201, 53 people graduated 301, and 31 people graduated 401.
35
Groups
Connect groups provided a lifeline to hundreds of people in our region during the challenges of this year. Isolation and discouragement were at epidemic levels in 2020, but our connect leaders opened their homes and hearts to provide a safe environment for relationship and spiritual growth.
30
Baptisms
Madison, Anavai, Grace, Sam, Cross, Navaeh, Paul, Bonnie, Scott, Terri, John, Madi, Zach, Steve, Jordan, Morgan, Christina, Jeff, Kendra, Jeff, Sierra, John, Evan, Levi, Abigail, Tatianna, Robert, Jonathan, and Olivia. What do they have in common? Like Maria, they went public with their faith in baptism last year.
6
Trainees
Our elders trained 6 men for leadership in 2020. Our leaders love developing new leaders, and we believe that Berean’s future is in good hands.
4
Campuses
The number of Berean campuses has quadrupled in the past five years! We are blessed to be reaching three communities and a global online community weekly with the Good News of Jesus. With the coming launch of our fifth campus in North Binghamton, we are excited to reach another community and transform more lives through Jesus.
The above list is a humbling reminder that God accomplishes his mission even during hard times. Thank you for fueling this mission with your generous giving.
We are honored to serve as your pastors,
Justin, Chuck, Rick, Steve, and Nathan