By: Pete Ascosi

Recently I was informed that our bank account at ChristLife had quickly dropped low. I headed to prayer pondering how we got into this place and how we were going to get back to a financially healthy place. After prayer, I wandered downstairs to our mail bin to find a thick envelope from Sacred Heart Parish in Colwich, KS.

I opened the package to find a bundle of thank you cards expressing gratitude for how the ChristLife process is changing lives and renewing their parish! Gathering together as a team, we read aloud each note and stopped to give thanks to God after each testimony. Reading through the testimonies brought us to our knees in grateful praise. One card beautifully summarized the impact of the ChristLife process:

"You have assisted Our Savior in helping a parish find their joy in Christ our Lord again."


Click here to read all of the cards.

As we read through each message I felt like the cards were a roundabout answer to my prayer for our financial need. To start with, it put our financial need in perspective by reminding us that it is first and foremost our Father in heaven who is our provider. It also impressed upon each of us that our treasure is the lives that are being touched and changed through the "immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe" (Ephesians 1:19).

The testimonies from Sacred Heart exemplify what is happening across the United States and abroad. We estimate that 70,000 people have participated in the ChristLife process of evangelization in over 730 parishes and small faith communities in 37 U.S. states and 8 foreign countries! We rejoice knowing the breadth of our impact, and yet we know there are still so many people who are living without the hope and peace that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. With over 17,000 parishes in the United States, we have only impacted 4% of the parishes.

To expand the ministry of ChristLife in 2017 we have a number of exciting plans. Two of the top items on our "wish list" this year include — 1) producing a short film that tells the story of how ChristLife is changing lives and transforming parishes, and 2) adding a full-time worker to our current staff of six people. We are confident this will concretely help ChristLife expand our evangelization work to more parishes, transforming more lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Will you consider making a donation to help us to change more lives through the message of Jesus? Our largest source of income as a ministry is donations from brothers and sisters like you. Without your help, we simply cannot accomplish the mission the Lord has entrusted to us.

This Christmas season, as we celebrate with joy the birth of Jesus, we recall that his very identity is tied to the mission of salvation.

"And you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

—Matthew 1:21

We pray that we may each marvel at the greatest gift ever given and generously spread that gift to all we encounter!

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash