Year of the Lord
A look at 2024
A Note from Andrew
We designated 2024 as The Year of the Lord, in the sense that we focused on various aspects of what it means that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and that the ‘Lord is our God’.
From the Fear of the Lord to the Word of the Lord and from Lord of the Sabbath to the Lord of the Harvest our series invited us to remember that we are the Lord’s servants who can trust Jesus because of who He is and what He has done for us.
The following report captures many ways Celebrators lived into the reality that the Lord is our God. I want to particularly highlight two of these aspects.
Our week of consecutive prayer during the Lord’s Prayer series was part of what drove the high numbers of onsite prayer that we recorded. Another reason is that our FireKeepers (known in 2024 as ‘theThirty’) ensured that every day someone prayed onsite on behalf of the community.
What a delight it was to have four Sunday morning guest speakers help us expand our understanding of what it means that our God is Lord of the Nations. Celebrate started and strengthened partnerships in gospel kingdom work in Japan, Uganda, Haiti, Abaco and with our friends from Ukraine who are both here and abroad.
I celebrate the combination of prayer and mission we saw at our church in 2024. Both elements are crucial to staying aligned with God’s purposes. They are life-giving for the body of Christ like breathing in and breathing out. In all of this we get a glimpse of how Celebrate was Gathering to Go with the Presence of Jesus in 2024.
DISCIPLESHIP
A Note from Aubrey
Friends!!
2024 was such an exciting year to experience people saying YES to Jesus. From gathering in smaller community groups or attending weekend training events to standing on the stage to affirm faith and receive baptism, many of you chose IN and that is so encouraging to me!
This year we hosted a total of five Faith Commitment classes and as a result, together we celebrated 11 affirmations of faith, 4 infant dedications, 5 infant baptisms, and 15 teen & adult immersion baptisms!
In 2024, small community groups studied different themes, some that tied in with sermon series that we were in at the time, including: the Fear of the Lord, Sabbath, and the Word of the Lord. Two different groups enjoyed watching and discussing the tv series, The Chosen. In March, we hosted Paul Leavenworth as he led a seminar on Compassionate Listening. Over 40 of you attended! In early November we hosted a weekend Unto the Lord that included a training on Saturday morning for another 40 people and a worship night on Sunday evening. It was a blessing to experience those opportunities with you!
God is on the move and I've enjoyed every moment of it. During my 5 week sabbatical this fall I had the opportunity to sit with the Lord to reflect on all that he's done in 2024 and listen for what he may be wanting to do this next year among us. To say that I'm excited for what's to come is an understatement! I look forward to continuing our journey together as we Gather to Go with the Presence of Jesus!
2024 DISCIPLESHIP HIGHLIGHTS:
20
BAPTISMS
26
FAITH COMMITMENTS
KIDS
A Note from Claire:
I am so excited to share all that happened in 2024 and what I am excited about for 2025!
Sundays in Celebrate Kids included worship and dancing, learning about stories from the Bible, and lots of fun crafts and games. We averaged 46 kids a week aged preschool through 5th grade!
We held “Scuba” VBS in June where we served nearly 200 kiddos! It was an incredible week of worship, fun, and learning about "diving into friendship with God." We loved seeing new faces and getting to learn about how to be good friends to each other and God.
In the fall, we were sad to say goodbye to Miss Lauren as she stepped down from her leadership role, but we are so happy for her to get to spend even more time with her sweet family! I rejoined the Celebrate Kids team and took over as the Children’s Ministry Leader and am so grateful to get to love on your kiddos in the new year. It is such a joy to get to see the ways God is moving through our kids here and I am so grateful to watch their faith grow as they gather to go with the presence of Jesus.
There are some incredible things happening in 2025 and I am so excited to share it with your kiddos! I’m so thankful to be a part of children’s ministry and so thankful for all those who are a part of making Celebrate Kids happen every Sunday.
2024 Celebrate Kids Highlights
186
KIDS AT VBS
46
SUNDAY AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
SCUBA VBS
Kids entered an underwater world at SCUBA VBS! Nearly 200 children attended and many volunteers from middle school to adults made the event a success. Each night a meal was served and kids learned about Jesus through story, song, and play. What a great week!
YOUTH
A Note from Matt
This year at Celebrate Youth has been one of our most exciting and impactful yet as we see God continuing to move among our students. Over the last school year, we we’re so grateful to host 79 different students at our regular Sunday night gatherings.
One of the highlights of the year was hosting a fundraiser where the students invited the church to join them for a night of youth group. Students shared testimonies and led in a time of worship and prayer ministry. Many were able to experience the fearlessness and sincerity of the worship that has become regular at Celebrate youth, and we were able to collect a generous offering around $5,000 to go towards our trips for the year!
Our trips in the last year were such powerful experiences. We took 16 students to the Awake Conference in Ottumwa that built up to a powerful time of prayer during the last session. In July, we also took 11 high schoolers with us to Bold Conference in KC for the first time and experienced some incredible teaching and worship as well as a great day at Worlds of Fun. And last but not least was the Immerse Trip with 10 middle school students where we served an inner city neighborhood in Lincoln, Nebraska. All of our trips were made extremely affordable due to our church body’s generosity. Not a cent was wasted in the impact of these special marking experiences for our students.
So much of what God did this year was done through some incredible leadership. We graduated our largest group of seniors as over 10 members of the 2024 class remained faithfully committed to the Lord and engaged at CY throughout the years. They set the tone and standard for what commitment to God and each other looks like. We are also grateful to our 16 volunteers who led small groups, gave memorable lessons, and invested in the lives of our students with love and wisdom.
Lastly, we are grateful for Lauren Crosset’s leadership over the last few years as she served on staff. Lauren has cared well for our students, volunteers, and staff so well. Her impact will continue to last far beyond her time on staff as she continues to serve on a volunteer level.
One thing we ask: please continue to pray for this generation of students! They are chosen, called, and are being equipped to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and to generations to come.
Blessings,
Matt and the CY team
Fall Festival
Celebrate Youth host a Fall Festival every year to show love to the community. Over 200 people enjoyed a meal, games, treats, and a GIANT SLIDE for the kids. The teens worked hard to set up, greet, and participate. It was a BLAST!
WORSHIP
A Note from Matt
2024 was an exciting year for our worship team. God continues to use almost 30 volunteers who selflessly offer their time and talents to lead us deeper into worship. Between new volunteers who are stepping on to the team seamlessly, and those who have stayed the course for well over a decade, we have been blessed by their amazing leadership.
Some of the highlights of this year were introducing our second original song “Enter In” in January, hosting Justin and Naomi Rizzo who led us in worship during a Sunday service, and our Unto the Lord worship night in November. Our Wednesday night service ‘Upper Room’ continued to be a fruitful ministry as we dive deeper into our calling to intimacy with God and intercession for His people.
Beyond all the amazing things our tech and worship teams do to lead the way, worship continues to be ultimately about a unified congregation singing as one, declaring the praises and worth of our God, and His Presence among us. It is a two-way expression of our love for God, and His love for His church. May praise and thanksgiving continue to increase in us at Celebrate and overflow to our community and beyond, for “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise…” (Psalm 145:3)
PRAYER
A Note from Camille
Prayer continues to undergird all that we do here at Celebrate, and I have had the joy of witnessing its many expressions again in 2024.
To mark the season of Lent we held an Ash Wednesday drop in service, cycling through three hours of readings and reflective prayer.
In June we hosted a week of 24/7 Prayer USA’s Year of Unbroken Prayer where more than 115 people participated in nonstop prayer in Celebrate’s prayer room.
The prayer room was filled with prompts leading Celebrators through the lines of the Lord’s Prayer, coinciding with that same sermon series.
In the fall we held a spiritual formation retreat to grow in listening to and praying for others, ministering God’s compassionate presence to one another.
And finally, throughout 2024, theThirty team of intercessors ensured that someone was praying onsite daily for our church and surrounding communities.
Thank you for making Celebrate a church who seeks the presence of Jesus in prayer. I look forward to seeing the ways we are led out as a church from the place of prayer in 2025.
2024 Prayer HIGHLIGHTS:
1,856.5
TOTAL HOURS OF PRAYER
1,151.25
HOURS IN THE PRAYER ROOM
168
HOURS OF CONTINUOUS PRAYER
Other Prayer Highlights:
202+ People Signed in for prayer in 2024
596.25 Hours in Upper Room Prayer + Worship
22 Monday Morning Youth Prayer Meetings
115 People participated in the Week of Continuous Prayer
SERMONS
GATHERING TOGETHER
A Note from Ashley
In 2024 there were so many moments our building was used to host events both by Celebrate and by the community. From weddings and funerals to graduation parties and family gatherings, Celebrate showed hospitality to many different people. Our proximity to Knoxville Raceway and our relationship with the racing community also gives us a unique opportunity to bless race fans from all over the world whether they park here on a Friday night, or stay here for a week during Nationals. Kids and families once again flocked to Celebrate when Missoula used Celebrate as a place to host their practices and performances.
All of this of course is in addition to our regular gatherings of Celebrators such as Speeders, the Ladies’ Salad Luncheon, Youth and Kids ministries, and so much more.
On Sunday mornings and at special events like the Nationals Breakfast of Champions, our Love to Help volunteers rolled out the welcome mat and showed hospitality in beautiful ways.
As we start into 2025 I am excited to see the many different people coming together to serve in the church and within the community!
A Note from Jennie
Here at Celebrate we say we are gathering to go with the presence of Jesus. When I take photos on Sunday mornings and at other Celebrate gatherings, I get to watch this happen. However people enter the room, whether in joy or grief, whether they are worn out or full of energy, whether they are new or have been around since day one, God meets them. He comes close to each person and provides for their heart in a way that only He can. And as He does, each person is drawn closer to Him, and simultaneously closer to the group of believers around them. In this way, we leave a gathering encouraged and we go out into our communities knowing His presence is with us, and just as His presence meets us when we gather, He will meet the people we encounter in our homes and communities. Meeting their needs and healing their hearts.
What a privilege it is to paint these moments with light through a camera lens.
In 2024 there were thousands of photos taken. Throughout this annual report you will see some of my favorites. Look closely and you will see what I saw: people who love God and love each other.
I can’t wait to watch and see what God is going to do in 2025!
LOCAL OUTREACH
A Note from Judd
It is hard to believe 2024 is over already. It was a very exciting year at Celebrate and there were so many things we saw the Lord do in and through people. It was so fun to see people accepting Christ and also going deeper into their faith. There were to many "God winks" to list, but some of the bigger milestones for the year were: major building projects, Abaco Impact trip, VBS, another successful Breakfast of Champions during Nationals. We moved into 2024 trying to figure out how the Celebrate Food Pantry would operate after moving it back into Celebrate's facility. Thanks to the Lord's faithfulness, an amazing group of volunteers and generous donors, it not only functioned well but thrived. We gave away a lot of food but more importantly we built relationships and shared the love of Jesus. I am excited and expectant for how the Lord is going to build on our momentum from 2024 and bless us with new things in 2025. Praise the Lord!
2024 FOOD PANTRY HIGHLIGHTS:
10 Tons
OF FOOD DISTRIBUTED
$1500
WORTH OF FOOD WAS DONATED BY CELEBRATORS IN ADVENT
Celebrate is blessed to serve the community with so many other loving organizations.
Local Partners
Celebrate supported local organizations and partners many ways. We recruited volunteers for sessions of Meals on Wheels deliveries and Salvation Army Bell ringing. We supported our local partners with prayer, financial contributions, and volunteers as well, such as Pleasantville Youth Initiative, The Well, and Freedom for Youth.
GLOBAL OUTREACH
The Lord of the Nations
In 2024, Celebrate took time to recognize the global church and focused both prayer and outreach efforts to support our partners in global ministry.
HAITI
Through our partnership with Many Hands for Haiti, we were able to bless the people of Haiti in several ways.
Operation Christmas Child: 74 Bags full of gift and need items were collected to be given to children in Haiti.
Funds were also sent to help with MH4H’s First 1000 Days Program and Buy a Farm Program.
ABACO
Abaco: We had 13 people go on the mission trip to Abaco. 10 from Celebrate and 3 from the Kansas City area. We spent time working at the camp where we stayed, did alot of painting and construction projects at the Saunders home. They are a family that Many Hands and other ministries decided to start with. They had been displaced from their home since the hurricane in 2019. We were also able to go out into the community and do food distribution. It was a blessing to go into homes, hear their stories and pray with people. We had a culture day so we could better understand life in Abaco. The best part was building relationships with the people there, but also growing closer as a team. We go down to bless the people of Abaco and we always receive just as much from them. I look forward to returning this year to build on the foundations that the first two trips have built.
It is called an Impact Trip for a reason, we were all impacted by what the Lord is doing in us and through us.
UGANDA
In 2024, Celebrate partnered with Pastor Samuel and his ministry in Uganda in many ways. Our contributions helped purchase 2 church properties, fund a church building project, provide for teachers’ salaries, supported a food program, and helped add a new education wing to the school.
JAPAN
In 2024 Celebrate Church partnered with Scot & Becki Dykstra. The Dykstras are missionaries to Japan, where they will live and work to share the Gospel. You can learn more about their calling to serve as missionaries in this video from their Sunday with us!
Thanksgiving Offering
$27,209.75
divided between two of our partnering ministries in Haiti and Uganda
Pastor Samuel, Founder of Bethel Outreach Uganda
“Wow..!!!!! What a great surprise to us! Thanks be to God Almighty for the generosity of the people of God at Celebrate.”
Tim Brand, Founder of Many Hands for Haiti
“Wow… incredible. And this is such a boost for us with the year we’ve had. Thank you for being the body of Christ!”
ORGANIZATION & LEADERSHIP
A Note from Emily
I love having a front row seat to see the generous hearts here at Celebrate Church. Through Financial Administration I am able to see donations coming in and I can’t help but feel moved by the many hearts that give so freely and joyfully. In 2024, I saw so many people with a unified heart giving above and beyond towards global missions. So many parts of the world were touched and shown the love of Jesus because of donations made here at Celebrate. Praise God! We could not do any of the ministries here without the generosity shown by our congregation. THANK YOU Celebrate for being faithful.
2024 Financial Report
2024 Offering Annual Totals
$765,000 Budgeted
$750,000 Received
$15,000 Offering Deficit
2024 Annual Operating Totals
$861,000 Income*
$838,000 Expenses
$23,000 Operating Surplus
*Along with offering income also includes race parking, registration for events, fundraisers, building rental, outside donations and memorials
2024 Giving To Ministry Partners
$98,500
Missions: Abaco Trip
$9,000 Celebrate’s contribution to the Abaco mission trip
Year End Cash Balance
Year End Loan Balance
Operating Budget
Average Worship Attendance
Leadership Training
Celebrate had three leadership training events averaging 50 attendees at each one.
March -
Compassionate Listening Seminary led by Dr. Paul Leavenworth
August -
Extraordinary Love & Extravagant Generosity also led by Paul.
November -
Saturday morning training event as part of the Unto the Lord weekend
2024 Leadership
Elder Board 2024
Ryan Roozeboom, Isaac Short, Crystal Harsin, Brian Vos, Justin Kingrey, Nick McGonigle
Ministering Elders 2024
Anna Van Sant, Nicolas Lirio, Jennifer Schmidt, Jeremy Cole, Erin Cook, Jon Suntken, Nate Spiegel, Nolan Crossett, Tony Roozeboom, Tyler Christian, Scott Bridges, Lisa Brandhof, Skip Jackson, Danielle Lirio, Rebekah Rietveld, Shayla Zimmerman, Mike Caulkins, Mike Cranmer
New Ministering Elders (selected 2024 to serve 2025):
Brent Hoehns, Cathy Dodd, Chelsea Bender, Claire Cole, Daniel Zimmerman, Jared Rietveld, Kelli Keefer, Kim Roozeboom, Melinda Vos, Renae Schumacher, Russ Schneider, Terri Gotta, Vanessa Szlachetka
New Elder Board members selected in 2024 to begin term in 2025:
Danielle Lirio, Jeremy Cole
A Prayer for 2025:
Lord God, thank you for the grace given to us through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the year ahead will you help us to be the people of God you desire us to be. Gather us in community to build one another up and align us with your purposes. Help us to follow Jesus as disciple-making disciples: relying on Him, learning from Him, growing in Him, walking with Him, and living for Him. Revive wonder and mission in all of us. And empower all who love You to be released to share Your love by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus Name. Amen.
— Pastor Andrew