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Celebrating 60 years: Our legacy and our future

This week marked a significant milestone for Fairhaven Church: our 60th anniversary.

On April 19, 1964, twelve families gathered at the Kettering YMCA, united by their vision to start a new church south of Dayton. From those humble beginnings to the Fairhaven we know today, spanning four campuses and impacting thousands of lives, our journey is a testament to God’s incredible work through the faith and obedience of His people.

This anniversary isn’t just a celebration of the past; it’s a call to each of us to actively participate in what comes next. As we reflect on the legacy of those pioneering families, we are reminded that their simple steps of faith set in motion the expansive growth and deep impact of Fairhaven Church.

Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God can do “immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.” Our founding families might not have envisioned the scope of their impact, but their faithfulness laid a strong foundation for generations. Today, we stand on the precipice of the future, ready to take our “next right steps” that will help shape our next 60 years.

What might your next step be?

Whether it’s baptism, getting more involved, or increasing your generosity, every small step contributes to our big picture. If you’re uncertain about what your next step should be, we encourage you to seek God’s guidance through prayer.

Here are a few ways you can take a next step at Fairhaven:

  • Profess your faith through Baptism

  • Take our First Step class and consider covenant membership

  • Join a Small Group of people doing life together

  • Serve on one of our serve teams and make a difference

  • Give to Fairhaven and help more people find hope

  • Dedicate your child and commit to raising them to know Jesus

As we celebrate our past, we also look ahead to the opportunities that lie before us. The next 60 years are ours to shape. Like those who came before us, let’s step out in faith, trusting that God will continue to do miraculous work through our collective faithfulness.

Will you join us in this journey? Let’s embrace our responsibility to forge a path that others will follow, continuing the legacy of faith, love and hope that defines Fairhaven Church.

WATCH VIDEO: Celebrating Fairhaven’s 60th Anniversary

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Global Impact giving project: Quito church multiplication

You can help accelerate church growth in Quito, Ecuador! Participate in this transformative initiative born out of our 20-year partnership with our sister churches in Quito.

“The Seed Fund” is a visionary project designed to empower the local church in Quito, Ecuador, to establish and develop more gospel-centered urban churches. This fund is not just assistance; it’s an investment in sustainable church growth, ensuring resources are available to purchase property and/or complete construction in densely populated urban settings where space is at a premium.

WATCH VIDEO: Learn more about the fund’s potential impact

Why is your contribution important? Urban centers like Quito face significant financial barriers in expanding church infrastructure. By contributing to our giving project, you’re helping overcome these obstacles, enabling churches to reach out and touch lives with the message of Jesus Christ much more effectively and rapidly.

Your gift to The Seed Fund is an investment in a ripple effect of faith, hope, and transformation, reaching people and communities previously unreached by the Gospel. You’re not just funding a church; you’re fueling a movement.

Take part in this vital mission, and be a witness to the growth of God’s Kingdom in Quito and beyond!

There are three easy ways you can give:

  1. Send a text message to the number 32000 with the message, “Global” followed by the amount you want to give.

  2. Give online and select “2024 Project – Ecuador”

  3. Write a check to Fairhaven Church with “Global Impact” in the memo

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Help our kids and students attend camp this summer

At Fairhaven one of our passions is reaching the next generation. We invest a lot of time and energy in our kids and student ministries because we believe they’re not just the church of tomorrow, they are also the church of today!

This summer, we’re offering some awesome experiences for kids and students:

  • In mid-June, our middle schoolers are going to Mix Camp, a 4-day event in Indiana

  • In late June, our elementary kids will participate in our annual Summer Games camp at our Centerville Campus

  • In July, high schoolers are going to Florida for the Life conference, a gathering of students from around the country that only happens once every three years

These events offer unique opportunities for kids and students to build relationships and grow in their faith, and we want to make it as easy as possible for as many people as possible to participate.

Here’s where you come in.

Each of these events has a cost, and it can be significant, especially for families with multiple kids or who are facing difficult circumstances.

Would you consider supporting our kids and students this summer in two ways?

  1. Help us lower the cost of these experiences with a special financial gift. Our goal is to raise $25,000 during the month of May. To give, write a check to Fairhaven Church with “summer camp” in the memo, or give online and select Camp Scholarships as the fund.

  2. Commit to praying for our kids and students as they attend these events. To join the prayer team, text the word CAMP to the number 32000 and follow the prompts.

Thank you for your partnership in supporting our kids and students this summer as they grow closer to God and to one another!

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Help us “give hope” with a year-end gift

Dear Josh,

Your giving matters. During this last month of 2019, we’ve shared so many ways your generosity has helped us give hope this year.

  • You provided an impactful experience for hundreds of guests at our ten “Wonder of Christmas” events

  • You filled hundreds of bins with Christmas gifts for local under-served children and families

  • You supported our global ministry partners, helping people find hope around the world

VIDEO: How you helped people find hope in 2019

Altogether, we saw more than 450 people make a decision to follow Jesus or rededicate their lives to Him this year! And by finishing strong with our generosity in 2019, we can give hope to hundreds more people next year.

There are four ways you can make a generous year-end contribution:

Thanks for all the ways you help us give hope!

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Host a small group this fall

Hi Joshua,

On September 26, we will start a new, 5-week sermon series called Better Together. During the series we’ll ask questions like, “Why does the church matter?” and “What is it about being together as a church that’s unlike anything else?”

The best way to experience this series is in a small group. We often talk about the power of community and how when it comes to building deep relationships, circles are better than rows. We believe we’re better together, and for a series like this, that’s especially true.

If you’re not already in a small group, we challenge you to consider hosting one for this series. In fact, we’re making it easier than ever! All you need is some people to circle up with, and we’ll provide a kit with everything else, including discussion guides, t-shirts and more.

And if you are in a group, use this series as an opportunity to open up your group to people who are looking for an opportunity to connect. Invite your friends or neighbors. Invite people you haven’t seen at church in a while or the ones you’re inviting to church, as this will be a great series for them. If this is the right next step for your group, please send us an email, so we can help!

If you’re interested in hosting a small group for this series, we want to connect with you! Simply complete this form, or stop by the Group Life station on your campus after the service on Sunday. We’d love to help you have an amazing experience in a small group this fall.

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Our Beavercreek Campus launches this Sunday!

Hi Joshua,

The day we’ve been waiting for is finally here!

This Sunday, August 8, we will officially launch our Beavercreek Campus! We’re excited to welcome the community to Beavercreek High School for our worship service at 10:30 AM.

It’s been a long journey to get to this point - from dreaming about a campus there, to making plans and assembling a team, to waiting out a pandemic, and now finally to our grand opening. We’re so thankful to our Beavercreek church family for their commitment, and we’re grateful to God for His faithfulness every step of the way.

This week, please join us in doing two things:

  1. Tell people you know in Beavercreek about our new campus. Invite them to come to Beavercreek High School on Sunday morning. Send them this video for a glimpse of what it will be like.

  2. Pray for the Beavercreek Campus and our church family there. Ask God to use our grand opening as the beginning of something amazing to help more people in Beavercreek find hope in Jesus.

We can’t wait for this Sunday!

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Accept or Ignore: New series starts Sunday!

Your phone rings. You don’t recognize the number. Or maybe you do. What will you do - hit accept or ignore?

Throughout the gospels, there are many places where Jesus calls or invites us to something, but He leaves it up to us to decide whether we’ll accept His invitation or ignore it.

This Sunday, August 22, our lead pastor David Smith will begin a new sermon series called “Accept or Ignore.” Over the next several weeks, we’ll take a look at five invitations Jesus extends and ask ourselves how we should respond.

And since invitations from Jesus are for everyone, we encourage you to take this opportunity to invite someone you know to church for this series!

We look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday.

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