Make your tax-deductible donation to First Place 4 Health by clicking the button below.
What a Year!
The year 2010 has been exciting as we have watched the Lord work through our First Place 4 Health groups and events throughout the country. Over 750 people participated in the events, resulting in transformed lives and new FP4H groups. The annual FP4H Wellness Retreat in Round Top, TX, was amazing, and we have received numerous emails from the participants stating they are still “riding on the wave of God’s grace and encouragement.” Leadership Summit arrived with over 160 participants from 26 states and two days of wonderful training and fellowship.
A Year Full of Blessings & Challenges
This year has been a year full of blessings and challenges for the First Place 4 Health ministry. We completed our first full year as an independent 501c3 ministry in June 2010, having been a ministry of Houston’s First Baptist church since 1981. In April of this year, we moved our First Place 4 Health offices from the church to an offsite location about ten minutes away from our FP4H groups at First Baptist Church. We are blessed with a FP4H Board that is committed to helping the ministry grow in the years ahead. A huge blessing is having a First Place 4 Health staff that is ready and able to do the hard work needed to propel the ministry forward in 2011.
In spite of the downturn in the economy, First Place 4 Health has had many opportunities to bless others. We provided lodging and free registration for many people, who otherwise could not attend our events due to financial hardships. Earlier this year, we also provided new group materials to a Christian Camp in Zumbro Falls, MN, when their camp was destroyed by a flood. As God provides, we look forward to granting more scholarship opportunities for those who are struggling financially and wish to participate in the First Place 4 Health program and events.
The challenge for the ministry is financial, as it is for many of you and for our Country right now. We have had many added expenses since becoming an independent ministry, such as the cost of our new website and our move to new office space. These and other expenses associated with setting up an independent ministry have created a strain on our budget.
There are two ways you can help the ministry financially during these challenging economic times. The first is by purchasing your materials from our website at www.firstplace4health.com/store. This helps us connect with you, while also supporting the ministry.
The second way you can support the ministry is by including First Place 4 Health in your year-end giving plans. It is easy to make a tax deductible donation through the store on our website by going here: http://www.firstplace4health.com/store/?cat=8&item=51. If the Lord leads, we would love for you to partner with us in 2011 by making a one-time donation or a monthly gift of any amount. We have a few friends who have faithfully supported our ministry each month, but we need more of you to join them.
Pray without Ceasing
Additionally, we covet your prayer support and ask you to “Pray without ceasing,” as Paul admonishes in I Thessalonians 5:17, for our First Place 4 Health staff and ministry that continues to change lives throughout the world.
The year of 2011 is the 30th anniversary of the First Place 4 Health program and partnering with our publisher, Gospel Light, we have great plans for celebrating the entire year. Watch our website and “save the dates” for all the exciting events and happenings throughout the year. Also check the website for the release date of my new book “Hope 4 You.”
On a personal note, we so appreciate your prayers for Johnny and for me. Johnny has had a challenging year with five months of chemo. His PSA is hovering around 20 and his platelets are low; however, he is feeling good. Please join us in praying that he does not become hormone resistant. We are praising God and thanking Him for friends like you who stand in the gap for us.
Thank you for your gifts and for your prayers for the ministry. We are looking forward to a bright future for the ministry and for each of you.
Praying you have a blessed Christmas,
Carole Lewis
When Carole attended the First Place orientation in March of 1981, she eagerly anticipated what God might want to do in her life. She had recently seen an old friend that looked great and who reminded her that they were soon approaching 40 years old. Carole determined she did not want to be “fat and 40.” She joined First Place and soon lost 20 pounds. Learning how to bring balance to her life, she became a First Place leader to motivate others to achieve this goal.
Carole is a popular speaker and author of the books, Choosing to Change, First Place 4 Health, Today Is the First Day, Living Well, Back on Track, A Thankful Heart, Stop it, The Divine Diet, and Mother/Daughter Legacy. Carole regularly leads Conferences, Wellness Weeks, Change Your Life Events and seminars across the country in the areas of personal balance, fitness, encouragement and temperament analysis. Her audiences know her as warm, honest and humorous.