
Throughout the month of December (2007), The Lord told Lead Pastor Greg Dumas of The Crossing Church (Tampa, FL) to challenge his congregation to change and re-focus their perspective on giving at Christmastime. Instead of spending extravagant amounts of money on gifts for family and friends, Dumas encouraged the people to adjust their spending for the 2007 holidays. During a message series entitled “Shine”, the church was challenged to do just that – to shine, and be a light to the surrounding world. He asked the congregation spend half of what they had spent in 2006, save 25% and give 25% to what they called the “Shine Project”.
In an attempt to pull focus away from the materialistic, over-commercialized, man-made “spirit” of Christmas, the congregation focused in on what it truly means when God calls us “the light of the world”.
The Shine Project was designed to collect monies specifically for Water
for Life as well as other organizations in the Tampa Bay area. Over $105,000.00
was raised by the people of The Crossing Church (adults and children) for
Water for Life alone, which allowed for 22 wells to be built in countries
that are in desperate need of clean drinking water. Pastor Dumas has said
that the church will continue to re-think the way they give during Christmas
in the years to come. They will continue to look for ways in which they
can Shine and be a light to this dark world, and they are truly learning
that it is more blessed to give than to receive.