Welcome To Wake My Heart

Wake My Heart is a two-year generosity campaign at Vox that began at the end of 2019 to enable us to take the next step in the vision to see New England changed from the least-churched region in the U.S. to the most spiritually vibrant place on earth.

This campaign is about spiritual growth that changes our values on the inside so that we love what God loves more than anything else. Our goal is that 100 percent of our congregation would participate in prayer and sacrificial generosity, fulfilling the commitment total of $19,590,555 by the end of 2021. This spiritual growth is what the apostle Paul had in mind when he said, “Be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

Despite numerous trials in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the priorities of Wake My Heart have been advanced thanks to the faithfulness of God and the family at Vox. Our current ministries have been strengthened, and our first Anchor Location is scheduled to open in Branford by the end of this year!

As the Wake My Heart campaign comes to its conclusion, our three priorities go on! Our immediate focus is fully funding the Anchor Location in Branford. As part of our site acquisition fund, our goal is to build our second Anchor Location in the Hartford area in 2022 as a hub for future locations in and around Hartford County. We have an exciting plan to continue launching new churches over the next ten years, beginning with a relaunch of Worcester and New Britain in 2022.

First, we believe in the power of God’s provision, so we are trusting him all the way! Whatever resources are raised during the campaign will be used to move forward. You will receive up-to-the-week updates on where we are during the WMH Finish Strong Series at Vox. If we raise more than our goal, this will enable us to prepare for new locations and expand ministry at current locations.

When we were unable to meet in person last year due to the pandemic, we launched Church Online through streaming and virtual technology, and it has been a tremendous success! As a result, our social media followers have grown from 5,000 to more than 30,000, and thousands of people attend online every week. After the return of in-person Sunday services, our average online weekly attendance continues at more than 3,000 people, with many tuning in from across the United States and countries like Spain, Costa Rica, Canada, Jamaica, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. While COVID-19 radically changed the financial picture for so many, giving at Vox remained stable, and we are encouraged to see in-person attendance growing every week with many people coming for the first time.

While the COVID-19 pandemic brought numerous trials for people and churches, the family at Vox has miraculously grown stronger. The truth is that 14.8 million people live in New England and the vast majority are far from God. If God has opened the door for effective ministry, we must wisely and humbly walk through it. We don’t have to choose between strengthening our current ministries and growing in new locations. By God’s grace, we can do both. By empowering leaders and spreading out the responsibility, Vox can take ground on multiple fronts in any given year. Our leaders seek to move only at the level God gives us grace for.

No. Rather than focusing on a building project, Wake My Heart is a priority-focused campaign, looking at the big picture of what needs to be funded to ensure we are accomplishing our vision in the best way possible. It is a challenge to our congregation to grow in the grace of giving as the means God intends for his Church to fund ministry.

At Vox, our goal is to reach people, not build buildings. However, the time has come when a larger permanent space will enable greater effectiveness and efficiency to reach people and allow auxiliary ministries to gain traction. At Vox we are intentional and strategic in serving the poor and helping find long-term solutions to problems at home and around the world. We designate 11 percent of our annual budget toward local and global outreach and that hasn’t changed. It’s just time for a new level of effectiveness, which also communicates to the cities and towns God places us in that we are here to stay, to serve, and to minister.

No. The Branford location will support our downtown New Haven location to effectively reach the Greater New Haven area, offering multiple services at different times than at College Street with live preaching at both.

As we approach the conclusion of the campaign, please pray and consider how God is calling you to give at the end-of-year “Finish Strong Offering” on Sunday, December 12. We are trusting God to fulfill our commitment goal, and that as a church we will step into 2022 stronger than ever.

A simple definition of sacrificial is to give up something I want, something I need, or something that represents security. Most likely your commitment comes from excess income, decreased spending, liquidating assets, generating more money through the use of time and talent, or sacrificing something. It is deciding upon what I can give up, do without, postpone, or alter in order to give to the mission of Vox.

Absolutely! In 2 Samuel King David says, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” The essence of sacrifice is that it COSTS us something. This type of giving is pleasing to God because it demonstrates our reliance and faith in him.

You can submit additional questions to: info@voxchurch.org.