Offering and Faith Commitments for 2026

God has commissioned Life Church to reach our region  through three initiatives—our Home, our Backyard, and our World—and we are committed to obeying that call with big faith, excellence, and intentional stewardship.

In recent years, we aligned the timing of our Reach the Region Offering to better position our church family to plan, prepare, and execute the vision God has placed before us. By receiving our Reach the Region Offering and faith commitments at the beginning of the year, we are able to move forward with clarity, confidence, and prayerful strategy.

Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 21:20, “The wise store up choice food and olive oil,” and we believe that planning with wisdom honors God and multiplies impact. Every dollar given toward Reach the Region is stewarded with purpose—covered in prayer, guided by vision, and managed with integrity.

Because of your generosity, lives are being changed. Communities are being served. Churches are being strengthened—locally and globally. What you’ll see throughout this page is a celebration of what God has already done through your faithful giving, and a glimpse of what we believe He is still calling us to build together. Let's all pray, listen, and obey.

Thank you for praying, giving, and believing with us. Your obedience matters more than you may ever realize—and your generosity continues to help us host God’s presence with excellence as we reach our region.
With Gratitude,

Ed & Janis Russo

Lead Pastors

Celebrating Your Generosity

In 2025, hundreds of individuals and families stepped forward in faith to reach our region. We honor every gift given and every sacrifice made to help carry out the vision God has entrusted to Life Church.

Because of your generosity, we didn’t just maintain momentum—we advanced it! New projects were launched, meaningful facility improvements were made, and long-standing initiatives reached new levels of impact. What was accomplished this past year was only possible because people like you chose to give with faith and obedience.

As we move into 2026, we remain committed to stewarding every resource with excellence—continuing to invest in our Home, Backyard, and World initiatives while trusting God for direction and provision in the year ahead.

2025 FUNDS RAISED

$655,808

We’ve seen God take what was given and multiply it far beyond what we could accomplish on our own.

For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.
Hebrews 3:4 NIV

2025 Home Projects You Made Possible

2026 HOME GOALS

We are a people who host God’s presence—because His presence changes everything.

As a church family, we believe faithful stewardship begins at home. By caring for the spaces God has entrusted to us and preparing for what He is building next, we create safe, welcoming environments where people of every age can encounter His life-changing presence.

Our Home Goals focus on strengthening our domestic locations—maintaining our infrastructure, preparing future-ready spaces, and ensuring that every Life Church location remains inviting, hospitable with excellence, and positioned for growth.
For Our Home in 2026, our focus is on our Spring Hill Expansion Project

SPRING HILL EXPANSION PROJECT

Strengthening Our Financial Foundation
As we enter the final completion phase of our new Spring Hill building and prepare to begin monthly mortgage payments, we are believing God for the ability to make additional contributions toward the principal.

As good stewards, our goal is to reduce overall debt and position our church for long-term financial strength. Through God’s provision and the continued generosity of our church family, we believe we can accelerate the payoff of this mortgage and move forward with greater freedom and stability.

Together, across all three Life Church locations, we are trusting God to help us raise $500,000 to support this new season for our Spring Hill location. This is not a new construction phase, but a unified effort to strengthen our financial foundation as we move forward.

Through the faithfulness of our community, nearly $2 million has already been invested toward the initial construction phase. The total projected cost of this expansion is $5 million, and we are confident that God will continue to provide as we walk in obedience together.

Approved Funding Goal | $500,000

PRAY. LISTEN. OBEY.

Just as the earliest disciples responded in obedience and the Word of the Lord spread, we believe that God is moving through our three domestic locations, and we will see salvation come in greater measure throughout the Tampa Bay region.

Thank you for partnering with us to strengthen the house God is using to reach our region.
Loving our city is one of the ways we host God’s presence in our region.

Across Tampa Bay, we are committed to meeting real needs, serving with compassion, and bringing hope into everyday spaces. Through local outreach and community partnerships, Life Church steps beyond our walls to care for families, individuals, and neighborhoods right here in our backyard.

We do this through initiatives like Serve My City, Wesley Chapel Outreach Center, Spring Hill Outreach Center, Prison Ministry, and more. Each effort is an opportunity to serve, love, and reflect the heart of Jesus to our city.

Serve My City alone mobilizes hundreds of our partners (volunteers) across more than 28 community service opportunities, two major seasonal outreach campaigns, and ongoing initiatives that provide practical resources and support to hundreds of families throughout the year.

2025 Backyard Projects You Made Possible

SERVE MY CITY
  • SMC Weekend: 
    28 Projects / 370 Partners Served
  • Back to School: 
    623 Children / 300 + Partners Served
  • SMC Thanksgiving: 
    6,000 Reached / 800 Partners Served
  • SMC Christmas Shop: 
    900 Children / 300 Partners Served
  • SMC Christmas Pop Ups: 
    Pop Up Shops added at Spring Hill & Lutz locations
  • Completed a Lutz School Service Project
Outreach Centers + Ongoing Efforts
  • 9 Schools Served through First Priority
  • Teacher Appreciation Lunch provided
  • School Supplies for Local Schools
  • Supported inmates transitioning out of prison
  • 1,449 hot meals served
  • 936 Families shopped at LC’s Outdoor Market
  • 189 Families received benevolence support
  • 150 Hours of Baycare Classes for troubled teens
  • 39,055 Boxes of free groceries distributed
  • Purchased + Wrapped WC Outreach Center Truck
  • Feeding Tampa Bay Truck for Spring Hill
  • New AC unit installed for Food Ministry by Balanced Air
  • 634 Hours completed of community service
  • 9 Counties served through LC Outreach Centers

2026 BACKYARD GOALS

SMC WEEKEND

Serve My City Weekend is a church-wide mobilization to love our city in practical, visible ways. During this weekend, hundreds of partners (volunteers) serve across multiple outreach projects throughout Tampa Bay—partnering with local organizations, caring for neighborhoods, and encouraging our neighbors.

This weekend is a powerful expression of our belief that as we serve, we host God’s presence in our Backyard and reflect the love of Jesus through action.

2026 GOAL | 35 Projects

SMC THANKSGIVING

Each year, our Serve My City Thanksgiving outreach provides thanksgiving meals to under-resourced families across the Tampa Bay region.

Thousands of individuals and families visit our locations to receive groceries, prayer, and encouragement. As need continues to grow in our backyard, our heart is to expand this outreach—ensuring more families can gather around the table with dignity and gratitude during the holiday season.

2026 GOAL | Reach 7,500 individuals

SMC CHRISTMAS

In the Christmas season, we focus on creating moments of joy and dignity for families who may otherwise go without the joy and gifts at Christmas.

Through Serve My City Christmas outreach, parents are invited to our Wesley Chapel location to personally select gifts for their children and get them wrapped with love and care. This approach preserves dignity within the family and creates meaningful, joy-filled moments in the home—reminding every parent and child that they are seen, valued, and loved.

2026 GOAL | Reach 1,000+ children

STAY IN SCHOOL MINISTRY

Now in its 13th year, the Stay In School Ministry serves local school-aged children through our after-school program at our Outreach Center in Wesley Chapel.

This program provides a safe, supportive environment after school—encouraging students to remain engaged in their education, build healthy relationships, and stay on a path toward graduation. Through consistency, care, and community, we come alongside families to help students thrive both academically and personally.

PROJECTS + ONGOING EFFORTS

Outreach Centers
  • Repair sewer at our Outreach Center in Wesley Chapel. This repair will allow us to re-open shower and laundry services—restoring dignity, cleanliness, and care for individuals and families we serve through our outreach efforts.
  • Strengthen benevolence reach + effectiveness
  • Launch Financial Literacy classes
  • Add ongoing support and resources through our Outreach Center in Spring Hill
  • Strengthen Discipleship Track at both Outreach Centers
  • Build community service opportunities, including a Life Group
  • Serve 1,500 hot meals
  • Serve 300 families through benevolence
  • Host 200 hours of BayCare classes
  • Serve 45,000 boxes of free groceries
  • Serve 100 individuals through community service
  • Reach 10 counties through LC Outreach efforts
In the Community
  • Increase evangelism efforts
  • Increase school connections + First Priority partnerships
  • Re-Launch Women’s Prison Ministry Team at Hernando Correctional Institution
  • Build Outdoor Market (neighbor choice concept)
  • Receive hurricane emergency services training + resources from Convoy of Hope

Funding Goal | $350,800
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

Jesus’ command to go is also His promise to be with us. As we step beyond our region and into the nations, we do so with confidence—knowing that God’s presence goes before us, walks with us, and transforms lives everywhere He is welcomed.

2025 World Projects You Made Possible

Mission Trips + Teams
  • 5 Mission Trips Completed
    • Caribbean (2 trips)
    • Mexico (1 trip)
    • Belize (1 trip)
    • Philippines (1 trip)
  • 40 Missionaries Sent
    • Caribbean — 16
    • Belize — 6
    • Mexico — 9
    • Philippines — 10

International Locations
  • 3 New International Locations Launched
    • Galicia, Spain
    • Lisbon, Portugal
    • Lima, Peru
  • New Location development in progress
    • Genoa, Italy (church planting process initiated)
Ongoing Global Support
  • Ongoing support for 45+ missionary families and missions organizations worldwide
  • Ongoing support for 12 international Life Church locations

Targeted Missions Impact
  • Financially sponsored a youth camp in the Caribbean serving 900+ students
  • Hosted a Future Ministers Workshop in the Caribbean with 300+ participants
  • Sent 340+ pounds of medical supplies to the Caribbean
  • Installed solar panels for Life Church Mexico
  • Provided musical instruments for:
    • A missions plant in the Philippines
    • New locations in Peru and Italy
  • Secured and rented a new building for Life Church Peru
  • Continued engagement in additional global missions initiatives and partnerships

2026 WORLD GOALS

Our World Goals exist to carry God’s presence beyond borders—supporting missionaries, strengthening international Life Church locations, and responding to real needs across the globe.

Throughout the year, our missionaries and international location pastors are covered through prayer, financial support, leadership development, and hands-on partnership through Life Church. We believe that geography never limits God’s power—and that His presence truly changes everything, everywhere.

As we look toward 2026, our faith is not just to maintain what we’ve built, but to expand our reach. We believe God is inviting us to increase the support we provide, deepen the impact we make, and say “YES!” to more opportunities around the world.

Below are the global projects and missions initiatives your generosity helps make possible.

2026 World Projects

We are believing God for continued expansion and strengthening of our global Life Church family.

Launch + Strengthening Global Locations
  • Ongoing support for our missionaries— care, resources, and partnership
  • Official dedication of Life Church Italy— celebrating the establishment of a new international location
  • Strengthening the leadership and staff of our existing Life Church locations through training, leadership development, and financial support
  • Ongoing prayer and leadership development with pastors in four additional nations, with details to be shared as God opens the door and timing becomes clear

Funding Goal | $185,000

2026 MISSION TRIPS

Each trip represents more than a destination—it’s an opportunity to bring hope, serve communities alongside our international locations, and join what God is already doing in regions around the world.

Through these mission trips, we step into the Great Commission with humility and obedience—building relationships, strengthening local churches, and sharing the love of Jesus in practical and powerful ways.

Our global mission is carried forward through four simple, biblical pillars...
PRAY 
Prayer opens doors, softens hearts, and places a covering of protection over missionaries, leaders, and communities on the mission field.

SEND 
Not everyone is called to go, but everyone can help send. Through encouragement, resources, and support, we empower those who are called to step out in faith.
GIVE 
Every financial investment—whether small or significant—helps advance the mission and produces lasting fruit for the Kingdom of God.

GO 
Those called to go are graced and anointed to carry the gospel, serve with compassion, and represent Jesus to the nations.
BELIZE
June 8–15, 2026
MEXICO
August 10–17, 2026
CARIBBEAN
September 17–28, 2026
SPAIN
November 9–18, 2026
PORTUGAL & SPAIN
November 2–11, 2026
PHILIPPINES
November 30–December 11, 2026

HOME: $500,000

BACKYARD: $350,800

WORLD: $185,000

TOTAL FUNDING GOAL: $1,035,800

Save the Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026

Reach the Region Offering
We invite you to begin praying now and asking the Lord how He would lead you to participate through generosity in the year ahead. On January 25, we will receive a special Reach the Region offering, along with faith commitments that help us plan and steward resources for the entire year.

As God leads, many choose to give on that day and commit to ongoing generosity throughout the year—allowing us to faithfully support our Home, Backyard, and World initiatives with wisdom and excellence.

As a church family, we are believing God for an above-and-beyond season of faith—trusting Him to produce lasting fruit as we reach our region together.

PRAY  |  LISTEN  |  OBEY