Jesus saw people in their helplessness and confusion, and He had compassion. What would it look like for us to fully receive that compassion and allow it to fuel our mission? Lead Pastor Jason Gore looks back on 2023 and forward to what’s in store for 2024. -- Every year at Hope, we take a moment to look back through the past year and highlight what we’ve experienced and accomplished. We also paint a vision for what the next year will be like for us as a church.     What has the last year looked like for us at Hope, and what are we looking forward to in this next year?   Near the end of the year, we do three things:  1. Celebrate what God has done through this church family  2. Evaluate where we are as a church family  3. Look ahead to what God has for us in the coming year Matthew 9:35 (NLT) Jesus was with the people. Matthew 9:36 (NLT) Jesus had compassion on the people. Our God is a God of compassion. Matthew 9:37-38 (NLT) Jesus told them to pray. Pray for more workers. Matthew 10:1, 5a, 7-8 (NLT) Jesus made His disciples the answer to the prayer He told them to pray.  Jesus sends those who understand His compassion to go to the ones who need compassion. Two things we need to learn from this passage:  1. Jesus has compassion for us in our brokenness.  2. We are led to show that compassion to the world around us. Compassion fuels the mission. Compassion should move us to prayer, and that prayer should lead to action. Who We Are – Our mission as a church is to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Strengthen families by investing in marriage, parenting and youth. Equip and empower our church to be missionaries in everyday life. Meet the needs of our community before they come to us. (locally and globally) Leverage online platforms to maximize our reach and impact. Here’s what we’ve seen in 2023… Strengthening Families: ReEngage – More than 400 men and women went through it and came out with healthier marriages.  Family Conversations Meeting the needs of our community: Love Your School Initiative Fostering Hope Food Pantry Partnership with Ship of Zion Global Impact: 11 long-term global partners on four continents, reaching more than 50 countries Agape Global Teams relaunched in 2023. More than $650,000 in global initiatives/$10,000 to support Jewish families in Israel Equip and Empower our Church: Launched our Fuquay CampusMaximizing our reach through online platforms: Hope in Real Life podcast App in final design phases Overall: Attendance  (+15%) Baptisms  (+33%) Serving  (+10%) Small Groups  (+30%) Giving  (-2%) Looking ahead to 2024… Parenting Class/Family Convos Launching of Fuquay Local/Global initiatives Young Adult Ministry (YAM)/Student Ministry Hope In Real Life (app/podcast) Equipping Beyond Christmas Remember Matthew 10:8b (NLT) “Give as freely as you have received!”   -- For Beyond Christmas initiatives, visit https://gethope.net/christmas/#beyond. To subscribe to the Hope In Real Life podcast, visit https://gethope.net/hope-in-real-life. To get connected at Hope or to view our Communion resource, go to https://gethope.net/next. Give to support Hope's ministries at https://gethope.net/give