7 Things We Are Thankful For in 2015 – From Your Friends at the WCA

Happy Thanksgiving!

We love this season as we rest in the shared hope we have in Jesus. He is the reason for everything we do at the Willow Creek Association, and the reason so many of you have joined in the efforts to equip leaders for their Grander Vision, and spread the hope of Jesus across the globe.

2015 will be marked as a year to remember.

In this season of thanks, we want to thank you for being a part of changing lives around the world through the Global Leadership Summit. It’s extremely humbling to see how God speaks through this event. We’ve heard so many stories about how churches are being revitalized, people are growing closer to God, leaders are being encouraged and empowered, the poor are being cared for, relationships are being healed, businesses are giving back and communities are being transformed.

Your partnership, prayer and faithful support are some of the biggest reasons why we are able to celebrate the impact. We have so much to be thankful for.

1. Thank you to the 2015 Summit Faculty – Jim Collins, Ed Catmull, Dr. Brené Brown, Adam Grant, Salle Krawcheck, Albert Tate, Horst Schulze, Sheila Heen, Brian Houston, Sam Adeyemi, Liz Wisman and Craig Groeshel. Thank you for your teaching, encouragement, challenge and inspiration. Thank you for the impact you’ve had on more than 260,000 leaders all around the world. You may never know how much you have blessed a leader, or even an entire country. Thank you!

2. Thank you to our Summit Host Sites here, and across the globe – Do you know more than 875 cities around the world host the Summit? This is no small feat. Without the pastors, church staff, event managers, promotional strategists, marketing managers, producers, technical directors and so many others (most of them volunteers!), the Summit would not have been delivered to encourage and inspire hundreds of thousands of leaders this year. It is a great honor to partner with these leaders and change agents as they seek to transform their cities and their countries. Thank you!
3. Thank you to our Volunteers – Thousands of volunteers here and around the world make the Summit possible. In addition to their regular jobs, many of them sacrifice their time and dedicate it to serving leaders at the Summit by directing traffic, providing resources, serving food, opening doors or even executing the entire event for their city. You may never know the lives you’ve touched by putting a servant’s towel over your arm. What an honor to serve with you. Thank you!

4. Thank you to our Attendees – In 2015, more than 260,000 leaders will have attended the Summit—each one of them representing a life of beautiful influence. Your life and leadership are so valuable. We are so thankful to leaders like you who want to better themselves to better our world. Thank you for embracing your leadership calling!

5. Thank you to our Prayer Warriors – Hundreds of prayer warriors around the world have lifted up in prayer everything we do—from the uphill battles to the triumphant celebrations. Thank you for your dedication to surrounding Willow Creek Association and the Global Leadership Summit in prayer. It is so important that we continue to come back to God for our strength, encouragement and wisdom. God has done miracles through us and in spite of us. Thank you!

6. Thank you to our Donors and Partners – As the Summit has grown internationally, so has the need for funding to give leaders in under-resourced regions access to world-class leadership tools. More than 50 percent of the countries we’re in require additional support – many of them often facing difficult circumstances of poverty, persecution or corruption. Thank you to our donors who have given gifts large and small, sacrificing their own resources to empower and encourage leaders around the world. You may never know the depth of your impact. Thank you!

7. And last but certainly not least, we are thankful to God for giving us the incredible opportunity to join Him in this ministry of serving leaders around the world. His love and goodness is the reason we do what we do.

Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!