Sunday, 04 December 2011 07:40
Dear friend,Thank you for opening my December letter. I am grateful for your interest in the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, and for this opportunity to share our work with you.
God led me nearly three years ago to launch a ministry that would address the critical issues of our day with biblical truth. Jeff Byrd, my ministry partner in three churches over 21 years, co-founded this ministry with me in February 2009.
God's vision for us is challenging: to join him in advancing moral and spiritual renewal in Dallas and around the world. We are called to fulfill this vision by engaging contemporary issues with biblical truth and equipping Christians to change their culture. We began with no name, letterhead, or website. In three years, God has led us to build a global platform for connecting faith and culture.
We partner with ministries in Bangladesh, Beijing, and Cuba, and with churches and ministries around the world online. As you probably know, I write a cultural commentary each morning that addresses the day's news in spiritual perspective. Nearly 19,000 people in 90 countries receive this email each day. (If you'd like to sign up, please use the subscription feature on our home page.) As Theologian-in-Residence for Texas Baptists (a voluntary partnership), I produce resources for 2.2 million Texas Baptists in 5,600 churches. I write weekly for The Dallas Morning News and BaptistWay Press, and contribute regularly to the Christian Post, Associated Baptist Press, and the Baptist Standard. I also speak on college campuses and preach in churches across the nation.
My wife, Janet, is a published author and very effective speaker. Her website and blog make her Bible studies and other resources available to a fast-growing audience, and her speaking engagements bring God's word to churches and study groups across Texas.
Jeff Byrd directs all ministry operations. Jeff is an engineer with an MBA and many years of managerial experience in the corporate world. Brittany Kulick coordinates media, public relations, and calendar. She is a professional marketer, social media expert, and event coordinator. Scott Rosa oversees our technological resources. He has spent his career in IT; he also assists ministries to the Muslim world and does mission work in Bangladesh twice a year. Billie Byrd is our part-time office manager. She has owned and operated her own marketing company and served on several church staffs. And Minni Elkins, my longtime assistant, serves part-time to coordinate correspondence and help readers locate resources.
How can you partner with us in bringing God's word to the issues of our day?
First, please pray for us. We are called to build a ministry without a model to follow and need the Spirit's guidance for each step we take. Unless he inspires and uses what we write and say, our words will accomplish nothing eternal. I ask you to intercede for us before the Father as we depend each day on his leadership.
Second, I hope you'll use and share our resources. I invite you to join us as ambassadors for the Denison Forum by liking our Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/DenisonForum, www.facebook.com/DrJimDenison, and www.facebook.com/JanetLDenison) and following us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/JimDenison and www.twitter.com/Janet_Denison). Please invite your friends to do the same. Download a copy of our ministry brochure to learn more about the Denison Forum. When you forward the cultural commentary, include a message asking your friend to subscribe. Each of these actions will help us grow the reach of the ministry.
Third, I ask you to pray about partnering with us financially. When we launched this ministry, God led us to depend entirely on donors for support. With their help, we can offer our online resources free of charge to non-Christians and to believers around the world who could not afford to buy them.
We are not sponsored by any church or ministry. Our annual budget is $1.1 million; we receive a third of our income through December donations. I invite you to help us share God's word in 2012 by making a special Christmas gift to impact and renew our culture. Please send your tax-deductible donation to the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, 17304 Preston Road, Suite 1060, Dallas, TX 75252. Or simply click on this link to make a secure online donation.
Thank you for your time and your partnership in this ministry. May your holidays be holy days as we worship the Child who became one of us that we might be one with him.
Jim Denison
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