As I sit down to write this, and look back over the year 2022, as well as the last 4 years of OHSB, all I can say is … To Him be ALL the glory!
I give the Lord the praise and honor and glory due His name for this incredible ministry He has brought to us. The last Psalm of the Bible, Psalm 150, tells us to Praise the Lord in His house, to praise Him because of His mighty acts and according to His excellent greatness, and to praise Him with all different types of instruments – even loud and clashing cymbals! The Psalm ends by telling us, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)
So let’s get out our flutes and drums and yes, our loud cymbals, and give Him praise for all He has done in and through this beautiful ministry of One Hundred Shares Birmingham! In 2017, two women reached out to 9 friends, who spent a year bathing this idea in prayer, working out the intricate details of starting a ministry legally and logistically, before hosting the very first coffee in October of 2018. Friends were invited to be a part of OHSB, whose hope and design was to gift grants of $50K, $75K or even $100K to local ministries throughout Birmingham – all with the end goal of impacting our city for the Kingdom of God.
Little did we know or could we even dream, of all the Lord was going to do for us. We started with 11 members on the steering committee. To His glory, we presently have 168 active members. Over the past 4 years, OHSB has granted a total of $519,500 to 8 different ministries – (blow those trumpets for His excellent greatness!!). In 2022 alone, we were able to grant $100,000 to The Lovelady Center of Birmingham (www.loveladycenter.org) and to M-power Ministries (www.mpowerministries.org) $50,000 – (play those trombones!)
Honestly, as I sit and reflect over the past 4 years, I am humbly in awe of God’s faithfulness and goodness to us. One Hundred Shares Birmingham has always been His plan, not ours, to further His Kingdom in the city of Birmingham, we are simply His children obeying His commandment to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,” Matthew 28:19a. Our desire has always been to lock arms with women throughout Birmingham to fulfill His call because we know that we are better together than alone.
So bring out your instrument of choice – violins, pianos, flutes, cellos, trumpets, and drums – and let’s give God all the glory for all He has done and is continuing to do through the women who have joined together with One Hundred Shares Birmingham …
“Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:6
Now on to year 5 … what is He going to do now?
To Him be all the glory,
Tracey McKenzie OHSB Board Chair January 2023
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