Flourish: A Celebration of Generosity with Chris Tomlin

National Christian Foundation Michigan celebrates God’s faithfulness in $1 billion mobilized for charity since our founding in 2000

Grand Rapids, MI - September 2026

A special gathering brought together friends of NCF Michigan for an evening of worship with Grammy Award-winning worship leader Chris Tomlin. Together, we celebrated the incredible milestone of $1 billion mobilized for charity from Michigan givers since our founding in 2000. We honored past founders, board members, and staff who have served faithfully over many years. We also thanked givers, advisors, and champions who promote biblical generosity.

One guest shared, “Knowing that every good and perfect gift is from God, and we are stewards of all that God has given us, it is a privilege and joy to be able to share what we have been given with others.”

During the welcome reception, guests greeted friends both old and new. They had the opportunity to participate in our “One Billion Blessings” wall, sharing a few words about the causes and passions God has laid on their hearts. Chris Gettel provided the opening invocation to bless our time together. Before dinner, emcee and NCF Michigan Board Chairman Greg Markvluwer described the organization’s history. We were founded in 2000 as West Michigan Christian Foundation by a small group from Calvary Church in Grand Rapids. The nonprofit became affiliated with the National Christian Foundation in 2003.  

We’ve been consistently blessed with a dedicated board and trusted staff who today serve 2,000 givers across the state. Collectively, NCF Michigan givers have granted one billion dollars to charity over 26 years, including causes like medical care, evangelism, disaster relief, affordable housing, youth and foster care, and the local church. Nationally, NCF givers have granted twenty-five billion dollars to charity. We praise God that our state of Michigan is a leader in giving.  

The theme passage from John chapter 15 provided inspiration for the grape and floral decor for the event. Guests were reminded that it’s God who grows the fruit of our giving, and He blesses both the giver and the receiver. Conversation prompts at the tables invited guests to think about the role that generosity has played in their lives and in the ministries they care about. To share a word of praise for how God has used generosity in your own life or share feedback on this event, use our Flourish survey.

An NCF giver said, “We rejoice to be able to give to our church, missionaries, and other Christian causes. Through NCF and our Journey of Generosity experienceopens in a new tab we’ve determined to see more of God’s resources (of which He’s made us trustees) distributed during our lifetimes instead of after we’re gone.”

Another guest shared, “It was a room full of people who understand that generosity is never simply about letting go of something—it’s about taking hold of something far greater. Most of all, it was a joy to see the Lord honored through the generosity and faith of His people.”

NCF Michigan sits at a unique crossroads between faith and finances, offering both strategic giving tools and biblically based wisdom and support. One giver reflected that, “Giving through NCF has allowed us to be more intentional and also more spontaneous.” Many guests agreed that “We are blessed to be a blessing!”

Chris Tomlin led our guests through an intimate time of story and worship, sharing a how God has grown fruit from his ministry’s humble beginnings. The singer and songwriter’s greatest hits include classics like, “Whom Shall I Fear,” “I Will Rise,” “Holy is the Lord,” “How Great is Our God,” “Jesus Messiah,” and “Indescribable.” In a sweet time of praise, we joined together to thank God for who He is and what we have seen Him do in the area of mobilizing resources for Kingdom impact. To close the evening, NCF Michigan president Dave Johnson highlighted God’s joyful blessing both in and through the heart of each giver.

Dave shared, “Our upside-down God actually uses our generosity to bless the person who does the giving just as much, if not more than, the receiver. Can you think of a time when you experienced joy through giving? Perhaps the first time? The most recent time? My hope and prayer is that joy wells up within you as you make the most of all that God has entrusted to you: your talents, influence, and treasure. That might feel uncomfortable; as Christians we are taught to be humble and often minimize the joy we feel from generosity. Yet I would ask you to consider how we ought to celebrate generosity as a gift from God that builds up His body.”

Hosting Chris Tomlin for this milestone felt like the perfect way to celebrate. Giving is an active of worship; we reflect our generous God when we share what we have with others. Music is another way we worship. We were blessed to have Chris spend the evening with us, share his story, and help us worship our great God together.

God truly answered our prayer for an evening that glorified His name. Please join us in asking for His continued guidance and favor for the ministry of NCF.

Watch the anniversary video

There are so many people who have played a role in NCF Michigan’s history. We had the privilege of speaking to just a few of them. Enjoy the short video below honoring this legacy.

About Chris Tomlin

TIME magazine heralded Chris Tomlin as the “most often sung artist in the world” as his music has inspired and uplifted an entire generation of believers. Along the way, Chris has scored 21 number-one singles, 31 top-ten hits (more than any other Christian artist), and spent a total of 158 weeks at number-one during his career. He’s sold more than 12 million albums with over 8 billion career global streams, won a Grammy, three Billboard Music Awards, 30 Dove Awards (most recent win for Song of The Year for “Holy Forever”), became a two-time BMI Songwriter of the Year honoree and an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year. Chris is the first Christian artist to reach the billion streams threshold on Pandora and was presented with their BILLIONAIRE award. As one of the most successful Christian touring artists today, Chris has sold out venues everywhere including New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, and more. In early 2019, Chris and his wife Lauren founded For Others—an organization that exists to raise awareness and empower best in class organizations to help end the child welfare crisis here in the United States. For more information visit www.christomlin.comopens in a new tab or follow Chris on Xopens in a new tab, Instagram,opens in a new tab Facebookopens in a new tab, and YouTubeopens in a new tab.

About NCF Michigan

National Christian Foundation Michigan is a public 501(c)3 and charitable partner that helps maximize the generosity of givers across the state and beyond. A local affiliate of the National Christian Foundation headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, NCF Michigan provides practical tools to simplify charitable giving, mobilize resources, and inspire biblical generosity.