12.13.2011

Giving Our Best

I am PUMPED about this Sunday at Timber Ridge Church!  We are participating in our first ever special Christmas offering which we're calling My Best Gift.  We believe that, as Christ followers, God has called us to use everything He's given us to advance the Gospel and message of Jesus.  We're committed to giving God the best of our time, our talents, and our treasure in order to make an eternal impact.

This year 100% of our My Best Gift offering is going toward our mission of reaching the lost, the least, and the lonely through three avenues:
  • Church Planting - funding new church plants that will reach those far from God.
  • Global Missions - supporting mission work and projects outside of the United States.
  • Local Benevolence - helping families in Stephenville & Erath county with practical, physical needs.
You can find out more about the My Best Gift offering by clicking here.  You can also email info[at]timberridgechurch[dot]com with any questions you might have about this special offering.

Whether you attend Timber Ridge regularly, support us from afar, or simply know about what God is doing in and through this new church, I want to ask you to pray for the My Best Gift offering this Sunday.  Pray that God would use it to grow us in our generosity and to advance the Gospel of Jesus through our community, our country, and our world.

At Timber Ridge Church, we believe what the Bible says in Proverbs 11:25, where it reads, "A generous man will prosper.  A man who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."  This Sunday, we have a great opportunity to be generous in a way that will allow us to refresh others and meet real needs throughout the year in 2012...and that PUMPS ME UP!

12.05.2011

Why Serving Matters

Yesterday at Timber Ridge Church we did something that is somewhat unusual for a church.  We didn't host weekend services.  Yes, it was Sunday.  Yes, the weekend worship experience is a HUGE focus for us as a church in reaching people.  And yes...we shut the doors.  Instead of having our usual worship experience on Sunday morning, we instead went out into our community and served.  We took the morning to serve together and show God's love in real and practical ways to our community.  We became the hands and feet of Jesus in a very real way.

One of our Core Values at Timber Ridge is that we add value to our community.  We do that by serving.  Our community doesn't exist for us.  We exist for the community - to serve it, bring hope to it, and add value to it.  Serving is a core part of who we are as a young church.  And I believe that serving matters - not just for Timber Ridge - but for every church and every follower of Christ.  And below are some reasons why:

Why Serving Matters

  1. We are never more like Jesus than when we serve. Jesus' life mission involved serving others. (Mark 10:45)
  2. People in our culture don't need to hear another sermon about how much God loves them.  They need to see people who claim to follow Jesus actually live out his love by serving others.  People who've given up on church and given up on God need to see us actually walk our talk.  (James 2:14-18 & 1 John 3:16-18)
  3. The only form of religion that God accepts always involves serving others. (James 1:27 & Isaiah 1:17)
  4. Serving allows us to use the spiritual gifts and talents God's given us.  It's spiritual exercise & how we build our spiritual muscles. (1 Peter 4:10-11 & Romans 12:4-8)
  5. We were created to serve. (Ephesians 2:10)
  6. Serving others blesses us. (Matthew 23:11 & Proverbs 11:25)
I am so proud to pastor a church that puts it's faith in action by serving others.  Timber Ridge, yesterday you WALKED the TALK and I'm so pumped to be on this journey with you.  Somebody serve somebody!

Timber Ridge Christmas Wish List

I've received a couple emails in the past several days from different people who have helped start Timber Ridge Church in our early stage through their generous financial support.  They inquired, as the year is coming to a close, if there were specific needs we have as a church that they could give toward.  That gave me the idea to share a "Christmas Wish List" for Timber Ridge for those who might be interested in giving a year-end gift toward the ministry and work that God is doing with Timber Ridge Church.

Here's our Christmas Wish List:

  • Fresh Start Material:  Every time someone commits their life to Jesus Christ or shows interest in trusting Jesus as their Lord and Savior, we offer them a devotional resource that walks them through the basics of a relationship with Jesus.  You can provide a bundle of these materials, which will go into the hands of 6 people, for $15.
  • Two Ipads to be used as Giving Kiosks:  We're rolling out online and mobile giving early in 2012 & we'll be including two kiosks to receive tithes & offerings since we live in such a debit card driven society.  Cost per Ipad: $499
  • Timber Ridge Kids Curriculum:  We are in constant need of new curriculum for our kids ministry areas.  A gift of $30 sponsors a week of kids curriculum and a gift of $120 covers an entire month.
  • Bibles:  We're consistently reaching people who are new to church and thus, who are in need of a Bible.  You can cover the cost of an entire case of Bibles for $48.
  • Mailers:  One of the best marketing tools we've discovered for this area to spread the word about Timber Ridge Church is through mailers.  A year-end gift of $1800 allows us to distribute an invite mailer that covers almost the entire city limits.
  • Outreach Events:  We're constantly finding new ways to reach out to our community with the love and message of Jesus in practical ways.  We do this through things like Family Movie Nights and block parties.  You can provide a partial sponsorship of an outreach event for $35.  Each outreach event only needs 6 partial sponsorships to be fully funded.
  • Invite Cards:  We try to consistently put new, relevant invite cards into the hands of our regular attenders so that they can invite their family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  A gift of $24 covers an entire box of invite cards so that people can find out about Timber Ridge Church.
  • My Best Gift Offering:  This Christmas at Timber Ridge Church we are taking a special offering within the church called My Best Gift.  100% of the offering received for this special offering goes toward our mission of reaching the lost, the least, and the lonely by planting churches, being involved in global missions, and helping local families in need through our benevolence ministry.
These are just a handful of the many ways a year-end gift can make a significant impact and help us continue to see lives changed at Timber Ridge Church.  Every dollar given goes to see lives changed!  If you'd like to make a year-end, tax deductible gift to the ministry of Timber Ridge Church, you can do that in two ways:

  • You may give securely online at www.timberridgechurch.com/give.  If you'd like to designate that gift toward one of the specific needs above, please include that in the note section when you give.
  • You may mail gifts to Timber Ridge Church, P.O. Box 2574, Stephenville, TX 76401.  To designate your gift to one of the above needs, please include that desire with your gift.
Timber Ridge Church would not exist without the generosity and faithfulness of people from all around the state of Texas and the United States.  Those of you who have generously and faithfully contributed to this ministry are a part of seeing lives changed and God's kingdom grow.  THANK YOU for what you do in supporting the ministry and work God is doing in and through Timber Ridge Church!