Go and Make Disciples

Greetings Fearless Follower,

Most of us are familiar with what Jesus said to his followers near the end of his earthly ministry… “Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20 (MSG)

These are still the practical words that inspire us to follow Jesus and fearlessly make Him known as the Ridge Point Family. Over the past few weeks, I have seen you making these words come true. There were the powerful baptisms a couple of weekends ago, and then the people I ate with at the celebration dinner whose lives had been impacted and transformed by their Rooted journey. Going a little further back, I am so glad that Julie and I had such a perfect event as Trunk or Treat to invite a single mom and her kids to for their first taste of “church” in years. (By the way, she joined us the following weekend at a service!) Or there was the young man, Armando, who introduced himself to me as we were walking out of Planet Fitness and said that he was just getting back into church and is so excited to have found Ridge Point. I’m proud to be part of a church that is serious about extending God’s Kingdom in such remarkable ways.

As we close out 2016, our family is replicating and taking the Gospel into new neighborhoods in West Michigan. Our two most recent church plants are in the early stages of launching. Cultivate (our Hamilton plant) started meeting weekly about six weeks ago. We have been staggered by the buzz and high attendance (averaging about 600). But it is more than the numbers of people; it is the emerging leaders who are so passionate and dedicated to plowing the spiritually fertile ground in Hamilton and the unchurched people who have found a home at Cultivate.

Third Coast (our Saugatuck plant) will begin weekly meetings after the New Year, but already they have a core of about 100 people and have been making inroads in the Saugatuck community. Most recently they have secured the high school for their weekend services – school officials are excited to have a church meeting in their facility! Our lead pastors, Aaron Brown (Third Coast) and Cory Potter (Cultivate), are sharing how stories of transformation are occurring on a weekly basis in their new churches.

We are literally seeing hundreds of people being impacted by the vision God has given us to Make Disciples, Develop Leaders and Plant Churches.  There are always questions when we step into the unknown but we know that verse 20 ends with, “I’ll be with you as you do this.”  Each day God walks ahead of us and charts our path, our job is to be faithful as He leads.  We are on a journey together friends, it is exciting and we get to be on the front lines of what God wants to do through us.

As we approach the end of this calendar year, we are almost half way through our fiscal year with $1,032,651 received in gifts to-date with an income goal (5% increase) of $1,309,521 to-date.  We are hoping to close the budget gap as we begin 2017. In a ministry that is expanding and seeking to live out God’s vision, we will together feel the gentle tension of resources.

Pray and give what the Holy Spirit prompts from a place of joy for what Jesus has done for you!  Praise God for his goodness to us!

Peace,
Kevin Pike, Senior Pastor