The Vision
I want to tell you a story. A story of faith. A story birthed out of vision. A story of miracles. Just over 12 years ago we began a journey. Richland Creek, a small church plant, met at a small middle school with a little over 100 people and we cast a vision. A vision to reach people with the Gospel and to train them up to change their world. We cast a vision to take Jesus to the neighborhoods and to the nations. And so the journey began. We met in that middle school every Sunday morning for 5 years. There were times of worship and teaching and equipping and trusting God. This required a massive team of volunteers to transform a middle school auditorium into a worship center every week. During this time we leased office space for our staff here in Wake Forest. We used that space to build the infrastructure of our church. On Sunday nights we met in a warehouse for Bible study and discipleship. We were just doing whatever we could with the resources God had given us.
Those were challenging times. We had to exercise faith. But they were good times. Within a couple of years we had outgrown the middle school and we needed more space. God provided through His people and we purchased a 19 acre lot which is located where you sit and then later purchased an additional 10 acres. We broke ground in June 2001. And 1 year later we moved into this building and began worship services and Sunday school classes under our own roof. When we opened these doors we offered 2 worship services and just 3 ½ years later we added a third Sunday morning service. 3 years after that we were out of small group space so we installed 5 modular units out back, launching 28 new Sunday school classes. 1 year later, here we are adding a forth Sunday morning service come January.
Throughout this journey God has always provided through His people. The church is growing and God is moving. Souls are being saved, people are being baptized, families being discipled. Hundreds of people joining the church. New Sunday school classes launching, new ministries being birthed. This is a church alive! And God continues to provide through His people. People with vision. People with amazing gifts and talents. People of diversity. People coming to Christ. God brings just the right people at just the right time. In 2006 our leaders with a unified voice agreed that we should begin taking steps to build another building, an additional 60,000 square feet of space for our children and students and additional office space.
How many times in your life will you get to be a part of something great? Something great is happening at Richland Creek. God has used this church to impact so many lives literally around the world. Praise God! It’s amazing! And so we press forward to prepare our new building. But we believe as a church, that moving forward in our current financial situation would be foolish and disobedient. We are called to be stewards of what God has entrusted us with. We currently still owe $2 million on this building. And in order to honor God, we have committed to pay off our current debt before moving forward. And we are trusting God to provide just as He always has. And He provides through His people.
It’s been a journey. It’s been about the great commission, reaching people, equipping people, serving people. And the bottom line is, we are all called to do this, all of us. There is so much uncertainty in our world right now. People are looking for answers. People are hurting. But this is the greatest time of opportunity for the church. This is prime time. People have real needs. When things are going well, people aren’t really looking for answers because they think they’ve got everything they need. But right now there is pain and suffering in so many homes and marriages. And people are feeling the effects of the economic state we’re in. And the reality is that people are just looking for hope. But don’t forget, we have the answer! Our challenge is to reach as many people as we can. We’re called to be light. So we’re not going to just sit and soak in the good things we’ve seen God do so far. It’s been great, but there’s more to do. And we have to expand our reach to those who aren’t here yet. We have to keep pointing people to the answer. And of course the answer is Jesus Christ. The bottom line message of Richland Creek is really simple. It’s Jesus. Jesus saves. Jesus heals. Jesus delivers. And Jesus uses us as His hands to reach out to those who don’t know the way. Richland Creek is the light in Wake County and it’s just going to get brighter.
Richland Creek thrives off its servant leaders. Servants who volunteer every week keeping the nursery, teaching preschoolers, teaching elementary kids, students, adults. We see these volunteers at work in Legacy Lodge Children’s church, where over 170 kids come every week to hear the Word of God. Dan The Animal Man was here for 3 weeks this summer and we saw as many as 375 elementary kids come through our doors. And we see those servant leaders here every week in our preschool hallway. We see it on Sunday nights with Creek Kids Praise and Awana on Wednesdays. Servants everywhere just loving kids. On Sunday nights with Student Overflow, we see as many as 135 middle school and high school students coming together to worship the Lord. This place is packed with students, you can feel the energy when you walk through those doors and see students hungry for the Word, eager to change their world for Christ. Our student ministry couldn’t possibly function without our servants who are here every week investing into our student ministry.
Do you know why we put so much time, energy, and dollars into reaching and discipling kids? Because almost 80% of people who come to Christ, do so by the age of 18. That’s amazing! If we’re going to point people to Jesus, if we’re going to show them the truth, we need to model faith, we need to live for Christ consistently and train our kids early. Even though the world is fighting hard against us, we’ve got to do this. And we will. I love walking through the halls during the week as we have over 130 preschoolers here for Preschool at the Creek. 5 days a week, Kimberly Jarman and her incredible staff of teachers and aids serving families in our community. They are putting the Word of God in the hearts of children. On Sunday mornings, you walk through the preschool hallway and you see literally hundreds of kids being cared for by dozens of servants. Our preschool and children’s ministry is a light for the glory of God. And it all started with a vision. Just over a year ago our college ministry barely even existed. We had a handful of college students and a handful of servants who said it’s time to step up and start reaching our college campuses for Christ. We did just that. God moved in our hearts and so we began a Wednesday night college worship service called Two|Four. Within one year, we went from a handful of college students to nearly 150 students every Wednesday night. We’re seeing college student come to know Christ, students being baptized & discipled, college students coming together and with a loud voice saying we’re not going to let our generation be a lost generation. We’re going to reach our campuses with the light of the Gospel, and we’re going to do it now. Now is the time. God is moving.
It all started with a vision. We stepped out. And when we stepped out, God moved in. He continues to move, continues to work, and continues to provide through His people. We need you. We need your prayer and your support. We’re praying for the hundreds and yes thousands of people who aren’t here yet. Together we can reach thousands and equip thousands of more people, if our vision is big enough. Our God is big enough. But are we ready to jump on board? Are we ready to hold on for the ride that God is taking us through? God is going to reach people with or without us. I don’t know about you, but I want in? Are you in?
We have a massive task in front of us. Not just the $2 million debt, but more importantly the lost people within our reach that don’t know Christ. We’re asking God to direct our steps. We’re just going to be faithful to follow and trust Him. Someone once said, “When you don’t aim at something great, you’re certain to miss it.” And anytime we aim at something bigger than our abilities and bigger than our resources then we bring God into the equation. Now that’s faith. That’s what we did in 1997. That’s what we did when we purchased over 30 acres of land. That’s what we did when we said yes to a 38,000 square-foot building project. And God provided through His people. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that God loves faith. So here we are now, looking at a large debt, looking at a massive building project and a long road ahead. But I tell you what, this is nothing compared to the greatness of our God.
This vision is huge. But God is bigger. So what’s it going to require. Prayer. A lot of prayer. Hard work. Every one sharing Christ, everyone serving, everyone fasting and praying, everyone giving. Everyone understanding that it’s not about us. Jesus said in Matthew 5, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” We are the light. May our light be seen before all men, to be seen by broken families, and teenagers, and kids, and college students, and the poor, and the weak. Let it be seen by people of different ethnicities. That we might be a diverse church all for the glory of God. The light of Christ must be seen in us. His light can be seen in us. That’s why I love my church.
