Let’s Welcome The Haskells to the Ridge Team

Posted by bdub77 on May 23, 2012
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Although Jonathan grew up in Chattanooga and is a lifelong Volunteer fan, the
journey from there to Oak Ridge was longer than you might think.

He left Chattanooga to attend Cedarville College, near Dayton, Ohio. That’s
where he met the beautiful and talented Lori. Lori had grown up in the Rocky
Mountains of Wyoming. She was excited to visit Tennessee for the first time and
see the mountains here. (After several days, she finally got up the nerve to ask
where they were.)

Jonathan’s first job took them to Philadelphia (that’s why he still roots for all
the Philly teams) and then to Rochester, New York. It was there that God really
changed the course of their lives.

Jonathan and Lori got involved in the youth ministry of their local church
and a passion for ministry was ignited. Together they considered various
opportunities, but it became clear to both of them that God was leading them into
cross-cultural ministry.

They were particularly interested Central and Eastern Europe and in 1994 took
a trip to Hungary and Romania. It didn’t take long for them to fall in love with
Hungary. After raising their support, they moved there with their three small
children in 1997.

They went to Hungary primarily to work in youth ministry, but as you may know,
when working in new church plants, you often get to play multiple roles. During
their nine years in Hungary they led a sports outreach ministry, coached, worked
in children’s ministry, led a small group, taught in a Bible school, taught in a
Hungarian high school, played basketball for the city team, led worship, hosted
English clubs, started a women’s ministry, trained new leaders and helped start
new churches. They also raised three kids, drank lots of coffee and watched lots
of soccer.

The Haskells moved back to East Tennessee in 2007. Jonathan is now the
Director of Development for The Salvation Army and Lori is the Program
Coordinator for the Restoration House. Ethan and Kayla are students at Hardin
Valley Academy and Justin will be attending Carson Newman College in the fall
where he will play soccer.

In addition to the Vols, Jonathan loves soccer, Greek food and classic Southern
rock. Lori loves to both read and write and prefers trips to Pei Wei. The Haskells
are both passionate about marriage ministry, authentic Christian community and
mobilizing the church to impact the community.

You can find them on facebook or on twitter @JHaskelltweets or @Lori_Haskell.

Be sure to say hello and introduce yourself if you have not had the honor or meeting them yet!

New Worship Experience Time Starts This Sunday

Posted by bdub77 on May 22, 2012
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This Sunday through mid August, we will go back to having just one service, at 10am.  Here are a few reasons why we made this decision….

  1. It’s summer time and many of you will be on vacation through out the next several weeks
  2. Although it will be a little packed at times, this will create more momentum as we head into the fall
  3. It’ll be good to worship with everyone together again
  4. We will conserve resources, volunteers and energy to gear up for a very busy coming fall season

 

So be sure you get the word out that this week, we will be meeting back at our original 10am slot.  Spread the word and invite someone!

Giving Made Easy

Posted by bdub77 on May 18, 2012
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If you’re like me (pastor Bobby) then you NEVER have cash on you.  In fact, you probably never carry a check book either.  There’s a pretty famous place to eat in O.R. that only accepts cash.  Because of that very reason, even though I want to go there, I never do.  Why?  Because I seldom have cash on me.

The same is true at church.  Many times people want to give and when the baskets are passed, we reach for our wallets, checkbooks, and purses only to find we a) have no cash and b) left the checkbook at home.  So when you want to give but you never have these on you, what do you do?

You AUTOMATE THE IMPORTANT.

At Ridge Church, our goal is to always make the NEXT STEP clear and as easy as we can.  That’s why we offer DIGITAL GIVING.  At any time of the day, any day of the week, even on Sunday when the bags are passed, you can give online through our website RIDGECHURCHONLINE.COM by clicking on the tab that says ONLINE GIVING.  With 3 simple clicks, you can give online.  It’s safe, secure and super easy.  And the best part….no cash or checks required.

Oh- and there’s one other GREAT part about online giving that makes it even easier….you can set up reoccurring giving.  Set it to your schedule to give automatically just like you would a bill payment for your house or car.  It will deduct your gift at the time you select and for the exact amount you select.  Easy.

Here’s HOW easy it can be…

Worship Sets The Tone Part 2

Posted by bdub77 on May 17, 2012
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Yesterday we shared a thought about singing together in worship and shared the song White Flag from Sunday’s worship set.   Today we want to share one more song from the worship set this past Sunday.

The song is called Overcome by Desperation Band (or Jeremy Camp).

This song talks about the ability and power that Christ has to overcome our deepest fears, deepest defeats, and deepest detriments.

Let this song reverberate in your soul today and let it set the tone for your day!

Baptism: Get Wet This Sunday

Posted by bdub77 on May 16, 2012
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At Ridge Church, we believe that baptism is the next step after one becomes a follower of Jesus.  Baptism is simply an outward expression of the inward change that took place when one accepted Christ as Savior.  Baptism will identify the believer with Jesus, the local church, and the big C Church.

Being baptized is also an act of obedience, as the scripture commands that believers be baptized (Matthew 28).  One does not have to be baptized to be saved, however, to fully express our obedience to Christ, we should be baptized and show the world our alignment with Christ, just as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28.

WHO SHOULD BE BAPTIZED?

  • Anyone who was baptized as a baby before accepting Christ as Savior
  • Anyone who has never been baptized
  • Anyone who was baptized before becoming a believer
  • Anyone who has recently accepted Christ as Savior
  • Is this you? Email us at hello@ridgechurchonline.com

This Sunday we are celebrating new life as people will come to be baptized and YOU CAN BE BAPTIZED TOO.  We’ll be doing baptisms in both the 930a and 11a services.  The pool will be full, the water warm, and people will be ready to cheer you on.

If you’re ready to be baptized this Sunday, email us at hello@ridgechurchonline.com or if you have questions.

 

Worship Sets The Tone

Posted by bdub77 on May 16, 2012
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If you have been at Ridge Church for any amount of time, you know that we put a high emphasis on expressing our love to Jesus through song in worship.  We sing loud, play loud, and don’t hesitate to rock it out.

There are times when the perfect songs are played at just the perfect time for just the right seasons of our church.  This past Sunday, the Ridge band introduced a new song called White Flag by Chris Tomlin.  It’s an anthem that sounds best when sung together, as loud as possible.  And that’s what we did Sunday.  I believe this song will be a staple played in our church for a long time.

Here’s the video from Passion 2012 of White Flag.  Enjoy!

New Series: Jesus Is_________

Posted by bdub77 on May 15, 2012
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We began a new series titled, Jesus Is ______.   Sunday’s message was titled Jesus Is a Shield When People Throw Rocks.  The response at the end of the message was moving and powerful.

Over the next several weeks we will take the statement Jesus Is_________ and fill in the blank each week with a statement about Jesus and His work in our life.

What about you personally?  Can you fill in the blank, Jesus Is______?

Announcement: New Service Time

Posted by bdub77 on May 14, 2012
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On Easter Sunday, Ridge Church launched a second service option, giving us a 930a and 11a option on services.  The move was much needed, as it allowed space for more guests.  We needed it…and still do.

However, with the summer months coming up starting with Memorial Day weekend, many people go on vacation and are out of town for various reasons.  Although it will be somewhat crowded, beginning Memorial Day weekend, we will go to ONE SERVICE through mid-August when we will promptly go back to two services.

The service time will be 1oam, beginning Memorial Day weekend.

We look forward to seeing and hearing everyone worshiping together as one again!

Your Questions Answered

Posted by bdub77 on May 4, 2012
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A couple more questions have come in concerning spiritual gifts. This is such a crucial topic, not only for your own spiritual growth, but also for the growth of the Ridge Church, that we want to make sure we keep talking about it.

The first question is one that we talked a little about already – how do I determine my spiritual gifts? I want to give you four suggestions:

1. Try a little self-analysis. Spiritual gifts aren’t a big mystery. It’s something that the Holy Spirit intends for you to discover and put to use. What are you passionate about? What are your interests? What are you good at? What activity makes you feel most fulfilled? Is there an area where you get a lot of compliments or encouragement from others? Answer these questions and you’ll be well on your way to discovering your gifting.
2. Try a spiritual gifts assessment. A gifts assessment is usually a list of questions to get you thinking about some of the same questions in #1. They are usually quick and simple. The results, though not guaranteed reliable, are startlingly accurate. There are several good assessments available online – like this one: http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1.
3. Try asking. Once you have an idea of what your gifting might be, ask those closest to you – people who know you and have served alongside you. You might be surprised at how quickly they’ll affirm your gift, or maybe tell you to keep looking. Hopefully, they’ll do it in love.
4. Try serving. The absolute best way to determine your gifting is to get to work. Plug in somewhere at the Ridge. Try a ministry on for size. Or follow that dream you’ve had. It’s usually pretty easy to figure out if you’re gifted at something or not. If you find it, exploit it! Make the most of it. You’ll never know greater joy or experience greater fulfillment than when you are serving in the area of your gifting. If you discover something you’re not good at, don’t worry about it. Admit it and move on. You – and the Ridge Church – will be better off for it. And you’ll be that much closer to finding what you are gifted at!

One last question concerning spiritual gifts – someone asked if it’s rude to talk to others about them. From the answers above you should have gathered that the answer to that is “no”. The New Testament refers to the church as a body. We are one. We all benefit when we put each body part to use the way it was intended. It is in our best interest to build each other up and help each other succeed! Together we can be a healthy, functioning, growing, serving organism that will make an eternal impact on Oak Ridge – and beyond!

If we can help you, please ask!

Pastor Jonathan Haskell

Spiritual Gift Inventory Test

Posted by bdub77 on April 30, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized. 2 comments

As mentioned in the worship experiences on Sunday, here is a link to a shortened version of a spiritual gift test to help you determine your area(s) of gifting. 

It’s free to use.  So be sure to take a few minutes today to fill this out and get a better idea of where God has gifted you.  

If we can help you in anyway or answer any questions for you, email us at hello@ridgechurchonline.com.

Spiritual Gift Inventory Test