Are you a mom? Know a mom? Have a mom that is still with you or close by? Bring them to Ridge Church Sunday!
We’re pulling out all the stops for our moms this Sunday at Ridge Church. Not only are we starting a brand new series called Prodigal this week, but we’ll also have a special gift for all the moms out there. And I promise, it’s much better than a rose and a poem or a membership to the Jelly of the Month club.
But wait! That’s not all! For everyone Sunday, we’ll have a professional photographer on hand snapping family photos in the photo booth. And you’ll get your photo FREE! So if it’s been awhile since you’ve had a high quality photo snapped of you and the family, put a smile on and jump in the photo booth this Sunday.
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, except for sexual immorality, commits adultery”
“It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person but what goes in…”
I think you get the picture. Jesus said some things that today would make many of us say “oh snap!” if we heard it. The crazy thing is, those things he said 2000 years ago actually still apply today. And he said some really shocking things that are counter cultural today.
This will be one of the most shocking series we’ve ever done because we’ll deal with some of the messiest, scariest, scandalous things that are taught in scripture.
Things like what to do when you’re thinking about leaving Jesus because it would be easier to not follow Him than to follow him. Or that Jesus said he could, can, and will forgive ALL sins; even those sins you think are unforgivable. Or how about when Jesus said your good behavior has nothing to do with your salvation?
And then the two biggies; we’ll talk about what Jesus had to say about marriage, remarriage and divorce as well as what he had to say about the issue of gay marriage, homosexuality and Christianity.
Hold on to your forks Ridge Church! Join me Sunday at 9:30 or 11:15 for Oh Snap!
Hey Church! I (pastor Bobby) wanted to take a minute and remind you of a few things as we get closer to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I’m so stinkin’ excited about what God will do on our campus this weekend and I hope you are too. Here’s a few things I want you to know about this weekend…
For the very first time, we are doing a Good Friday night of worship and communion to prepare our hearts for Sunday. I hope come, worship and remember the sacrifice of Christ’s death for us tomorrow night, Good Friday at 7pm
Also for the very first time, we are doing a special Easter offering. This is above and beyond our normal giving. My family is excited about giving to the Easter offering and I hope you are too. If you’re ready to give, you can do that here. God’s going to use all that is given, to reflect the Gospel in our city!
Now is the time to invite someone! If you’ve been putting it off, be bold, be courageous and make that call, send that text, send that email, post on their FB…do whatever it takes to carry the mat for someone this weekend!
There will a LOT of people you’ve never seen on our campus this weekend. That’s a good thing! Go first and say hello, show them around, and remove all barriers for people to hear the Gospel
Will you do me a favor and pray for all our staff, pastors, kids volunteers, and other volunteers the next few days as they also prepare for this weekend?
I’m EXPECTING such amazing things for this weekend, Good Friday and Easter on campus. I hope you’ll come with an expectant heart and attitude as well. We have a saying with our staff that says every Sunday, let’s EAT…Expect Amazing Things!
At Ridge Church, we have the mindset that we should do WHATEVER IT TAKES to get someone to church every Sunday, but especially on Easter. The statistics prove that PEOPLE WILL COME TO CHURCH WHEN INVITED! All you have to do ask- you never know who might be waiting for you to just invite them.
We always want to help you “carry the mat” for someone to get them to church. That’s why we always have multiple invite cards for you to pick up at Ridge Central each week and why we put together this list. Here are 8 ways you can invite someone to church this Sunday for Easter
Use a Ridge Invite Card | We have several invite cards you can use to invite people to church this Sunday. If you need some or more, come by the office this week and we’ll load you down. I (Bobby) always keep a few handy in my pocket or wallet. You never know when you need give one away. These are simple: Simply walk up to someone you want to invite and say, “Hey here’s an invite to my church. I’d love for to come on Sunday for Easter. I will save you a seat.” The invite card has our website on it so just tell them to check out the website for all the info on the church.
Buy a drink or lunch | If you hit up the local Starbucks in Oak Ridge (and you should) then pay for the order of the person behind you and ask the Barista to give them an invite card when they come to pick up their order. You might start a chain reaction. You never know what the Holy Spirit will do with that.
Go on a Social Media Mission Trip | This is the one week you should PLASTER Facebook and Instagram with invites to Ridge Church. But don’t just post to your own timeline. Post an invite to a friends timeline. Take 5 minutes to open up your Facebook chat and message a few people to invite them. Use the Ridge Church Facebook page invite to and share it on your own wall and invite your own friends. Get creative on Instagram and make a picture inviting those who follow you there. The possibilities are endless.
Change Your Timeline Cover Photo |Download THIS and make it your timeline cover photo on Facebook. It has already been sized for Facebook
Shoot a video and post it to Facebook or Vine | On your camera or computer, post a 60 second or less video inviting your friends to Easter services at Ridge Church. People love videos. Put your kids in it for a few extra views (Hey- whatever it takes right)
Send an Email | Send a personal email to some friends, family members or coworkers. Be sure to make the title something they’ll want to open and read like “A personal favor to ask”. You don’t have to share the Gospel here, so just be honest and clear about what you’re asking. You could say something like- Hey! I really LOVE my church and since Easter is coming up Sunday, I’d love for you to come see why I love it so much. I’ll even save you a seat. Will you come to church to with me Sunday? We have two services at 9:30 and 11:15, so just let me know which one I can expect you at, and I’ll meet you at the door. If you have questions, just ask- and you can check out our website at ridgechurchonline.com
Send the Zombies | That’s right. Unleash the zombie invite on them. Send them this Zombie invite we shot especially for Easter if they’re into that kinda thing
Do it Old Fashioned | You could always go old school and have a real conversation with someone or pick up the phone and call them. You don’t have to explain the Trinity to them, just ask them to come to church with you. Chances are they’ll say yes. But you’ll never know til you ask.
We get pretty pumped about Easter around here and it has nothing to do with candy or eggs It has everything to do with celebrating a resurrected Jesus who paid a debt you and I could never begin to repay! That’s worth celebrating and that’s exactly what we’ll starting this Friday night, Good Friday at the Ridge.
Join us for a night of worship, prayer, and communion Good Friday night at the Ridge Church LaSalle campus. We’ll sing and maybe get a little ‘undignified’ as we celebrate and remember the sacrifice of Jesus for our rescue. We will also have a time of communion and prayer.
All are invited and things will get started at 7pm Friday night. There will be no Ridge Kids, as we encourage you to bring your kids to celebrate with them as a family.
This Sunday we will finish up our Gospel series at Ridge Church. This has been one incredible series and we’re not slowing down at the end. This week we’re going to show you what it means to “Carry the mat” for someone, driven by the Gospel working through you. You don’t want to miss it because there will be an INCREDIBLE story of how one person at Ridge Church let the Gospel work through them this week.
Also, we’re just a little over a week from Easter! Now is a great time to start inviting people! If you’re still looking for ideas of how to invite someone, all next week on the blog we’ll give you tips for how to invite someone to Easter services at Ridge Church.
Join us at 9:30a or 11:15a this Sunday! In the mean time, check out this video to get you ready for Sunday!
There really is a secret to not wasting your life and when we tell you what it is, you’re gonna be like, “duh!” Want to know what it is? DO SOMETHING!!!! See.
At Ridge Church we don’t want you to feel like you’re wasting your life. We offer a lot of opportunities to get involved and to DO SOMETHING. Let us show you two..
VOLUNTEER THIS SATURDAY WITH RIDGE CHURCH
This Saturday we are helping the city of Oak Ridge and the Rec department with their open house as they relaunch it to the public. Volunteer with us this Saturday and help do simple crafts in the craft room for elementary age children, much like what we did at the city Halloween event. This event is from 12-4pm on Saturday February 23rd. We still need volunteers to help with this, so if you could help out, that would be excellent! Even if you can only come for an hour. To sign up, fill out this form and let us know what time you can be there.
NEED A FINANCIAL BAILOUT?
One way we can waste our lives is working to make money just to pay bills. We all have bills, but what if there was a way for you to have more $$ after bills? Starting March 6th, Jacob Farler will be teaching a class called Financial Peace. It’s very much like Financial Peace University, except this class will only be 4 weeks long, and if you do not need childcare, it’s FREE. For those that will need childcare, there is a $10 charge so we can provide childcare. Class begins Wednesday night the 6th at 6pm. To get signed up, fill out this form and select Financial Peace.
If you have questions about either of these events, just email hello@ridgechurchonline.com
At Ridge Church we have saying that says “we want more for you than we want from you.” Maybe you’ve been to church before and it seemed opposite of that. But at the Ridge, we don’t just want to say it, we want to prove it.
On March 6th, we will begin a new Ridge U class called Financial Peace. Jacob Farler is going to teach you how to make a budget that actually works and that you can stick to, how to start down the road of getting out of debt and how to have more money so that you can be even more generous. The class will last for 4 weeks and it’s a little different from the Dave Ramsey class. In this class, Jacob won’t call you stupid
Class sign ups are going on now and space is limited. To get signed up for Financial Peace, CLICK HERE and select FINANCIAL CLASS
Sunday we made an announcement that we will be adding a second service time at Ridge Church starting March 10th. The new service times will be to 9:30am and 11:15am. So why are we doing this? Glad you asked!
We Need More Room
The obvious answer is that we just simply need more seats and our auditorium can not handle any more seats in one service. If you were there Sunday, there were only a few seats open and people were standing in the back. That’s a great problem to have! But we have to make room for your friends, family, and people you invite to Ridge Church.
More Room Means We Reach More People
We have never tried to grow Ridge Church for the sake of just getting more people so we can boast about how many people we have attending. But do we care about the numbers? YES! Every number has a story about what God is doing in their life. So opening another service time to reach more people means more people will have their lives impacted by what God is doing here.
Another Service Time Gives One More Option
One thing we hear a lot from people is, “I’d love to come but I have to work, or I have this, or that…” Adding a service time gives people options, and we all love options. Some people that work on Sundays will attend the early service. Others that sleep late because they work late on Saturdays or just naturally love sleep, will choose the later service.
Two Services Set A Standard For Change
We don’t have anything against traditions at Ridge Church. In fact some are really good. But one thing we can not do is say “we have always done it this way.” Those are famous last words. One thing that WILL remain the same at Ridge Church is we will always change. So two service times will help paint the way for more service times in the future!
We hope you’re as excited about this second service time as we are and that you’ll plan on joining us at either 9:30am or 11:15am each Sunday starting March 10th!
Sunday we made some pretty big announcements and also told you about a few things you could get signed up for. If you missed any of that, here it is all again and links to get you signed up!
Starting March 10th we will add a second service time!
March 10th Ridge Church will have two service times for you to choose from. Join us in one identical service at either 930am or 1115am. More info on the WHY is coming on the blog later this week
Help us love our city February 23rd
Oak Ridge city Rec department has asked for the great volunteers of Ridge Church to come out and help them do an open house for the spring Rec season in Oak Ridge! We will get to host the craft room at the Community Center from 12pm to 4pm. If you would like to volunteer and do crafts with elementary age children, CLICK HERE and get signed up!
We want to give you a financial bail out
March 6 – March 27 at Ridge Church, we will teach a Financial Peace class that will help you create a plan to get out of debt, be more generous, have a budget that works, and be less stressed about money. This 4 week class will meet on Wednesday nights at 6pm starting 3/6. CLICK HERE to sign up for class or to ask a question
It has everything to do with celebrating a resurrected Jesus who paid a debt you and I could never begin to repay! That’s worth celebrating and that’s exactly what we’ll starting this Friday night, Good Friday at the Ridge.
