KidFest Slideshow

Here is the slideshow from Ridge Church's two day KidFest. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. Enjoy the pictures!

SkateTown was Awesome... Info Meeting this Sunday!

I had a great time with you all and our community at KidFest! I also really enjoyed our first-ever worship gathering and skating party at SkateTown in Fountain City. The worship and skating time is something that we hope to do again sometime!

Thanks to all the Ridge Church folks who worship God by giving financially. Your obedience to God and financial giving makes events for our community like KidFest possible. Also thanks to the churches who support us!

It was good to be able to celebrate the results our first KidFest at SkateTown on Sunday. Emily made a PowerPoint presentation of pictures of kids and their parents, as well as our awesome Ridge Church volunteers who made the event happen. (Also Trey and Kitten McClain and Keith Zenker, the Discovery Church folks who came down from Evansville, Indiana to help us out!) We hope to be able to put a version of the pictures Emily presented up on the blog for you soon.

This Sunday, we're having a Ridge Church Info Meeting at Panache at 6 p.m. We haven't had one of these for a long while... Basically, this meeting is an opportunity for new people at The Ridge or people who are investigating Ridge Church to come and learn more about us. We'll talk about our Vision and Values, get to know each other better, and answer any questions folks may have. It's gonna be a good time!

We are not gathering as a fellowship on Sunday for worship. My encouragement to you is to get out and worship at a good, Bible-believing church near you. Emily and I will be investigating a church we haven't been to before, in anticipation of bringing all of you there with us in the near future. As long as Chloe cooperates... She has her first "real" virus right now. Feel free to pray for her to feel better! It's so sad to see babies sick, especially your own!

Have a great weekend!

KidFest was Awesome! SkateTown Tomorrow!

Wow! Today was our second and final afternoon doing KidFest in Fountain City Park! It was a blast. It was very cool to be part of it, and as your pastor, I am very proud of you, Ridge Church!

For those of you not aware of KidFest or the reasons behind it, the two day event had a simple purpose. We believe that people are important, because God believes that. We believe we should love people, because God does. So, we asked ourselves how we could show our community they are important and we love them. We came up with doing all kinds of fun stuff in Fountain City Park for kids and families absolutely FREE! It turned out to be awesome and fun for everyone... I have a feeling we may very well do another KidFest again someday!

I am proud (of course that's the good kind of pride) that 23 Ridge people volunteered on Friday and Saturday to love our community and serve as part of KidFest. We had folks painting faces, painting hair, putting on temporary tattoos, playing games, doing crafts, watching babies, and participating in object lessons that were fun and shared Bible truths... I saw people come out of thier shells, I saw people doing things they had never done. I saw, most of all, people realizing that we can ALL be "ambassadors for Christ" and share Jesus' love with others, even strangers!

I am proud of everyone who pitched in with their time, money, and stuff. Great job loving others in our community, with no strings attached or expectations for "payback" of some kind.

I want to especially thank Trey, Kitten, Alyssa, and Morgan McClain and Keith (I can't spell your last name, email me it dude!) for coming down from Evansville, Indiana to help us serve our neighbors this weekend! Trey is the pastor of Discovery Church. Emily and I have been best buds with Trey and Kitten for a decade. His young church supports The Ridge financially and prayerfully. They came to join hands with us in loving our community, and they rock! Thanks!

At The Ridge, two of our six core values are Serving Others and Fun. These last couple days, you did both. Great job!

Tomorrow (Sunday), we will have another big day! We've rented SkateTown in Fountain City so that we can have some fun together. We'll have worship at the usual time of 10 a.m., followed by FREE stating for us and our friends and neighbors from 11:30 until 1 p.m.!

Make sure to bring a chair to sit in for worship! If you have more than enough for your family, please bring the extras for others to use!

This will be another day of fun, worshiping God and rolling in circles together! See you there!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Sunday Sunday Sunday! See the alcohol-burning funny cars at the Bristol WinterNationals! Tickets go on sale Friday! Your ticket gets you the whole seat, but you'll only need the edge!

I've always wanted to be that guy that does the drag racing commercials... Maybe someday I'll get scouted to do that and make the big bucks!

Seriously though, we have a big weekend coming up for Ridge Church! Saturday, we are having a picnic in the park at Adair Park in Fountain City. It's a laid-back, bring-your-own-food type thing, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. You can come and go as you like, and feel free to bring food, football, a frisbee and a friend to have some fun!

We'll be gathering together at the parking lot near the playground. Please join us for a time to hang out and enjoy each other's company!

Sunday, we're going to be talking about our Ridge Church core values and what you can expect for the next few months at The Ridge. We'll talk some about our plans for the future, share about a cool summer event coming up, and put something cool in your hands. It's going to be a great time to be there on Sunday at 10 a.m. at Panache!

See you this weekend!

Lotsa Good Stuff Coming Down the Road...

Hey! I hope you all are having a great week!

Just wanted to touch base, say hey, and let you know a brief summary of what's coming up in the next weeks at The Ridge. God is up to alot in our midst!

First, I want to thank Ken and Christy Garrison for hosting our Sunday worship gatherings at Panache. Thanks guys... You set a great example of hospitality and service.

Here's a little bit about what's going on:

• We're meeting every Sunday morning for worship at Panache from 10 until 11:15 (ish) a.m. We have graciously been invited to stay as long as we need to meet there. So, invite a friend, family member, or co-worker and come join us Sunday! After a week off after working hard to prepare for our Easter celebration in Fountain City Park, our worship team returns this week... Thank them for their faithfulness!
• Our Ridge Church small groups start on May 6! I can't begin to tell you how pumped I am about this... Small groups are where we believe the local church finds its greatest and purest expression. Sunday morning worship gatherings are wonderful and necessary for honoring our God and building community. But worship on Sunday is not personal enough to stand alone as a discipleship tool. Along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and personal prayer, we need the community, encouragement, and discipline that only real relationships with other believers in the name of Christ can give us. So, make plans to "know and be known" in one of our first two small groups starting Wednesday, May 6! More info on Sunday!
  
• We're having a special "baby dedication" time in our Mother's Day gathering on May 10. We'll be dedicating our children who have not already been dedicated to God. Really, this time is a time for the Christ-following parents of "Ridge Kids" to dedicate themselves to raising up their kids in a way that God would be honored by. See Ephesians 6:1-4 (there are many other verses on parenting in the Bible!) for an idea of what we mean. If you have questions or are interested in dedicating your child to God (and any age is appropriate!) let Emily know. We're taking a break from our awesome study of Colossians on Mother's Day for a chat about kids and parenting. As a new parent, I don't have all the answers, but God certainly does... See ya there. Bring a friend!
  
• We're taking a break from our Sunday worship gathering schedule on Memorial Day Weekend, Sunday May 24. This is a way to honor our hosts at Panache, our worship team, and me (hey, the pastor works too!) with a break. It's also a way for Emily, Chloe and me to take a trip to visit our old friends in Charlotte and attend the wedding of two of the students from our student ministry there. So, worship at another local Bible-believing church, or take a trip out of town... Have fun!
• We're having our regular Ridge Church Service Project on Saturday, May 30 from 9 to noon. We're helping the folks of the Fountain City Town Hall clean up First Creek in the Fountain City Park area in partnership with Keep Knoxville Beautiful. This is a great way to serve our city, get to know our town leadership, and honor God's creation as stewards of His wonderful Earth. Parents and kids both are very welcome! You will need to make plans to hang with your kids in the park area if you bring them, however.

Well, that's a bunch of cool stuff! Rest assured that The Ridge is not all about programs. However, because of our core values, we are committed to small groups, Sunday worship gatherings, and regular corporate service projects (and fun events!). See you soon, and don't forget to tell someone about The Ridge so they can hear about Jesus and get to know us!

Easter

I couldn't have imagined a more enjoyable Easter Sunday than Easter 2009!

God truly has been good to us! Although we lost our awesome free meeting location last Sunday, God gave us a beautiful day on Easter for us to enjoy our worship gathering and picnic in Fountain City Park. Of course, He gave that day to everyone in our area, but maybe we appreciated it more than most of Knoxville did!

This was our first worship gathering outside. More importantly, it was our first worship gathering where we shared the Lord's Supper or Communion together. After the teaching on Jesus' identity as fully man, Jesus' crucifixion--taking the punishment we deserved for our sins, and Jesus' proof that He is fully God through His resurrection, sharing the Lord's Supper as a community of believers in Christ was extra meaningful for me. I hope it was for you, too. We will observe Communion regularly as a church, so look forward to it!

As I mentioned Sunday several times, Jesus has done all the "heavy lifting" (as well as the "light lifting" and "any lifting at all") to secure our forgiveness from God for our sins. We cannot earn our forgiveness from God no matter how badly we may like to try. We can, however, respond to God's calling in our lives and trust Him with our entire selves in faith. This all can happen because of God's gift of grace in Christ's death on the cross. When we celebrate the Lord's Supper together, we celebrate God's love for us, and Jesus Christ's obedience to die on that cross. We also look forward from the cross to the resurrection of Christ three days later on that first Easter. The Lord's Supper is so much to celebrate in such a simple act... It's a big deal and it's awesome to participate in it with you.

I pray that every Ridge Church Easter gathering is as glorifying to God as this one was. And, I pray that you are here to enjoy it with us!

As I mentioned Sunday, we have moved meeting locations... This Sunday, we will be meeting at Panache Hair and Body at 3501 Tazewell Pike in Fountain City. We're still meeting at 10 am (we'll keep as many things "regular" as we can!) until 11:15 or so. Ken and Christy Garrison have been very generous in allowing us to use their facility on Sundays, although they are already there six days a week!

If you read my last post, you know that having a building to meet in isn't everything and doesn't make a church. However, it does make things easier when, for instance, it rains! We'd also of course like to have more room as God blesses us and more people join into community with us. We want every friend and family member and neighbor who is invited to come to The Ridge to hear about Jesus to have that opportunity.

Rest assured we are keeping our eyes peeled for available, affordable meeting locations near I-640 and the general Fountain City area. Consider this an open invitation to participate in the search! Feel free to email me any ideas you have. No stone will be left unturned... Either way, we trust God will send us to our next location in His perfect timing!

One more thing you don't want to let get past you... Our April fellowship time! This Saturday, at Cris Patterson's house, we are having a cookout! This event is open to anyone who is interested in coming... Ridge folks and their friends and family and anyone else who is interested! This is another great time to bring someone who isn't too sure about Jesus or His people so that they can get to meet us and find out we're "normal" and really do care.

We're hanging out from 5 to 10 pm at Cris' house at 1718 Woodhaven Drive. If you want to eat, bring your own meat (and buns)! It's a really casual evening, so come and leave when you need to. Thanks a ton to Cris for hosting this evening. Hope to see you there!

70's/80's Bowling Saturday Was Fun!

Hey! We had a great time Saturday night at the Down Under Rec Center at UT.  Pretty much everyone dressed up as a 70's or 80's character or in retro gear.  That was a sight to see... I wonder if we freaked out any of the other folks there?

It was great seeing all of you at the rec center...  It's fun to worship together on Sundays, but it's also fun to get together outside of the Sunday gathering and share "regular parts" of life together...  It's also fun for me to have student-age people participating with The Ridge.  I love students!  As a student pastor for 10 years, I learned that students are lots of fun, good for giving you funny stories, and love your time and interest.  We want Ridge Church to always be a place where students are welcome to come and worship and learn about Jesus.

The fun night Saturday is important... Get-togethers like that are right in line with our core value of Community.  We plan on always continuing to do things like that together as a part of who we are as a church.  Hopefully the weather will be warm next time, and we can enjoy the outdoors!

Have a great week... See you on Sunday!  Oh, yeah, don't forget that this Saturday night, you need to "spring forward."  That means, before you hit the hay on Saturday night, roll your clock forward 1 hour.  That way, you won't show up for our gathering right as we finish up!  (Although, you'll be just in time to help us "tear down" and can also go to eat with us!)

Here's some pics:

70's and 80's Bowling Night Tonight!

Yep! That's right folks... We're having a 70's and 80's Bowling Night tonight, Saturday the 28th, at the Down Under Rec Center under the University Center on UT's campus! It should be alot of fun for all ages!

Just show up at the Rec Center about 5:30 so we can get everyone organized on lanes, and bring $6 for shoes and 2 hours of bowling. (I know, great deal, right?) Kids are welcome to come and have a blast with us. Oh, yeah, and dress up like a character from the 70's or 80's, or just wear something that people wore during the 70's or 80's.

If you're looking at a last-minute decision to come or not, come on! Don't let a lack of "retro" or "vintage" attire hold you back! Remember, they wore jeans and shirts in the 80's. I mean, it might have been a mesh Joe Montana jersey, or a purple Pink Panther shirt with my name on the back in iron-on letters (sorry, no pic!), but it was a shirt, right? (Go here for more fun shirts!)

For more info, email Emily or call or text her. This is a great opportunity to get to know other peeps at The Ridge a little better and have some fun... That's one of our core values: Fun!

See you tonight!

Yep, we're meeting on Sunday mornings now...

Hey! You read that correctly... We are moving our Sunday night Ridge Church gatherings to Sunday mornings from our usual Sunday evening time slot. We're also changing our location.

Christy Garrison of Panache hair salon at 3501 Tazewell Pike in Fountain City has been graciously allowing us to use her location for our gatherings. She's a great lady, and we're thankful to Christy for letting us use her facility!

Starting Sunday, January 11 from 10 to 11 a.m.., we will begin meeting at Leo's Cafe (soon to have a new name: Marli's) at 3029 Tazewell Pike in Fountain City. (Just down the road from Panache.) Leo and family have been great in allowing us to use their restaurant for our new location.

So, what does it mean that we are meeting on Sunday mornings now? A couple of things. First, it means that you need to come out a little bit earlier for our gatherings. Seven and a half hours, to be exact. Also, it means that several people who are part of our "launch team" but were unable to come on Sunday evenings will be able to come. Finally, it's closer to the meeting time we hope to have when we gather weekly on Sunday mornings.

That said, remember that we are still a "baby" church! Just because we are meeting on Sunday morning doesn't mean we have "arrived." We are still getting to know each other and what Ridge Church is all about. This is still a great time to bring a friend who is not so sure about what Jesus or church is all about. As a matter of fact, at Ridge Church, every week will be a good week to bring a friend who doesn't know Jesus. So, consider inviting a friend on Sunday!

Since we are a baby church (fortunately minus all the crying that Chloe's been doing), we won't be pulling out all the stops just yet with a sound system, worship team, and handouts! But, we will have friendly faces, name tags to wear so you can get to know each other, a great time to learn about Acts chapter 2 from God's Word, and a time of worship together. (Hint: Worship is NOT just singing!)

So, see you Sunday... Come at 10 am to Leo's/Marli's and come with expectation for all the great things God has done, is doing, and will do with our lives and Ridge Church.

Specific Info about This Sunday's Service Project

Here's the information about Sunday's service project that my wife put on our Ridge Church Facebook group and emailed to folks. Not on our email list? Let me know and we'll take care of it! If you haven't signed up for Facebook, it's a great place to stay connected to other Ridgers, keep up with what we're doing and RSVP when we have events.

The Ridge is helping KARM with their Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway on Sunday, November 23rd, from 2-4 pm. We must meet at the KARM parking lot at 1:15 pm to meet up and check in as a group at the volunteer table. There will be NO parking there, but attached is a parking pass with places you can park. (Since there's no attachment, email Emily for one if you need it.)

Here are some helpful hints:

• You will be outside, so dress accordingly.
• No one under 16 is allowed at this event. We try to make all things kid friendly but this is not! So, we will have childcare available at Nicole Johnson's home. Emily will be staying there and Becca Thiele will be there as well. If you need childcare please email Emily or call her at 704.579.2022 to get the address. Also, Emily needs to know how many children we will have in case we need additional help, so please let her know before Friday November 21st! Kiddos will need to be dropped off at the Johnson home by 12:45 pm. We will NOT be providing their lunch, so send it with them or feed them before they get there.
• You will need to fill out a Volunteer Waiver and bring it with you. Email Emily to get one.
  

Please call us with questions! 704.579.2022 (Emily, the event planner) or 704.579.2235 (Kevin).

Directions to KARM are below. We look forward to partnering with you on Sunday and serving our community together! Serving Others is one thing The Ridge values greatly--it's not just something we do at the holidays.

Thanks guys! We are excited to hear who is able to participate so please RSVP...

Emily

From West:

• Take I-40 East to exit #388.
• Take the right hand split on the exit ramp labeled "Western Ave./Summit Hill".
• At the end of the ramp, turn left at the light. This will put you on Western Ave.
• Go to the next traffic light and turn left. This will put you on Broadway.
• Follow Broadway until you go under the Interstate overpass. We are the first building on the right after you go under the Interstate overpass.

From East:

• Take I-40 West to the 5 th Ave. Exit.
• Turn right onto Gill St. that is the second street to the right after coming off the ramp.
• Follow Gill Street to the first traffic light and turn left. This will put you on Broadway.
• Follow Broadway through the next two traffic lights. After you go through the second light, we are the last two buildings on the left in the next block. If you go under the Interstate overpass you have gone too far.

MapQuest Map to Knox Area Rescue Ministries

Why This Sunday's Ridge Church Gathering is Cancelled...

Hey, everybody! I hope you're having an awesome week. Our little girl Chloe is a week old today... God has blessed us with a healthy baby girl.

We have two prayer requests this weekend that are sickness-related. First of all, Christy Garrison's grandmother Virginia ("Tootsie") is very ill. Christy has been spending nights at her grandmother's bedside at the hospital and is exhausted. I spoke to Christy's husband Ken this evening and he let me know that they will be unable to host our Sunday evening gathering at our announced location, Panache Salon in Fountain City. So, we are cancelling this week's meeting, originally scheduled for 5:30 to 7 pm.

Second, Emily is sick with mastitis. She has been running a fever for several days now (pretty much since we brought Chloe home Monday night) as a result. It looks that God is answering our prayers and she is not going to need to be re-admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics. (She has antibiotics in pill form instead.) She's also in alot of pain from her C-section and is still on pain medication.

Needless to say, our first week as parents has been a struggle, with Emily sick and me basically clueless about how to care for a baby! I'm learning slowly what to do... But we are both exhausted due to lack of sleep with a crying baby. Also, we're stressed out more than we have ever been in our lives due to being new parents. Your prayers on that front are appreciated!

I want to encourage all of you in two ways with this post:

1. It's all about God and people! Our gathering on Sunday is not as important as our hosts caring for their family in a time of sickness and need. It's also not as important as me attempting to care for my sick wife and our new child.
2. That said, everyone who is a believer in Christ is called to worship Him with our lives daily and with other believers regularly. Since there's no Ridge Church gathering on Sunday, check out a local church in our area Sunday morning or night. If you need a list of cool churches we've visited, let me know!

Our Ridge Church service project is still on the calendar for Sunday afternoon, November 23, at 2 pm. Please make plans to be there and join us as we "tip off" (Vols basketball, anyone?) the holiday season by serving those less fortunate at Thanksgiving!

Big Orange... Pumpkins!

Today was a fun day for Ridge Church! We held our first Pumpkin Carving at Fountain City Park today from 2 to 5 pm. A bunch of cool folks came out and brought a bunch of melons and creative attitudes as we shared the afternoon together carving away.

Congratulations to the winners, both kids and adults, in our three carving categories: Most Creative, Most Fun, and Best Craftsmanship!

The prizes for our winners came from 4 cool local sponsors from Fountain City:

• Gift certificates for kids' ice cream cones from Baskin-Robbins at 5228 North Broadway.
• A $15 gift certificate from the Fountain City Creamery at 114 Hotel Road.
  
• A $20 gift certificate from Leo's Cafe at 3029 Tazewell Pike.
• A gift certificate for a free haircut from Christy Garrison at Panache Hair & Body at 3501 Tazewell Pike.

To our sponsors... Thank you very much! You helped us to have a great time!

There's some great pics from our Pumpkin Carving below for you to check out. We did have a couple of carved hands, so here's best wishes for those that left with band-aids to heal up fast.

If only the other Big Orange could have had a good day... But, there's always next Saturday!

A Great Night Together with Ridge Church

Hey, everybody! Emily and I had a great time with you tonight at our second Ridge Church gathering! It was great to see all of you folks that we've been talking to about The Ridge. We're so glad we were able to get together, share our hearts and get to know each other better. It was good to talk about our vision for Ridge Church, our values, and what those values will look like "lived out."

Toward the end of our meeting, we talked about our timeline for The Ridge for the next couple of months and how you can be involved in helping us launch our Sunday worship gatherings in the new year. That said, if you have any musical ability, like playing an instrument or singing, and you'd like to learn more about using that ability as part of the Ridge Church worship team, contact Emily. If you'd like to learn more about working with children and being part of our children's ministry team, contact Emily. You guessed it, Emily is the admin part of this couple... You can call her as well, just dial 704.579.2022. (Only 2 months before we are out of our North Carolina cell contract!)

For those of you who weren't able to make it, we missed you! I've posted our Ridge Church Vision and Values on our website for you; check out and download the PDF document here.

Our next Ridge Church gathering is scheduled for Sunday, November 9, from 5:30 to 7 pm at Panache hair salon at 3501 Tazewell Pike in Fountain City. It's a great location, and we're thankful to Christy Garrison yet again for sharing it! One of the things we'll be doing at the November and December gatherings is discussing the second chapter of the book of Acts. This chapter is the description of the first Christian church in Jerusalem in the early days after Christ returned to Heaven... It's a great passage to talk about when your new church is in the same situation!

The gathering schedule is November 9, November 16, December 7, and December 14 (all Sunday evenings). More info on our Sunday, November 23 service project will be posted soon, but you can mark the date.

We're excited about our next Ridge Church Event this week! We're having a Pumpkin Carving at Fountain City Park this Saturday, October 25th, from 2 to 5 pm. It's gonna be a great time for all ages... Who doesn't like using a knife on a defenseless late-season fruit of the vine?!

BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin), and have a great time carving up that big gourd with us. We'll have prizes for Most Creative, Best Craftsmanship, and Funniest categories. Kids can win, too! Our prizes are gift certificates from local businesses in the Fountain City area.

Note: This is an excellent event to bring your friends to who may be interested in The Ridge! It's a comfortable place to be (outside in the Fall) and a fun thing to do (chop up produce) with cool people (all you Ridgers!). So, bring a buddy or a neighbor family and make sure to introduce me to them so I can make new friends!

If you're on Facebook, join our group, and also check out the Pumpkin Carving event page. If you're not on Facebook, make sure we have your email address so we can keep you updated with Ridge Church happenings... Then think about Facebook... It's fun and safe!

See you Saturday!

Important Ridge Church Gathering This Sunday!

Hey, everybody, just wanted to make sure you are all aware of the Ridge Church gathering this Sunday (the 19th) and are making plans to come! We're meeting at 5:30 pm at Panache salon in Fountain City. The address is 3501 Tazewell Pike. Kids are welcome, so bring 'em along. We'll be done by 7 pm, and Emily and I will be grabbing supper afterward; anyone who'd like to join us is welcome!

I want to thank Christy Garrison for generously allowing us to use her awesomely-located place of business for our gathering. When you're a new church, finding space to use for getting together can be tough... Thank you a ton for sharing what God has blessed you with!

As far as the meeting on Sunday goes, it's an important one. We wouldn't invite you if it weren't!

We'll be talking specifically about what you can expect from The Ridge for the next couple of months as we move toward the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. We'll talk about the ways that you can connect relationally with other Ridge Church folks in this foundational time as we plan for regular Sunday worship meetings. We'll talk about ways that you can be involved in ministry teams both within The Ridge and outside it in our community. We'll also share a little about how Ridge Church will look in the new year.

Of course, all of these things are crucial, but one thing is super-important: your involvement! We want everyone interested in Ridge Church to feel welcome at all our gatherings, feel like an important part of our group, and have the opportunity to serve and support The Ridge.

On Sunday evening, we'll talk about this and also give you time to ask specific (or not-so-specific) questions about our vision, values, beliefs, plans, structures, hopes, dreams, you name it. Just don't ask what our baby's name is gonna be... We may not quite be there yet! (She's not probably gonna be here for about 10 days... We'll get it figured out!)

So, see you Sunday! And, feel free to bring a friend or two. New things in life are much easier to try when you have a buddy with you.

If you have a Facebook account (if you don't, you should sign up!), check out our Ridge Church group page and our event page. This blog post is your invitation to join the group so you can stay updated! Also, let us know if you're coming on Sunday on our event page so we can plan ahead... Thanks and see you Sunday evening!

Two opportunities for you to help Ridge Church

Well, Emily and I have been back in Knoxville for 3 full months now. We've got settled into our rental house in Gibbs, and we're getting ready for the birth of our daughter in about 4 weeks. We've reconnected with a bunch of people we haven't seen in years, and we've met a ton of new people as well.

Now, there are two very important ways that you can help The Ridge as we continue to add interested people to our group and prepare to someday soon meet on Sundays!

First, we are looking for people who are interested in serving as part of a band. We are excited about having a worship team to lead us in music on Sundays at our weekly worship times. If you play an instrument or sing, or you know someone who does that might be interested in The Ridge, just let Emily know! She loves singing and knows way more about music than I do... She's excited about being part of a fun Sunday worship Team.

Second, we are looking for a place to have worship once we start meeting on Sundays. There are a ton of options out there, from movie theaters to schools to who knows what! There are probably alot more places that we don't know about that would work for a Sunday worship gathering. Since kids are really important to us, we want a place that ideally will allow us to have an area for young children while we are having a worship gathering for "big kids." So, just email me if you have any ideas... And remember, there are no bad ideas!

One note about locations... We want to extend a big thanks to the Christy Garrison for allowing us to use her hair salon, Panache, for our next Ridge Church gathering on Sunday, October 19, from 5:30 to 7 pm. Panache is a great meeting spot, at 3501 Tazewell Pike in Fountain City.

Everyone (including children) is welcome for our gathering! We'll be talking about what The Ridge will look like, what we will be about on a weekly basis, and also some things that we won't look like and be about. There will be time for your questions, so join us in a couple weeks and get them answered... Feel free to bring a friend!

Serving together Saturday was cool

This past weekend, before the glory that was the UT/Auburn game (very sad sarcasm there), we had our first Ridge Church service project.

KARM (Knox Area Rescue Ministries) is a great ministry here in Knoxville. Their mission is "to seek to rescue the poor and needy of the Knox Area by providing services in Jesus' name." They do great work with the needy and homeless folks in our area. To give you just a glimpse of the scope of KARM's ministry, they served 371,876 meals last year (that's over 1,000 per day!). To get some other cool facts about KARM, check out this page.

Saturday, a group of Ridge Church peeps served at the new KARM thrift store on Merchants Drive, helping to sort the clothing donations they've received. The store will be open soon (if it's not already!) so check it out! KARM's thrift store operations pay for about 25% of the meals they serve at their ministry center. The other 75% is paid for by the donations of "viewers like you."

The Ridge is looking for "a few good ministries" to partner with as we move forward with our church plant. We are committed to seeking the welfare of the city we live in. (See Jeremiah 29:3-7--but rest assured Emily and I do not feel "exiled" to Knoxville!) We also want to follow Jesus' last directive to his followers: take His Gospel to all the nations/peoples of the world. (Acts 1:6-11) Since we're in Knoxville right now, Knoxville is where we'll start!

It's important that a church be about both helping the needy and sharing the truth of Christ's life, death, and resurrection with them. Many churches have created an imbalance there. Either they only help the needy and never share the story of Christ's love with them, or they only preach to them and never help them with thier problems.

The Ridge firmly believes in ministering to the poor as a way to "earn the right" to tell them about Jesus and help them in their suffering. We also believe in telling the poor about Jesus so that our ministry can have a spiritual impact as well as physical, social, and emotional impact. It's kind of like the old "chicken and egg" riddle...

Deuteronomy 15:11 is one Bible verse (of a great many) that supports helping those who are in need. However, Christ also strongly commanded us in the Great Commission to "make disciples" (followers of Christ) in the whole world.

Perhaps the Great Commandment sums it up best in Mark 12:28-31: "And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, 'Which commandment is the most important of all?' Jesus answered, 'The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.'"

So, in short, we're going to be all about loving God and loving people at Ridge Church. And serving our community's ministries, schools, and neighborhoods is one way we're going to show that love. Join us and see God do some awesome stuff!

Some Pics from our Picnic at Fountain City Park

Emily took these shots, and I wanted to share them with you.

Don't forget, our next Ridge Church gathering is this Sunday, September 14 from 5:30 to 7 pm at Mr. Gatti's in Halls! You can get directions and more info here.

If you have questions, just email kevin@ridgechurchknoxville.com or call 865.223.5851. See ya Sunday!

An Awesome Picnic and Our Next Ridge Church Meeting!

Well, it's been a nutty, busy week for Emily and me, full of great stuff, but I wanted to post about our awesome picnic last Saturday! I'm also committing to posting tomorrow evening and Friday, so stay alert...

We had a great time at Fountain City Park Saturday afternoon hanging out in one of the pavilions there, sharing lunch and dessert, getting to meet and know everyone who joined us, and enjoying the day! It was awesome to get to meet some folks who we've merely heard about, and also to chat with special people who we haven't seen in years.

Since our picnic, we've had several meals with folks we've been introduced to who are interested in learning more about The Ridge and getting to know us personally. We love that!

Our idea is not to rush getting to know each other, since it's such an important thing. The plan is to have a gathering for those interested in learning more about Ridge Church (or just curious about us!) every few weeks through the rest of 2008. Our goal is that our gatherings will reflect what The Ridge is all about, so that every time we meet, you will get a taste of Ridge Church's vision and values.

After the purely social time of this week's picnic, our next gathering will be an opportunity for us to chat about Ridge Church's values and talk about what Ridge Church will "look, sound, feel, smell and taste" like. Because we want to be a family and kid-friendly fellowship, we have worked to find a great spot that will give us a chance to spend relaxed time together and also make safe provisions for kids.

On Sunday evening, September 14, from 5:30 to 7 pm, we will meet at Mr. Gatti's at 6903 Maynardville Highway in Halls. Gatti's is a great spot, since it's easy to get to, it has affordable food, it has a meeting room reserved for us, and it has an arcade if parents wish to let their kids roam that realm. All in all, a great location for a Ridge Church gathering! (Of course, we're open to other locations for future gatherings... Justlet us know your ideas!)

So, you are invited to join us in a couple weeks to as we continue down the path that is The Ridge! We'll be eating at Gatti's from 5:30 to 6 or so, and then we will talk about our new church until 7.

If you have any questions, want to learn more about us, or have someone you'd like to introduce us to, please don't hesitate to email kevin@ridgechurchknoxville.com or call me at 865.223.5851.

Right between two great weekends!

This weekend, Emily and I visited Rick Long and The Point Community Church in Frankfort, KY. I touched base with Rick, the lead pastor there, a few weeks ago. I invited myself to visit his church plant, and then he generously invited me to share with his church about God's vision for Ridge Church and our hopes and dreams for how God can transform our area of Knoxville. Rick and The Point also prayed for me, Emily, and Ridge Church. It was a cool day!

I can't say enough about the guys like Rick in the the Acts29 Network. The network is great for church planters--it's an awesome group of guys who are always there to pray for each other, assist each other, and encourage each other.

Today is Wednesday, and that means we're halfway through this week and almost to another weekend... And this weekend is a big one for us! We're having a Picnic in the Park this Saturday from noon to 3 pm at Fountain City Park. It's an opportunity for anyone interested in The Ridge and getting to know other people interested in The Ridge to come and hang out together as the summer winds down. Bring your own lunch and we'll provide dessert!

Bring your kids (if you have kids) and join us for a relaxed, no-pressure time to get to know each other a little better. If you have any questions, just call Emily on her cell phone at 704.579.2022 and she'll be glad to help!

Picnic in the Park Day!

Today's post is an easy one... My lovely wife Emily is a great emailer. She just sent out an email to those we have on our email list about our first Ridge Church event, and it's a good one. So, here you go (links added by me).

"Hey guys!

I wanted to give everyone a heads up about The Ridge's first fun social thing! Saturday, August 23, from 12-3 (show up anytime you like) we are going to have a fun hang out time for people at Fountain City Park! It's B.Y.O.F. (Bring Your Own Food, haha)! We thought that might be easier since some people have kids and some are picky eaters, as are some adults! So, you can pack your own lunch or pick something up on your way here along Broadway, there are PLENTY of options! We will provide some additional beverages and dessert! We will have some fun activities for the kiddos, the playground is completely accessible and there's A LOT of space for a game of frisbee or football for the adults!

The goal is to meet people, get to know each other better, hang out and have a good time! It's a fairly low-key thing. Please feel free to invite your friends to come and hang out! So, bring a friend, some food, chair or a picnic cloth (we will try to get a pavilion, they are on a "first-come" basis) and hang out with us at Fountain City Park!

Don't forget to mark your calendars and we'll see you there!

Emily

P.S. If anyone is interested in helping out just email me at emily@ridgechurchknoxville.com or give me a call at 704.579.2022!"