2 Corinthians 9:7 “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully."
 
June’s discipleship focus is Giving. What is giving to the church exactly? Is it giving your tithes? Is it giving to missionaries overseas? Or is it giving your time? It’s all these things, but most importantly it’s giving these things with a happy heart. You can give beyond your 10% percent or volunteer for every activity, but if you do it with a resentful or questioning heart, you are not giving to God. And certainly, if you are not giving even your 10%, then you are not obeying God. The Bible tells us that tithing is a way to show that we trust God with our lives and our finances. Ready for a truth bomb? Tithing wasn’t put in place for God’s benefit. He already owns everything. He doesn’t need our money. Instead, tithing is meant for our benefit because sacrificing a portion of our income helps us look outside our selfishness and makes us more aware of the needs of others.
           
Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.                  

Yes, tithing does pay the church’s utilities, staff wages, and helps in our church’s ministries. But more than all of that, tithing is an act of faith that helps us keep our priorities straight. It reminds us that we don’t own anything in this life. God is in control, and we’re only managers of what He has given us.
           
Written by Monica Carbajal, Ministry Director to Families with Children

​Each month this year our staff will choose a different aspect of discipleship to share as the focus for that given month. Discipleship is the process of growing to be more like Jesus, part of The Journey every Christian embarks upon when surrendering their life to Christ. The discipleship focus for the month of May is Evangelism, an importance that might best be illustrated by a story.
 
In the salty town of Charlotte, North Carolina in 1934, some young people began to contemplate kicking up a stir at the local tent revival. The fiery traveling preacher, Mordecai Ham, was regularly calling out sin under the revival tent and in particular, the sins of unrestrained youth. Out of curiosity, one young man decided to attend one of those tent meetings to see what all the fuss was about. Ham’s thunder against sin made the young man uncomfortable for several nights as it seemed the evangelist was talking directly to him. To avoid his guilt, the young man joined the revival choir to sit in the service behind the gospel preacher so their eyes would not lock. But it was no use. Eventually the Spirit of God won his heart and young Billy Graham was converted and went on to preach the same message of salvation to millions more.
 
Most who are familiar with revival history know of Mordecai Ham’s influence on Billy Graham. But it’s the chain of events previously that make this story interesting. Mordecai Ham accepted the invitation to Charlotte by a group of businessmen who were influenced by the baseball legend-turned-preacher Billy Sunday. Sunday learned to preach after his conversion by watching the ministry of evangelist Wilbur Chapman. Chapman surrendered to evangelism when Frederic Meyer, a visiting preacher, asked during an invitation, “If you are not willing to give up everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing?” Frederic Meyer resigned his small church in the British Isles to preach the gospel to hundreds across continents under the revival meetings of D.L. Moody, pioneer of the Sunday School movement, Chicago pastor of Illinois Street Church (Moody Church) in Chicago, Illinois, and world-renown evangelist. So in effect, you could say that the greatest evangelist of the 20th century, Billy Graham, was indirectly influenced by the greatest evangelist of the 19th century, D.L. Moody.
 
Evangelism, sharing the gospel, has always been at the heart of obedience in days when Christianity was its strongest. Whether in fields or chapels, publicly or in private conversation, the gospel story shared from one person to another has transformed lives, shaped national cultures, and built the bedrock of the most civilized and prosperous nations in the world.
 
But the question before us in the month of May is not whether we believe in a philosophy of evangelism, but whether we practice evangelism. When was the last time you invited someone to surrender their life to the Lordship of Jesus? If you find it difficult, you can take comfort in knowing that your church is routinely deploying members into the community, working alongside community partners, to get outside our bubble of sheltered relationships to share the gospel with our neighbors and community. Just this month, members will be engaged in Hope Pregnancy Center, CarePortal, and St. Paul’s Community School where dozens of gospel conversations will be taking place. Will you be a part of this groundswell?
 
Curious who led D.L. Moody to faith in Christ? Edward Kimball, his Sunday School teacher, became so burdened for the boys in his class that he decided to have one-on-one conversations with each. Kimball tracked the young Moody down in the shoe store where Moody was making a career in footwear. There in that storeroom on a Saturday, Kimball led Moody to saving faith in Jesus never knowing that his one act of obedience would lead millions to faith in Christ through countless evangelism crusades across centuries and continents. If you are not willing to give up everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing?
 
You can read more about The Journey online at WilmontPlace.com. But don’t just read about The Journey, make sure your obedience to Christ has you progressing along a journey of discipleship in serving Him and growing to be more like Him in your daily life.
 
 (Written by Shawn Nichols, Senior Pastor)

Each month this year our staff will choose a different aspect of discipleship to share as the focus for that given month. Discipleship is the process of growing to be more like Jesus, part of The Journey every Christian embarks upon when surrendering their life to Christ.
 
The discipleship focus for the month of April is Bible Reading. Our daily reading, study, and engagement with God’s Word is where we begin to find the Lord in our personal lives. You may have heard it said that your belief in Jesus can’t just be an extension of your family’s faith, but it must be a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. This is true! Just in the same way that your relationships with friends, family, or coworkers will never grow if you don’t get to know them, you cannot grow without a personal walk with Jesus. 
 
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul shows the accuracy of Scripture and its benefit to us as we walk together on The Journey: “6 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
 
Also, Romans 15 communicates that scripture is written for our instruction and for our encouragement! “4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom 15:4). Even when the promises of this life fail us, we know the Word of God never will (Luke 1:37). 
 
Hebrews 4 tells Christians that the Word of God is the greatest tool available when sharing the gospel with others: “12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12). It’s here that we begin to realize that it isn’t the eloquent words we try to come up with or the manner in which we believe we speak, but the Spirit of God through His Word changes hearts.

This month continue The Journey: find the value in spending time with the Lord daily by reading His Word. Start now if you have never had a consistent plan before. Our staff is working through a year-long Bible reading plan, so we are all in this together! In Isaiah 55:6, the prophet Isaiah says to, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” Seek the Lord this month and encourage others to do the same!
 
(Written by Jacob French, Music and Youth Pastor)

​Each month this year our staff will choose a different aspect of discipleship to share as the focus for that given month. Discipleship is the process of growing to be more like Jesus, part of The Journey every Christian embarks upon when surrendering their life to Christ.
 
The discipleship focus for March is the family. As Christians, it can be easy to become distracted by the world. In this distraction our marriages and children may find that the home’s faith journey falls low on the list of priorities for the week. However, if we study the Word, the Lord can show us how to build healthy marriages and raise Godly children. By praying and showing genuine love we can create the foundation for lasting and strong relationships.
 
No family is perfect. We all have times when we struggle. However, if we lean into prayer during these times, God can show us how to strengthen our family dynamics. Sometimes it can be discouraging when our spouse or kids don’t meet our expectations, whether those expectations were academic, spiritual, or personal. In these times, we can lean on the Lord and watch him work in their lives.
 
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…be glory” (Ephesians 3:20–21).
 
In order to have a home that is harmonious, a loving foundation is necessary. We can show our spouse and children the love of Christ by being accepting, asking for forgiveness, and being understanding.  As adults, we can become overwhelmed by life responsibilities. In the craziness of it all, it can be easy to miss out on the little things that create a strong loving family. To help with this, it is important that we spend time with our families daily. One way to do this is to have a family daily devotional.
 
God’s love is the best example for what our love for our children should look like. In John 3:16 we read, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son….” His love is unconditional. It is truly our unconditional love for our spouse and children that will help us as we shepherd our family members to be significant contributors in advancing God’s kingdom on earth.
 
Take 5 minutes 2-3 times this week to share a verse and pray together as a family. You may be surprised how your 5 minutes turns into a longer and more productive conversation. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help with questions you can’t answer. Your spouse or children will respect your availability much more than your perfection.
 
(Written by Monica Carbajal, Ministry Director to Families with Children)

​Each month this year our staff will choose a different aspect of discipleship to share as the focus for that given month. Discipleship is the process of growing to be more like Jesus, part of The Journey every Christian embarks upon when surrendering their life to Christ.
 
For February, our emphasis is the gospel! Isn’t this a great place to begin our monthly emphasis? Everyone’s journey of faith starts with an encounter with the gospel. The word “gospel” means “good news.” Paul defined the gospel as the event where “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Every Christian should recognize that the day they embraced the gospel was the best day of their life.
 
The gospel does more than merely provide us access to heaven when we die. Among other things, the gospel reconciles you with the holiness of the Father (2 Cor 5:18-19). The gospel provides peace in the face of looming death (1 Thess 4:14). The gospel defines our worldview (Col 2:8). The gospel unifies very diverse people (Gal 3:28). In the gospel, Christians find their message and purpose.
 
What kind of relationship do you have with the gospel? Has there been a time in your life when you embraced the gospel, Christ’s work, as your eternal remedy? Do you live trying to honor the testimony of how the gospel transforms a life? Do others see and hear that the gospel permeates your thoughts and actions?
 
This month, begin The Journey by trusting in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Or for those who are already redeemed by Jesus’ work, pray throughout this month that the gospel will be the lens for everything you think, act, and say. Jesus’s work, and our acceptance of it, really is good news!
 
(Written by Shawn Nichols, Senior Pastor)