Impact Report - October 2023 | Timberlake Church

We are preparing for an exciting Fall and Advent Season. God’s blessings through your faithful tithing continue to grow and meet the needs of Timberlake’s expanding ministries.

You will note in the financial summary that giving is strong and expenses remain under budget.

Our governance committees are in full swing after taking the summer off. The council is focused on the future and, most importantly, working with Finance and Staff Parish on our 2024 church budget and CDC budget. We are also excited to fill two important positions over the summer: Pastor of Discipleship – Rev. Jesse Caro, and most recently, Pastor of Visitation and Congregational Care – Rev. Joe Elmore.

If you attend the 8:15 AM Sunday Worship Service, you may hear our Carillon Bells playing from 8:00 AM to just before the service starts. Thanks to Ken Kiger and Vance Driskill for getting the bells working again. We are so blessed to have these bells as a call to worship.

The new Master Facility Planning Committee has begun meeting to discuss the future facility needs of Timberlake and to make plans for needed renovations and expansions. This committee is being co-chaired by members Steve Puckette and Steve Tibbs.

Did you know our young adult/college and career-age attendance is growing? Just last Sunday, we had nine new college student visitors. Our children and youth numbers are also growing.

During our last membership Sunday, we had 18 people commit to the membership vows of Timberlake Church.

As a reminder, please transfer your Timberlake United Methodist Church membership to Timberlake Church if you desire. Call the church office for instructions or complete the transfer form that is located in the table outside of the Sanctuary. This process is only open to those transferring their membership from Timberlake United Methodist to Timberlake Church. To transfer your membership from another church to Timberlake, please contact Jen Davenport through the church office.

To date, 527 individuals have transferred their TUMC membership to Timberlake Church. By transferring their membership, these individuals have actively expressed their commitment to Timberlake Church in attendance, tithing, service, and LifeGroup participation.
Timberlake Church membership is required to vote at our first Timberlake Church Members Meeting, scheduled for Sunday, October 29. In this meeting, members will be presented with the 2024 budget, the 2024 slate of lay leaders for our various committees, and our new bylaws. Members will vote on each of these.

A note about bylaws – after consultation with an attorney who specializes in church bylaws, we are greatly modifying the bylaws to only include the terms and information required by law as a church and a not-for-profit entity. This means much of the information regarding how we “do” church, and what we believe will be removed and placed in a new document titled, “Statement of Faith and Purpose.” Once this document is drafted and approved by the Church Council, it will be presented to church members to vote on. This will likely occur in the first or second quarter of 2024.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

- Rev. Mark Coleman, Executive Director

Number of Men that attended LifeGroups - 94

Number of Women that attended LifeGroups - 203

Number of Children and Students that attended LifeGroups - 115

"The last few weeks have been extremely encouraging as we have entered a new season of LifeGroups. Fall brings about some of the best things in life: college football, Thanksgiving, cooler weather, and (most importantly) LifeGroups at Timberlake. The LifeGroup Rally was the kickoff to this new season at the end of August, and it was a great success. Thankfully, many new LifeGroups have been formed to accommodate even more people hungry to grow spiritually. In addition, a few things have been changed in order to make LifeGroups a more corporate experience. That is, though they are smaller groups designed to encourage community and accountability, there are things that all LifeGroups will do together to facilitate spiritual unity within the whole church. It is certainly an exciting time to be in a LifeGroup. We look forward to all that God is doing in this critical discipleship ministry. It is our prayer that everyone who is able finds a group and connects. It is never too late to jump in and be a vital part of this work of God at Timberlake."

- Rev. Jesse Caro, Pastor of Discipleship

Number of people that served in Missions - 66

"The leaves are falling, and the excitement and energy from the people of Timberlake is rising! Our first "Lunch & Learn" event on August 20 was a huge success, with 75 people in attendance and 12 new people added to our Hospitality team. All areas of the Hospitality Team were represented at the training event: Parking Team, Sunday morning Hospitality, Coffee Bar, and Special Events team. Last month, our Special Events Hospitality Team supported our Child Development Center (CDC) by breaking in our ice cream machine and serving kiddos and families after their "Summer Camp's Got Talent" Show. Timberlake loves kids, and meeting new families was awesome. We provided some fun and hospitality for the CDC at their "Meet Your Teacher" event. We all love a prize wheel, popcorn, and cute preschoolers! The Lord continues to bring new faces to Timberlake week by week. In September, we welcomed 19 new members to our church family. Our final Starting Point for 2023 is November 12, and I'm excited to see who we get to walk alongside to bring them closer to Jesus. Please mark your calendars for our next Together Night on October 4 from 5 - 6:30 PM. Check the church website or our social media pages for the menu. I'm so blessed to serve at Timberlake. The Lord is preparing us to continue to impact this community….all for his glory!"

- Jen Davenport, Director of Connections & Hospitality

Pastor Brad, Pastor Jesse, and Kathy Presley visited The National Center for Healthy Veterans at Valor Farms this Summer. They got to visit and talk with Gen. Bob and Kathleen Dees and how this ministry is changing lives for Christ!

Timberlake's Missions Team has been tasked with furnishing House #10 at Valor Farms and has created a couple registries where you can select items to donate. Click the buttons below to access these registries. Thank you for your generosity and helping to returning healthy veterans to America!

Timberlake has a rich history of God’s people starting, building, and expanding the church called Timberlake for the last 70 years!

We should not forget our history as it is a testimony of God’s blessings through the people and families that gave so much for Timberlake to be what it is today. We need a few people with a passion for history, writing, and storytelling to be a Timberlake historian. The volunteer job entails being the steward of historical documents and photographs and utilizing them to effectively tell and present Timberlake’s story. Please call or email Mark Coleman if you have the heart to serve Timberlake in this way.

Greetings from Children's Ministry at Timberlake Church! We are thrilled to share some heartwarming updates that truly reflect the growth and spirit of our ministry.

Sundays: Our recent "Pop Up Sunday" event was a tremendous success, marking not only the promotion of our elementary students to their new grades for the school year and the presentation of 17 Bibles to our 3rd - 5th graders. As we continue to experience a surge in attendance during our Sunday gatherings, we've taken significant steps to ensure the comfort of all our children by expanding and adding classrooms. In this context, we're delighted to welcome seven new volunteers to our Sunday mornings, all inspired to join us after VBS.

Wednesdays: Our TreeHouse Kids LifeGroup evenings have also witnessed a remarkable turnout, with 44 enthusiastic children during our first fall session. With the addition of Theology Third Wednesday, our children will unpack the same biblical truths our adults learn during their Theology session.

Looking ahead: Looking forward to the season ahead, we have even more excitement. With the arrival of the beautiful fall season, we extend a warm invitation to our magical CHRISTmas workshop on December 9. Imagine it as a one-day VBS experience immersed in the enchanting world of the "Polar Express." This captivating event on Saturday, December 9, from 9 AM - 1 PM, promises joyful activities, a sprinkle of Christmas magic, and, most importantly, a deep exploration of the true meaning of Christmas.

We are grateful for your commitment to the Children's Ministry.

Shalom and peace to you and yours from Student Ministries. Transition is in the air, isn't it, friends? Student Ministries couldn't help but be inspired by the trend of change as we exited the season of Summer into Harvest. Student Ministries launched three new ministry programs in September. On Sundays during 11:15 AM worship, students may attend a fresh confirmation class inspired by our LifeGroups ministry. At The King's How LifeGroup, students may expand their confirmation knowledge or prepare for confirmation as we work through Scripture and explore Biblical truths through The Chronicles of Narnia series. On Sunday evenings at 6:30 PM, High School students can attend ministry nights to connect with their peers, engage in leadership initiatives and games, and continue to build their foundation and faith through teachings and study. Lastly, on Wednesday evenings at 6:30, Middle School students enjoy high-energy games, wild lessons, and creating a solid foundation through teachings and memorization of Scripture and Biblical affirmations. Student Ministries has also launched a Praise and Worship band, and we are excited to see how the Lord will use students to glorify His name. Our ministry remains strong, rooted in Christ, and producing vibrant new fruit. As we give God all the glory for His divine work within our church, ministry, and students in the past month, we await what He will do in October with excitement! Next month, we will be blessed and busy with four Student Ministries events, two Timberlake events, weekly ministry nights and mornings, and coming together for Sunday Morning Worship. How good is it to be in fellowship with one another and the Lord! Happy October, Timberlake, we love you, - Student Ministries

The OWLS (Older, Wiser, Livelier Seniors) had a busy summer! We started the Summer with lunch at Liberty Train Station Restaurant in Bedford, VA, with 55 in attendance.

In June, 15 people participated in a mission trip to UNTO in Pennsylvania. We loved being together at the Hillcats BaseBall stadium to support our Child Development Center in July!

We went to Paint Bank, VA, on a day bus trip in August, and we all had a great time being together, having fun, eating lunch, and enjoying the day. It was the first time that we had activities in the Summer months. We had so much FUN!

Our Fall started with Back to School Back to OWLS, where we enjoyed being back in the building for lunch! It was a great time of fellowship, having games, and learning about Timberlake's church app.

On October 10, we will have a Putt-Putt tournament and lunch together. On November 14, we will join the Child Development Center to honor our Veterans. You can learn more and register for these events on our church app.

The Child Development Center (CDC) ended our summer programming with a foam party for all ages to enjoy. We also welcomed over 200 people into the Family Life Center for the Summer Camp’s Got Talent show event. We started the school year with a successful Classic Cookie fundraiser, raising $3,507 for the center. Everyone is enjoying fall activities and cooler temperatures. Our 4-year-old preschoolers celebrated grandparents this month by welcoming them in as class readers and had a successful field trip to Layman’s Farm with 40 kids and over 50 parents attending! Our infants and toddlers welcome new “Cuddler” volunteers and appreciate our Timberlake Lawn team for keeping their outdoor play space looking nice. The CDC is blessed with over 40 staff members who care for, teach, and show the love of Christ to our children and families.

Our new members and baptisms!

Sunday's worship attendance is steadily growing!

How we are growing in our discipleship at Timberlake.

A Church in Lynchburg, VA