Rise Up is a three-year generosity initiative to make room for more people who will come as they are and be forever changed by the love of Jesus. Through Rise Up, God is calling us to partner with Him by investing ourselves and our resources in greater levels of commitment that will impact Wilson and the surrounding area of Eastern North Carolina today, and for years to come.
Our primary goal for this initiative is that 100% of our church family will go on a spiritual journey, asking “Lord, what do you want to do through me to make more disciples who have a growing heart for God, heart for each other, and heart for our world?”
Are you ready to Rise Up?
Start here…
What does it look like for you to commit to this spiritual journey with us?
- Commit to do a 21-day devotional.
- Commit to pray our Rise Up prayer: “Lord, what do you want to do in and through me?”
- Take your time and watch the sermons below to catch the vision of why we feel God calling us to Rise Up and make room for more to come as they are and be forever changed by the love of Jesus.
- Commit to respond to God’s leading and by faith make a sacrificial, 3-year financial commitment that is over and above my current giving. Looking for help to determine your commitment?
Catch the Vision
Watch the sermons
#1 – Catching the Vision
The people recognized that their city of Jerusalem was in trouble. Its gates were ruined and its walls were broken down. When they heard the vision God had given His servant Nehemiah to rebuild, they caught the vision and said, “Let us rise up and build.”
Will you see what God sees, feel what God feels, and then join him in his work?
#2 – Taking the Risk
What are you willing to risk for God? In a way, that’s really a trick question because nothing you invest in God’s work is ever lost. In the book of Nehemiah, the Lord moved Nehemiah to take a faith risk to ask the king of Persia for permission to rebuild the wall surrounding Jerusalem.
How can we respond to God’s call to take risks of faith to accomplish His purpose?
#3 – Sharing the Vision
How should we respond to the brokenness in our world? The people of Jerusalem responded by sharing the vision that God had given Nehemiah. In the book of Nehemiah, God put it in the heart of the cupbearer to the king of Persia to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. After inspecting the brokenness of the city,
Nehemiah shared his God-given vision to rebuild with the people of Israel and they committed to join him to rise up and build. God has given us a vision to rise up and build to make more room for the broken in our city.
#4 – Joining the Work
It’s one thing to see the brokenness in our city, but it’s another thing altogether to join the work of repairing it. Yet, it’s often the very act of joining the work of the Lord in our city that we see miracles happen to heal our city, we see miracle happen in our own lives as well. Who needs a miracle from God today to heal the brokenness in your life?
In Nehemiah chapter 3, Nehemiah recorded the names and work assignments of the Israelites who answered God’s call to rise up and join the work of repairing the broken walls of Jerusalem. God still calls His people to rise up and join His work.
#5 – Overcoming the Opposition
If you’re trying to live for the Lord, you will face opposition. Sometimes it comes from the world’s culture which is contrary to the life of the Spirit. Yet, often it comes from friends and family who don’t know the Lord, or who aren’t as committed to following and serving Him as you are trying to be. And sometimes, opposition comes from other Christians who either don’t understand or aren’t walking in the Spirit. But as Jesus said, you will have trouble and opposition in this world, but He has overcome the world.
In the book of Nehemiah, the people of God placed their faith in the Lord to overcome the opposition against rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. We can place our faith in the Lord to overcome the opposition against doing the Lord’s work.
#6 – Stopping the Strife
Nehemiah called the people to rise up and focus their money and effort on God’s mission to rebuild the wall, yet the fact that some were not sacrificing for the work caused strife among the people of God.
In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah led the people to stop the financial strife that had arisen between them against God’s mission. We can stop the internal financial strife that arises against God’s mission for His people.
#7 – Making the Commitment
What are you committed to? You can tell a lot about a person by their commitments. Are you committed to your spouse? To your kids? Are you committed to your job? To your school work or degree? Maybe you’re committed to owning a house or a car? The truth is, our commitments reveal our investments and vice versa. We expend our effort and resources on the things we are committed to.
Nehemiah was committed to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah made the commitment to persevere in God’s calling to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. We can make the commitment to persevere in the calling God has given us.
#8 – Gathering the Gifts
In what ways has God called and gifted you? Do you know the sense of fulfillment and purpose that living for God brings? In Nehemiah chapter 7, God put it in Nehemiah’s heart to gather the people and their gifts together to call them to live as citizens in the city of Jerusalem. God is still gathering His people together to call them to live as citizens of His kingdom.
#9 – Celebrating the Victory
Do you know how to celebrate? God’s people love to celebrate what God has done. In Nehemiah chapter 8, Nehemiah assembled the people in Jerusalem to celebrate the victory God had given them in freeing them from exile and helping them to rebuild their Temple and city walls. We can celebrate the victory that God has given us.
Make the commitment
Join us as we Rise Up
A Guide to Making a Commitment
Are you ready to make a commitment, but you are not sure where to start? Check out the guide below to prayerfully consider how God would lead you in your commitment, over and above your current level of giving towards the Rise Up generosity initiative.
Once you have reviewed the material above and you have a clear direction from God about what His faith step for you would be, make the commitment and let us know about it so we can plan accordingly.
Join the Work
Give as God is leading you
Now, begin making your gifts, over and above your present level of giving to the Rise Up generosity initiative. You can give through the Church Center app or online, using the buttons below. You may make one time gifts there, or set up automatic recurring gifts using either your checking account (ACH) or a credit card.
What’s the Status?
Find out what’s happening
On Celebration Sunday, March 10th, 2019, we announced that over $1 million had been committed to Rise Up over 3 years. Wow! We’re so grateful so many of you decided to Rise Up and answer God’s call to make room for more people to come as they are and be forever changed by the love of Jesus.
Total 3-Year Commitments: $1,014,313
Total Given as of October 29th, 2020: $459,661
It’s Time to Rise Up and Begin
REMODEL THE THEATER ROOM
We still have a room in our house that is unused. Shouldn’t we use it? We want to level the floor of the theater room for a true multipurpose room.
– On Sunday mornings, it’s a new adult worship venue with its own distinctive feel, but same sermon.
– On Sunday evenings, it’s a space for our student ministry.
– During the week and at other times, it’s a lunch cafeteria for the school, a meeting place for our Celebrate Recovery ministry, and a place for groups from our community and other fellowships.
REMODEL THE LOBBY AND BATHROOMS
We want to improve our first impression for guests. Our lobby and bathrooms are essentially the same as we found them. We don’t notice how dated they are, but our guests do.
RELOCATE AND EXPAND THE NURSERY
We’d like to move the nursery across the lobby to the former classrooms. We plan to add a bathroom at the end of the hall. This will more than double our capacity for children 0 to 3 years old.
REFRESH THE PARKING LOT
We lack curb appeal. People often are surprised that we are a church. A newly surfaced parking lot, with better landscaping and signage could change that.
Will sacrificing to build Phase Two automatically reach more people for Jesus? No, of course not. But we are going to keep making disciples who have a heart for God, for each other and for our world. We will continue to “Go and Tell” people to “Come and See” how Jesus has changed your life. As fathers and mothers in this spiritual family it’s our responsibility to make room for them.