The Waypoint Endeavor- Spring 2019

Waypoint Church Partners

WAYPOINT STAFF

“Navigating Ministry Together”

A New Direction for Compass Christian Church The merger of two sister churches culminated in the first joint worship service of Compass Christian Church on April 7 in Mechanicsville, Virginia near Richmond.

The former churches, Liberty Christian Church and Pole Green Church of Christ, were located just two miles apart. 378 people attended the inaugural service, 117 more than the average of the two former churches combined. Their Easter attendance two weeks later topped 425.

The two churches voted last November to merge into one body and adopt their new name. The quick sale of the Pole Green Church, established in 1904, allowed for quality outfitting of the 12,000-square-foot gymnasium facility and performing significant renovations to the children’s wing on Liberty Church’s property, established in 1961.

The two ministers, E.L. Jones of Pole Green and Mike Lynn of Liberty, staged a schedule of events over the preceding 6 months intended to help the two congregations get to know each other and begin the process for becoming one body of believers instead of two. While the combined worship service is the most obvious effect of the merger, the leadership of the two congregations executed a careful plan to merge the Elders, Church staff and volunteer base to build a strong foundation for Compass moving forward.

After ironing out the wrinkles in their newly occupied worship space and ensuring the smooth melding of the two bodies relationally over the summer months, continued on page 6

Spring 2019

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WAYPOINT PLANT IN Annapolis Erases $1.9 Million in Community Medical Debt debtor with no bills or tax burden. It has operated since 2014. “We purchase bundles of medical debt for pennies on the dollar,” said Daniel Lampert, spokesman for RIP. RIP’s biggest media splash came in 2016 when HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presented a segment on the debt-buying industry, which buys debt for pennies (or less) on the dollar and then hounds debtors for the full amount. Oliver said the industry standards were so low, even he could start a debt-buying company. And he did.

Here’s a recent article about Revolution Annapolis, a Waypoint church plant: Across 14 Maryland counties, some 900 families no longer have overdue medical bills thanks to an Annapolis church.

Late last month, those households opened letters notifying them that their debt was paid.

Revolution Annapolis, a congregation that meets in Germantown Elementary School, worked with a non-profit to resolve $1,893,288.73 in medical bills.

“We knew it was a problem in the community,” head pastor Kenny Camacho said. “Then we heard about RIP Medical Debt on the John Oliver show. And we learned about a large church in Houston that made a large contribution last Easter.”

The church got in touch with RIP and asked it to look for debt in the Annapolis area. But once parishioners started raising funds, they learned that there was not enough of that kind of debt close to home. “So we asked RIP to look in an expanding, wider circle,” Camacho said. “With the $15,000 raised, RIP purchased debt for 900 families in 14 counties.

Friends, families, some from other churches, even people not involved in area churches donated.”

Within days of setting up its website, his company was offered nearly $15 million in medical debt from Texas for $60,000, less than a penny on the dollar. He bought it and on the air forgave the $15 million, relieving 9,000 people of their medical debt. That’s how Revolution Annapolis got wind of the chance to do the same.

Now Camacho wants to get other churches in the area to help relieve problem debt, perhaps working with hospitals in the area to help settle the debt earlier in the cycle to prevent people from having to deal with all the added stress.

“We hope to get others involved to make this a place where there is one less problem people have to face. We want to help provide hope and relief,” Camacho said.

Reprinted with permission by the Capital Gazette. April 6, 2019.

The recipients received anonymous letters noting their medical debt was paid “courtesy of Annapolis churches.”

Revolution Annapolis was not mentioned. “There are no strings attached. Forgiving that medical debt is not part of a strategy to get people to attend local churches,” Camacho said. “Revolution wants to resist the idea that the church is just another business. The church should exist so that people can have hope, period.”

RIP Medical Debt is a non-profit headquartered in Rye, New York that buys up and forgives medical debt, leaving the

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Kenny Camacho, Head Pastor of Revolution Annapolis

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Jacob’s Well launches in familiar Elementary School Waypoint plant Jacob’s Well Community Church launched on Easter Sunday in Alberta Smith Elementary School, located in Midlothian, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond.

The cafeteria, gym and classrooms feel especially familiar to church planter Jonathan Vandermark and his wife, Jennifer, as well as Associate Pastor Brent Beverley. All three matriculated through the hallways of the elementary school as children years ago.

Vandermark contacted Waypoint over a year ago, asking the interesting ques-

tion, “We’re planting a new church in my community. Though I’ve grown up with a Baptist heritage, I think I most closely align with the Christian Church.

What does it take to become one?”

cility. “It has been a hard year, and to have some love and light in this school is exactly what we need.

Jonathan and his team are coming at just the right moment.”

A year-long study of Christian Church theology and history was paired with regular interaction with several Waypoint planters over the past year to help Jonathan understand and embrace the values and message of the Restoration Movement.

Joining Waypoint as partners in this project are Fairmount Christian Church in Mechanicsville as well as three former Waypoint church plants: Kindred Church in Midlothian, Velocity Church in Richmond, and LifePointe Church in Toano, near Williamsburg.

80 people attended the opening services for Jacob’s Well, including many children who attend the Alberta Smith Elementary during the week. School principal Jana Kline loves the partnership being created with the church launching in her fa-

Leaders from these four churches, along with Tim Cole representing Waypoint, make up the leadership council to oversee the project until a local team of Elders is installed in a few years.

Your partnership with Waypoint helps plant great new churches like this one and dozens of others in the region, making a Kingdom impact in their communities and beyond.

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New South Carolina Church Stages Successful Easter Egg Hunt

Kinetic Christian Church was launched this spring by Waypoint in the Midlands Technical College on the West side of the rapidly growing capital city of Columbia, South Carolina. An alumnus of Ozark Christian College, church planter Kevin Huston was the longtime campus minister at the University of South Carolina before planting Kinetic.

Volunteers from the new church staged their first Easter Egg Hunt at the Pinegrove Sports Complex three miles from their Sunday morning venue. 240 people attended this

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seasonal outreach event targeting local families in the area with elementary-age children.

Creating a strategy and culture that reaches families with young children is the best way to secure a bright future for your church. In what ways is your church reaching out to families in the area surrounding your property? How could you develop a solid strategy? Contact Waypoint for coaching and advice to reach this segment of the population that keeps your church vibrant for another generation.

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Preacher Donates Kidney, Gains a Special Bond People often pray for the sick to get well. But Senior Pastor James “Beaver” Terry of Christiansburg’s Belmont Christian Church went even further and offered church member Eric Nowlin one of his kidneys.

At first dialysis was effective for Nowlin, but after three years the treatments got worse and his health began to decline last summer.

During their weekly staff meeting, Terry and the other pastors would pray specifically for Nowlin. Nowlin’s wife, Carrie, shared with the staff that they wanted to find a living donor.

Terry didn’t think much of it until he read the book Everybody Always by Bob Goff.

The following quote from Goff gave Terry pause. “If you know somebody that needs water, give them a drink; if you know somebody that’s hungry, give them something to eat; if they are in the hospital, give them a BandAid or one of your kidneys.” Terry’s prayers for Nowlin began to move towards the direction of finding out what it takes to become a living donor.

Worship service at Belmont Christian Church

Terry approached the Nowlins the following week. “Hey, I don’t know if this sounds weird or not, but what would you think about me applying to become a donor for you?” When Nowlin heard Terry’s offer, he said “you could have knocked me over with a feather.”

Terry said, “I’ve been a pastor for over 30 years, and I’ve never seen so many indications of ‘I need to keep answering the call.’ The doors kept opening, whether it be checking the card, or having the conversation, the blood work, the same blood type,

everything was confirmed along the way. Especially when they called and said, ‘You’re a match’; and ‘Can you do the surgery on March 14?’ and we found out that March 14 is World Kidney Day. It’s the most confirmation I’ve had personally, not as a pastor, but as a believer.”

Nowlin wants others to know “there are a lot of dialysis patients who silently suffer day after day with no hope of getting better, every day suffering inside. There’s a real need to

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Kidney recipient, Eric Nowlan (left), and Senior Pastor, Beaver Terry

help these people. Hopefully someone else will see this and say, ‘Maybe I could give up a kidney.’” Nowlin feels like he’s been given a second chance at life. “I forgot what it felt like to feel good again. I feel like a veil has been lifted.”

Terry said, “It has made me more aware of watching and seeking where God is working in your life, what He’s calling you to do. Not everybody will necessarily be called to do this or even be qualified to do it. It’s just opening yourself up to challenge you, so if you’ve got that calling, explore it and see where it leads you to go, and you never know where the journey will take you.”

Terry and Nowlin are continuing to recover well at home, forever bonded by their experience of living organ donation.

Reprinted with permission by the Roanoke Times.

April 7, 2019. Beaver Terry is a former member of the Waypoint Board of Directors and an active leader of a Waypoint Fusion Group.

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Treasurer’s Report - 1ST Quarter 2019 january, february, march

Become a personal Waypoint partner.

Help us plant more churches more often to reach even more people!

Sign up today!

Navigate to www.iplantchurches.com to contribute as little as $5 a month.

COMPASS CONT’D. (PG. 1) Compass is planning a marketing strategy later this fall to invite their community to join their exciting future.

Is there a sister congregation near yours where a merger of the two bodies into one could provide a similar “win-win” scenario?

Contact Waypoint for advice and direction on how you might begin the sensitive conversation between the two churches with a view toward making a greater impact in your community as one unified body.

GENERAL FUND RECEIPTS Abingdon First CC............................................$100.00 Abingdon Woodland Hills CC......................$600.00 Bath St. Clair’s C of C.............................$150.00 Bedford Peaks View CC...............................$300.00 Big Stone Gap First CC............................................$100.00 Bland Hollybrook C of C........................$210.00 Bumpass Bethany CC....................................$600.00 Burke The Foundry..................................$400.00 Burlington Burlington CC...............................$280.00 Cary The Point Chapel Hill..................$206.37 Cary The Point en Español................... $15.30 Cary The Point Fuquay-Varina..........$471.05 Cary The Point North Raleigh...........$326.45 Charlotte One Life CC....................................$300.00 Charlottesville Maple Grove CC...........................$273.98 Chesapeake Real Life CC................................ $1,500.00 Chester Chester CC.....................................$200.00 Chilhowie Chilhowie CC.................................$100.00 Christiansburg Belmont CC....................................$750.00 Covington Cliffdale CC....................................$150.00 Covington Dunlap CC......................................$100.00 Danville North Danville C of C................... $90.00 Dry Fork Whitmell CC..................................... $50.00 Eden Draper CC.......................................$472.50 Elizabethton East River Park CC........................$300.00 Emporia First CC............................................$200.00 Farmville Farmville C of C............................$300.00 Fayetteville Fayetteville CC..............................$300.00 Fishersville Bridge CC.................................... $1,500.00 Frederick Collective Church........................$927.18 Galax Fairlawn C of C..............................$500.00 Glen Allen Calvary CC......................................$450.00 Gretna West End C of C............................$150.00 Grundy New Hope CC................................$200.00 Hampton Northampton CC.........................$176.30 Hickory Vintage City Church...................$725.07 High Point Laurel Oak CC...............................$600.00 Jacksonville Restore CC, Inc..............................$192.42 Kernersville First CC........................................ $1,000.00 Kernersville Kernersville C of C.......................$424.86 Keswick First CC............................................$241.00 Knightdale Movement CC................................. $49.60 Lynchburg Lynchburg C of C.........................$400.00 Manassas New Hope CC................................$300.00 Martinsville Rich Acres CC................................$600.00 Martinsville Chatham Heights CC..................$537.00 Mechanicsville Fairmount CC............................ $2,100.00 Mechanicsville Gethsemane C of C.....................$600.00 Mechanicsville Liberty CC.......................................$125.00 Midlothian Journey CC................................. $1,500.00 Mills River Blue Ridge CC...............................$300.00 Moneta Mount Ivy CC................................$400.00 Montpelier Chapel C of C................................$230.60 New Bern Broad Creek CC............................$300.00 New Bern Community CC.............................$300.00 Newport News Olivet CC.........................................$300.00 Oak Ridge Catalyst Church............................$441.13 Patrick Springs Patrick Springs CC.......................$420.20 Patrick Springs Stella CC..........................................$693.50 Penhook Forrest Hill CC...............................$226.00 Plymouth Plymouth C of C...........................$900.00 Portsmouth Christ’s Fellowship......................$200.00 Pounding Mill Claypool Hill C of C................. $1,029.09 Richmond Area 10 Faith Community.... $1,695.74 Ridgeway Horsepasture CC...................... $1,200.00 Roanoke Edgewood CC...............................$600.00 Roanoke New Hope CC................................$900.00 Roanoke Penn Forest CC.............................$525.00 Roanoke Rapids E 10th Street C of C.....................$375.00 Rockville C of C At Manor Woods.............$160.00 Rural Hall Bridges CC......................................$600.00 Salem Living Water CC............................$225.00 Seaford Seaford CC.....................................$550.00 Silver Spring Restore CC......................................$109.50 Smithfield Smithfield CC................................$664.15 Spencer Friendly CC.....................................$284.00 Spencer Mayo CC..........................................$497.00 Springfield The Journey...................................$200.00 Staunton Parkview CC...................................$185.64 Toano LifePointe CC.................................$900.00 Vansant Vansant C of C................................ 525.00 Victoria Victoria CC.....................................$500.00

Virginia Beach Avalon C of C.................................$500.00 Virginia Beach C of C at Creeds........................ $2,000.00 Virginia Beach Forefront CC..................................$800.00 Warsaw Rappahannock C of C............ $1,500.00 Washington Encounter CC................................$121.12 Waynesboro W Waynesboro C of C................$675.00 Williamsburg Williamsburg CC..........................$450.00 Winchester New Life CC...................................$657.70 Woodbridge Woodbridge CC...........................$300.00 Yorktown Northside CC............................. $2,340.00 Donations by Individuals........................................$11,221.00 Service Receipts ....................................................... $1,950.00 Misc. Income .....................................................$15,341.23 Seminars ....................................................... $4,514.20 TOTAL ......................................... $80,884.60 DISBURSEMENTS Office ....................................................... $3,700.92 Newsletter ....................................................... $7,629.12 Personnel .....................................................$62,434.09 Presentations ....................................................... $7,844.79 Directors & Staff ...........................................................$542.54 Scholarship ....................................................... $4,000.00 Church Resources ....................................................... $2,573.05 Seminars ....................................................... $2,305.45 TOTAL ......................................... $91,029.96 GF Balance 12/31/18................................................$31,977.70 Total GF Receipts .....................................................$80,884.60 Total GF Disbursements..........................................$91,029.96 GF Balance 3/31/19...................................................$21,832.34 GF Balance 07/01/2018...........................................$41,154.57 Fiscal Year 2018-2019............................................. -$19,322.23 CHURCH PLANTING RECEIPTS Cary The Point Chapel Hill..................$825.48 Cary The Point en Español................... $61.18 Cary The Point Fuquay-Varina...... $1,884.18 Cary The Point North Raleigh....... $1,304.94 Charlotte One Life CC................................ $1,200.00 Chesapeake Great Bridge C of C.....................$297.84 Covington Cliffdale CC....................................$150.00 Frederick Collective Church.................... $3,708.71 Glen Allen Calvary CC......................................$450.00 Gloucester Reedswood CC.............................$530.00 Hampton Northampton CC.........................$176.30 Hickory Vintage City Church............... $2,909.29 Jacksonville Restore CC, Inc..............................$769.68 Knightdale Movement CC...............................$261.84 Mechanicsville Bill Farmer Class, Fairmount...... $75.00 Mechanicsville Chrn Homemakers, Fairmount....$100.00 Mechanicsville Fairmount CC............................ $1,800.00 Mills River Blue Ridge CC...............................$300.00 Oak Ridge Catalyst Church........................ $1,764.48 Richmond Area 10 Faith Community.... $6,782.98 Salem Living Water CC............................$225.00 Silver Spring Restore CC......................................$438.00 Toano LifePointe CC............................. $3,600.00 Washington Encounter CC................................$484.46 Williamsburg Williamsburg CC..........................$510.00 Willmington Venture CC.....................................$959.83 Woodbridge Woodbridge CC...........................$300.00 Yorktown Northside CC............................. $1,200.00 .

Donations by Individuals..............................................$590.00 iPlant Churches ....................................................... $2,050.00 Misc. CP Income ....................................................... $1,250.00 Transfer from CP Savings........................................$35,000.00 TOTAL ......................................... $73,297.04

DISBURSEMENTS Office ...........................................................$456.50 Presentations ...........................................................$942.01 Church Plants .....................................................$49,054.69 Meetings & Coaching.....................................................$295.07 Directed Transfer to General.................................$15,000.00 TOTAL ......................................... $66,673.04

CP Balance 12/31/2018...........................................$46,644.87 Total CP Receipts.....................................................$73,297.04 Total CP Disbursements..........................................$66,673.04 CP Balance 3/31/2019..............................................$53,268.87 CP Balance 07/01/2018...........................................$72,697.65 Fiscal Year 2018-2019............................................. -$19,428.78

Mailing address: PO Box 6224, Williamsburg, VA 23188 Thank you for your support as we continue to Navigate Ministry Together.

Respectfully, Joseph Pennington, Treasurer

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RE

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

pastoral care:

MEMBERSHIP CLASSES:

5 Critical 1st Impressions

Navigating Today’s Generational Changes & Challenges

Advance Your Mission with an Effective “Next Steps” Event

You Make BEFORE Sunday Morning

Presented by Marty Anderson The Point Church Fuquay-Varina, NC

Bethany Mullen Bridge Christian Church, Fishersville, VA

Presented by Neil Wheeler

Michael Bartlett Collective Christian Church, Frederick, MD

Director of Leader Care Waypoint Church Partners

Tim Cole

Presented by Tim Cole

Executive Director Waypoint Church Partners

Executive Director Waypoint Church Partners

Monday, June 10 7:30 pm (EDT)

Monday, July 8 8:00 pm (EDT)

Monday, August 12 8 pm (EDT)

R Register for webinars on the “Events” tab of waypointchurchpartners.com.

E T There is no cost, but space is limited.

IS Y! G Consider joining as a group from your church!

E R A D The Waypoint55 webinar series is sponsored by our regional ministry partner, Mid-Atlantic Christian University.

TO effectiveelders One-Day Ministry Training Event With Dr. Jim Estep, David Roadcup, and Dr. Gary Johnson

NEXT?

How Thinking Forward Moves the Church Forward Jim, David, and Gary address 12 topics that when deliberately, intentionally faced can take your congregation to the next level in reaching your community. Your elders and staff are invited to join one of these day-long events. $29 registration includes conference, materials, and catered lunch.

Register on the “Events” tab of waypointchurchpartners.com.

Friday, October 25 | 8:30AM–4PM First Christian Church Ministries | Kernersville, NC Saturday, October 26 | 8:30AM–4PM Mechanicsville Church of Christ | Mechanicsville, VA

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THE WAYPOINT ENDEAVOR 4403 Shadetree Court, Raleigh, NC 27613 is published quarterly by Waypoint Church Partners. (USPS 654-900) Postage PAID at Raleigh, NC with additional entry point at Roanoke, VA post office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE WAYPOINT ENDEAVOR, 4403 Shadetree Court, Raleigh, NC 27613.

IN THIS ISSUE: •

Merger of Two Churches (p. 1)

•

Church Erases Medical Debt for Community (p. 2)

•

Church Launches with an Easter Egg Hunt (p. 4)

•

Preacher Donates Kidney to Church Member (p. 5)

•

Upcoming Webinars (p.7)

THE WAYPOINT

ENDEA

OR A Note From

We are excited to share that once again Waypoint’s church plants established a new record for attendance for any one Sunday. For the first time, more than 16,000 people attended Resurrection Sunday at one of Waypoint’s new churches, up nearly 900 from last year. That is an average attendance of over 500 people per project.

Your partnership with Waypoint enables us to help establish more and more new churches that grow and impact their communities with a fresh representation of the Gospel. Thanks!

9,224

Attendance ON Easter

2013

11,392

2014

Spring 2019 WAYPOINT ENDEAVOR SPRING 2019 DRAFT.indd 8

12,384

2015

14,226

2016

15,352

14,680

2017

2018

2019

www.waypointchurchpartners.com

16,241

Our Executive Director

Easter Attendance Sets High-water Mark for Church Plants

Navigating Ministry Together

Tim Cole, Executive Director

Volume 19, Issue 2 5/23/19 7:04 PM