The Power of an Invite

Have you ever felt powerless to change the world? 

I know I have. In a world that often seems dark and bleak, it’s easy to feel like our positive actions don’t matter. Thankfully, that isn’t the truth. 

You have more impact than you realize.

I’ll start with this. After serving as the Middle School Pastor for several years and working with young people in student ministry for half of my life, I recognize the power of an invite. 

I’ve seen school facilities baffled as they watch a previously troubled student become a positive influence for the entire school because of an invite. 

I’ve seen an altar of nearly a hundred students surrendering their lives to Jesus, destinies and families forever changed because a handful of students believed in the power of an invite.

It hits close to home because, in high school, a girl named Samantha was invited repeatedly by a friend on her cheerleading team to Elevate, Milestone’s student ministry. Samantha ran out of excuses and ended up coming to church, giving her life to Christ, and meeting her future husband – me. 

Your friend, or coworker, or family member experiencing the same life-changing encounter with Jesus is one invite away.

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Trent’s Story

“Church was confusing.” 

Trent had experienced darkness in his life, hurting and pain he tried to fix in his own strength. He had an encounter with God as a teenager but had stepped away for many years. He didn’t know if it was possible to have a relationship with God.

That’s when an invite happened. A couple of friends invited Trent to Milestone Church. Trent encountered Jesus and had his life transformed.

Mandy’s Story

“Things had gotten really bad between my husband and me.” 

Mandy didn’t know if things would ever change and was on the brink of giving up after years of turmoil.

But, again, an invite happened. A friend saw Mandy struggling and invited her to a Christmas service. Things didn’t change overnight, but Mandy received the grace to hand her marriage over to God. That would be the start of a restoration journey and God radically transforming her family.

Jaclynn’s Story 

“When I went into high school, I lost my way.” 

Jaclynn battled anxiety and depression for many years. She felt hopeless, like many people in our culture today who struggle with mental illness. 

But God had a plan for Jaclynn, moving her to a new job where she would meet a coworker who attended Milestone Church. A coworker who would extend an invite that would lead to Jaclynn coming back to Jesus.

“God used my coworkers to bring me back to Him.“

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We can’t lose sight of lives being changed. Let these stories be a reminder that in the midst of everything happening in our world, we can make an impact. We’re seeing the essence of what Jesus died for – restoration and healing – and we want family, friends, and neighbors to experience this. 

Matthew 9:35-38 NIV

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

God came to build his Church, and He has called us to be a part of that great mission. I believe there is no better time for this than Christmas, a time when our culture looks for peace, a time when tradition is welcome, and someone who wouldn’t usually darken the doors of a church might come and see what it’s all about. 

And that’s where we come in. 

We are those workers that Jesus instructed His disciples to pray for. We are the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities, at our workplaces, and in our homes. We can play a role by inviting someone to experience God’s goodness and peace in this season through a Christmas service.

You’ll be surprised who would say yes if they were just invited. 

I would love to hear your invite story. 

Comment, share, or reach out – we’re in this together. 

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Luke Newby

Middle School Pastor

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It’s Not Just Church. It’s Family.

God doesn’t intend for us to live life alone. He wants us to be part of spiritual family because this is one way that we experience His love. Check out Pat and Bonnie’s story to see how going through Values 301 helped them find their spiritual family.

“We joined Milestone Church in 2011 after moving here from Memphis, Tennessee. Despite being active in the church, we didn’t find spiritual family for years after joining because we didn’t know we needed it. The real change began when my wife, Bonnie, convinced me to join a Freedom group.

I was resistant for the first half of Freedom—I didn’t feel like I fit in the group. But then God got a hold of me and told me that the group wasn’t the problem—I was. He told me I wasn’t putting my everything into the group.

When I heard that, it was like someone had flipped a switch in me. I was changed, and Bonnie and I joined Values 301 after completing Freedom.

Our Values 301 group ended up being very different than what we had expected.

We’d been expecting to be moved into a 301 group our friends were leading, but for whatever reason, we were placed in a group of people who all came from very different backgrounds than us. Our group included new believers, former Muslims, long-time believers, a former atheist, and a former Mennonite.

But, despite our differences, the group instantly clicked. We had found our spiritual family.

After our group completed Values 301, we continued to meet in and out of Small Groups settings.

Bonnie and I don’t have much family nearby, so these are the people we reach out to when we need anything. And they reach out to us whenever they need anything.

Having this spiritual family has helped us grow in our walk with God and our relationship with each other.

I encourage people to start getting involved by serving. Every little step creates connections, friendships, and more and more spiritual family.

I feel like I have a bigger family now than I’ve ever had.”

-Pat

Maybe like Pat and Bonnie, you don’t feel connected. We want to help you get connected, and a great way to start doing that is to go through Growth Track. You can sign up for one of our Growth Track classes at milestonechurch.com/events.

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Financial Freedom Is Possible

We all want to be better with our finances. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught in the same cycles of frustration with our money and how we steward it. Check out Ash’s story of how Financial Peace University (FPU) allowed her to pursue her goals without fear. 

“I graduated with my undergraduate degree in 2018 and was considering getting my master’s, but the only thing holding me back was money. I talked to my parents because I felt overwhelmed with anxiety about finances. Our family has attended Milestone Church for years, and both of my parents completed Financial Peace University. They encouraged me to do it because it impacted them so much. 

So, I decided to sign up for FPU and have faith that I could afford to get my master’s degree if I followed the course’s steps. While I had to make a lot of sacrifices to reach my goals and wasn’t always able to do what I wanted —  the financial freedom and peace of mind that I experienced from completing the course was so worth it. 

I used to check my bank account every thirty minutes because I was so stressed about money. FPU gave me the confidence I needed to walk in freedom and abundance in my finances. I can not recommend it enough. It’s the reason I was able to finish my education!” 

Maybe, like Ash, you want financial freedom but don’t know where to start. We want to help! You can start living from a place of abundance and peace in your finances today. To sign up or learn more, visit milestonechurch.com/fpu

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Cass’s Story

At Milestone Church, we believe in creating a safe and fun environment where kids can grow in their relationship with God and others. Our heart is to help every child reach their full potential. Check out Cass’s story to see the impact it had on her to watch her son, Corbin, be in an environment that helped him flourish. 

“ I am a preschool director and work very closely with special needs children. When Corbin was around three years old, we started to notice that he was acting out and showing all the signs of a child with special needs. But, it’s hard to know when it’s your kid. He was eventually diagnosed and that was hard for us. 

Corbin has the kindest heart, but it can be hard to take him places because other people don’t understand. One of our biggest challenges was taking him to church. It was hard to find a place where I knew that he would truly be taken care of and taught the Bible in a way that he could understand. 

Coming to Milestone Church absolutely blew me away. We have never been to a church that has a discovery room specifically for special needs children. The people in that room have loved our son so well and have helped him grow so much — he’s even getting baptized on April 24! This would not have been possible without the volunteers who made it their priority to help him succeed. Even my husband and I were able to get connected to spiritual family because we didn’t have to worry if Corbin was going to be okay.

I couldn’t be more grateful for the people who have invested in my son’s life and helped our family be as healthy as it is today. “

We want to help every child reach their purpose. At Milestone Church, we believe that your kid doesn’t have to wait to be great — they can be a great kid. To learn more about our kids ministry and how your child can get plugged in, visit us at milestonechurch.com/kids. 

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Spiritual Family Changes everything

Our world can seem so overwhelming right now. There seem to be so many problems all around us. But instead of letting it drive us away from spiritual family, we should be running towards it. Check out Nick and Jillian’s story of how coming back to church changed the health of their marriage and family. 

“In August of 2018, Jillian was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through the first drug treatment, and after 2019 was cleared. Coming into 2020, we were feeling really good. We had our health, we were more involved at church, our business was doing well, and we were even planning on building our dream home.   

Then Covid hit. I was worried at first but I was also just thankful that we still had our health. Except about a month and a half later we got the news that Jillian’s cancer was back. 

And just like that everything changed. We went from being a young, healthy family, to having to tell our boys they couldn’t play with their friends, because we couldn’t risk exposing their mom. We had to stop going to everything. We were completely isolated. 

I vividly remember this moment where I thought, ‘I don’t know what I need. I don’t know what I’m missing. I feel more lost than I’ve ever felt in my life. I feel like I am truly in danger of turning my back on God.’  

In that moment, I remember what one of the pastors at Milestone had said to me. He said, it’s okay to be angry with God– it’s okay to question God. But, when you turn your back on God, that’s when it’s really bad. That’s when you’re really in danger. That is absolutely where I was at. 

We had a month window where Jillian wasn’t going through treatment, and we decided to go back to church. We didn’t know how bad we needed it. That first moment of just stepping back into the building changed everything. 

You don’t really know how much it impacts and encourages you when you worship with other people until you have gone without it. 

I know that like we were, a lot of families are feeling lonely, isolated, and disconnected right now. I would encourage those people to take that next step and get connected, because it really does change everything. We all need spiritual family.”

Spiritual family changes everything. We want to get you connected. However, we also understand that health concerns are real. Your health and safety are our number one priority. We would love to see you at our 12:30pm or 6:30pm services where there is more room for you and your family to stay safe and healthy. You can check out all of our available service options at milestonechurch.com.

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Spiritual Family Is Worth It

Prayer changes everything, but sometimes we can find ourselves unsure of what to pray for or even how to do it. When we find ourselves in those moments, it’s crucial to have people surrounding us who can pray with us and for us. Check out Sonia’s story of how spiritual family helped her believe for a seemingly impossible situation. 

“When I was at Milestone, I would hear people say join a small group and get plugged in. They would say things like ‘spiritual family changes everything, but I had no idea how true that would be in my own life.

In February of 2020, I came home and my husband was gone. He had taken all his belongings and changed his phone number. Our marriage had been struggling for a while, but I never thought something like this would happen. We had no communication for six months. I had never felt more alone. I was isolated and too embarrassed to tell anyone what was going on.

I got to a place where I just knew I couldn’t do it alone. So, I decided to step out and join a small group. I was still too embarrassed to open up or share with anyone. I felt an overwhelming amount of shame. That day, however, I decided to join a small group, and it changed my life. The support that I felt from my spiritual family was something that I never knew was possible. 

They encouraged me to pray for my husband and believe God for reconciliation. They had faith for my situation when I didn’t have enough for myself. I don’t think I would have been able to pray and fight for my husband without them. So, naturally they were the first people I told when my husband reached back out to me for the first time. 

After six months of no contact and a lot of prayer, I received a text from my husband. He said that he had an encounter with God and wanted to reconcile our relationship! I was so overwhelmed and thankful. 

The healing process wasn’t easy, but walking through it with our spiritual family was everything. Now, I’m happy to say that we are in a much better place, and I am six months pregnant with our first child! It’s just crazy to see the power of spiritual family and prayer. 

It wasn’t easy to jump into a small group and share with them all my brokenness.. But, I’m so thankful that I decided to jump in, because I honestly don’t know where I would be without them.

Spiritual family isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it!” 

Maybe, like Sonia, you feel hesitant to get plugged into a small group. It can feel vulnerable, frightening, and uncomfortable. But, it could also be the best decision you have ever made. Our team would love to help serve you in any way we can to get you connected to a small group. It’s never too late. Just shoot a quick email saying you’re interested to smallgroups@milestonechurch.com, and our team will get you plugged in.

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Jack Sands

One moment in the presence of God is all it takes to change a life. Jack Sands is just one of our many highschool students who got saved at one of our student events last fall. Check out his story.  

“I went to Super Series (Super Series is a teaching series that happens at our Wednesday night student program: Elevate) last fall, and I was feeling far away from God. In worship, they started playing this song: Run to the Father. I felt this tug from God that he wanted me to come back to Him. I’ve never felt anything like that in my life. Then, the Pastor on stage asked if anyone wanted to give their life to Jesus–I knew I had to go down to the front. Two of my friends and I accepted Jesus as our Savior in that moment. It was so cool! 

After I went home, I started thinking about my next steps. I wanted to get water baptized to show everyone how much God had changed me. I shared with my brother what God had done in my life. He was going through a tough time and decided that he wanted to get baptized too. 

I was baptized with my brother in front of my family, which was such a cool moment that I will never forget. My grandparents even got to watch over zoom! 

God has really changed my life. I was at Elevate a few weeks ago and they were playing the same song that was playing when I gave my life to Jesus. I saw a kid standing next to me, and I felt like I was supposed to go and talk to him. I told him that I felt like God wanted him to go to fall retreat and that God loved him.  I hope that God did the same thing in his life that He did in mine.” 

God wants to meet your student exactly where they are at. He wants to meet them in a way that not only changes their life but also the lives of those around them. Sometimes all it takes is one moment in His presence. For more information about our many student programs you can go to milestonechurch.com/students. 

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