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may report

january 2023 – may 2023

Easter Recap

EXODUS KIDS

EXODUS Students

EXODUS Women

EXODUS Men

Facilities

staff

The Orchard Initiative

local missions

Community Groups

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to celebrate all that God has done in the ministries within our church and to anticipate all that he will do in the events to come.

EASTER RECAP

Good Friday

Many people gathered on both Good Friday and Easter to worship our Risen Savior. Our Good Friday services brought in 395 people and were a time to remember Jesus’ sacrifice. The mood of the services was somber and helped us focus on the cross, but we all were left hopeful for Sunday.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday brought in 970 people, the highest attendance in Exodus history and a testament to God’s grace. Easter morning was filled with lots of rejoicing, smiles, Yummm Donuts, family pictures, and most importantly, bringing glory to God through proclaiming the good news of the Gospel.

EXODUS KIDS

New Rotation

In March we started a new six month rotation in Exodus Kids. We recruited 14 new volunteers who joined the many volunteers who graciously serve on a regular basis in Exodus Kids. We held a training lunch and had a great time of fellowship and getting to know one another.

Holy Week

On Palm Sunday, the kids walked around the worship space waving palm branches while we sang “Great Are You Lord.” It was so special to watch them waving their branches high as we were singing about our King Jesus! This year, we did something new in Exodus Kids for Easter. Andrea Noles, Ashlyn Howard, and Emily Gladney visited the Exodus Kids K-5th grade classroom and read “The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross” by Carl Laferton. Along with the story, the kids participated in painting a large curtain representing the veil that would be torn on Good Friday.

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

Exodus Kids extreme

July 10-12, 2023

In July we will have our annual Exodus Kids Extreme! This year, we are bringing Christmas in July! We are looking forward to all the Lord will do during this week when the kids will share in fun, fellowship, and most importantly learn more about Jesus and how he is the most precious “Gift” we could ever receive.  You can sign up your children and volunteer to register at the links below!

exodus Students

180 Weekend

Exodus Students were able to participate in 180 Weekend again this year. Our Students spent time building relationships with one another and with their leaders. They were also able to get to know other families at Exodus as many people volunteered as host homes, drivers, and in a variety of other ways. The Students encountered sound Gospel teaching and had a blast throughout the weekend. We had the highest attendance for this event than for any other Students event to date with 61 participants. Because the kids exceeded this goal, Tyler made good on his promise to shave his head.

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

Summer Camp

June 12-15, 2023

Our 4th annual Exodus Student Summer Camp is coming up in June. Our Students will travel with their leaders back to Camp Awanita in Marietta, South Carolina to learn from God’s Word, grow in community with one another and with their leaders, and most likely beat the leaders in archery tag again.

MISSION TRIPS

In July, our Students will participate in three different mission trips across three different cities serving three of our church planting partners.

Our Orchard Initiative resident Kenneth Gray will lead Exodus Students this summer while Pastor Tyler Griffin is on sabbatical.

exodus WOMEN

Titus Talks

On a Saturday morning in March, almost 100 women came together to hear from women in our own congregation present a series of fast-paced talks about various topics like meal planning, decorating on a budget, prayer, and many others. As everyone arrived, they were greeted with a coffee bar which featured a specially created coffee drink just for this event and warm donuts.

As a new addition from past years, the women were able to pick a breakout session to attend. These breakout sessions included classes on breadmaking, plant care, and hand lettering. The day concluded with lunch and time for fellowship. How amazing that we have so many talented women to minister to our church in this way!

Spring Bible Study

This spring the women of Exodus had the opportunity to study the second half of the book of Hebrews through an eight-week study. Each Monday night and Thursday morning women gathered at The Mill to have discussion time as groups and teaching time together. The women of Exodus have grown deeper in their understanding of the Bible and have grown in their walks with the Lord this spring through this study, and we cannot wait to see what new growth the Fall Study brings!

Pie Night

On Monday, April 3, more than 60 women gathered to celebrate the end of Spring Bible Study. Lots of desserts were consumed, women spoke about the impact that this study had on their lives, and everyone got to have a little fun with a few games. Pie Night is always a favorite event at the end of Bible study each spring and fall. Those who attend Bible study and those who do not are always welcome to attend this fun event. We are already looking forward to Pie Night in the fall!

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

SUMMER SOCIAL

June 22

Save the date for the Exodus Women Summer Social, Exodus Women Overboard!, a pool party on Thursday, June 22. We will gather that evening to swim (or not swim, if that’s not your thing) and enjoy the warm summer air together. Further details will be announced soon!

exodus MEN

In The Word 

So far in 2023 we have had 120 men reading daily through one of five reading plans, two of which were created in house here at Exodus. It has been a blessing to continue to see men applying themselves to the daily disciplines of reading God’s Word and praying while also submitting themselves to the accountability of the men in their groups. It has also been amazing to see how many people have been using our T214 reading plans worldwide. We currently have over 10,000 subscribers worldwide who are learning and growing from daily time in the Bible.

Discipleship Intensive

We had a full morning where we delved into what it means to invest in the next generation. We covered a wide variety of topics from leading well at home and investing in your children to working with teenagers and investing in other men. Discipleship is not a passive activity. It requires intentional, thoughtful planning and leadership. As men who value fighting against passivity in our lives, we are actively seeking to grow in our ability to love, train, and equip our families and friends. We capped the morning off with a putt-putt tournament at Adventure Landing where we were able to have good conversation around what we had learned as well as deepen relationships.

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

Grand Prix

We are excited for what the rest of 2023 holds. Coming up in June we will have our second annual Dale Earnhardt Grand Prix at Victory Lanes where our men will enjoy spending time together while we watch Billy Stiles zip around us on the race track and desperately try to catch him.

Training Day

We also have our second training day coming up in July where we will explore God’s call to authenticity and accountability in relationships. God has been so kind to us so far this year, and we cannot wait to see what else He has in store.

Facilities

Events

We are grateful to have The Mill and all the space it provides us. In addition to our weekly gatherings, so far this year our space has been used for Exodus Women’s Bible Study, Men’s T214 events, Pie Night, Foster Families Support Night, and numerous other events. We’ve also celebrated baptism twice and created a new overflow area that was utilized for the first time on Easter Sunday.

Mill Improvements

Due to the age of the building and needs of our people, constant work and updates are being made. In recent months, we’ve installed a new sound booth in the Flex Space, performed all yearly safety systems inspections, relamped all the lights in the Commons, repainted a large overhead door on the back side of the building, and have made some progress on The Exodus Mill master plan for future expansion.

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

This spring and summer, we are planning to finish demolition of abandoned pipes in the basement, start electrical work and rehab on the bathroom plumbing in the basement, and obtain construction drawings for our basement upfit. We also are excited to make significant headway on the master plan, install three new sets of exterior doors, paint the handrails in the Plaza, and paint the pop-up/clear story on the top of The Mill.

We are looking forward to preparing The Mill for Exodus Kids Extreme with epic decor and by adding some new safety padding throughout the building. We will also be adding a new TV monitor and shelves in the Exodus Kids hallway and some new dry erase boards in the Flex Space.

STAFF

New Pastor

Kevin Weisman started as the Pastor of Operations this March and is a welcome addition to our staff and church family.

Anniversaries

We celebrated several staff anniversaries: Abby Perdew – 1 year, Rebecca Adams – 3 years, and Kirk Brown – 7 years. We are blessed to have a gifted staff of servants who love Jesus and His church.

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

Anniversaries

This coming spring and summer we will celebrate these staff members: Matthew Lunsford – 7 years, Amber Diffley and Scott Harris – 3 years, Josh Grotke, Tyler Boyette, and Lyndsi Valenti – 2 years, and Kelsie Mery and Lauren Harris – 1 year.

Staff Summer Party

This June we will have our annual summer party for our staff and their families. This year will be a luau theme and is sure to be full of lots of fun, fellowship, and friendly competition.

Interns

Throughout the summer, both Exodus Students and Exodus Kids leadership will work alongside and equip two interns who will be helpful in serving within our existing teams for events such as summer mission trips and Exodus Kids Extreme.

THe ORCHARD INITIATIVE

Residency In Full Swing

Our two Orchard Initiative residents Kenneth Gray and David Gladney had an exciting and productive winter. They went on scouting trips for Summer Student Mission Trips with Kenneth traveling to Gloucester City, NJ to meet with Epiphany Church Gloucester City and David going to Greenville, SC to meet with Reconcile Community Church. Along with Pastor Brian Lowe, they attended a Simeon Trust Workshop in Greenville, SC. Additionally, they served in Exodus Students as leaders during 180 Weekend, and they taught in Exodus Students on several different occasions.

Kenneth and David were further equipped for ministry through attending the Acts 29 Advance Conference in Raleigh and completing the preaching unit in their Thursday afternoon Acts 29 Equip Cohort. They also completed their first Orchard Initiative rotation; Kenneth completed the Discipleship Rotation with Tyler Boyette, and David completed the Connections Rotation with Josh Grotke. In terms of ministry responsibilities, Kenneth organized and led our Foster Families Support Night, while David ran point on the Connections Ministry for two weeks. Also, they both started leading Community Groups here at Exodus. On top of their regular responsibilities, they both traveled to Mississippi to preach for their friend Nathan Chapman at Bellwether Church.

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

Summer Opportunities

Kenneth and David are excited for their summer opportunities. David will be overseeing our summer interns, and Kenneth is going to lead Exodus Students this summer during Tyler Griffin’s sabbatical. Also, both Kenneth and David are leading mission trips with Exodus Students. They are both grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow here at Exodus. Please continue praying for them as they lead important ministries in the life of our church.

LOCAL OUTREACH

Exodus is passionate about serving our community and showing Christ’s love in tangible ways. This past year, we had the privilege of partnering with several local organizations for various initiatives.

Community Partner Drive

One of our most significant efforts was our Community Partner Drive. We teamed up with North Belmont Elementary School, Crisis Pregnancy Center, and The Homeless Ministry to collect donations for the upcoming winter. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our church members, and we were able to provide much-needed support to those in need.

North Belmont Elementary

We also had the opportunity to support North Belmont Elementary School through our North Belmont Faculty Breakfasts program. We provided breakfast three times over the winter to the faculty to express our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to our community’s children.

We were also thrilled to participate in our Notes of Encouragement and End of Year T-shirts program. One Sunday morning our church wrote notes of congratulations to North Belmont Elementary students, and we gave each student one of these notes along with school t-shirts designed by one of our Exodus Students youth.

Laundromat Buyout

We partnered with Pebble Creek Laundromat in February for our Laundry Buy-Out program. We shared the Gospel and showed Christ’s love in a practical way by paying for laundry loads for those who came in.

Read Across America

In March, we participated in Read Across America Day spending a morning at North Belmont Elementary reading a book to each classroom. It was a joy to see the students’ excitement and share the love of reading with them.

Least of These Carolinas

As a church, we care deeply about foster families in our community, and we were honored to partner with Least of These Carolinas for our Foster Families Support Night program. To show our local foster families that they are valued and appreciated, we provided childcare and gift cards for dinner to caregivers.

Overall, we believe that serving our community is an essential part of our mission as a church. We are grateful for the opportunities we have had to positively impact the lives of those around us, and we look forward to continuing to serve and love our community in the years to come.

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

Opportunities to Serve

We have several opportunities to serve our local mission partners this spring and summer. We are looking forward to hosting Brunch for Teachers at The Mill the last Friday in May for the North Belmont Elementary teachers to celebrate the end of the school year. Today’s Daily Bread provides lunches for children in our community who need meals during the summer when they are out of school. We are excited to have the opportunity to help pack lunches for these students a few times this summer. In May and June, we will work with the Crisis Pregnancy Center to fill baby bottles for their fundraising event. Near the end of the summer, we will have a donation drive for school supplies to help the teachers and students of North Belmont Elementary.

COMMUNITY GROUPS

New Curriculum

In February we held our annual Community Group Leaders Collective event. This year we launched a new curriculum called Refocus to help guide our people through the mission of Community Groups. Our groups began this study in March.

We also recently held our spring Community Group Leader Huddle. This was a great time of fellowship, encouragement, and training for our leaders.

12 New Community Group Leaders

Since January we have commissioned 12 new Community Group leaders! We have commissioned Luke and Abby Perdew (Stateline), Kenneth and Whitney Gray (Orchard Street), Damon and Holly Murray (Eastside), David and Emily Gladney (West Gastonia), Topher and Rachel Welch (McAdenville), and Brad and Mary Lou Hart (South Gastonia).

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO SUMMER

Summer Slow Down

Summer looks different for each of our Community Groups. With kids out of school for the summer and many of our people enjoying vacations, our groups have a Summer Slow Down. While our groups will continue to meet and remain connected throughout the summer, what that looks like might be a little different than it does the rest of the year with less frequent meetings and more social gatherings. 

We also have an upcoming training in June for future potential Community Group leaders. We are excited to train and equip more Community Group leaders as our church continues to grow.

Sunday Gatherings: 8a*, 9:30a**, 11a**
6325 Wilkinson Blvd, Belmont, NC 28012

*Exodus Kids Available 6mos-4yrs
**Exodus Kids Available 6mos-5th Grade

 

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