Exodus Church seeks to be a redeemed people who worship and serve God in the world. We make this statement each time we gather on Sunday mornings – and we believe that you will see our ministries fulfilling this ambition as you read the reports that we have gathered here to describe what the Lord has accomplished through the people of Exodus so far in 2024 .

Specifically, we also hope you see us working toward the goals that we shared for this year:

• Get as simple as possible.
• Get solid where it matters.
• Stay soft toward God and one another.

May Jesus get all the glory!

Good Friday

Our Good Friday services brought in 289 people and were a time to remember Jesus’ sacrifice. The mood of the services was reflective, helping us ponder specific aspects of Jesus’ final hour: His betrayal and abandonment, being accused and mocked, His crucifixion, and finally His death and placement in the tomb. The songs “Man of Sorrows” and “Hallelujah What A Savior” were theme songs for the night. We left with hope looking forward to Sunday.

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday, 1,028 people came to Exodus to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. God was glorified through the proclaiming of the good news of the Gospel. Easter morning was beautiful and was filled with rejoicing, smiles, and donuts.

New Rotation

In March we started a new six month rotation in Exodus Kids. We recruited six new teachers for the 2nd-5th grade classroom and an additional nine volunteers in other positions across the three services. We held a training lunch and had a great time of fellowship and getting to know one another.

Holy Week

In July we will have our annual Exodus Kids Extreme! This year, the gospel theme will be “Kingdom”! 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. You can sign up your children and volunteer to register at the link below.

180 Weekend

Exodus Students participated in 180 weekend in February. The students were able to spend some valuable time building relationships with one another and with their leaders. The theme for the weekend was “Known.” Over 70 students from Exodus spent time meditating on the truth that God knows us.

Our Exodus Students Summer Camp is coming up in June. Our students will travel to Camp Awanita in Marietta, South Carolina to enjoy a great time of fellowship with one another as they learn from God’s word. John Schroder from the Well Church in Americus, Georgia and our pastor of worship, Brandon Lovelace, will be leading the way during this week.

In July, many of our students will participate in one of three different mission trips to serve one of our church partners. Each trip is focusing on helping a local church reach their community with the good news of Jesus. Please pray for our students as they go on each of these trips.

New Exodus Women’s Coordinator

Jada Runkle began as Exodus Women’s Coordinator in April. In this role she will encourage and support volunteer leaders and will provide administrative support for the Exodus Women’s ministry. Jada is a great addition to our staff and is excited about the future of Exodus Women.

Spring Bible Study

We had a successful 7-week Bible study called, “You Will Know: A Study in John 13-17”. This study was a Spring Training in which our women learned and practiced the basic tools of Bible study. Many women shared that before this study, they had never been taught how to study the Bible on their own. By working through the curriculum, discussing in groups, and learning from the Women’s Teaching Team, ladies were encouraged by the life of Jesus in John and empowered to study scriptures on their own.

Pie Night

On Monday, March 25, more than 60 women gathered to celebrate the end of Spring Bible Study. Lots of desserts were consumed, two women spoke about the impact that this study had on their lives, and everyone got to have a little fun with a few get-to-know-you games. Pie Night is always a sweet celebration at the end of Bible study each spring and fall. Those who attend Bible study and those who do not are always welcome to join in on this fun event. We are already looking forward to Pie Night in the fall!

Nourish

65 women gathered on a Saturday morning in April for an engaging panel-style discussion about the unwavering faithfulness of God throughout the various seasons of life. Our women were nourished as they heard testimony about how each panelist has seen God working in her life through the good days and through difficult trials. Nourishment also came as our women shared in a delicious brunch and in-house coffee bar.

Save the date for the Exodus Women Summer Social, Exodus Women Overboard!, a pool party on Thursday, June 20. We will gather that evening to swim and compete in some hilarious pool games. Come ready to swim or watch! Further details and registration are coming soon!

Men’s Training

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

In February, 50 men from Exodus gathered to discover what the Bible says about good works and how to find joy in them. The Bible is crystal clear that when we are saved, we are not just saved from something but also saved to something. Part of what we are saved to is the participation in good works, which God has prepared for each of us to do.

Thomas Griffin presented on the necessity of good works, what it means to be zealous in good works (and finding joy in them), how service in the church is a crucial part of good works, how spiritual gifts impact good works (and what your spiritual gifts are), and each person’s part to play.

The night ended with every man doing a spiritual gifts assessment and taking action on a good work by writing a thank you card to someone who needed encouragement.

On May 18, men from Exodus will be gathering together at the US National Whitewater Center for a fun day of outdoor adventures.

The next Exodus Men’s Training Event will be in late June, and they will discuss what it looks like to develop a vision for life that is grounded in God’s Word and propelled by Godly ambition to seek and serve Him. Further details and registration are coming soon!

The beginning of 2024 has been exciting for our residents! First, Exodus added a new resident, Spencer Fretwell, who joined Kenneth Gray and David Gladney in the residency and will be with them through the end of this year. All three of our residents had a unique opportunity to learn and grow through fully owning an area of ministry at Exodus Church. Kenneth owned Exodus Students, David owned Missions Mobilization, and Spencer owned the Connections Ministry. Kenneth and David also participated in a Simeon Trust expository preaching workshop in Greenville, SC. David went with Kevin Weisman to a church health workshop in Atlanta, GA and Kenneth went with Brian Lowe to a church planting conference in Asheville, NC.

As Kenneth, David, and Spencer complete the final year of The Orchard Initiative Pastoral Residency, they are excited for their unique summer ministry opportunities. Kenneth will be preaching a series through the middle of 2 Corinthians called “Our Part.” David will continue serving Exodus as the interim Mobilization Coordinator. Spencer will be serving as the interim Connection Coordinator at Exodus as well as helping lead worship in Exodus Students. Also, our residents will serve in a variety of ways with Exodus Students Summer Camp, Summer Mission Trips, and Exodus Kids Extreme. They are all grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow here at Exodus. Please continue to pray for our residents as they lead important ministries in the life of our church.

Baptism

We have had the honor of baptizing 19 people so far this year. Every one of these baptisms represent a life changed by God’s grace.

Membership

So far this year we have added 14 new members. These individuals have walked through the Next Steps process and are committed to fulfilling all of their membership responsibilities, including attending a Community Group, serving in Exodus in a way that brings glory to God, giving joyfully and sacrificially, and more.

New Community Group

The Hickory Grove Group led by Jeff and Jeannine Shook launched in March. Jeff and Jeannine are excited to serve God in this way.

Equip Nights

We had another successful round of Equip Nights with 135 adults participating in classes. Many classes were offered for practical and theological training including parenting, finances, theology, Bible study tools (Women’s Bible Study), leadership development (Elder Development Class), and dealing with anxiety (Anxiety Support Group). Keep an eye out for our Monday Night Fall Equip Classes which will be announced soon.

Find Your Place to Belong

We want everyone who calls Exodus home to find their place to belong. You can find that in a Community Group. Our groups meet in homes throughout the area on various nights of the week. You can use this map to locate the groups that are nearest to you on a night that is convenient, or fill out this form and someone will contact you with recommendations for groups that fit your needs.

Next Steps

Have you wondered about what it would look like to get more involved at Exodus or step into membership? We will be holding a Next Steps Class on Sunday, May 19, at The Mill from 5-7pm. Our Next Steps class is for those who are interested in learning more about who we are as a church and how to become a member of our congregation. Childcare is provided with registration, and you can register by clicking here.

Baptism

Our next baptism celebration will be on July 21. If you have interest in discussing baptism with one of our elders, please email baptism@theexoduschurch.org.

CG 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. The summer is still a great time to get involved with a group; just be sure to contact the leader to verify meeting times.

Training for Potential Community Group Leaders

We 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. If you have interest in leading a group, please speak with your Community Group Leader or email groups@theexoduschurch.org

Foster Families Support Night

Twice a year, Exodus supports foster families by providing childcare for foster and biological children of foster families and sends the caregivers out to dinner. This March, Exodus hosted our fifth Foster Families Support Night. We served 35 families and 85 children. Over 50 volunteers were so gracious and kind as they shared the love of Jesus by giving the caregivers a wonderful night out and the children a super fun night at Exodus. The night was filled with fun, food, music, interactive games, and many smiles and laughs. 

In addition to hosting our own Support Night, we created a Playbook for Foster Families Support Night so that other churches can bless foster families. If you know of a church or pastor who would be interested in this type of ministry opportunity, please share the Playbook with them! 

North Belmont Elementary

This April, we were able to serve the students at North Belmont Elementary in our Notes of Encouragement and End of Year T-shirts program. Our church took time to write notes to the students to congratulate them on completing another year of school. We also gave each student at the school a t-shirt designed by one of our Exodus Students.

Opportunities to Serve

This spring and summer, Exodus will have more opportunities to serve our community. In May and June, we will work with the Crisis Pregnancy Center to fill baby bottles for their fundraising event. At the end of the summer, there will be three student mission trips. These trips will be to serve three of our partners. The middle schoolers are going to visit Reconcile Community Church in Greenville, SC. The two high school trips are going to visit Strong Tower in Montgomery, AL and Epiphany Church in Gloucester City, NJ. Please pray for these upcoming trips.

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 Equip Nights, including the Exodus Women’s Bible Study, Men’s T214 events, Pie Night, Foster Families Support Night, and numerous other events. We’ve also celebrated baptism and have finished the Event Space HVAC area that has been utilized for numerous functions.

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 finished the basement shop, added updated lighting to various areas in the building, built a new Event Desk for Exodus Students, and finished the Exodus Mill master plan. We also began renting the house at 112 Orchard Street.

New Additions

We have had several additions to the Exodus staff so far this year. Damon Murray began as the Pastor of Care and Counseling in January, and Brandon Lovelace started as the Pastor of Worship in March. In April, we added Jada Runkle to the team as the Exodus Women’s Coordinator and Jocelyn Jones as our Childcare Admin. Spencer Fretwell also joined the team as a third Orchard Initiative Pastoral Resident. All five new staff members have brought their own unique passions and gifts to the team and are such a blessing to Exodus!

Anniversaries

We celebrated several staff anniversaries: Kevin Weisman – 1 year, Abby Perdew – 2 years, Rebecca Adams – 4 years, and Kirk Brown – 8 years. We are blessed to have a gifted staff of servants who love Jesus and His church.

Anniversaries

This coming spring and summer we will celebrate these staff members: 

Brittany Kahler – 1 year, Lauren Harris, David Gladney, and Kenneth Gray – 2 years, Josh Grotke, Tyler Boyette, and Lyndsi Valenti – 3 years, Scott Harris – 4 years and Brian Lowe – 16 years.

Staff Summer Party

In late May we will celebrate all He has done through our staff with a summer party for them and their families which is planned and prepared for by a group of wonderful volunteers. The event will be held off site at the Kevin Loftin Park in Belmont. It is sure to be full of laughter, fellowship, and some friendly competition.

Interns

Throughout the spring and summer months both Exodus Students and Exodus Kids leadership will work alongside and equip three interns who will be a huge asset serving within our existing teams for events such as summer mission trips and Exodus Kids Extreme.